The best places to eat in New-York City
What are the best places to eat in NYC ?
If you wonder where to eat in NYC on your next trip to the big apple, this blog post is for you! Just before leaving to NYC I reached out to my community to collect NYC's best places to eat in NYC they've seen on social media or tried themselves. Below, you'll find my bucket-list of cool places to eat in midtown New York City, and at the end of the article I'll share with you my experience on the places I actually went to! Although we only stayed for six days, I was able to eat myself only through a part of this list.
Don't hesitate to share your best food spots or experiences about other restaurants in the comment section for others to read!
Do you have to book all your restaurants in advance when travelling to NYC?
Even though we were going to New York during the Christmas period, we hardly ever booked any restaurants, preferring to let ourselves be guided by our desires from day to day. We never encountered any difficulties even if we sometimes had to queue. The most complicated was the 25th of December as many places were closed but we still ended up finding a nice place while walking around!
Personally, we organised our day in the morning (I had prepared plans for the day in advance and we confirmed the activities together according to the mood, but beware that you have to book some activities in advance). I had then put on a google map all the places I wanted to try or that I knew and we looked at what was around us when we were hungry!
Best places to eat brunch in NYC
Here are the best places to eat in NYC if you want to have a delicious breakfast or brunch:
- Buvette (Greenwich Village - tested) : One of our favorite breakfast places in NYC! We loved it. It's a small place, so you have to wait in line, but it's a must. I recommend you the waffles or French toast we devoured!
- Jack's wife freda (Nolita- tested)) : I think this was our favorite brunch place with Buvette! I devoured my avocado toast AND the pancakes and they were great! But clearly the best pancakes I've ever had in my life, I highly recommend the place.
- Bluestone lane (Dumbo, Brooklyn- tested)) : there are several other restaurants all over New York. well-know place for brunches - we just loved it!
- Five leaves (Greenpoint, Brooklyn - tested) : I think this was our favorite brunch place with Buvette! I devoured my avocado toast AND the pancakes and they were great! But clearly the best pancakes I've ever had in my life, I highly recommend the place.
- Epistrophy (Nolita - not tested) : Italian guys opened this place in the Nolita area. You can go there for breakfast but also lunch I think! It sounds crazy but we didn't do it because we found the doors closed the day we wanted to go there.
- Lafayette (Soho - not tested) : Not very exotic but delicious and a great place to have a good breakfast (their bread is delicious I hear). We did it for dinner.
- Sarabeth (Upper East Side/Central Park South/Park Avenue South/Tribeca/Upper West Side - not tested) : A New York institution for brunch and breakfast.
- La Mercerie (SoHo - not tested) : THE place to be for breakfast! Really sad I didn't do this one.
- Eat by Chloé (Greenwich Village/Flatiron/SoHo/Rock Center/Brooklyn/Seaport District - pas testé) : a pretty hip vegan restaurant!
- Bluestone Lane (Upper East Side/Upper West Side/Manhattan West/ West Village - tested) : nice little place to get a quick bite to eat over avocado. I tried it on a previous trip and didn't like it, but I loved it this time! Like that.
- Loosie rouge (Brooklyn - not tested) : hot spot in Brooklyn for brunch!
- Cronuts by Dominique Ansel (SoHo - pas testé) : Now quite famous, this cross between a donut and a croissant is a must-try in New York!
- Olmsted (Brooklyn - not tested) : Insane brunch in Brooklyn.
- The Butcher Daughter (Nolita/West Village/Brooklyn - tested) : We went to the one in Meat Packing and it was delicious, if a little cramped. We arrived relatively early and half an hour after we had settled in (it must have been 9am), the line started outside! I think it was worth the wait because it was really divine, if a little light for the big eaters that we are!
- Maman (SoHo/Tribeca/Nomad/Meatpacking/Greenpoint/Hudson - tested) : This was at the top of my list for breakfast and I was not disappointed at all! We went to Nomad's, the decoration was ultra cute, and the food delicious. Next time I want to try the Greenpoint one which seems to have a more incredible decoration and an extra shop to buy their cute dishes.
