“New York is Always a Good Idea”
Additionally, I prepared an Instagram Guide that includes an easy-to-follow map of food locations in New York. Go to my Instagram page to view this! Also, you can check out my New York blog series to keep up to date on my latest trips to New York.
The following sections are included in this post (click to navigate directly to the section):
1. COFFEE/TREATS
MAGNOLIA BAKERY
Magnolia Bakery has several locations in Manhattan. One of the most popular is their Greenwich village bakery (Bleecker street). Moreover, the Greenwich bakery featured in Sex and The City. This is another reason for its popularity! Subsequently, Carries stoop is located just around the corner from here too. I love this location because it’s a lovely area to wander. Also, there’s a little park opposite the bakery where you can sit to enjoy your treat. Their bakeries can be small so, you tend to have to buy to take away.
LITTLE CUPCAKE BAKESHOP
The Little Cupcake Bakeshop uses sustainable ingredients predominantly sourced locally to serve traditional American desserts. They have a Nolita location which is where I visited. I sampled their cupcake, and (dare I say) it was up to par with Magnolia Bakery! However, it is their Brooklyn Blackout Cake which was hailed by Food & Wine as the “Best Chocolate Cake in America”!
MILK
Milk Bar Store offers a selection of cakes, pies, truffles, and cookies. I had one of their shakes – it was amazing! Photo’s don’t even do it justice! I believe it was the Crunchy Cereal shake that I had, definitely recommended!
MAISON KAYSER
Maison Kayser is a French Artisan Boulanger with a selection of nice bread and pastries. They also have several locations scattered around Manhattan. Maison Kayser is great for a quick pit stop to grab a coffee to go while wandering the city. I got a flavored cappuccino (vanilla), and it was the perfect shot – not too sweet like many other coffee shops.
DYLAN’S CANDY BAR
Dylan’s Candy Bar (founded by Ralph Laurens’ daughter) has its flagship store opposite Bloomingdales (60th Street). It has remained on several Top 10 lists of New York City tourist attractions since its inception! Significantly, as of 2018, its flagship store reported welcoming over 2 million visitors per year. Many famous people, such as Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Al Pacino, and Tom Cruise, have visited the store. Furthermore, there is a section of the store dedicated to autographs whereby celebrities have signed their favorite sweets from the store. The decor is very pop art-inspired. Also, it hosts an Ice Cream & Dessert Parlor, Candy Cocktail Bar, and Party Rooms. However, I must admit that I don’t tend to buy much here. I love it because it’s such a colorful and quirky store.
RALPHS COFFEE
I visited Ralph’s Coffee coffee shop by chance while browsing in the Ralph Lauren store. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the standard of coffee! If you are tired of Starbucks and in need of a proper coffee, then I suggest trying out Ralphs!
JUNIORS CHEESECAKE
Juniors are renowned for their cheesecake. Its website even lists it as the ‘world’s most fabulous cheesecake’! I’m not a huge cheesecake fan, but I still found it very nice here. Presently, Junior’s has several New York locations. One is just off Times Square, close to Shake Shack. Perfect if you need dessert after a trip to Shake Shack!
OTHER
Hershey’s Chocolate World and The M&M Store are both in Times Square. They are both tourist traps but worth a visit if you are a first-time tourist to the city. Undeniably, Hershey’s offers the American chocolate experience (Reece’s, Kisses, etc.). As well as all of their chocolate, M&M’s is a great place to browse through their multitude of merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, etc.)!
2. BRUNCH
JULIETTE
Juliette is another French restaurant. However, it is located in Williamsburg but is well worth popping into if you are in Brooklyn. The indoor garden area is so so pretty! Although it appeared busy so perhaps reserve it if visiting at the weekend. We were lucky enough to have pre-booked seats for the garden area.
THE BUTCHERS DAUGHTER
The Butchers Daughter is one of my favorite breakfast spots in New York! I love that it is a plant-based restaurant, cafe, and juice bar – they describe themselves as a “vegetable slaughterhouse”. There are three Butcher’s Daughter locations in New York (Nolita, West Village, and Brooklyn). I visited the Nolita location. Also, I love the décor! It features a lot of greenery. However, the restaurant has become almost too popular and ‘basic’ in the last few years. Lol, every tourist seems to visit here.
JACK’S WIFE FREDA
Jack’s Wife Freda has three locations in the city (SoHo, Chelsea, and the West Village). One of these locations is not too far from The Butchers Daughter West Village restaurant. I visited the SoHo restaurant and liked it a lot. However, I probably needed something more substantial than what the salad offered on that day.
3. BRUNCH/DINNER
EAT BY CHLOE/BEATNIC
I loved the veggie burger I had here (I had the guac one)! There were several Eat by Chloe locations found in New York. However, due to COVID, they have unfortunately shut but the restaurant has rebranded as Beatnic. It is fantastic for a quick stop-off in the evening for takeaway; you can dine in here too. As well as fast food, they do salads, sweets, and sandwiches. Even though I am vegetarian, I had wanted to visit here without even realizing that it was a 100% vegan menu until I arrived!
ILILI
ilili Creative Lebanese restaurant in the NoMad/Flatiron District (close to Gramercy). I very much enjoyed it here! We shared several dishes – everything tasted so good! However, the service was not fantastic (but the food and decor made up for it). 😄
WHITE OAK TAVERN
I had never heard of White Oak Tavern before I visited it. However, it was recommended by my friend who has been living in New York for a few years. It is located near Washington Square Park. The tavern is composed of a tavern bar setting that features craft beers. The food was fabulous! If you’re looking for somewhere with a casual setting but where the food still tastes outstanding, I recommend here (the brussels sprouts were AMAZING!). Furthermore, the reviews on TripAdvisor seem to agree too!
