It’s hard to wrap my head around, but I’ve had the privilege of traveling to New York City four times in the past year. Between my sister’s bachelorette party, the Redbook photoshoot, the BHG Stylemaker Event, and our Valentine weekend, some of my favorite memories are rooted in New York. I’m certainly no expert, nor have I even scratched the surface of that great city, but we’ve certainly had our fair share of amazing food!
Food is a huge part of travel for us, so we get just as excited about each meal as we do exploring the sights and landscape. Many places we stumble on ourselves, but when we travel to a new city, I like to have a few recommended restaurant spots in mind (usually discovered on other blogs!), so we don’t spend too much time wandering the streets starving, while we find our footing.
I’ve posted our tips for budget-friendly travel, and we certainly keep those in mind when it comes to food…so none of the spots I recommend are overly-fancy or pricey…but are all completely delicious! And I couldn’t help but pepper in some of my fave NYC snaps from our past trips.
Tartinery // Cool and casual, below street level, with the best chicken salad on toast of your life!
Oficina Latina // Funky joint with inventive Mexican-themed cocktails, and legit spicy tacos.
Don’t overlook the food carts on the street for fast, cheap, delicious food…just make sure you only visit the really busy ones! Did you know the carts in front of the MOMA pay $100k for their annual permit?? That’s a lot of chicken over rice they’re selling!
Emporio Ristorante // The front room is a cozy bar, but the back is bright and airy…to match their hand-tossed, oven fire pizza, piled with the freshest, most amazing toppings.
Tacombi // Unless we’re traveling to Mexico or other Latin countries, we rarely eat the local Mexican food. After all, it’s pretty hard to beat the Mexican food at home in Texas! But this darling spot has perfect guacamole, street corn…and well, everything! And it doesn’t hurt that every nook and cranny is begging to be Instagrammed.
Joe’s Shanghai // This spot was a bit outside my comfort zone, as I’m not big on family-style dining with people I don’t know. But it turned out to be one of our absolute favorites! It’s always bustling with a line out the door, but once you’re seated, the dumplings and soup start coming and don’t stop until you do. It’s warm, delicious, and perfect for cold days.
Wayfarer // To stay on budget, we often make lunch the biggest meal of the day…and since lunch menus are typically more reasonably priced than dinner…we use that as a chance to try some of the nicer places with well-known chefs. This place felt very ‘NYC power lunch’, but great ambiance and service.
10Below Ice Cream // A little tricky to find in Chinatown, with a line out the door (even in snowy, 10-degree weather!), but a must-try ice cream! You choose your flavors and toppings, and they hand roll your customized serving. As much a show, as a yummy treat.
Some of my other favorite spots include Otto, The Polo Bar, Pagani, and Sarabeths. Did I list some of your favorites, too? What places should I add to our list for our next trip to New York? Do you like to research restaurants before traveling somewhere new, or just discover as you go?
