NYC restaurant, deli, bakery, chocolate, and confections recommendations

[curls]

I’ll be in NYC at the end of December and am looking for recommendations of places I should try. What do you suggest? Staying in the Financial District but will be traveling around Manhattan to do the tourist thing. World Trade Center memorial, Broadway show, Staten Island Ferry, Empire State Building / Top of the Rocks / ? Observation building, Rockefeller Center tree, department store holiday displays, etc..

Only food stops currently on the list are Russ & Daughters Cafe and Stick With Me Sweets. Interesting in visiting Lady Wong after seeing so many posts from @KennethT.

[KennethT]

I can't really talk about deli so much, but I can say that there has been a bakery explosion over the past few years.  Quite a few are in the East Village.  I don't usually frequent any.... Eater just came up with a list of new ones: https://ny.eater.com/maps/new-bakeries-nyc-heatmap but I haven't tried any.  And there are quite a few more, just in the EV alone but aren't brand new so they've fallen off of Eater's radar.  I guess they stopped paying their PR fees since many still have lines.

[weinoo]

Foxface is also selling a few (for now) of their awesome breads; need to order in advance...https://foxface-provisions.square.site/

 

As Ken mentions, bakeries have exploded recently; it's the new wave in hipster-dom (I guess there were already enough ice cream shops).  

 

My favorites:  for French bread/baguettes - Le Fournil and Bread Story

 

For classic NY baked goods (like corn rye, black & whites, Kaiser rolls, etc. - Orawasher's

 

And a place with a very strange name...Breads Bakery.  Excellent rugelach, babka, etc.

 

Bagels - my favorite bagel place in the city now has a location in Manhattan; the original is out in Whitestone, Queens.  Utopia Bagels. (If you buy that rainbow bagel, please don't tell us anything about it, as it's a shonda).  And Bagel Bob's, right near Ken, isn't too shabby either. You won't be disappointed with the bagels at R & D Cafe, so no worries there.  Please do stay away from hipster bagels.

 

My favorite chocolates? Simple - Jacques Torres.

 

Delis? Oy...The NY experience is at Katz's, but beware - there will be lines. 

 

If you tell us a little more about what type of restaurants you might want to try, we can probably be a little more helpful. 

 

Foxface is great, and can be a bit challenging, food wise.  I really had some great food at Torrisi (but good luck getting in). Smithereen's, newish in the E. Village, is very good. As is Foul Witch, on Avenue A.  Balthazar is classic for a reason, and not just because of McNally's IG account. 

 

Uncle Lou will not disappoint for Cantonese cooking.

 

I've sent people to, and they've really enjoyed the food at Lola's, in NoMad.

 

In FiDi, Dead Rabbit will be your best bet for good cocktails.  I've also heard, but not yet been to, Peck Slip Social.

 

The Tin Building, by Jean Georges, is a fun wandering place.  Be amazed at all the products, and the prices as well. Much of the food is good enough.  Essex Market has the best cheese purveyor in the city, in my opinion - that's Formaggio Essex.  Lots to munch on there.

Edited December 13, 2024 by weinoo (log)

[Rickbern]

This is an old website and I don’t think it’s been updated lately but I love the concept behind this; the author found restaurants from every member state of the united  nations within the five boroughs of NYC. I’ll quibble here and there but throw a dart at a world map and use google maps to find a great restaurant to try

 

https://www.unitednationsoffood.com

 

enjoy your stay. 

[weinoo]

Two of my local favorites, which I failed to mention above, are Cervo's and Eel Bar.  Eel Bar just received a nice mention in the Times this week:

 

Hungry for the Best? Here Are Our Top New York Dishes of 2024.

 

 

Quote

 

Potato Salad With Trout Roe at Eel Bar

 

Potatoes and caviar are an eternal match, with the mild earthiness of the tuber balancing the saline funk of the fish eggs. At Eel Bar, the pairing is revamped as the sexiest salad imaginable, with a bed of creamy potatoes amply crowned by glowing beads of pungent trout roe. The brilliant soft and snappy contrast of textures may be as alluring as the flavors — or almost. ($18) MELISSA CLARK

 

252 Broome Street (Ludlow Street), Lower East Side; 646-850-0140; eelbarnyc.com

 

 

[Rickbern]

3 hours ago, weinoo said:

Two of my local favorites, which I failed to mention above, are Cervo's and Eel Bar.  Eel Bar just received a nice mention in the Times this week:

 

Hungry for the Best? Here Are Our Top New York Dishes of 2024.

 

 

 

Great article, lots of good choices in here. 

[curls]

@weinoo  Thank you for all the wonderful suggestions!

 

I am definitely interested in getting a good black & white, rye bread, and rugelach! Orawasher & Breads Bakery are now on the list. Great to have your bagel suggestions. I will definitely stay away from those faux hipster bagels -- traditional options only for me. I'll save your bread bakery suggestions, much appreciated, I suspect we'll be eating out for every meal. Would be wonderful to pick up a baguette and some cheeses or pate for a meal but I think that will be another trip.

 

Any other favorite places at Essex market? I'm now planning to visit Formaggio Essex.

