Ask for a sample of the different mole sauces. They'll bring you a plate of them to try before ordering!
Get the portobello sandwich. Pack some of the thin fries inside to complete the delicious structural instability. The slow service will give you plenty of time to enjoy.
Chicken Parm hero? Perfect. Roast Turkey hero? A sleeper but equally awesome. Plus the dudes behind the counter will give you an approving nod when you order. Uh-huh. Oh yeah. Niiiice.
Ask for the deep-fried pickle (not on regular menu). Not the vile novelty food you'd expect; actually complex & satisfying.
Ramen is not the only thing this museum has to offer. The inside is set up to replicate the buildings from the Showa-era (1950's-60's) and you get to see what Japan was like back then. Read more.
Try the pulled-pork. It's spicy and savory with succulent pork, cucumber, pickled carrots, cilantro and chili mayonnaise all on a lightly toasted roll. Sandwiches range from $6.75 to $8.75. Read more.
NY. Best Italian sandwich spot in the city. It's for purists, no substitutions, no lattes. Just sandwiches. The Matthew & Alyssa hit the spot.
Hard-living Ukranians swear by cabbage soup as a hangover cure, and we think the bowl here packs an extra restorative sauerkraut punch. Get it the morning after to kill the pain. Read more.
Pro tip: call ahead with your order and pick up. The line (especially on weekends) is not for the faint of heart (or the impatient)
Capocollo, Prosciuttini, Provolone, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Black Olives, Mayo, Salt and Pepper, On an Italian Hero. Read more.
Go to Falafel's Drive-In and order the large falafel & banana shake. You'll save $2 and get the two best items on the menu!
unless you're feeling like getting fatter, don't get the big enchilada. the regular's big enough (ps. chicken fajita)
Get the basic doner sandwich. Turkish street-style, fine pita, very delicious lamb, generously proportioned. The Village's best eating after 2am.
Great Argentine bakery w itty bitty sit-down cafe. The go-to place for empanadas on the westside.
It is apparently beloved by expat Italians, which seems a good commendation. Sietsema says stick with basics like the Margherita.
An honest falafel, unlike the fancy-ass Euro place on the other side of Union Sq.
The ghosts of my Central European ancestors approve of the poppyseed roll. A 3" slab costs about $2 and will fill you.
Cheap, reliable, friendly purveyors of Syrian fast food. Open late (1am weeknights, 2am weekdays), when the Village pickings are otherwise slim
the most amazing shawarma (especially when paired with the whole wheat). get the hummus on the side and save it for a good late-afternoon snack
Get a piece of sciacciata, the signature Tuscan flatbread, plain ($1.40). Eat it in the street. It is a yeasty, salty, oily surprise; the best bread in the W Village.
It's off menu, but they almost always have Schweinehaxe (roasted park shank), served w sweet stewed red cabbage, a large dumpling, & a dark smoky gravy. Best Teutonic comfort entree in the city.
My fave W Village lunch joint. A big mesclun salad, beverage, & a personal size pizza as good as Keste's or John's, sets you back $10.
Both of the $5 pizzas are superb, but the Marinara beats out the Margherita with its riot of oily garlicky tomatoiness
Not just for bubble tea; the lunch bowls ($5.50) are satisfying, faithful renditions of Taiwanese street food. Try the stewed pork belly, delicately sour w a hint of star anise.
Cheap, plentiful, Eastern European peasant food like Oma used to make, in a deliciously tacky church-basement ambience. Fri-Sun noon-4. Get here before the E Village hipsters co-opt it ironically.
Try one of the daily lunch specials, which are made in limited quantities of 30 orders or less. Diners with room for dessert may want black sesame crème brulee or coffee Jell-O. Read more.
The Middle Eastern Turkey sandwich is a delicious take on a simple sandwich. Definitely go the spicy route.
Get the "Turkish Pizza". It's the closest thing to an Istanbul street pide that I've seen in the US.
Get the small rice bowl w two vegetables for $3. It is a filling meal and tastier than an entree at a typical sit-down joint in Curry Hill
Ask for yogurt & onions on your rice & vegetables after they come out of the microwave (no charge)
Amazing dumplings. Pork sandwich looked super delicious too (I'm trying that next time). You can try cutting the line by ordering at the window outside, but that's a real crapshoot.
Go straight in and walk up the stairs for the best lunch place in the area. The baba ghannouj is the best in the whole city, then again, so is everything else there. BIG yum.
Made famous by Seinfeld, Tom’s Restaurant is a Columbia student staple that has been around since the 1940s. It is perfect for Greek-American diner classics or a milkshake and gravy fries at 3 a.m. Read more.
get a dosa, they're great! everything on the menu is pretty great. some of the best south and north Indian in NYC.
For brunch, eggs Benedict gets a twist, being served on crispy waffles studded with chewy lardons. A regular special is deliciously light pancakes with cream and fruit, like freshly sliced peaches. Read more.
start with the alma blanca. maybe some of that corn too. then pick anything else from the menu -- you can't go wrong. (chef ortiz used to work at la esquina back in new york city!)
Everyone knows to get the corn, but try the rice milk. Get it to go and walk around the hood.
It’s an earthier take on weekend brunch here where New York’s reigning Iron Chef turns out thick waffles with fried quail and an ingenious “Eggs Benny.” Featured in Where to Eat 2011! Read more.
You're probably already here, so my tip to GO BEFORE OPENING is probably wasted on you. So I'll just say, GET A WHOLE PIE. Round or square. Both great. It's not worth the wait for only a slice or two. Read more.
best brunch in the hood - definitely get the biscuits w/ homemade jam to start, slow whisked scrambled eggs with bacon, and the deliciously fresh green salad. top it off with a cucumber mint spritzer!
