Hi Ladies.. My DH and I are heading to NY for a mini vacation on Thursday. We are looking for some recommendations about good local "non-touristy" places to eat.
We are both open to all types of food. Can't wait for your suggestions!
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Where are you staying? What's your budget? What kind of food/experience are you looking for? There are about a million options here, so it helps to narrow it down a bit
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@hilsy85: We are staying at a hotel near Grand Central station. We are looking for some casual places to eat lunches while we are out exploring the city. Also looking for a couple breakfast/brunch places. Budget isn't a huge thing as long as the food is good. We are flexible with type of cusine too.
We are looking to avoid the really touristy places at meals....
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I don't have much to recommend, but I am really jealous that you are about to eat in NYC. I don't think I've ever eaten anything there that I wasn't in love with
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Hmm some of my fave brunch places (not all necessarily near your hotel): Cafe Cluny, Norma's, Cookshop, any of the David Burke restaurants, Jane, Fig & Olive, and Essex. If you're willing to travel to Brooklyn, Egg in Williamsburg is BOMB and worth the wait.
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For breakfast/brunch, I would say Grey Dog if you are around Union Square or Chelsea/West Village/Meatpacking (near the Highline, which you should go to!). Neither location is touristy! Around Madison Square park/Union Square, I'd also reco City Bakery for breakfast or lunch (get a pretzel croissant or a cookie, or both!!!) Daniel's Bagels is near to Grand Central, and it's not much on atmosphere, but the bagels are great, so you could take out. Have a great trip!
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If you don't want something touristy stay away from Meatpacking and Times Square. NY Mag has a great list of restaurants with pretty accurate reviews so you might want to start there. My favorites for a non-toursty but very 'NYC' dinner are:
Tamirind Tribeca
Dovetail
Park Ave Summer
Megu
ABC Kitchen
Acquagrill
Commerce
Morimoto
DB Townhouse
KingswoodIt's almost impossible though to make recommendations without knowing where you'll be and what kind of atmosphere/cuisine you like. There are so many options!
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If you're near the East Village (E. 7th and 1st) or interested in Fondue, I *HIGHLY* recommend Taureau! - http://taureaunyc.com/
They open at 5pm during the week. The prix fixe menus are really your best bet - cheese, meat and dessert included.
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For casual stuff, I highly recommend Cafe Habana in Nolita --GREAT brunch, long wait unless you get there before 11, and it's tiny, so you would be sitting very close to your neighbor. Food is good enough to be worth it. If you go, get the corn! Also in the same neighborhood, I LOVE Lombardi's pizza-- oldest pizzeria in the US and delicious.
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@hilsy85: @kjwinter: @Modern Daisy: @LindsayInNYC: @Foodnerd81: Thanks for all of your suggestions ladies. I will share with my DH and hopefully we can try a couple.
I wasn't too specific with the area, etc because we are there for 4 days and our schedule is pretty flexible.
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Check out Eataly! A little touristy, but we had the best wine/food break there one afternoon walking around.... Definitely an experience.
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norma's is fantastic for brunch...really gigantic portions and quite decadent, it is in the parker meridien hotel. penelope is also good for brunch, it is smaller and has a quaint atmosphere.
i also like Otto for casual dinner, Momofuku Ssam Bar for lunch or dinner and then go next door to Milk Bar for dessert! If you like ramen, Ippudo is good but the lines are really long.
have fun and let us know where you end up going!
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@JessLC: all my favorites! Especially otto...the olive oil gelato is to die for!
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Quality Meats
Momofuku
inoteca
If you make it to Brooklyn, Marlow and Sons in Williamsburg is great -
@betsyboop: I looove Otto's olive oil gelato too. I love that mentioned that! It's one of my favorite desserts ever.
My recs:
casual - Shake Shack, Eataly, Caracas Arepas, Cafe Habana, Momofuku (pork buns), Fatty Crab, Kittichai
brunch - Norma's, Sarabeth's, City Bakery, Clinton St Baking Co
fine dining - Eleven Madison Park, Dovetail
dessert - Levain Bakery cookies, Momofuku milk bar (compost cookie and cake truffles), Grom gelato, Doughnut PlantDefinitely make reservations for weekend brunch when you can, or go very early to beat the crowds. have fun!
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Everyone who comes to visit us from OOT always wants to go to Eataly, so it's a little touristy but it's definitely worth a try since it's so unique. I've been to two of the restaurants and I've walked around inside. If you're going to go there I'd recommend just walking around and hanging at the wine bar.
If you can make it to momofuku milk bar and Levain bakery you will not regret either one! I live next to Levain and it's all I can do not to gain 100 lbs from the cookies. And shake shack is a great recommendation for a casual lunch, but be prepared to wait in line for an hour. Honestly if you're looking to save money and want something different, try out the food trucks. There are some gourmet options that usually hang out near park ave in the low 50's.
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@Modern Daisy: omg yes yes yes levain. BEST COOKIES IN THE WORLD.
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@hilsy85: @Modern Daisy: I used to live on 74th Street, btwn Amsterdam and BWY, OMG. I literally had to cross the street to avoid the temptation.
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@Modern Daisy: I LOVE Tamarind Tribeca. To die for Indian food. Now I'm thinking about having it for lunch
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@mrsjazz: Tamarind Tribeca is my #1 go-to restaurant for people who visit from OOT and want something 'non-touristy'. It's also a pretty good deal because the portions are huge for a fine dining restaurant. ABC Kitchen is very comparable as far as atmosphere, but the portions are so small it's kind of a shock to some people who aren't used to NYC restaurants.
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I second Penelope--an easy walk from your hotel and great for brunch!
Frankies Spuntino is awesome in either Brooklyn or Manhattan--romantic and delicious.
RedFarm is a very yummy new Chinese farm-to-table restaurant in the West Village.
The Grand Central Oyster Bar IS super touristy but it's also super fun, and since you'll be right there...
If you're looking for somewhere in Chinatown for Dim Sum, I always recommend Nom Wah Tea Parlor--the food is fine, but the atmosphere is fun.
Definitely get out to Brooklyn and consider trying Locanda Vini e Olii in Clinton Hill (also worth a trip because it's such a beautiful neighborhood). It's northern italian food and it's fabulous. And you might see Michelle Williams! (It's not her neighborhood, but I did see her there once!)
And yes, NYMag is a great resource. So is the New Yorker's Tables for Two column (http://www.newyorker.com/arts/reviews/tables/search, and you don't have to be a subscriber to access). They review new places that won't yet be touristy--although not all the reviews are positive! Still, they pick fun spots.
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