NYC Restaurant Recs

This list is ever-changing, as is the NYC food scene. 

Finding a great spot to eat in New York City is no challenge but narrowing down options certainly is!

MANHATTAN

* Craft (Classically delicious American food, great for sharing) 

* Minetta Tavern (a New York City standard. I don't know. I feel cool eating here)

Russ & Daughters: the best spot for classic NYC lox and bagels

* Shukette / Shuka (outstanding casual Mediterranean / Middle Eastern flavors)

* Sappe (fantastically flavored Thai food in a fun space designed like a Bangkok night market)

* Sevilla Restaurant (old-school Spanish restaurant, a classic)

Manhatta: Stunning views and amazing food. A perfect special occasion spot

*Crown Shy (go on date night and don't forget to order some cocktails)

* Anton's (super reliable neighborhood restaurant with American classics)

* Mokyo (Korean-style tapas in a small and funky East Village setting)

* Cafe Mogador- righteous Moroccan and Middle Eastern bites (East Village/ Williamsburg)

perfect fish & chips at The Clocktower

* Jones Wood Foundry (another absolutely cozy and delicious British pub)

* Illili (excellent Lebanese, perfect for groups)

* Via Carota (excellent Italian. try going for lunch because getting in at dinner is tough)

* Ataboy (prix-fixe Korean in a minimalist industrial setting)

* Wu's Wonton King (well above average Chinese food, perfect for fun group gatherings)

QUEENS

* Bahari -authentic traditional Greek in Astoria

*Loukoumi Tavern (classic Greek taverna in Astoria. The backyard looks like Santorini!)

The kind of spot that makes QUEENS the freakin' best-- Ganesh Temple Canteen, authentic and super affordable South Indian cuisine in the basement of a Hindu temple.

*Ruta Oaxaca- absolutely delectable Oaxacan cuisine in Astoria. I dream of their seafood enchiladas.

* Milkflower (fancy fire-grilled pizza that always hits the spot)- Astoria

Mariscos El Submarino, Jackson Heights - super fresh Latin seafood in a down-to-earth setting

*Max Bratwurst - my body requires a big fried schnitzel once a year and when it does I bring it to this astoria gem

*Cafe Triskell- a very special little French spot in Astoria. Please try the buckwheat crepes with just a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of sugar. skip the heavy Nutella

*Zhego - bhutanese cuisine. affordable and terrific. you don't like spicy? you don't come here

*Best Thai food- throw a rock in Elmhurst's Little Thailand and you won't be disappointed

* King of Falafel - the man earned his crown. His falafel really are the best!!! (astoria)

* New World Mall Food Court- this is not your average mall food court. The food in Flushing will knock you out.

BROOKLYN

*Tanoreen - Love, love, love the delicious food and cozy family feel of this Palestinian restaurant in Bay Ridge

* Celestine- Mediterranean restaurant on the DUMBO waterfront; great food and gorgeous views of the Brooklyn Bridge

* Gage & Tollner- Their food is solid, solid as a rock

* Llama Inn - Hip and delicious Peruvian cuisine in a very chic Williamsburg space

* Rolo's- a neighborhood restaurant that's both trendy and charming. If you don't get the two-sheet lasagna bolognese you're doing it wrong. Go back, try again

* L & B Spumoni Gardens- This is classic NY personified serving insanely delicious Sicilian slices since 1939. After you're done with your pie, grab spumoni at another counter. Best combined with a trip to Coney Island in the summer or Dyker Heights Christmas Lights in winter.

STATEN ISLAND

*Enoteca Maria- Award-winner for cutest concept ever... at Enoteca Maria, cultural diversity is celebrated by hiring real grandmothers from every country across the globe to cook the recipes handed down to them that they cook at home for their families. On the night we went we ordered dishes from an Italian, Japanese and Turkish grandma! 

BAKERIES/ SWEET TREATS

Morgenstern's- This place is unbeatable, serving at least 60 different flavors, all of which are bound to blow your mind. Cinnamon Whiskey Caramel... Strawberry Pistachio Pesto...Yuzu Poppy Seed, the list literally goes on and on

Soft Swerve- this soft serve spot with multiple locations serves amazing flavors with an Asian spin-- think Vietnamese Coffee, Strawberry Matcha, Ube, Black Sesame... 

Bench Flour Bakers (Astoria)- I am reluctant to share this incredible bakery but it is simply the best. Only open Thursday- Sunday till 2pm because they're just that good and they can do what they want

Some of the very best pie can be found at Four & Twenty Blackbirds pie shop in Gowanus, Brooklyn. We love their cookbook too!

L'Appartment 4F-  You might think $8 is too much to spend on a single croissant but you'd be wrong. This place lines up down the street for a reason and their Brooklyn Heights cafe looks straight out of Paris.

Canelle Patisserie- Don't underestimate this no-frills pastry shop humbly stationed at a strip mall in Jackson Heights, Queens. Here you'll find some of the best French pastries in the whole city for a MUCH better price than you'd find in Manhattan. Their cakes are sublime, truly.

COFFEE SHOPS/ CAFES

Little Flower (Astoria)- This is a very special Halal cafe that makes insane pastries, coffees and sandwiches. They are owned by the same people as the great Afghani restaurant Sami's Kebab House next door. We are spoiled for riches in Astoria.

* Cafe Sabarsky- This lovely UWS Viennese cafe sits beneath the beautiful Neue Gallerie, just around the corner from The Met. A perfect combination for a fancy day out. 

*Moka & Co-- Yemeni coffee shops are taking NYC by storm and I'm not mad about it! This one on Steinway Street in Little Egypt (Astoria) is a great spot with excellent coffee and beautiful Arabic music

* Moa Coffee- They make a rose and lavender taro latte with macadamia nut milk that sounds like it'd be cloying but is actually the most surprisingly delicious thing I've ever tasted (astoria) 

* Devocion (Williamsburg)- great coffee, cool space

Long lines, Scandi vibes and incredible products at La Cabra- get the cardamom bun!

*Lady Mendl's Tea Salon- This tea salon in a beautiful village brownstone is so darn charming and a perfect gathering spot for any occasion.

FABULOUS SHOPS for FOODIES

*Kalyustan's- More aisles than you can count featuring every spice you can possibly imagine from every country there is. If this place ever closed down I'd pillage the streets in protest

* Dual Speciality Shops- similar concept to Kalyustan's on a smaller scale for less $$ (east village)

*Eataly- Italian epicurean wonderland in Flatiron with restaurants, food shops, bakeries, grocery and cooking classes

*Mercado Little Spain - the Spanish version of Eataly. A great place to pop in for some tapas! Way more expensive than Spain but a hell of a lot cheaper than booking a ticket there. Good to combine with a walk on the Highline as it sits at the base of it 

* Union Square Greenmarket- Produce stand fruit and vegetables make me much happier than they should, but this hallmark of NYC is one of my very favorite things about. Go in the early morning or mid-week; you may catch a famous chef shopping for the night's dinner!