NYC best of by category
Best Coffee
Irving Farm
Blue Bottle
Plowshares
Box Kite
Best Vegan/Vegetarian
Peacefood Cafe (vegan)
Saravana Bhavan (vegetarian)
Blossom on Columbus (haven't tried it yet)
Seasoned Vegan (Harlem)
Best Sushi
Sushi Yasaka
Teriyaki Sun-Chan
Best Mediterranean Food
Seven Hills Mediterranean Grill
Bodrum
Symposium
Bustan
Best Jewish Deli
Zabars (but buy their stuff and make your own bagel! much better)
Barney Greengrass
Murray's
Best Chinese Food
Han Dynasty (Szechuan)
Best Ethiopian Food
Awash
Best Dessert
Levain
Magnolia Bakery
Silver Moon Bakery
Hungarian Pastry Shop
Best Wine Bars
Vanguard
Best Brunch
Effy's Cafe
Tessa
Friedman's
Community Food & Juice
Jacob's Pickles
Best Indian Food
Awadh
Añar
Best Bars
67 Orange
E's
Best Cheap Eats
Roti Roll
Best Unique Finds
Banh
The Tang
67 Orange
Best Lunch Specials
Himalayan somethingsomething
Chennai Garden
Best Comedy
The Comedy Cellar / Village Vanguard - reserve IN ADVANCE!
Best Affordable Michelin Starred Restaurants
Casa Enrique
Cafe China
Best Meal We've Ever Had (tied for #1 with Tickets in Barcelona!)
Sushi Nakazawa
Best Trendy Desserts You Can Brag That You Ate
Cronut at Dominique Ansel Bakery: The Cronut that started it all! Also the only official "cronut" because #copyright. Have tried it, is actually very good. And now that the fad is 5+ years old, you won't have to wait in a mile long line to snag one :)
Hot chocolate and a Mont Blanc at Angelina: Angelina is new in NYC, having moved in just as the pandemic was getting underway. But they've been serving their second only to Burdick's hot chocolate and unparalleled Mont Blancs in Paris for a good long time. I haven't tried the NYC location yet - beat me to it and let me know how it is! Based on our experience in Paris, the perfect order for two is the afternoon tea for one (comes with a hot chocolate, I think) and a Mont Blanc. C'est parfait!
Any cookie at Levain: Well, except the oatmeal raisin one. But you weren't going to get that one anyway, right? RIGHT?!
Doughnuts at DOUGH: Definitely try a cake doughnut - they look small, but they're outrageously rich and really unique!
Best Dessert Places
L.A. Burdick is chocolate HEAVEN. You simply must get a (small!!!) milk hot chocolate. I don't care what type of chocolate you prefer in solid form. The right choice is milk chocolate. And you may be able to drink a bigger one, but you WILL regret it - trust me, I am a true chocoholic. Burdick's is actually a Boston-native shop with a location in Harvard Square. When I was losing my shit over an upcoming exam #freshman my peer advisor took me to Burdick's for the first time, and it really did make everything better.
SPOT Dessert Bar
The Donut Pub makes a mean cronut, which they are stuck calling a croissant-donut because Dominique Ansel has the copyright on "cronut." And they're open super late.
Van Leeuwen Ice Cream (full disclosure, my husband's cousins own Van Leeuwen, but it's really good!):
Big Gay Ice Cream
Nutella Babka at Breads Bakery: okay, as a Jew, I have had a lot of babkas in my time. So when my coworkers at a previous job brought in a babka one day and said "this is the best babka ever," I was extremely skeptical. But they were right: this babka is simply not to be missed. It's more moist than your average babka, and probably more caloric too. Be warned: it's hard to go back to regular babka after a Breads babka.
Best Cocktail Bars
extremely non-controversial picks that I definitely co-sign
Attaboy
Employees Only
Mace
Dante (do you like Negronis? I hate them. But if you like them, Dante.)
Katana Kitten
recs from me, a real local
67 Orange
Bar Moga
Helen's
Kobrick Coffee Co
on my to try list
Thyme Bar
Death & Co
Please Don't Tell
Bathtub Gin
Best Food Experiences
Flushing Night Market
Smorgasburg
Best Romantic Date Spots
La Ripaille
La Sirene
Avant Garden
Lafayette
(Ayza Wine & Chocolate Bar)
