A Food lovers guide to the best of New York City

The city of a million possibilities. You could literally live in New York City your entire life and never begin to scratch the surface of places to eat, and things to do and see. One reason is that this city is in a constant state of change. Thankfully, there are some things that do not change because I have my favorites and I am here to share them with you!!

What I love about NYC

Its energy, diversity, and its food! The very first time I visited this city was in 1995, nearly 30 year ago! I recently went back for the tenth time, and believe it or not there are still stones left unturned! I never ever get tired of this city. I’m a girl that grew up in a very small midwestern town in Michigan, only cornfields for as far as the eye could see, who as subsequently lived in a home, for the past 23 years, that I can only see one other house and it’s my in-laws. So to say my life is sheltered is not an understatement. Getting to the Big Apple energizes me! I wander the avenues like Mary Tyler Moore with a huge smile on my face and my coat flying behind me tossing my hat in the air, however my purse is tight to my chest not flying out for someone to grab!

Top 10 favorite things to do in New York City

Take a food tour. I have only ever used Food Tours of New York tour company. They are fantastic! I have taken The Chelsea Market Tour, the original Greenwich Village tour, The Heart and Soul of Greenwich Village, the Nolita and Little Italy Connection tour, The Flavors of China Town (2times). Take a food tour on the first or second day of your trip. The reason being is your tour guide will not only showcase several great places to eat, you can ask them tons of questions about other parts of NYC, they are experts and you will get tons of extraordinary recommendations about where to eat for the remainder of your trip. I cannot stress enough what a great experience every single one of my tours have been with this tour company.
Go see a Broadway Show! I would see a show every night if my pocket book allowed. I often go to the TIX booth in Time Square and get last minute discounted tickets. You have to pick from whats left and sometimes it’s not always available. But I have seen some great shows for up to 50% or more off the original ticket price.
Take a guided bike tour of central park. I would advise looking on Viator, we took the Central Park Highlights small group bike tour. Central Park is huge, and I have walked it many times, however taking the bike tour allows you to see the whole park while also learning about how it came to be and some of the history behind this iconic green space! End your tour with a cocktail at Tavern on the Green with a side of truffle fries! You will need reservations for dinner, but its easy to walk in and sit in the bar for a quick drink and its beautiful inside!
Reserve a spot at one of the many city viewing balconies at sunset. Top of the Rock, The Edge at Hudson Yards, The Empire State Building, Summit One, the Brooklyn Bridge. My favorite is The Top of the Rock. You get a great view of all of Manhatten. I will say it gets very crowded up there so hang on to your honey, I lost our exchange student up there, it got dark and I could not find her. I panicked just a wee bit. Brooklyn Bridge is my second favorite for sunset and skyline, and its free! The Brooklyn Bridge also gets crowded, but its breathtaking and like I said its free!
Circle Line Tour of Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. If you are into history and museums, I would highly suggest this tour. Book it ahead so you can skip the lines and give yourself at least 4 hours. If you just want to see Lady Liberty with out doing all the museamy stuff you can take the Staten Island Ferry for free from Battery Park. See Free things to do later in post for more information. The Staten Island Ferry will give you a great view of the statue, you will not get off you just boat past her.
Take a cooking class. I have taken two classes at the Institute of Culinary Education. I have taken many cooking classes over the years and one thing I hate is when I don’t learn anything new. When a class that could go deep and in depth is taught like I’ve never been in the kitchen before or it is more of a demonstration than hands on. You will not be disappointed at Ice in NYC. Click here for the full list of classes.

Favorite Free things to do in the Big Apple

Walk the Highline.
The Little Island
Take the Staten Island Ferry
Walk the Brooklyn Bridge
Go in the Lobby of the Plaza Hotel and find the painting of Eloise.
Take in Time Square at night.
Go to the New York Public Library its open to everyone and it is a beautiful building. Its the library on 5th avenue between 40th and 42nd. Its near Bryant Park which is also beautiful and free!
Walk Central Park and find John Lennons Strawberry Fields memorial. Also find the Carousel and give it a ride, its $3.50, not free, but affordable. Bethesda Fountain, the Castle, the avenue of trees, the Balto statue, so many great movie landmarks and memories in Central Park.
Streets to walk: Broadway, Park Avenue, 7th Avenue, 5th Avenue, Houston, Bleeker St through Greenwich Village, Mott Street in Chinatown. Walking is your best bet and there is so much to see, so many shops, and look up at the architecture it is magnificent in NYC.
Walk through Grand Central Station and look up, sit on a bench and watch people for at least 15 minutes. Its the best show in the city!

