Some posts on this site contain affiliate links, meaning if you book or buy something through one of these links, I may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you!). You can read my full disclosure policy here.
You can’t go to New York City and not eat well. Actually, scratch that. You still can, but it’s not hard to find delicious food in the city.
Even though my visit this time to New York was short and I was busy with various graduating events for my brother, I still managed to try some new places that have been on my radar for awhile and even revisited a few favourites.
Madison Sq Eats
We arrived in New York City under the cover of darkness. By the time we were settled in our apartment, it was quite late and I knew ahead of time I wouldn’t want to go far for food. Luckily, nearby Madison Square was hosting a pop-up food market for the month of May. Perfect timing.
Even though it was pouring rain, my dad and I ventured out for some food adventures. There were lots of great options making it hard for me to choose. In the end, I grabbed three arancinis from Arancini Bros, a pear, walnut & gorgonzola (a combo I’ve recently come to LOVE) crepe from Bar Suzette Crepe and for dessert, a crack pie from Milk Bar.
I had never had an arancini before but who can’t love what is essentially a savory filled doughnut? Yum! I’m a big fan of fruit, nut and cheese combos lately in my sandwiches so the crepe was a no brainer for me when I saw it. The crack pie was really cloyingly sweet and dense. I shared it with my mother and brother. There’s no way one person could eat the whole thing.
Momofuku Noodle Bar
I’ve been following David Chang for a while and I was disappointed that I didn’t get a chance to go to Momofuku on my last visit to the city (but really, who wants a steaming bowl of ramen when it’s 30C and humid outside?). I dragged my family with me down to the Lower East Side with me for a food adventure this time around.
When we arrived it was prime dinner time. Mistake #1. There was a wait of at least an hour. We left our number, but we decided to just wait it out. Mistake #2. In hindsight, it would have made sense to find a nearby bar for a drink or even another restaurant altogether. But stubbornness in me and my family won out.
I love ramen and have it regularly in Vancouver so I was really looking forward to this meal. I had heard lots of mixed reviews. Some people loved it and others not so much.
I’m with the latter camp. Sure, the ramen is decent. Almost good, but it’s not worth the wait. There is definitely a lot more hype to it. I ordered the Momofuku ramen and some steamed buns with mushrooms. Shockingly, I liked the steamed buns more than the ramen, but they were expensive. $10 for 2 teeny tiny buns is not worth it, but the depth of flavour they were able to pull from just mushrooms was amazing. I’m going to try and replicate it at home.
Prior to this meal, I had debated trying some other ramen shops I heard were good – Ivan Ramen and Ippudo – and now I wish I had. Not to worry though – I’ll get to try Ippudo when I’m in Japan later this year!
171 first avenue
New York, NY 10003
Website
Russ & Daughters
Everyone tells you that you need to get a bagel with lox and cream cheese from Russ & Daughters. A New York institution in the Lower East Side, Russ & Daughters have been purveyors of smoked fish, caviar, herring and bagels since 1914. What originally started as a business catering to the Jewish immigrants in the city has passed down 4 generations of Russes.
I picked up an everything bagel with Norwegian Smoked Salmon and regular cream cheese. I love smoked salmon and if it weren’t so pricey and I could eat it for every meal I would. This bagel was really good. Smoked salmon flavour all the way through.
Be sure to grab a number when you walk in. This location is a take out location and can get quite busy I’m told. However, I was there early on a weekday morning and there was virtually no line. There is also a Russ & Daughters Cafe located a couple blocks away if you’re after a sit-down meal.
P.S. Want to know what makes a good NYC Bagel? Serious Eats has you covered.
179 East Houston Street
New York, NY 10002
Website
Katz’s Deli
I previously visited Katz’s Deli on my first visit to New York City and absolutely loved it. I went home and raved to my mom about it and she told me that she wanted to try it this time. I dragged her with me to Russ & Daughters down the street so we popped over to Katz’s as well to pick up a sandwich.
I had forgotten how awesome the sandwich was. The pastrami was melt in your mouth perfection. It was expensive (and the price went up from 2 years ago!), but considering the size, it easily can be turned into two or three meals for one or a shareable meal for two.
Because it was so early in the morning, the deli was completely empty save for a few eager tourists that didn’t want to fight the crowds. The process was much the same as my previous visit. You get a ticket that needs to be returned, you order at the counter and pay as you leave. Visitors take note! If you have no issues with having sandwiches for breakfast and want to snag a table here and not fight the crowds, go early and go on a weekday.
205 E Houston St
New York, NY 10002
Sentosa Malaysian Cuisine
My brother and his girlfriend were heading out to Flushing, Queens for a baseball game and wanted to grab food beforehand. My parents hadn’t been to Flushing before, so they invited us to come along. We ended up wandering around and picked this restaurant at random.
What came were dishes after dishes of Chinese and Malaysian goodness. I’m not too familiar to Malaysian food so I don’t really have any major comments about this restaurant.
