Every Iconic Dish You Need to Eat in New York City
I love discovering new places and I love food (if you haven’t caught on to that yet). New York City is filled with endless options when it comes to food. You can’t possibly try everything the city has to offer, but you can easily eat your way through this incredible city. Whether you’re here for a few days or you call NYC home, there’s lots of food to try. I’ve rounded up my favorite dishes (at the moment) in New York City—this list will likely change with time, but I promise you’ll be very satisfied using this list as a guide. Have a favorite you don’t see? Comment or send us a message to let us know where we should go next!
Pepperoni Square from Prince Street Pizza
Photo c/o Eater LA
Arenstein Pizza from Emily
Other favorites from Emily are the Colony (same as the Arenstein, but with regular tomato sauce instead of Vodka), Emmyletta, Big Ang and For the Nguyen. There are locations in Brooklyn and West Village—I cannot stress this enough, GO TO THE WEST VILLAGE LOCATION. The menus are different and the West Village one is best.
Photo c/o Emily
Cheeseburger with Loaded Crowler Fries from Emily (West Village Location)
Murray's Melt from Murray’s Cheese
Edamame Dumplings from Thursday Kitchen
Photo c/o Thursday Kitchen
Steak from Thursday Kitchen
Photo c/o Thursday Kitchen
Duck Confit Empanadas from Thursday Kitchen
Photo c/o Thursday Kitchen
Spicy Rigatoni Vodka from Carbone
Cronut® from Dominique Ansel Bakery
Milk and Cookie Shots from Dominique Ansel Bakery
Photo c/o Dominique Ansel
Peking duck from Decoy
Photo c/o Decoy
Bee Sting from Roberta’s Pizza
Photo c/o Roberta’s
Nutella Babka from Breads Bakery
Spicy cumin lamb hand-ripped noodles from Xi’an Famous Foods
Any one of Chef Frank Prisinzano’s East Village eateries Frank, Lil’ Frankies, and Supper. If you’ve never been to any of them, please run there immediately. All three are some of the best New York City has to offer. Frank’s two best dishes IMO are Spaghetti al Limoné and the Polenta Bolognese (really any of the polenta boards, so don’t worry if you’re vegetarian).
Xiao Long Bao (Soup Dumplings) from Joe’s Shanghai
Pastrami from Katz’s Delicatessen
Falafel from Mamoun’s
Bagel & Lox (The Classic) from Russ & Daughters
Cheese Pizza from Patsy’s Pizzeria (Harlem Location)
Oyster Pan Roast at Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant
This place is a beauty. While I recommend you indulge in the Oyster Pan Roast, you really can’t go wrong here. Raw, baked, roasted—choose your adventure and enjoy.
Pierogi from Veselka
Artichoke slice from Artichoke Basille’s Pizza
Pork Bun from Momofoku
Meatballs at rao’s
Recession Special from Gray’s Papaya or any Hot Dog from Nathan’s Famous
If you’re a frequent reader over here, you know I LOVE HOT DOGS. I take my love for them very seriously. I love all hot dogs, but there’s something very special about a street, basic hot dog. Both Nathan’s and Gray’s do them very well.
Steak mazemen at Niche
Photo c/o Daniel Krieger
Tie Dye Pizza at Rubirosa
Pro tip: Rubirosa has great gluten-free options. If you’re taking somebody out with dietary restrictions, you’ll likely be able to make anything work here.
Mexican-Style Corn from Cafe Habana
The Salty Pimp from Big Gay Ice Cream
So, I’m not a big caramel fan, but this is what Big Gay Ice Cream is known for…and it’s really freakin’ good. That being said, you can’t go wrong here. Go boldly in the direction your stomach points you.
Sheeps Milk Cheese Filled Agnolotti from lilia
Photo c/o Bon Appetit
Fried Chicken and Waffles from Sweet Chick
Ravioli Cacio e Pepe from Palma
Crispy Cauliflower from Babu Ji
Big Mac Handroll from Sushi on Jones
Uni Pasta at DOMODOMO
Photo c/o DOMODOMO
Gruyère fritters at Crown Shy
Photo c/o Daniel Krieger
Cheese Ravioli with Pink Sauce from Malatesta TRATTORIA
Fun fact: Malatesta is actually my most frequented NYC restaurant. It’s in my neighborhood, it’s inexpensive, great portions for sharing and they have very cheap house wine. It’s like going to Italy without the flight. I love this place so much.
Malted Pancakes from Sunday in Brooklyn
Banana Pudding at Magnolia Bakery or Billy’s Bakery
I’m including both here because I love banana pudding and the two of these places do them differently. Magnolia Bakery in West Village is also just so dang cute—it’s hard not to enjoy a visit there, especially if you’re visiting. When it comes to traditional Banana Pudding, Billy’s does a better job. Billy’s is more southern style, while Magnolia is a bit lighter and whipped.
Chocolate chip walnut cookie at Levain Bakery
Full disclosure: I am not a fan on these cookies. I love a thin crispy cookie, but everyone else I know loves this cookie. I’ll admit it’s good, but I can’t have more than half a bite. Too dense and too gooey for me, but I respect their cookie hustle.
Soft Serve at KITH Treats
Choose your poison here. There are so many combos here that are out of this world. All of them are incredible. I recommend making your own, but I also am a fan of The Bam Bam by Action Bronson for those who can’t make a decision.
Combo over Rice from The Halal Guys
I recognize that they’ve since franchised and chances are you can get The Halal Guys in a city near you, but it’s not an NYC Best of list without an appearance of street meat…and, well, this is the original. I may or may not have had this one too many times my first few trips to NYC as a student on a VERY limited budget. I’m a fan of plain gyro, but I’m recommending the combo for the masses so you get a bit of both.
Oysters from Jeffrey’s Grocery
This is another one of my neighborhood favorites. They have a KILLER oyster happy hour. I highly recommend you go during happy hour. If oysters aren’t your thing, their fried chicken sandwich is very, very good.
Spumoni at L&B Spumoni Gardens
Photo c/o L&B Spumoni
