In some ways, it feels impossible to write an eating and drinking guide to New York, the city where I was born and raised and lived until I was just shy of 30 years old. I’m writing to you from my parent’s kitchen table right now.
New York is where I discovered my love of restaurants and my thirst for exploration. I grew up in downtown Manhattan, spent college in nearby Connecticut, and then lived in Clinton Hill until moving to Los Angeles. When I landed in Brooklyn, I was lucky enough to have a car, granting me easy access to the whole city. I could drive to Utopia for the best New York-style bagels, head to Jackson Heights on a whim for fuchka from Tong, seek out the spiciest larb in Elmhurst, attempt to cure hangovers with mapo tofu over scallion rice at Little Pepper, hit AbuQir for exemplary Egyptian seafood, and stop by Don Peppe for baked clams and spaghetti marinara on the way out to Long Island in the summertime. Essentially, I could get to Queens quickly, the ultimate cheat to eating well in the five boroughs.
I’ll stop myself before I trek too far down memory lane, though. Since moving to L.A., I’ve been honing a new approach to dining in New York: prioritizing the tried-and-trues. It’s a mindset that will suit those who’ve left, visit often, even noobs. In fact, current residents of New York would benefit from this strategy, too.
To expound: Return to the places you already love, honor the restaurants that have managed to survive at least three years and ideally five, make time for the classics, and resist the temptation to simp for what’s hot and new. This philosophy works for any jam-packed restaurant city, from London to Los Angeles. But it works especially well as an organizing principle for New York, where reservation culture is ridiculous (do read Alan Sytsma on this topic), and there are a million places to choose from, not to mention a buzzy new opening practically every week.
On trips home, I will make room for one new-ish, raved-about spot, maybe two. Oftentimes, they don’t live up to the fanfare (although sometimes they do, as in the case of Radio Bakery, which is perfect). Thus, the above framework is what I’m using for this guide. There are so many restaurants, bars, bakeries, slice shops, and take-out joints that I adore in New York, but these are my tried-and-trues — the places that I miss, that I always want to revisit, and that I like to recommend the most. I’ll start with the most casual, then ramp up.
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