NYC Recs

[Queen Dick of Adminlandia]

Aug 9, 2025 22:27:18 GMT -5 mofongo said:

Aug 9, 2025 22:03:13 GMT -5 Queen Dick of Adminlandia said:

If you bitches do a GTG it's 2010 all over again.

Eta go on let's bring it back Oasis is back together miracles are possibile let's revive everything peace out
Eta not peace out let's fuck shit up

Will you come? Let's do this!

Actually wait November that's not impossible

[yaga]

I booked a night at Hotel Chelsea for my husband's birthday this year and the hotel bar was really nice. It's huge by NYC standards and was just really need to sit and chat and admire the space.

[cheekywife]

Aug 10, 2025 8:44:08 GMT -5 scm1011 said:

Aug 10, 2025 5:51:38 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Do not, under any circumstance, eat Mexican food in NYC. It’s an abomination.

And all the good pizza is in the Bronx. Sorry Brooklyn.

This was my biggest gripe while living in NYC, why is there no good Mexican food?? And I’m from Boston, my standards aren’t that of someone from Cali or Texas. It’s so perplexing.

+1 to scm1011 and Jalapeñomel. i definitely ate mexican during my ten years living in NYC but none of it was noteworthy. and now that i've been to mexico city, even more of a hard pass. 

our favorite pizza used to be in queens but it closed during the pandemic. doesn't really matter since it wasn't necessarily worth schlepping to if you didn't have the sentimental attachment to it. 

[cheekywife]

I lived in NYC for ten years and worked across from Ess-a-Bagel. I wouldn't go unless your hotel is right there. I'm also meh on Shake Shack and wouldn't wait in line for it. 

When we go back, it's about seeing friends, chinese, pizza, and bars. On my list for our next visit is Una: unapizza.com

Murray’s was my go-to for most of my time in NYC
www.murraysbagels.com/

We also approve of Zucker’s (we order on Goldbelly because real bagels barely exist here)
www.zuckersbagels.com/

I always love the Highline and since it’s above Chelsea Market, which has lots of good food options.
www.thehighline.org/

The Smith is a small chain but super solid.
thesmithrestaurant.com/

Deluxe Green Bo (formerly New/Nice Green Bo) is a dive but awesome Chinese food. The soup dumplings, scallion pancakes, and potstickers are all amazing. My mom used to bring soups home to grandparents. Be sure to save room for Chinatown Ice Cream Factory across the street. 
deluxegreentogo.com

More conveniently located and still has very good Chinese: www.kfkitchennyc.com/

Katz’s is an institution, best pastrami sandwiches and (half sour) pickles ever. I recommend a weekday if you can. Last year, we tried to go on Saturday and it was a shitshow. We went to brunch The Smith instead. 
www.katzsdelicatessen. com/

In 2019, we had a fab dinner at Her Name is Han (Korean). www.hernameishan.com

We’ve been going to Sundaes & Cones since it opened in 2006.
www.sundaes.nyc/

Also really enjoyed Morgenstern's. I had the Vietnamese iced coffee, which they mix in right in front of you. 
www.morgensternsnyc.com

For a nice steakhouse, our London fave, Hawksmoor is in NYC now. 

We couldn't really afford fancy bars when we lived in the city. I'm now a skilled home bartender and admittedly, a cocktail snob. Last time, we finally got to Please Don't Tell. It was good but given the hype, not my favorite bar experience except that we got to see my old work bestie and her husband. 

We have really loved Dear Irving and Raine's Law Room (sister bars with a few locations around the city), Amor y Amargo (the 8 amaro sazerac is sheer brilliance), and Analogue on 8th st. Amor y Amargo is standing room only so a good place for 1-2 cocktails before going elsewhere. Milady's (Julie Reiner for cocktail nerds) was fun for a few rounds too. 

I'd have liked to have gotten to Attaboy last time but we'll try again next time. If that's a priority, get there when they open. 

Katana Kitten, Double Chicken Please, and Clover Club (Brooklyn) are high on my list for next time. 

If you want more recs, let me know. 

[wanderingback]

I’m adding nothing helpful except to say I’ve pretty much never heard of any of the places listed in this thread Goes to show how many good places there are to eat in NYC!

