We love spending time in New York City and try to go at least once a year. We usually stay in Manhattan but move around each time to get the feel of a different neighborhood. There is so much fantastic local and global food that it’s easy to eat well without shelling out big bucks for fine dining. Over the years, we’ve developed a list of our favorite restaurants, ones we have to hit each time we go. Thank goodness for the subway!

Mediterranean

  • Shukette – This upscale and lively restaurant in Chelsea is always busy and for good reason: their Mediterranean dishes are sensational. Don’t miss the labneh, the hot Moroccan frena bread, saffron yogurt-marinated Joojeh Chicken, and the roasted cauliflower. I always start with a Tyre, their featured cocktail, before transitioning to a red.
  • Miznon – Israeli eatery with multiple NY locations (plus Las Vegas, Vienna, Melbourne, Toronto, Singapore, Tel Aviv, Paris and London), this place is a simple but fast way to grab a delicious bite.
Seasonal labneh dish with tomatoes and basil at Shukette

Pizza and Italian

  • l’Industrie – There is a lot of great pizza in New York, but the original Brooklyn location of this Top 50 Pizza in the World winner is our absolute favorite. They usually have a special slice as well. You’re gonna wanna get that. They do have a second location in Lower Manhattan’s West Village if you can’t make it to Brooklyn.
  • Ribalta – Another resident on the Top 50 Pizza in the World list, this bustling restaurant near Union Square offers great Italian food and wine and has received Michelin recognition in the past.
  • Bleecker St Pizza – Located on a busy corner in Greenwich Village, come here for a fresh, cheap slice of really good pizza.
  • Song’ e Napule – Award-winning Neapolitan pizza and delicious meatballs in West Village (now with three other locations).
Sensational pizza at l’Industrie in Brooklyn

Korean

  • Nubiani – Korean barbecue – sumptuous feast of meats that they expertly cook on the grill right in front of you, plus all the banchan (shareable side dishes) and rice to go with it.
    Midtown East: 315 5th Ave, Fl 3, New York, NY 10016
    Reservations: resy.com
  • C as in Charlie – Korean comfort food presented in a really fun way, in a cozy setting at this eatery in Greenwich Village. Designed to be shareable, our favorites are popcorn chicken, mushroom bibimbap, oxbow cream pasta and the green tomato hot pocket. Beer, sake and wine round out the menu.
    5 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10012
    Reservations: resy.com
  • Mökbar – Korean street noodles dishes in three locations around the city: Chelsea, Midtown and Brooklyn. Plus, Korean shareable small plates and ice cold beer.
Popcorn chicken with sweet gochujang glaze at C is for Charlie

Japanese

  • Takumi (omakase) – This place reigns as our favorite sushi omakase in the City. Since there is so much competition in this category, it’s actually quite affordable at $89 for a 15-course menu, plus the chefs are super-friendly.
    181 Essex Street, New York NY 10002
    Reservations: resy.com
  • Ivan Ramen – We consider ourselves ramen connoisseurs, having sampled ramen in Japan and around the world. Our favorite in New York is Ivan Ramen in the Lower East Side.
  • Ichiran – Our other favorite ramen joint in the City, lots of locations around the world, but it’s Japanese-owned so it’s always delicious, consistent and reliable.
Ivan Ramen NYC Tonkotsu
Ivan Ramen NYC Tonkotsu

Thai

  • Sala Thai – Popular Upper West Side eatery with classic Thai dishes. Really awesome Tom Kha Gai soup and Pad Thai.
  • Fish Cheeks – this cute little eatery in NOHO features family-style Thai seafood dishes and delicious cocktails. Don’t miss the spicy Coconut Crab Curry or the Steamed Fish with Thai Herbs.
Steamed Fish with Thai Herbs at Fish Cheeks

Mexican

  • Los Tacos No 1 – We’re from Austin (and we’ve been to Mexico dozens of times) so we know our way around a taco. Our all-time favorite tacos are here at Los Tacos. We always get two adobados (pork al pastor), two carne asadas, and two quesadillas (similar to tacos but nothing like the ones we’re used to in the U.S.). Each taco with its flavorful meat and sauce literally bursts with flavor. Fast, easy, cheap and delicious.
  • Toloache – Nice contemporary and upscale Mexican bistro in a beautiful space with really nice margaritas and over 300 different tequilas and mezcales. Two locations in Midtown Manhattan.
Carne asada and adobada tacos at Los Tacos No 1

Upscale American

  • Left Bank – Cozy neighborhood restaurant in West Village offering seasonal vegetable dishes as well as meats, seafood and pasta like our favorite, the cacio e pepe.
  • Little Owl – Small Greenwich Village Mediterranean-inspired bistro in the space of the Friends (TV series) coffee shop. Seasonal menus and nightly specials.
  • Cookshop – From the same group that includes the sensational Shukette, this impeccable restaurant makes use of regional ingredients available in the Northeast.

Bagels

Mark comes from Brooklyn and is a bagel connoisseur so we are always looking for good ones in the City. Here are our current favorites:

  • Russ & Daughters – Since 1914, this New York institution with multiple locations has been putting out magnificent bagels, bialys, and rugelach. Vast selection of smoked and cured fish, herring and caviar as well.
  • Tompkins Square Bagels – Toasted everything bagel with pastrami lox and capers is our favorite.
  • Utopia Bagels – Queens bagel joint now with a location in Midtown Manhattan, this is on our regular rotation. Bagels are hand-rolled, hand-boiled and baked in a 1947 carousel oven.

Brunch

  • Little Collins – Busy and popular Australian coffee shop and brunch place in Midtown East. I am still thinking about the amazing Holy Shishito egg dish.
  • Citizens of Chelsea – there are multiple “Citizens of…” locations around the city corresponding to the local neighborhood. We’ve been to this Chelsea location multiple times

Other Notable Delicacies

  • Fabrique Bakery – This little Swedish bakery and coffee shop in Chelsea (also, Stockholm and London) produces really delicious cinnamon rolls.
  • Levain Bakery – Mark’s favorite chocolate chip cookies in the City. Many locations in NYC and the Northeast (and soon to be bi-coastal: Venice).

Food Halls

Food halls are fun places to do a little shopping, then grab a quick meal somewhere. Here are our favorites in NYC:

  • Chelsea Market
    We’ve been going to Chelsea Market long before food halls were a thing, and it’s only gotten better over time. In New York’s historic Meatpacking District, this market has dozens of great shops and eateries, including Miznon, Los Tacos No 1, Lobster Place, and Cull & Pistol.
  • Tin Building
    The Tin Building by Chef Jean-Georges, located in Manhattan’s historic Seaport neighborhood near the Brooklyn Bridge, offers 12 restaurants under one roof, along with fresh local meats and seafood, gifts and flower market, plus staples and rare ingredients.
  • Time Out Market
    We are big fans of Time Out Markets, especially the one in Lisbon, but we’ve hit this one in Dumbo a few times as well. The large 21,000-square-foot space in the historic Dumbo warehouse Empire Stores is sandwiched between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges and has over 20 eateries and bars, including one on the rooftop for the best views of Manhattan.

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Monica Soberman has traveled to over ninety countries while working remotely. She is the owner and author of Digital Roamads Life, a blog for travelers and digital nomads that covers destinations, travel hacks and cruising. Motivated primarily by food, she has taken more than sixty food tours in thirty countries. She is currently full-time nomadic with her husband Mark while running her e-commerce business and their YouTube channel, DigitalRoamadsDR, on travel and cruises. Together they have taken nearly fifty cruises and regularly use them as affordable transportation.