 

Thank you for the cocktail suggestions in FiDi, sounds like a good way to end the evening.

 

I'll check the menus at Cervo's and Eel bar.

 

Thank you for the gift link to the Times article.

 

This trip will be with my husband's family and an assortment of eaters - adventurous to picky. I've sold them on Russ & Daughter's Cafe! Not interested in fine dining for this trip. A few in the group have never been to NYC so looking for some traditional fare as well as good local food. I am sure that they will want to get pizza. Don't know if they will be interested in Katz's Deli.

 

[KennethT]

Don't know if you're looking for a NYC steakhouse (not fine dining but certainly not inexpensive) but I'd throw Keens in the ring. I'm a big fan of the mutton chop (it's really a big lamb chop) and their bacon is really good.

[curls]

3 hours ago, KennethT said:

Don't know if you're looking for a NYC steakhouse (not fine dining but certainly not inexpensive) but I'd throw Keens in the ring. I'm a big fan of the mutton chop (it's really a big lamb chop) and their bacon is really good.

Thank you. Always good to have a recommended steakhouse (especially one that has good lamb)! All these suggestions are improving the odds that we’ll have some great meals. Is it possible to get into Keens without a reservation? 

[weinoo]

8 hours ago, curls said:

Is it possible to get into Keens without a reservation? 

 

I would make a reservation for all dinner meals.

 

I'm willing to recommend one more classic deli, and that would be Sarge's, on 3rd Avenue and 36th St...https://sargesdeli.com/  Sure, you can (if close to)_ go to 2nd Avenue Deli, but I've left disappointed a few too many times.

 

For pizza, your options are, well, a lot.  For old-school classic sit-down pizza, Lombardi's, John's on Bleecker St. will scratch the itch.  Slice shops that are beloved include Joe's and my favorite, L'Industrie on Christopher St.  (Yes, there are many more, just trying to make it easy). Surprisingly, in the theatre district, there's good non NY-style (i.e.: more Neapolitan) pizza at Don Antonio. 

 

Essex Market has any number of prepared food stalls, including Zaab Burger's Thai-style hamburgers.  There's a great Japanese shop, soups, roast chicken meals, sandwiches and good bread at Pain D'Avignon, etc. etc.  You can see what you like, buy prepared food and eat it upstairs, where there are plenty of tables and chairs.

 

12 hours ago, curls said:

A few in the group have never been to NYC so looking for some traditional fare as well as good local food.

 

I think you've got a few good suggestions for what might be considered good traditional fare, which is kinda hard to define.  Oyster pan roast at the Oyster Bar downstairs at Grand Central?  Hot dogs from a cart - NO!

 

Crowds always do well at some of the Chinese restaurants - as mentioned above, Uncle Lou. Additionally, Congee Village comes to mind.  In my neighborhood, we go to Wu's, where you can bring your own wine.  And it's bright enough to do surgery in many of the Chinese places, if that's your thing.

[weinoo]

I just received an NY Times's newsletter in my email. Here it is, with some pithy comments by yours truly:

 

Quote

 

It’s prime Yuletide in New York City.

 

The window displays at Bergdorf Goodman beckon. There’s a new riverside ice rink in Williamsburg. Buildings, brownstones and bodegas across the city pop with decorations. A woman I saw holding court on the 6 train last week was accessorized with felt antlers, a gaudy Christmas sweater and three large dogs also wearing holiday sweaters. (This could be any time of the year, if you're on the 6).

 

But the crowds these days, and oh, the prices! The cost of everything, from sandwiches to hotel rooms, has soared. And the city expects to get nearly 65 million visitors this year, this close to prepandemic levels. In recent days, it has felt as if all of those people are on the sidewalks of Midtown, furiously trying to elbow their way into Bryant Park’s holiday market. (While Bryant Park is nice (and has a skating rink), Union Square's holiday market might be more worthy, especially if it's a Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday, because then the farmer's market will also be fun to stroll through).

 

In today’s newsletter, I’m going to share eight tips for enjoying New York — whether you’re visiting for the holidays or any other time of the year — without going broke or getting lost in the crowd.

 

The Louis Vuitton flagship store during the holidays this year. Katherine Marks for The New York Times

 

1. The city that never sleeps tends to wake up late. Crowds are sparse in the early mornings across all the boroughs, even at the top tourist spots. So grab a bodega coffee and enjoy Rockefeller Center at 5 a.m., when the Christmas tree lights up daily, or walk across the Brooklyn Bridge at sunrise. (Only insane people do this).

 

2. You need to book that table, reserve that slot, buy those tickets in advance. This is crucial for the must-do activities on your itinerary, including fine dining (here is The Times’s list of New York City’s 100 best restaurants), some Broadway shows and even visits to Santa at Macy’s. You may pay less for off-peak times, or reservations might even be free, but you’ll still need a reservation. (As mentioned previously, reserve).

 

3. Otherwise, New York remains a frenetic place. For inspiration, look to our recently published 36 Hours columns on New York City and Brooklyn, or our locals’ guide to celebrating the holidays. (A few suggestions from me: Walking is free and entertaining, and rooftop bars are still a thing, even in winter.) But remember to pace yourself. (Walking is free!!!!! Where would we be without the NY Times??? Whether it's entertaining is a wholly different subject).