[cheekywife]

Aug 9, 2025 19:15:36 GMT -5 sproctopus said:

And for the love of God, ignore anyone who says to go to Magnolia Bakery.

seriously. so, so overrated! 

i think levain is good but not worth waiting in line. we have one in DC now. 

almost forgot about clinton st. baking co (not just baked goods). it's one of the very few places that is still open from when H and i were first dating. clintonstreetbaking.com

also on our list for next time because mr. cheeky LOVES a great sandwich: salthanks.com

[Jalapeñomel]

Aug 10, 2025 17:17:09 GMT -5 wanderingback said:

I’m adding nothing helpful except to say I’ve pretty much never heard of any of the places listed in this thread Goes to show how many good places there are to eat in NYC!

I always want everybody to go up to Arthur Avenue but nobody ever takes me up on it. I don’t think lol

[cheekywife]

Jalapeñomel , i lived in queens so getting to the bronx was an odyssey but i did still make it to arthur avenue and that was way better than any place in manhattan. my favorite italian was trattoria l'incontro in astoria and sadly, they closed last year. 

[mofongo]

Aug 10, 2025 18:06:14 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Aug 10, 2025 17:17:09 GMT -5 wanderingback said:

I’m adding nothing helpful except to say I’ve pretty much never heard of any of the places listed in this thread Goes to show how many good places there are to eat in NYC!

I always want everybody to go up to Arthur Avenue but nobody ever takes me up on it. I don’t think lol

If we did what Italian places would you recommend?

[cheekywife]

mofongo, if you make that trek, the NY botanical gardens aren't that far from arthur avenue.

[sunshineandpinot]

Aug 10, 2025 18:06:14 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Aug 10, 2025 17:17:09 GMT -5 wanderingback said:

I’m adding nothing helpful except to say I’ve pretty much never heard of any of the places listed in this thread Goes to show how many good places there are to eat in NYC!

I always want everybody to go up to Arthur Avenue but nobody ever takes me up on it. I don’t think lol

We did!!! We ate at Zero Otto Nove. It was outstanding! 

This is such a great thread that I'm bookmarking. We were in NYC last week and I'm sad I didn't know about a lot of these places. (to be fair, we were there for 48 hours, it was quick.) 

[mofongo]

Aug 11, 2025 12:04:20 GMT -5 cheekywife said:

mofongo, if you make that trek, the NY botanical gardens aren't that far from arthur avenue.

Would a cab/uber be the quickest way? Can you get there easily on the subway?

[wanderingback]

Aug 11, 2025 12:21:36 GMT -5 mofongo said:

Aug 11, 2025 12:04:20 GMT -5 cheekywife said:

mofongo, if you make that trek, the NY botanical gardens aren't that far from arthur avenue.

Would a cab/uber be the quickest way? Can you get there easily on the subway?

The botanical gardens are easy to get to. You take metro north and are literally right there or take the subway and then it’s about a 10 min walk.

[cheekywife]

mofongo , it's slow on the subway but not that hard. you may want to cab to/from arthur avenue. we had lived in the city for 9 years but never in the bronx and it was also before we had smartphones.

[bittybomb]

Both my husband and I were history majors and our friends are also history geeks.

If you ahven't been yet, we love both the Campbell Bar in GC to have a drink or two (before moving to Bryant Park, my husband's office was on Madison so I would often meet him for a drink there) and Fraunces Tavern, the oldest bar and restaurant in NYC.  I imagine a bunch of Hamilton's scenes there lol.

[rupertpenny]

Regarding pizza, Lucali is really good, but I'm not sure if it's worth the effort required to actually eat there. F&F Pizza has a slice shop and restaurant in the same neighborhood, and it's excellent.

[Jalapeñomel]

Aug 11, 2025 10:54:51 GMT -5 mofongo said:

Aug 10, 2025 18:06:14 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

I always want everybody to go up to Arthur Avenue but nobody ever takes me up on it. I don’t think lol

If we did what Italian places would you recommend?

Zero Otto Nove, Bronx Beer Hall, Roberto’s!

Apparently, their bakeries are phenomenal, but I have no first hand knowledge!