- The Vine (Empire State Building - not tested) : they offer a breakfast buffet until 11am but you can also choose à la carte.
The best street food restaurants in New York
- Luke's Lobsters (Dumbo - tested) : This establishment offers delicious lobster sandwiches! A must try, take it with you and eat it while sitting on the docks facing the skyline.
- 7th street burger (Not tested) : If you're dying for an American-style double cheese burger, this is the place for you. I haven't had a chance to try it but I'll stop by next time I'm in New York!
- Dominique Ansel Bakery (Soho - not tested) : Can't decide between a donut and a croissant? Dominique Ansel Bakery offers you delicious cronuts to answer this problem!
- Kate delicatessen (Soho - tested): The most famous pastrami sandwiches in the world! It was very good but I recommend you get one for two, it's more than enough. The sandwich costs $25 a piece and we had one each, which was way too much!
- Nathan's Famous Hotdog (Midtown West - not tested) : How can we talk about street food in New York without suggesting a place to eat a hot dog?
- Lodi (Time Square - not tested) : Italian restaurant to enjoy a foccacia or crostini, this Italian specialty made of slices of bread with fillings.
The best restaurants in NYC for lunch:
- Dante (West Village - not tested): Italian restaurant that I didn't get to try but looked great. It was highly recommended to me, it has a beautiful terrace for the summer.
- Juliana's (Dumbo - tested): BEST PIZZA IN NYC. It's very well known so there's always a bit of a line but it goes relatively fast. The pizzas are ultra thin and giant, a delight! You can also skip the line to get takeout and go eat on the Dumbo docks.
Sant Ambroeus (Madison Avenue/SoHo/West Village - tried and tested): a mixed cuisine between Italy and France! Perfect for brunch or a good pasta dish. - Broken Coconut (SoHo - not tested): perfect for a healthy lunch!
- Fig & Olive (Meatpacking/Fifth Avenue/Uptown/Westchester - not tested): France imported to New York! A Mediterranean flavour.
- Dr Smood (Madison/Broadway/SoHo/Lexington/Orchard - not tested): a very stylish place to grab something healthy on the go!
- Shake Shack (All over - tried and tested haha): a must! Best fast food burgers I've ever had in my life. As soon as there is one in a city I go to, I go for it! And I've never been disappointed.
- Mercer Kitchen (SoHo - tried): a more substantial restaurant for lunch with traditional food (can be good for dinner too).
- Luke’s lobster (Brooklyn/East Village/Times Square/Midtown/Nomad/Upper East/Upper West/... - tested): they're all over New York and you can get fast food lobsters there.
- Tartinery (Hudson/Park Ave./Plaza - not tested): a restaurant where you can eat quite a lot of toast, perfect for lunch.
- Cecconi’s Dumbo (Brooklyn - tried): having already tried cecconi's in London and Barcelona, this is a chain I really recommend, classic but always right.
- Cafe Cluny (Meatpacking - not tested): located in Meatpacking, this traditionally decorated restaurant offers a traditional cuisine: a sure value!
- Tacombi (Nolita/Empire State/Flatiron/Bleecker/Brooklyn - not tested): a stylish restaurant with a small VW van inside! The food is taco oriented.
- Chelsea Market (Chelsea - tried): a covered market where you can taste a lot of world cuisine. Lobster's place in particular was recommended to me!
- La Pecora Bianca (Nomad/MidTown - tested): we had lunch there on our last day before flying and ate divinely well, I highly recommend it! We found the prices a little over the top but it was really delicious.
Best places to eat in NYC for dinner
- Nobu (Upper East Side/Brooklyn - not tested): Asian restaurant quite famous in the world but relatively expensive.
- Cecconi's (Dumbo - tried): chic and trendy Italian restaurant! Must do. Great view of the skyline if you have the chance to go in the summer when it's open.