 

4. And remember, there’s more than Manhattan. For cold, gray days, visit offbeat museums like Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens, or the New York Transit Museum in Downtown Brooklyn. Summertime could mean Governors Island for camping, taking in views of the Statue of Liberty and sliding down the city’s longest slide. In the fall, the Queens County Farm Museum has one of the East Coast’s best corn mazes. Oysters served curbside on Arthur Avenue are worth a trip to the Bronx, but so is the Bronx Zoo, City Island or the New York Botanical Garden.  (Lemme just say - if you're going to visit a museum, make it either the Whitney, Metropolitan, or MoMA. And if you're planning to go to a corn maze, DON'T)! (There's a great Robert Frank exhibit at MoMA, and how can The Metropolitan ever disappoint?)

 

5. You actually don’t need to spend a ton. Free and sometimes-free museums abound. Check out newsletters like DoNYC and The Skint, which list free events, cheap tickets and discounts. Of course, New York also has the best pizza and bagels and other inexpensive eats. Our Frugal Traveler columnist, Elaine Glusac, recently explored New York on a budget; she walked the city and ate takeout, saw free art and found cheap theater tickets. (Their lists can suck; believe us, not them).

 

6. Don’t be part of our congestion problem. Our traffic is the worst in the world (always No. 1!), so for all of the places you want to go, take the subway, unlock a Citi Bike, hop on a ferry or walk. (I've never been on a Citi Bike, and never will. You're basically taking your life into your own hands - it's hard enough walking in this city - look both ways at every fucking corner!)

 

7. New Yorkers like to complain, but it’s not all that bad. (NO WE DON'T!) Yes, there are crowds. But it’s still the greatest city in the world with countless reasons to visit. The last few years have seen more developed green spaces, more ferry routes and more e-bikes in the bike-share program. We have a new performing arts center, a new wing of an old friend, even a new island.

 

8. Enjoy our city of contradictions. We New Yorkers love to have you here. Just don’t talk loudly, walk slowly, stop suddenly on the sidewalk or make direct eye contact on the subway. Feel free to ask for directions, however. We’ll not only help with a smile, but probably show you the way. (Yes, we're as nice as can be...up to a point).

 

 

 

[KennethT]

1 hour ago, weinoo said:

 

I'm willing to recommend one more classic deli, and that would be Sarge's, on 3rd Avenue and 36th St...https://sargesdeli.com/  Sure, you can (if close to)_ go to 2nd Avenue Deli, but I've left disappointed a few too many times.

I'll second not going to 2nd Ave Deli...  Their pastrami was like supermarket pastrami. Very disappointing.  Although you might want to check out the original location (actually on 2nd Ave) in what's now a Chase bank to see the Yiddish Actor walk of fame in the sidewalk.

 

1 hour ago, weinoo said:

 

For pizza, your options are, well, a lot.  For old-school classic sit-down pizza, Lombardi's, John's on Bleecker St. will scratch the itch.  Slice shops that are beloved include Joe's and my favorite, L'Industrie on Christopher St.  (Yes, there are many more, just trying to make it easy). Surprisingly, in the theatre district, there's good non NY-style (i.e.: more Neapolitan) pizza at Don Antonio. 

Be prepared to wait on a long line outside in teh cold at L'Industrie on Christopher.  My typical tea shop (McNulty's) is across the street - I was there a week or two ago and the line was crazy and barely moved.

 

1 hour ago, weinoo said:

 

Crowds always do well at some of the Chinese restaurants - as mentioned above, Uncle Lou. Additionally, Congee Village comes to mind.  In my neighborhood, we go to Wu's, where you can bring your own wine.  And it's bright enough to do surgery in many of the Chinese places, if that's your thing.

I'll add that you can BYO wine to Peking Duck House, which is also popular with groups.  I haven't been there in years though, so things may have changed.

[weinoo]

1 hour ago, KennethT said:

Be prepared to wait on a long line outside in teh cold at L'Industrie on Christopher.  My typical tea shop (McNulty's) is across the street - I was there a week or two ago and the line was crazy and barely moved.

 

Indeed - it's super popular; your best bet for L'Industrie might be like 4 PM. Or one of the others mentioned!

 

I often forget, but McNulty's (which opened in 1895!) was probably one of, if not the first, tea and coffee shops in the city to offer beans for sale.  My cousin worked there like 50 years ago!

 

One more Chinese food mention, certainly for a lunch and with a group, is Great NY Noodletown, for their soups and roasted meats.

Edited December 15, 2024 by weinoo (log)

[Katie Meadow]

I second NY Noodletown. I've never had a bad time there. For chocolate, my favorite in all the world so far is Neuhaus, from Belgium. I'm not in NY nearly as much as I used to be, but I always made a detour to their Lexington Ave store. I notice they now have two other venues, one on Madison and another at Grand Central Station. Of course their chocolates can be mailed. And if you find yourself at Grand Central you can gawk at the amazing architecture and have lunch at the Grand Central Oyster Bar.