2-hour wait on a Friday night, but try and find a place at the bar - it's worth it. The beets in avocado and chicken were incredible.
The lunch special for 2 is a steal: an appetizer an 2 entrees for $21.95. They have delicious Afghan tea that you won't find anywhere else (believe me, I tried).
Go on, add that fried egg to your Vietnamese sandwich...you know you want to! Baoguette's got some of the best cheap eats in town...a must after pub-crawling through the East Village!
Get the bread with tomato and cream cheese, and the bread with egg. (I saw a delicious-looking photo, but have no idea what they are on the menu.)
"Cajun Pacific has a tiny kitchen, idiosyncratic hours of operation, and the best food in the Outer Sunset. Don't go there. In fact, forget you ever saw this." - Robin Sloan Read more.
A "palapa" is an open-air, thatched-roof structure; they're useful common spaces on hot, sunny days. Get the jicama with lime and chile, a popular and refreshing treat for just such days.
One of the best Cuban sandwiches I've ever had. They put gruyere on it! What?!
tasty banh mi sandwiches made with seasonal greenmarket veg (try the cauliflower one) and an upstairs "dining room" overlooking a rental car garage make this a sneaky fave for perfection
Japanese tacos are tasty, try the Carnitas. Wish they were smaller for more sampling, 2x the expected portion so plan accordingly. Overall its a bit more fun than foodie but thats cool
Want to kill your productivity post lunch with a meat-induced coma? Go for their famous Smoked Meat sandwich with cured brisket, mustard, and rye. It's a worthwhile and cheaper rival to Katz's.
I've always wanted someone to put shakshuka -- poached egg with spiced tomatoes, tahini, and cilantro -- into a pita to save me the effort of all that dipping. Taboonette has that breakfast sandwich.
People! Good scotch eggs are hard to come by. Egg wrapped in sausage (what?!) and then deep fried (!!!), served with killer spicy mustard.
In and around Napoli, where mozzarella is king, it is known that mozzarella is already not ideal two hours after it has been pulled, so Orazio is at it all day for his discriminating customers.
M. Wells reopens at MoMA PS1 with eats like escargot & marrow tarts, bibimbap w/ maple syrup & oysters, and caviar/ flower/ whipped butter sandwiches. --Thrillist Read more.
"Some ramen broths detonate at first spoonful, then fizzle out halfway through; others start off meek and turn carnal. Ganso aspires to the latter." - Ligaya Mishan for the New York Times Read more.
Tucked on the second floor of this Japanese bookstore is a counter selling perfect afternoon snacks. Food & Wine editor Dana Cowin loves the umebashi plum rice balls, she told us in her NY Diet. Read more.
Meat lovers - please please please get the Cub Classic, and make it spicy. It's definitely not a traditional bahn mi but that's what makes it even better.
Many poo poo delivery ramen. I'm sure the purists know what they're talking about but sometimes you just want a noodle soup brought to you and they do a great job keeping it delicious as it travels.
Duck pancake, which is more like a sandwich than a pancake, is the best $2 snack in the LES. (h/t Ari from CultureFix)
Just Opened. Taste: The ground lamb sticks are flavored w/ cumin & garlic, but you can mix & match as many sticks as you want, including 24hr marinated pork, chicken, and shrimp w/ orange & olive oil. Read more.
Tired of ALL the other ramen you’ve had in NYC? Try the apple noodle ramen with Brussels sprouts and pickled carrots.
Get the smoked ham with sharp provolone, hot peppers, mayo and a little oregano
This spot has been here since 1929. order up their #1 specialty, the Italian combo The sandwich perfected.
Sandwiches are huge and tasty and come with chips - much more of a deal than at first glance.
My favorite taco truck in the East Village opened a storefront with a slew of new entree options and the same great prices.
This is one of the largest producers of smoked fish in the US, and you can find many of their products in stores. But for real deals, stop in Fridays, 8am-1pm, when they open up for retail sales.
From 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays, the Greenpoint warehouse that supplies Russ & Daughters is open to the public. Pro-tip: There are no bagels, so BYOB.
The star here is the the chana masala sandwich: a ciabatta roll filled with arugula, pickled onions, two kinds of chutney, and a scoop of the traditional spicy, stewy chickpeas. Read more.
Calling all Mozzarella lovers…come and enjoy a tasting of three handmade mozzarellas, grilled vegetables, olive oil and delicious wine.
The fried chicken and waffle sandwich is brilliant. The Mac and cheese is perfectly gooey and crunchy on top. Skip the two hour waits and do takeout; it takes ten minutes.
Great food -- go for any of the spicy noodles or the cumin lamb "burger". Or get both, and still pay under $10. Not much seating though -- you'll have to take it to go during peak meal times.
Fresh vegetable juice for $4.25 or $5.50. Way below bougie juice market rate. Also platter > pita.
The sturdy but lightweight cones are easy to hold in one hand with a utensil in the other and come with lids for sealing if you're traveling to a different location to stuff your face. Read more.
The sandwiches were the best thing here -- go for the turkey, brie, and apple pretzel sandwich with their amazing honey mustard.
👏👏👏 Delicious teishoku, price justified by huge portions. Egg custard comes with every set and takes my taste buds to heaven. 😍
The salmon saikyo and the mackerel were phenomenal. All must eats. And it's 100% worth getting it as a set as you get so many other delicious things with your food!