Museums

I love museums, but I admittedly in all the times I’ve been to New York, this is not my top choice of things to do. I just want to be out in the city, eating, and walking and eating again! But if you find yourself with a rainy day, or if museums are your jam then here are the ones I have been to or want to get to.

Tenement Museum – If you like history this is a MUST, it is guided tour only. You can book online or we just showed up and looked at what was available and took that tour. We did the Under one Roof tour. All the tours take about 1 hour. We met a couple that were doing a few consecutively, which is a good idea if you have the time. tours are in the $35 range.
911 Memorial and Museum – have walked around the memorial area, have not been in the museum portion yet.
Ellis Island get the head set – I have done this tour every time I’ve taken a kid so that means I’ve been to it 4 times! There is a new museum on the island with Lady Liberty, don’t miss that, its very informative about the shipment of the statue and placement etc. It’s a quick walk through. I have always wanted to get tickets for the crown tour but this fills up very quickly so if you think you want to do it, think ahead.
MOMA – Still need to go but have heard great things.
The Met – Also have not been but next time, next time I swear I’m going to this museum.
The American Museum of Natural History – We went on a day that was free and it was raining, so needless to say you could barely move in there. What I did see looked impressive, we braved the weather and decided to walk through Central Park instead.
New York City Library – on 5th ave between 40th and 42nd (I say this because there are a few libraries in the city) had amazing architecture, as well as a few free exhibits and a great gift shop, free clean bathrooms, and a cafe!

Restaurants

I have a Yelp collection of restaurants that I have been adding to since Yelp started there are over 120 restaurants on there. I have not tried them all, but I have tried a few, and most have been given to me as recommendations by friends or trusted foodies of this planet. I will say, I have received amazing food and absolutely disgraceful service, its a big city, you get what you get and try not to throw a fit!

Dante (79-81 Macdougal St ):I would recommend reservations. We went early (4:30) and got a table but it was just two of us and they told us we had to be out by 7, which we thought was plenty of time, but the food and drinks were so amazing we pushed it right to the end! This restaurant has been on my list for a long time and we finally went last week. Not inexpensive, but worth every penny. The service (David was our server) was impeccable, absolutely the best. The Food was perfection. The cocktails, if nothing else go for an appetizer and a cocktail. I love Dirty Martinis, let me just say I arrived in dirty martini heaven with this drink. I had a craving for a Caesar Salad with chicken, sounds boring, but it was the best dang salad with chicken. Sometimes simple is the hardest thing to do phenomenally and Dante is the master of it. You must end your meal with the Tiramisu.
Buvette (42 Grove St): Picture perfect Parisian cafe. The food is always pure comfort. It’s tiny and cramped, and the chairs are sometimes uneven as are the tables. I have only been here for breakfast, however they are open 8am -midnight everyday. I want to marry the almond and chocolate croissant, fresh squeezed orange juice, and americano. I always start with this and move on to either the avocado toaste with a poached egg or the chevre omelette. Last week someone next to use ordered the Belgium Waffle and it looked amazing, the berries were on steroids! My girlfriend and I were side eying the berries because they looked so good, and the couple got up and left with out eating one berry. I felt like we were on candid camera or something seeing if we would sneak the plate to our table and not let the atomic berries go to waste!! We didn’t of course, but as you can see I’m still thinking about those darn berries.
Xi’an Famous Foods ( 45 Bayard St – Chinatown) This is a walk up to the counter and order then they call your number and you sit down and eat. So no cocktails here. Only rockstar noodles! The kitchen is open for viewing, and if I were you I would view. It’s amazing how they pull the noodles and fry them up. Some of the most amazing authentic Chinese food I have ever had. Order the Biang-Biang noodles with a side of dumplings. Or a Pork Bun. There are several locations in the city, I have only ever been to the location in Chinatown.
Baar Baar (13 E 1st St) Indian Cuisine: It is absolutely beautiful inside this restaurant, the ambience is so relaxing. We made it in time for happy hour, ordering the Dahi Puri and the Chicken Gee Roast and one of their signature cocktails that are named after Bollywood movies. I had the Slumdog Millionaire, it was amazing. The appetizers were so amazing we decided to stay for dinner and ordered the tasting menu. The server was very helpful explaining each dish and the spices and what area of India its from etc. I would definitely recommend Baar Baar!
Capizzi (547 9th Ave) We happened upon this restaurant late one night when we were starving after a show. The service was good, the food was also very good. I got a pizza and Lilli ordered pasta if I remember correctly. I would go here again, it is not far from Theater District.
Pure Thai Cookhouse (766 9th Ave) I would recommend reservations it is a very small space. If you love Thai cuisine you must try this place out. Every dish we had was incredible, however if you are looking for americanized Thai food this is not your place. This is like Buvette, I would go here everytime I’m in the city it was that good.
Tavern on the Green: Make reservations and get a seat in the dining room. It is stunning. The food is good, not out of this world, but very good and its so quintessential New York if you can afford it I would recommend. The Bar at Tavern on the Green also has a great ambience and you can just walk in and have a drink and order the truffle fries. Take a peak in the main dining room, it’s magical.
Don’t Tell Mama: I will never ever come to New York City and not stop in to DTM. It is an experience. It is small, and loud. It’s a cabaret, piano bar, so what do you expect? I have never actually eaten here other than french fries and martinis with olives. However, the food people have ordered at nearby tables always looks good. If you arrive around 9 this is when things just get rolling. If you like show tunes, and strong drinks this place is a must. You always leave with new friends, it’s just that kinda place. I love it so much. Just for the record I mostly like show tunes, but as I’ve mentioned I do like myself a extra dirty martini!

