I was in NYC last month and I listed ten foods that you can’t miss in New York! It has everything: from a trendy place to a Vietnamese restaurant hidden in Chinatown!
Ten foods you can’t miss in New York
Momofuku Noodle Bar
Momofuku Ando, the inventor of Nissin Lamen, created chicken ramen in 1958 with the idea of having a quick food that could be prepared anywhere. His inspiration was the food shortage after the Second World War. But when the product first hit Japanese supermarket shelves, it was considered an expensive item as fresh udon noodles sold for one-sixth the price. World-renowned chef David Chang is passionate about ramen and, to pay homage to its creator, he opened a series of successful restaurants and bars in NYC and have something in common: “Momofuku” in the name. 🙂
Momofuku Noodle Bar is Chang’s oldest restaurant in NYC and is a must-see for anyone who likes oriental food in the city. With minimalist decor, the restaurant has communal tables (a craze among New Yorkers) and a fixed menu + dish of the day. Clovis chose the house’s classic noodle and I went with the dish of the day – pork belly with kim chi, rice with furikake and poached egg that was AMAZING (in caps lock). Don’t forget to order the Pork Bun as a starter and a Tiger beer to accompany it… Ah, how I miss it!
Patch leaves: Momofuku Noodle Bar. Address: 171 1st Ave, New York, NY. Opening hours: every day, from 12pm to 4pm and from 5:30pm to 11pm. Telephone: +1 212-777-7773. Menu | Reservations | Website | Facebook | Instagram
Keki Modern Cakes
I had already eaten Japanese cheesecake – it is lighter, with less cheese flavor and more airy – but I confess that this had not prepared me for Bouncy Cheesecake from the brand new Keki Modern Cakes, which opened in the heart of Chinatown and is the new passion of New Yorkers.
It’s simply the best pie I’ve ever eaten – light, balanced, fluffy, tasty. There is no explanation! Made with completely organic and fresh ingredients, a new batch comes out every 20 minutes, which ensures it is always fresh. And best of all: the pie has very low sugar levels and the couple of Japanese descendants who own the store are always there, which guarantees very good service (anyone who has been to NYC knows that this is rare there …).
Patch leaves: Keki Modern Cakes. Address: 79 Mott St, New York, NY. Opening hours: every day, from 10am to 8pm. Telephone: +1 646-863-2094. Website | Facebook | Instagram
Nha Trang Center
I discovered Nha Trang Center on Youtuber Casey Neistat’s channel, who always goes there when he has a hangover. I thought: it’s comfort food and good! I wasn’t mistaken: we chose to have dinner there on our first night in the city, still a little tired from the eleven-hour flight, wanting some warm food before returning to the hotel and resting from the intense first day of walking around the city – our average ranged from 21 to 27 km. walks every day!
Nha Trang is owned by a family of Vietnamese immigrants and has super simple decor and they provide service speaking the same language. broken english – but everyone understands each other very well, as the menu is translated and numbered! Clovis ordered a noodle and I went with fried rice with meat and vegetables. To accompany it, the very light TsingTao Vietnamese beer – and no worries when paying the bill – each dish costs around US$8. Cheap and super tasty!
Patch leaves: Nha Trang Center. Address: 148 Center St, New York, NY. Opening hours: every day, from 10:30 am to 10 pm. Telephone: +1 212-941-9292. Website | Facebook
Shake Shack
I’ll be really honest: I miss Shake Shack almost every week. It’s no wonder that, no matter what time of day you arrive at one of the franchises, there will be a queue. Because the burgers and fries are simply the best in the world! The franchise was born in NYC in 2004 and, today, it has 136 stores spread across the city, such is its success.
The secret? The freshest, organic ingredients and excellent quality meat (grass-fed – fed with pasture and raised in freedom). The lines are long but they move quickly and the snack is always fresh and hot. My tip is: if you like burgers, don’t even think: go. And quickly, because you’ll want to come back one (or several) more times before coming to Brazil.
Patch leaves: Shake Shack. You can find the addresses of all franchises here: Website | Facebook | Instagram
Bubble Tea
NYC is a place where fads are born that go all over the world and, this summer, everyone had wide plastic cups in their hands filled with bubble tea. The drink, also known as “BobaTea”, appeared in the mid-1980s, in the city of Taichung, Taiwan. His first recipe was the result of mixing black tea with small tapioca pearls mixed with condensed milk, syrup or honey. The tapioca balls are chewy and the straws are huge so they can pass through them, mixing with the drink. Sticky and flavorless, they resemble swallowable chewing gum. Another option is colorful seaweed pearls, filled with fruit nectar.
