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25 of the ultimate food experiences in New York

Smorgasburg on the waterfront in Williamsburg: Alexander Thompson/NYC & Company
Smorgasburg on the waterfront in Williamsburg: Alexander Thompson/NYC & Company

As any discerning traveller will know, New York is worth a visit for the food alone. From food markets in Williamsburg to pizza joints in Bushwick and Michelin-starred restaurants in Manhattan, the Big Apple has it all.

Here, we brainstormed with NYCGo.com to put together the ultimate foodie bucket list for you to tick off on your next visit.

1. Red Rooster Harlem

Paying homage to Harlem's culturally rich and diverse neighbourhood, Marcus Samuelsson – whose Red Rooster recently arrived straight from the streets of Harlem to Shoreditch at The Curtain, has created a restaurant that focuses on elevated American comfort food against a backdrop of warm colours, stimulating art and soulful sounds. The 3,400 square-foot space houses a restaurant, a breakfast cafe, a grocery, a horseshoe-shaped bar and a communal table.

redroosterharlem.com

2. Roberta's

Pizza mavens from all over make the pilgrimage to Roberta’s, a virtual temple to wood-fired thin-crust pizza. One of the first members of the new Bushwick cultural renaissance, now considered one of the neighbourhood’s blockbuster businesses, Roberta’s whips up crispy Neapolitan pizzas, topped with veggies grown in the restaurant’s own roof garden, or locally sourced meats—all at reasonable prices.

robertaspizza.com

A post shared by Roberta's (@robertaspizza) on Jul 18, 2017 at 1:02pm PDT

3. Mission Chinese Food

It's safe to say that no one does Chinese food like Oklahoma native Danny Bowien, whose iterations of Mission Chinese Food in San Francisco and New York City have hooked obsessive fans from coast to coast. The dark, clubby, bi-level venue takes chances with mouth-numbing Sichuan peppercorns as well as firing up pepperoni pizza. The old-school menu feels like a booklet from a half-century ago, but the offerings are altogether au courant: take kung pao pastrami, for example, or a tray of sea urchin with squid ink naan.

missionchinesefood.com

4. Dirt Candy

Amanda Cohen tapped into the fabulous and vegetarian trend years ago: her first Dirt Candy location opened in the East Village in 2008. Michelin stars and an ardent following among foodies led to a new location on the Lower East Side in 2015 that's more than triple in size (60 seats as opposed to 18). You needn't be a vegetarian to fall in love with Cohen's signature creations, which include jalapeño hush puppies with maple butter, portobello mousse with sautéed Asian pears, cherries and truffle toast (a cheeky take on foie gras), and grilled and smoked broccoli dogs with mustard barbecue sauce.

dirtcandynyc.com

A post shared by Dirt Candy (@dirtcandynyc) on Jun 24, 2017 at 2:31am PDT

5. Momofuku Milk Bar

This spin-off of David Chang's Momofuku empire is the brainchild of Christina Tosi, who founded the brand's renowned dessert program. She's gone on to write a best-selling cookbook and won the prestigious James Beard Rising Star Chef award in 2012 for creating crazy and delicious concoctions like crack pie, candy bar pie and compost cookies. Cereal milk soft-serve ice cream is another good reason to stop in.

milkbarstore.com

A post shared by NYC FOODISTE (@nycfoodiste) on Jul 25, 2017 at 8:56am PDT

6. Momofoku Nishi

David Chang's Momofuku empire expanded to Chelsea at the start of 2016, with Nishi ("west" in Japanese) becoming the hottest restaurant of the year. Here the noodle dishes are also mostly Asian and always playful. Chang and company like to change things up, but look for main courses like smoked trout with maitake mushrooms, pork shoulder with white kimchi, and moist pistachio bundt cake for dessert.

nishi.momofuku.com

7. Pok Pok

Portland's Andy Ricker is the master of Thai street food—here he concentrates on authentic varieties of pad Thai. Kuaytiaw khua kai is particularly flavourful, a Bangkok Chinatown specialty of wide rice noodles stir-fried in pork fat with chicken, cuttlefish, egg and scallions on a crunchy bed of chopped lettuce. To drink is Stumptown cold-brew coffee and bracing, fruit-flavoured vinegars shipped in from Portland and spritzed with seltzer to order.

pokpokny.com

8. The Bowery Market

The alfresco, boutique-size Bowery Market debuted in July, a cluster of five cute food kiosks where an auto body shop once stood. Variously trimmed in corrugated metal and thatched roofs, the enclosed stalls offer a few stools and one corner table on the Bowery. Alidoro constructs massive, delicious, Italian-style sandwiches, while The Butcher’s Daughter deals in health-minded juices and vegetable-focused fare. For great tacos, step up to Pulqueria’s window.

thebowerymarket.com

9. Russ & Daughters

If bagels and lox had a home address, it would probably be Russ & Daughters. A Lower East Side staple since its founding in 1914, Russ & Daughters has become rightfully legendary for its wide variety of fresh smoked salmons—from high-quality basics like nova and gravlax, to more obscure treats like belly lox—as well as other smoked and cured fishes (like whitefish and sturgeon), pickled herrings, caviars, cream cheeses, bagels and bialys.