Cheap Eats

Let me first say nothing is cheap any more when it comes to eating in the city, so when I say cheap I’m talking under $15

Get a hotdog from a street cart, or from Grays Papaya there are a couple locations.
Ess-a-bagel: there are also several locations, I love the one on the lower east side on 1st Ave near 20th, or the one closest to Rockefeller Center is on 3rd Ave near 51st. I always order The Signature on an Everything toasted light on the cream cheese. Unless you want to take a bath in the cream cheese ask for them to go light, and of course I get one to go so I can nibble and feed the pigeons as I meander.
Levain Bakery I have mostly been underwhelmed by all the bakeries that have been glorified to Food Network status in NYC. I am not going to name any of them, but to say I have been dissappointed is an understatement. All that to say Levain Bakery DOES NOT disappoint. Their cookies are absolutely other worldly. I have worked on replicating the chocolate chip walnut and I might share it eventually when I think its close enough. Levain has several locations, I have been to the one on the Upper West Side near 74th.
Doughnut Plant: My other must have when I am in NYC is a donut from the Doughnut Plant. Also a few locations, I believe. However, I have only ever been to the OG on the corner near Grand and Essex lower east side of Manhatten.
Pickle Guys: While you are grabbing a donut, stop in for a pickle because why not! I love anything and everything pickled, and this is where you can find just that. Giant barrels of picked deliciousness. Cheap snack!
Chelsea Market: Also a great place to walk through and find so many great eats. You can eat a full on meal, or just one taco, or get a brownie, or a gelato. Also free bathrooms in the basement and its just off the High Line.
Johny’s Luncheonette: (124 W 25th)this is just a tiny little diner but its consistent and they make a great breakfast sandwich and a killer cup of coffee. It’s where the locals go.

Hotels and Favorite Neighborhoods

I have never stayed in the same hotel twice. The reason being is I try to get the best deal and that takes alot of looking and reading reviews. I usually use Booking.com, and when reading reviews I search for key words like bed bugs, dirty, poor service, street noise, add any other thing you might not like to run into on vacation. I also always look to see if the hotel is close to a Metro station, because I use the public transit, or I walk. I rarely use Uber/taxi only to and from the airport. All that to say here are the hotels I have stayed in that I had a good experience at.

Kimpton Theta Hotel on 8th avenue between 48th and 49th, Clean, close to the Theater District, Time Square, Central Park, Metro, only downside there was not a coffee pot in the room, however there was complimentary coffee every morning in the lobby and happy hour from 5-6 unlimited wine.