And there is Bubble Tea for all tastes: hot, cold, with iced mate, with creamer (lactose-free powdered cream), with “assam” black tea, with chai or green tea. And several little shops spread across the city – I liked this one, Pa Tea, because it offers different levels of sugar in the drink, which can be quite sweet. In addition, tapioca balls made from brown sugar are also imported from Taiwan and caramelized in the store.
Patch leaves: Pa Tea. Address: 135 Mott St, New York, NY. Opening hours: every day, from 11am to 8pm. Telephone: +1 212-226-6808. Website | Facebook
Dollar Pizza
For those who want to save money by eating in NYC, it is now common sense to eat the delicious slices of pizza offered throughout the city for ever-hurried New Yorkers. They don’t mind eating standing up, eating on the subway, eating while walking, and the spirit of these stores is that: a quick and cheap lunch-snack. On this trip, we met Joey Pepperoni who serves the dollar pizza – two pieces of pizza plus a can of soda or bottle of water for unbelievable… $2.75!
But be aware: the offer is only for the cheese pizza. Not that the others are much more expensive – you spend, on average, US$5 to eat the other flavors with a can of soda. The place doesn’t have a bathroom or air conditioning, it’s very simple but honest. We went almost every day, we loved the pizza… and the price too!
Patch leaves: Joey Pepperoni Dollar Pizza. Address: 381 Broadway New York, NY. Opening hours: every day, from 10am to 11pm. Telephone: +1 (212) 219-3555.
Gray’s Papaya
Gray’s Papaya is, quite simply, NYC’s best-known hot dog and has been in the city since 1973, serving a cheap and soooo tasty snack on the Upper East Side. For $5.95 you eat two hot dogs and get the famous papaya drink that gives the restaurant its name! It’s really worth knowing!
The place is so famous that it has appeared in several television series – chef Anthony Bourdain is one of the customers who always mentions hot dogs in his programs and the series Seinfield has an episode that revolves entirely around the restaurant – and films such as “Duro to Kill”, “Warriors” and romantic comedies such as “Nick and Norah” and “You’ve Got Mail”. The best of everything? The service is super friendly and the hot dog is unforgettable. Former US President Barack Obama loves it too. 🙂
Patch leaves: Gray’s Papaya. Address: 2090 Broadway, New York, NY. Opening hours: every day, 24 hours a day. Telephone: +1 212-799-0243. site
Dumplings
Another way to save money on eating in NYC is to use dumplings (or guyozas): they are very cheap and are everywhere in the city. We loved East Dumpling, a super simple place (the menu is written on white cardboard and there is only a counter to sit at). It seems a little suspicious at first glance, but we had already seen some recommendations from Youtubers and decided to take a chance…
Despite the super simple and even flip-flop look, they served a portion of ten super fresh, warm and delicious guyozas for just US$3! It’s definitely worth the walk there: East Dumplings is in the heart of Chinatown and the owners are Chinese. You’ll even find good prices in the rest of the city, but this one was the one we found tastiest and freshest. Go without fear!
Patch leaves: East Dumpling. Address: 46 Eldridge St, New York, NY. Opening hours: every day, from 10am to 8pm. Telephone: +1 212-219-2268
Two Bulls
Taqueria Dos Toros was created by Californian brothers Oliver and Leo who moved to NYC in the early 2000s and missed a good taqueria in the city, offering fresh products and snacks prepared with organic ingredients and good meats, coming from reliable farms. in which animals are free-range – a rarity in the USA.
The snack is made with your favorite ingredients but I have a tip: don’t forget to try the local guacamole, it’s incredible and soooo tasty – and the taco was really good. Clóvis ordered a burrito and said he liked it too. To make things even better, we drank the Mexican beer Tecate, a very light American lager!
Patch leaves: Dos Toros. Address: 137 4th Ave New York, NY. Opening hours: every day, from 11:30 am to 11 pm. Telephone: +1 (212) 677-7300. Website | Facebook | Instagram
Chipotle Mexican Grill
Here, once again, the price is a great ally when you are hungry and the average of the dishes. The average at Chipotle Mexican Grill is $7 – everything is very cheap, fresh and delicious and you prepare your snacks in a Subway way but with a Mexican flavor. I love the network!
You can find Chipotle Mexican Grill at several locations throughout the city: on Broadway, on Greenwich Street, in the West Village, Flatiron District, NoHo and Lower Manhattan, and also in the Brooklyn neighborhood – there are more than 15 locations spread across New York. They all serve Mexican food with a gourmet touch, resulting in great burritos, tacos and much more with the most traditional ingredients used in Mexican dishes such as chilli and guacamole.
Patch leaves: Chipotle Mexican Grill. Opening hours: every day, from 11am to 10pm. Address: you can find all franchises on the website.
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