Where to Eat in NYC: 16 of My Favorite Restaurants

Like any self-respecting woman, one of my favorite things to do in New York City is eat. And after a few trips to NYC, we’ve worked our way through a pretty solid list of restaurants. Certainly, not everything lived up to the hype, but some places really did.

These are the places that ended up being the most memorable across our trips – the ones we’d go back to again, and I would recommend wholeheartedly.

Favorite Bagel Spots in NYC

I love a “grab and go” option when it comes to breakfast, so I’m all about the takeaway bagel to start my day. Plus, c’mon, you’re in New York City! You have to get a bagel at least once.

1. Pop Up Bagels

Pop Up Bagels is a different kind of bagel concept. These are not the bigger sandwich bagels, they’re smaller and a little softer, but still perfectly chewy and just the right touch of crispness to them. Instead of getting it spread with cream cheese, you get a bag of bagels with a cup of cream cheese and then tear and dip your bagel into the cream cheese.

The salt bagels with the raspberry cream cheese was SO good. This is probably my favorite bagel spot in NYC. As a plus, there are 7 locations throughout Manhattan, so you’re never too far from a shop.

2. Liberty Bagels

Liberty Bagels is just plain fun. With 5 locations in Manhattan and 1 location in Brooklyn, you’re never too far from the wall of rainbow bagels that greets you as you enter the shop.

Liberty Bagels shines in the variety department – there are 10-15 bagel flavor options, and 10-12 cream cheese options, plus options for bagel sandwiches or regular wraps.

All bagels and cream cheese spreads are made in-house, and quality is not compromised in the name of quantity here – my French toast bagel with fresh strawberry cream cheese was amazing.

The bagels are a little more expensive here ($6 per bagel), but it’s worth it.

3. Stage Door Deli

Stage Door Delicatessen is a bustling shop in the Financial District serving up delicious bagels, bagel sandwiches, and other breakfast diner foods.

This felt like such a classic New York establishment – we walk in and the employees are all yelling orders to each other, the man taking our order had the most perfect New York accent. You don’t order “with cream cheese,” you order “with schmear.”

Despite the hubbub, the line moved smoothly, everyone was very nice to us, and the bagels were chewy and perfectly toasted.

Favorite Lunch/Dinner Restaurants in NYC

4. Maison Pickle

Maison Pickle is a great Upper West Side restaurant with a cozy, slightly retro interior and a menu full of elevated comfort food.

We ordered the pull-apart garlic parmesan bread and the hot honey chicken and toast. The chicken was a riff on chicken and waffles, with a hot honey sauce, crispy chicken breading, and paired with French toast. However, the bread bites were easily the star of the meal, they were so soft, fluffy, and buttery, and frankly pretty addictive.

The 24-layer chocolate cake is one of the most popular things on the menu, but we just didn’t have room for dessert. Try to save room though, because it looks incredible and gets rave reviews.

5. Los Tacos No. 1

There is a lot of hype around Los Tacos No. 1, and thankfully, they absolutely live up to the praise. These really might be some of the best tacos I’ve ever eaten. The meat is so tender and flavorful, and all the components taste so fresh.

Everything is prepared in-house – from the chips, which are fried fresh, to the tortillas being pressed and grilled immediately before use, to the meat being sliced right off a massive rotisserie minutes before being served up.

You can choose from flour or corn tortillas (I actually preferred the flour), a few different types of meat, and whether you want the pico de gallo, cilantro, and/or guac on top.

The most famous location in the city is at Chelsea Market, but the line can be crazy long here. The other three locations I’ve visited in other parts of NYC have been a lot faster.

6. l’Industrie Pizza

L’Industrie Pizza is an incredible West Village spot for New York pizza, with that perfect thin but still chewy crust. The toppings and flavor combinations were amazing and more unique than your typical pizza joint.

I got two slices: prosciutto with burrata and the fig jam and bacon, and both were phenomenal. They also have bottles of chili oil you can drizzle over your slice, which dialed the flavor up even more.

The space is pretty small, with a few communal tables where people stand and eat, but it has a great vibe.

7. Mama Too

Mama Too! is right around the corner from L’Industrie in the West Village (they also have a location on the Upper West Side), and I honestly go back and forth between which one is my favorite pizza in NYC.

Mama Too is known for their sandwiches and square pizza. I just tried the square slices, and they were fantastic. The crust isn’t thin, but it’s still perfectly crispy on the bottom and chewy in the middle, not soft or doughy at all, and then piled thick and high with really high quality toppings.