3907 Prince St
Flushing, NY 11354
11 AM – Midnight
Website
Artichoke Basil Pizza
C. kept on raving about this place before my trip to New York City so I made a note to try it. Even without him talking it up, it was already on my radar with lots of great reviews out there. With multiple locations, I went to the one in Chelsea. My original plan was to pick up a slice and enjoy it along the High Line, but it was really chilly and the wind was strong.
At first glance, I thought the restaurant only offered a sit-down option, but towards the back, they had by the slice counter. I went with their namesake and ordered the Artichoke Pizza.
At $5 a slice, it’s a bit expensive, but you definitely get your money’s worth. One slice was HUGE and really filling. This slice is not your typical thin crust New York Style pizza. This slice had height. I really enjoyed the creamy sauce and the thick pieces of artichoke. I normally don’t like artichoke, but this was good. I couldn’t finish my slice and had to take it to go with me. It’s definitely a slice worth sharing and very very indulgent.
114 10th Avenue
New York, NY 10011
12 PM – 5 AM, Tuesday thru Saturday
12 PM – 12 AM, Sunday & Monday
Website
Absolute Bagel
On my last morning in New York City, I knew I wanted something good so I paid another visit to Absolute Bagel which I discovered last time I was here. I went with my regular order (well as regular as visiting a place twice can be) – an everything bagel with smoked salmon cream cheese. I enjoy how there are chunks of salmon in the cream cheese. A perfect way to end a relaxing time in the city.
How do you choose what you want to eat in a city? Do you make a point of seeking out local institutions? Has anything stood out as either living up or not living up to the hype?
P.S. See what I ate on my last visit to New York: Eating New York City 1.0
If you’re new to Pack Me To, welcome! Stay on top of my
adventures on Facebook and follow me on Twitter & Instagram.
Yum! I’m getting hungry!
wow you’ve found some amazing eateries there. Not sold on bagels though… never really understood the attraction. I mean I don’t think they’re bad, but not sure why people love them so much. toasted with cream cheese is nice, but i cant imagine them as a substitute for a good sandwich or roll. thanks for sharing!
Haha, I’m actually quite conflicted on bagels. I’ll eat them, but they’re not mind blowing. But when in New York… 🙂
There’s so many fantastic places to eat in NYC – its hard to narrow it down to your available time! We were there for two weeks last year, and my husband had a restaurant chosen and booked for every evening before we got there – he like to do all the pre-trip food research. He used the OpenTable app to make most of the reservations from Australia,
Wow, that’s really really organized! Good for you guys! I was mostly eating on my own so I didn’t want to go anywhere too fancy. Which place was your favourite?
New York is seriously one of the best places in the world to eat yourself silly!
I wanted to try Katz Deli on my trip last year, but never made it! Glad to know the Pastrami sandwich is as good as they say! And ooh, that slice of Pizza!
This reminds me that I never got down to doing a What I Ate in NYC post myself! I better hop to it 🙂
It’s so easy to just eat eat and keep on eating in New York! And yes! You should put one together! Looking forward to reading it 🙂
I think you may have cured me of my craving for Momofuku. I wouldn’t want to wait that long unless it was absolutely AMAZING. I did manage to get my hands on a slice of Crack Pie. I usually like sweet things, but even one slice was too much for me. That Artichoke pizza looks so rich and filling, and that bagel just screams NYC. Looks like you had a great time dining around the town.
I had to share my slice of crack pie with my family. I definitely could not have eaten it all by myself!
You covered a lot for a brief trip! I regret not doing a bit more planning re food when I visited New York because there are so many great options so I’ll definitely be doing it differently next time! There are a few places in London like that too where you have to queue for ages and it’s always a real disappointment when they don’t live up!
I find it kind of overwhelming to be honest. Almost too many options. I feel like its like that for a lot of large cities. London included. And so true. Sometimes it’s just good to have no expectations at all.
Great food tips! The artichoke pizza looks amazing and I really want to try the crack pie at Milk Bar.
Both are good but so so indulgent. You definitely need to share!
I always do the same thing… reading your food posts before eating! Then I’m hungry. I haven’t eaten ramen for ages and ohhh that pizza!!
In Asia I always ate in random places but in Chile I’ve gone to recommended places and oh! I love the food here 🙂
Oooh! Awesome! It’s always fun exploring a new place through its food 🙂
Wow, seems like you ate the city! I follow David Chang too (love to see his delicious creation in Instagram). The artichoke pizza looks delicious. I have to try it!
And there’s still so much more to eat too!
Yummmmm… the bagels look really good. I love a smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel too! That sucks that the ramen wasn’t so good :(. I’m not crazy about ramen so I wouldn’t wait an hour for a bowl! And I think when you’re waiting for that long, your expectations go up. The crack pie looks really good though!!
You can go wrong with the smoked salmon and cream cheese combo. Such a classic! There are lots of other restaurants under the momofuku brand so I wonder if they’re good or not. The milk bar definitely stood up to reputation!
I don’t mind having a bloated stomach, all I know is New York is a place to be. I hope my dad would allow me to to have my dream vacation by next year. I’ve got to start planning where should I dine, stay, shop and do whatever I want. I hope I could post something like this in the future.