russanddaughters.com

10. Jack's Wife Freda

A hip re-imagining of classic Jewish-American comfort food (by way of Israel and South Africa), Jack’s Wife Freda offers meals that your grandmother cooked (or you wish she did), with sly updates: gefilte fish is transformed into fried fish balls, half-chickens are served peri-peri style and the Middle Eastern classic breakfast dish shakshuka is baked in spicy green tomatillo sauce.

jackswifefreda.com

11. Edi & The Wolf

Eduard Frauneder and Wolfgang Ban, two native Austrians, make up Edi & the Wolf, a heart-warming, casual wine tavern with a firm following, modelled on the Austrian heuriger concept. There is an intimate bar overhung with loops of rope, cozy tables and dark lighting, making it ideal for date night. The menu is divided into small plates (Liptauer cheese spread with paprika and pumpkin seed oil), shared plates (baby back ribs with mustard and pickles) and main courses of schnitzel, steak and sea bass.

ediandthewolf.com

12. Smorgasburg

The dedicated food arm of the Brooklyn Flea (market) has found multiple footholds in NYC. It’s a conglomeration of more than 100 vendors, selling nearly everything imaginable: arepas, poke, yakitori, fried chicken, popsicles and so forth. Find it at Prospect Park’s Breeze Hill on Sundays through October 23, East River State Park on Saturdays through October 29 and then weekends at Skylight One Hanson from November through March. There’s also a daily version at the South Street Seaport.

smorgasburg.com

A post shared by Smorgasburg (@smorgasburg) on Mar 28, 2017 at 5:34pm PDT

13. Union Square Greenmarket

Among all the action in Union Square, where dog lovers and chess players strut their stuff, activists speak their minds and break-dancers and skateboarders spin and shred, the much-loved Union Square year-round Greenmarket (open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday) is a favourite of NYC chefs. If you swing by, you’ll never be bored – or hungry.

14. Eleven Madison Park

There’s a reason that Eleven Madison Park, holder of three Michelin stars, has stayed in the spotlight. Eleven Madison Park began a major overhaul in June, 2017. Reopening September 2017, the legendary restaurant Eleven Madison Park has been upgraded to feature a brand-new menu with multicourse tasting menus, an expanded bar and redesigned dining room with hints of grey, blue, green and gold throughout the décor.

elevenmadisonpark.com

15. ABC Kitchen

No longer the new kid on the block, but ABC Kitchen by Michelin starred Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten is standing the test of time with a passionate commitment to offering the freshest organic and local ingredients possible. Located within ABC Carpet & Home and sharing space with its sister restaurant, ABC Cocina (which features seasonal global Latin cuisine by Jean-Georges), this restaurant is a destination for visitors and locals alike.

abchome.com

A post shared by ABC Kitchen (@abckitchen) on Apr 5, 2017 at 11:09am PDT

16. Cronuts

Remember the cronut craze? The unique Cronut® pastry (croissant-doughnut hybrid) creation by Chef Dominique Ansel still draws a strong crowd and it’s worth a repeat visit for the new (only ever one) flavour every month.

dominiqueansel.com

17. Reynard at The Wythe

Located inside The Wythe Hotel, a fashionable brick fortress catering to musicians booked at Brooklyn Bowl, Europeans with an artistic bent and intrepid travellers ready to explore boroughs other than Manhattan, is its glamorous restaurant, Reynard. Be sure to check out its rooftop bar, Ides, as well.

reynardnyc.com

18. Eataly

Home to the first food hall of its kind; Eataly, is the largest Italian marketplace in the world. The City’s second Eataly food hall opened last year at the new Westfield World Trade Centre.

eataly.com

19. Five Leaves

Five Leaves – the notorious triangle-shaped corner restaurant in Greenpoint was the creation of actor Heath Ledger, who passed away before it opened. The nautical-themed bistro serves New American fare with Australian accents, courtesy of head chef Ken Addington. Expect a line at peak times.

fiveleavesny.com

20. The Roof at Whole Foods

Brooklyn's first Whole Foods features plenty of borough-appropriate details. One of these is The Roof, Taproom & Dining, an indoor/outdoor restaurant serving local and ethically sourced spins on casual American fare from local artisans and distributors, as well as 16 different beers on tap.

wholefoodsmarket.com

A post shared by Stasia (@stasiagia) on Oct 13, 2016 at 10:29am PDT

21. Steak at Peter Luger

Peter Luger Steak House. After more than 100 years, this classic is still the boss when it comes to porterhouses.

peterluger.com

22. LIC Flea & Food

Carrying everything from vintage clothing to jewellery to antiques and much more, the LIC Flea & Food is Queens’ largest outdoor artisan market, operating every weekend from 10am to 6pm, rain or shine. In addition to the one-of-a-kind finds and delicious eats that can be procured here, patrons can enjoy spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline.

licflea.com

A post shared by LIC Flea and Food (@licflea) on Jul 18, 2017 at 6:16am PDT

23. S&S Cheesecake

S&S Cheesecake in The Bronx is a must for real New York cheesecake. Known to be dense and creamy (with extra egg yolk in the cream cheese) is what distinguishes it from its Italian cousin.

sscheesecake.com

New York Restaurant Week runs until August 18; nycgo.com