I had 2 slices here as well: hot honey and pepperoni, which was amazing, and the buffalo, which was easily the best buffalo pizza I’ve ever had.

8. Super Taste

Super Taste is a small, no-frills spot in Chinatown that does hand-pulled noodles and a variety of dumplings. We got the sesame noodles, which were really good, but the dumplings definitely stole the show. Another bonus? Everything here is super affordable, which is a nice change from the typical NYC prices.

9. Ippudo Ramen

I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I was a full-fledged adult before I realized that ramen wasn’t just those little blocks of dehydrated noodles you bought for 15 cents in college. Instead, it can be the most comforting savory bowl of chewy noodles, rich broth, and delicious mix-ins, and it’s a dish I now love.

Ippudo is a delightful little restaurant with excellent ramen options – I got the miso ramen and it was fantastic.

10. Tony’s Di Napoli

While you can find all types of cuisine in New York, Italian cuisine has a particular hold in the city, and high-quality Italian restaurants can be found all over the city.

I can highly recommend Tony’s Di Napoli – the dining room is very large but beautiful, and everything is house-made (including the pasta). All dishes are served family style and can be shared between 2-3 people. I adore Caesar salad, and the salad at Tony’s is prepared tableside, which is a fun touch.

While Tony’s is known for their pasta (and we loved it), the bread was a surprising high point in our meal. It looked like a standard hearty chunk of bread, but actually had a delightfully crispy crust that contrasted with a soft interior.

There are two locations: Times Square and the Upper East Side.

11. La Pecora Bianca

If you want a cozier Italian option, we also really liked La Pecora Bianca. The Caesar salad was really good, and all of the pasta is housemade. We got the tagliatelle, which we both liked.

Everything had great flavor, and the prices felt very reasonable for NYC. There are also several locations around Manhattan and Brooklyn, which makes it an easy one to fit into your plans.

12. Boucherie West Village

Boucherie is a lovely French restaurant in West Village, with a very pretty patio dining area. They specialize in high-quality cuts of beef, which are cooked to absolute perfection. 

Favorite Desserts in New York

Desserts – one of my favorite topics! As a lady with a sweet tooth, I’m always happy to check out all the bakeries and dessert shops.

13. Breads Bakery

Breads is a mouth-watering bakery in the Upper East Side, serving a large variety of dessert pastries, breakfast pastries, breads, coffee, and takeaway salads.

Literally everything in their case looked so good, but I settled on the cheesy garlic breadstick (long, skinny, and perfectly chewy, with lots of cheesiness), and the cream cheese rugelach (light and flaky with a creamy interior).

I also had to try their black and white cookie, which apparently is the item that Breads is most famous for. The cookie was still more of a pastry, and had flaky layers and a chocolate interior. 

14. Milk Bar

I randomly made a cake from the Milk Bar Cookbook years ago and loved it – the method is unique and the recipe is fantastic.

Essentially, the original milk bar cake is a 6-inch, multi-layer naked birthday cake, with layers of cake, light and fluffy frosting, and birthday cake crumbles throughout it. It is so good.

The shop sells slices of this cake, as well as cookies, other cake flavors, cake balls, and soft serve ice cream with various toppings (including their delicious birthday cake crumbles).

While there are small stands in a few places throughout the city that serve mostly ice cream, I think it’s worth it to go to the flagship shop just a few blocks south of the Empire State Building.

15. Glace

Glace is an ice cream and hot chocolate spot known for fun hot cocoa flavor combinations. We got the traditional s’mores hot chocolate, which was anything but basic. It was thick, rich, and creamy, topped with marshmallow cream, with piped and torched marshmallow around the rim. It looked great and tasted just as good.

The main store is on the Upper East Side, and they also have a food truck near Rockefeller Plaza that serves hot chocolate only.

16. Museum of Ice Cream

The Museum of Ice Cream is a very different kind of dessert experience. You move through a series of themed rooms that are colorful, over-the-top, and built to be interactive, with games, activities, and interactive elements along the way.

There are also a lot of chances to try different ice cream throughout the visit, and the samples are unlimited, so you can go back for your favorites. We tried everything from soft serve and Dippin’ Dots to fruit popsicles, cotton candy, and even bagels stuffed with ice cream (and more!).

The last room is the sprinkle pool, which is basically a ball pit filled with fake sprinkles. It’s super fun and very photogenic, and one of the main things people come for. We had a ton of fun here and definitely left very full.

Final Thoughts

NYC has way more great food than you’ll ever fit into one trip, but these are the places that were actually worth it for us. If you’re trying to narrow things down, this is a good place to start.