CHELSEA MARKET
Chelsea Market is in Chelsea! It is near the High Line walk. Unquestionably, if you are doing this walk, Chelsea Market is a great spot to stop off for a bite to eat along the way. Moreover, there are plenty of shops and stalls here to browse through too.
THE STANDARD GRILL
The Standard Grill is on the ground floor of the very cool The Standard Hotel in the trendy Meatpacking District. I constantly see photographs of people sipping cocktails at the rooftop bar located in the hotel. However, the rooftop bar remains on my to-do list! For now, The Standard Grill sufficed – the food was very good here!
MALIBU FARM
I had spotted good reviews and photos of Malibu Farm online. Therefore, I was very excited to try it out! The restaurant has several locations in L.A. It opened in New York (Pier 17, Seaport District Area) over the last couple of years. Its location is pretty great! The restaurant sits at the end of Pier 17 with a view over the Hudson River and Brooklyn Bridge. The service was super friendly, and it has a very inviting cocktail bar!! I wish I had met friends here for drinks! While the food was nice (it was nicer than it looks in the gallery photo!!), I did not think it was outstanding. However, this may be due to the dish I ordered (cauliflower crust pizza). The restaurant receives great online reviews, I would definitely go back and try out another dish next time…and enjoy a few drinks while here too!
THE LOEB BOATHOUSE (CENTRAL PARK)
While wandering around Central Park, we stopped off in the Express Café – located inside The Loeb Boathouse. The food in the cafe was okay. However, it is the restaurant area that is more renowned for dining. The restaurant has an outdoor seating area along the water. This is where the most popular and scenic seating of the Boathouse is. I still very much want to book a table here in the future.
ROLF’S GERMAN RESTAURANT
Go to Rolf’s German Restaurant & bar for some of the most festive Christmas interiors in New York! If you are on a budget, I don’t recommend eating here (it’s pricey!). However, if you like Christmas, drop into their bar (still VERY expensive, I paid c. $25 for a mulled wine). The staff was lovely and very good at allowing customers to wander taking photos. Nevertheless, due to COVID, it was not too busy when I visited. However, I’ve heard of queues down the street to get in here other years!
OTHER
As much as I’d love to get dressed up and dine out all of the time while in New York…you tend to be too tired by the end of the day and just longing for a fill of unhealthy food! In the Times Square area, I would recommend Dallas BBQ for this. The vegetarian burger and fries (with a side portion of salad) are delish! You receive a large plate….sure to have you sleepy afterward! The restaurant is comfortable and large – so you will likely not need to wait for a seat. Similarly, Applebee’s is across the street from here – I got a huge portion of nachos in here! One of the most infamous American fast food spots is Shake Shack. However, I had the vegetarian burger and cheesy chips, I was not overly impressed by them!
For a sit-down brunch, the Italian Serafina was a lovely relaxing restaurant to dine in once I finished a walk in Central Park! It has several locations with one by the Park.
4. STILL ON MY LIST
Additionally, a couple of famous restaurants that I have not yet visited include the revolving rooftop restaurant The View. It is in Times Square. Also, Katz’s Delicatessen is famous for its legendary pastrami. If you want something different, I recommend Ellen’s Stardust Diner (Times Square). Ellen’s is renowned for its singing waitstaff! Many of the waitstaff are hoping to make it on Broadway – so the level of singing is of a very high standard here!
Coffee Pastries Treats
- Levain Bakery Their cookies look so good! Many would say that they offer the best cookies in New York!
- Milk & Cream Cereal Bar… yes a cereal bar! They offer a large selection of toppings for your cereal as well as cereal-infused ice cream.
- Laduree I think everyone knows Laduree! Again, they have 3 locations in the city. However, the SoHo bakery has a pretty garden area hidden outside. This looks amazing for outdoor dining during the Summer.
- Cookie Do NYC offers a variety of edible cookie dough…this looks so good!
- Big Gay Ice Cream has been named the best ice cream parlor in the country!
- Rice to Riches Rice pudding shop selling a long list of unusual flavors! I’ve heard great things about it here too, so I can’t wait to try it out.
- Flour Shop is more of a special occasion (pricey!) cake store. However, if you want to go all out for a birthday, etc. then order a very colorful cake or box of treats from here!
Breakfast/Lunch
- The Bagel Store for the most colorful and Instagram-friendly ‘rainbow’ bagel!
- Egg Shop NYC A menu full of egg-based brekkie/lunch dishes. Alcohol served here too.
- Butlers Bake Shop Brooklyn based, breakfast & lunch. Consistently receives great reviews!
Dinner
- Tao I think any foodie is aware of Tao Asian restaurants with locations all over the USA.
- Balthazar Iconic French brasserie, very chic…was once a hot spot for celebs (still may catch some visit here!).
- Eataly Italian mixture of market, restaurants, cheese & wine counters all under one roof.
- Sarabeth’s Another New York staple that consistently receives great reviews.
- Russ & Daughters Cafe One of ‘The 10 Best New Restaurants of 2014’ – New York Times.
- Pietro Nolita Italian food and lovers of all things pink! Very photogenic for the ‘gram!
Pizza/Fast-Food
- Black Tap NYC Award-winning Craft Burgers & Beer. It has quite an American diner vibe to it.
- Joe’s Pizza It wouldn’t be a trip to New York without some pizza…with Joe’s Pizza being the most famous!
5. Budget Eating in Times Square
On a tight budget? Check out this great video of some places to eat in Times Square for $5!
6. Watch my YouTube
Have you any suggestions that I can add to this list and try the next time I go? If so, please comment below! 😊
Thanks for reading,
Anita
xx
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