- Beauty & Essex (Nolita - not tested): speak easy hidden in a guitar shop. Fusion cuisine and a great atmosphere to eat and party! To do with friends. We did not test it 😊
- Carne Mare (downtown - tested): we found the place a bit expensive for what it was but clearly ate well. The decoration is very nice. However I thought it was a restaurant with a view as it was along the Hudson but not at all.
- Sushi Yasuda (Midtown): Japanese star restaurant. Honestly the best suhis I've ever had in my life. Ask for a table at the counter to see the chefs in action!
- Lafayette (Soho - tested): French restaurant with a traditional French brasserie menu. I recommend it!
- Zuma (Madison Ave - not tested): in the same style as Nobu, but I had the opportunity to try it in London and I loved it. Quite expensive too but from my London experience, I must say it was really delicious.
- Carbone (NYU - not tested): apparently the best Italian restaurant in town! However, in my opinion, it looks quite expensive for a traditional Italian restaurant.
- Carmine’s (Times Square/Upper West - not tested): Italian restaurant located right next to Broadway, great place to eat after seeing a musical. No reservations required.
- Le coucou (SoHo - not tested): a French starred restaurant with an exceptional setting. We wanted to book for Christmas Eve but it was sold out. The menu looked crazy!
- Gallagher's (Rockefeller - not tested): a steak house with apparently the best meats in New York.
- Buddakan (Chelsea - tried): The decoration is quite incredible, the food is Asian, it was highly recommended to me but I was personally quite disappointed. The food was good but we were rushed off our feet in 30 minutes, which doesn't allow us to enjoy the evening. In the same style, I prefer Zuma or Hakkasan.
- Basta Pasta (Chelsea - not tested): Italian restaurant that looks really amazing!
- Picolla Cucina Osteria (NoHo - not tested): Italian restaurant that looks really incredible too.
- Wildair (Lower East Side - not tested): a restaurant that offers modern cuisine with a good selection of wines.
- Catch (Chelsea - tested): the restaurant is located right next to our hotel, so it was only logical that we should go there one night! We had a reservation, and despite that we waited for over an hour for our table. Fortunately there is still a way to have a drink standing in the middle of 500 other people waiting for their table.
- One if by Land, Two if by Sea (Greenwich Village - tested) : We ate there on Christmas Eve! A sumptuous restaurant in an exceptional setting, divinely decorated for Christmas. The food is quite traditional and hearty, but it was a delight. I recommend it!
Drinks in New York
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Please don't tell me (East Village - not tested) : This is apparently a great bar, it was recommended to me but I didn't have the opportunity to try it.
- Rooftop 1hotel Brooklyn Bridge (Dumbo, Brooklyn - tested) : This is a hotel rooftop and the view of the skyline is incredible! On the other hand, the cocktails are very expensive ($30) and our espresso martini wasn't amazing but the view is definitely worth it.
- 230 rooftop (Fifth Avenue) : at Christmas time there are igloos on the terrace ! We didn't dare go there for fear of having a 2 hour queue personally but it looked pretty amazing.
- Refinery rooftop (Midtown) : rooftop with a view on the empire state building.
- Mr Purple (Lower East Side) : rooftop with a pool overlooking Manhattan.
- Skylark rooftop (Midtown): sublime rooftop !
- Westlight rooftop (Brooklyn) : overlooking Williamsburg.
- Le Bain rooftop (Meat Packing) : above The Standard hotel, one of the most beautiful rooftops in the city. Be careful on Sundays, it's for members only.
- Bemelman's bar (Upper East Side) : a posh bar located in the upper east side, in a luxury hotel. We wanted to go there but it was too crowded at Christmas time.
Want to know more?
Now you know the best places to eat in NYC - If you haven't booked your hotel yet, I've listed my favourite hotels as well as the ones that have been most recommended to me. Do not hesitate to consult the comments linked to this article to have more information and why not, share yours!
