NYC restaurant recommendations

Long time no chat guys! I am currently in London after a truly memorable week in New York. While it’s amazing to be back home, part of me is still very much in an Empire state of mind!  Given the variety of restaurants, grocery stores, farmers’ markets & food trucks, New York is unquestionably a foodie’s haven.

I Heart NYC

Whether you’re into the junk food scene or more into healthy living, there is an option to suit every dietary preference and taste bud. I’m pretty sure you could eat out for every meal every single day of the year and yet hardly put a dent into the restaurants. Although my friends & I covered a small fraction during our week in the city, I wanted to share some of my NYC restaurant recommendations in case you find yourself in the Big Apple sometime soon.  I say ‘soon’ because I’m pretty sure that within the next year, a number of even yummier & even more buzzing restaurants will open up:

  • SantinaThis was the first time I’ve seen chickpea flour pancakes on a restaurant menu & it was certainly a pleasant surprise…even better that it was served with toppings like spicy tuna tartare, lamb tartare, & avocado-almond pesto.  Other favorites on the menu included the Squash Carpaccio & Swordfish Dogana.

Santina

  • Polo Bar: Opened by the Ralph Lauren group, it’s no wonder that it’s close to impossible to get a reservation here. Given it was my first meal in NYC, ordering The Polo Bar Burger was a no-brainer and it did not disappoint…nor did the Chocolate & Peanut Butter Tart.  In case you’re wondering, yes the staff are fully dressed in Ralph Lauren…and yes we verified!

Polo Bar

  • L’Artusi: Tucked away in the West Village, this Italian-inspired was equally cozy yet ambient. I usually don’t eat pork but I had to make an exception for the Roasted Mushrooms with Pancetta, Fried Egg, Chilies & Ricotta Salata

L'Artusi Mushrooms

So delicious we immediately ordered a second plate.   The Arctic char dish was also my first time trying this variety of fish and as a huge salmon fan, it went down extremely well. The grand finale was L’Artusi’s renowned olive oil cake.

L'Artusi Olive Oil Cake

I was initially a bit skeptic, but the olive oil flavor actually tasted pretty fantastic. It was definitely a nice & lighter change from the typical suspects on Italian dessert menus. My only complaint was that the restaurant serves the cake with cream rather than vanilla bean ice cream.  Needless to say, we had to order a portion of the latter. 

  • Haru: You guys, this neighbourhood Japanese restaurant basically sealed the deal for me with regards to New York being the Mecca of sushi. I’ll let this beauty of a platter do the convincing: 

Haru Sushi

  • Murray’s Bagels: You can’t go to New York and not have a bagel- what a ridiculous thought!  Based on credible recommendations that this was amongst the best bagels in the city, it sounded legit enough of a place for me to get my bagel fix.  You guys, I don’t think I’ve seen a larger selection of bagels or fillings in.my.life!  After much contemplation, I went with the toasted wholewheat everything bagel with cream cheese, smoked turkey breast, lettuce, cucumber, and tomato…and basically died with each bite.

Murray's Bagels

  • Catch i.e. my all-time favourite meal in NYC: When a menu offers sushi rolls, spicy tuna crispy rice, farro salad, and the most decadent avocado toast on the same menu, you know it’s a going to be a winner.  

Catch Avo Toast

What really took the cake (quite literally) was their famous #HitMe dessert which features roasted white chocolate ice cream, layers of devil’s food cake and brownie, and a crispy “Klondike” Bar on top.  

Catch HIT ME

Once the server pours hot chocolate sauce over the tower, you tap the chocolate shell with your spoon so that it cracks open and liquid caramel pours out & soaks into the cake.  All those different textures, flavors & temperatures- I literally could not even.  

Catch HitMe 2

  • Beyond Sushi: As a seafood lover, I usually (& unapologetically) snub vegetarian sushi rolls.  However with filling options like six-grain rice, enoki mushrooms &  kimchi, even I was able to get on board with this plant-based, health-conscious sushi eatery…so much that I didn’t even think twice about my beloved salmon-avocado roll! 

Beyond Sushi

  • Rubirosa: If you’re going to eat a pizza in New York, you better make sure it’s the best damn pizza in town…and Rubirosa is certainly a worthy contender.  I would especially recommend the vodka sauce pizza…and be prepared to eat the thinnest yet perfectly crisp crust in yo’ life:

Rubirosa

Because this post has gotten longer than I expected, I’ll quickly share a few more of my recommendations for food, drinks and/or partying:

I guess you could say my friends & I kinda like food ;)!

What’s your your top NYC restaurant recommendation?

What’s your favourite cuisine to dine at?

21 thoughts on “NYC restaurant recommendations”

    1. Ah unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to visit Brooklyn this trip- all the more reason to go back soon ;)!

  1. Khushboo, I’ve been in and out of NYC so many times but have eaten at only 1 of the restaurants on your list! I seriously need to try that #HitMe dessert at Catch i.e. that looks amazing! There’s a little cafe in Brooklyn called Fabienne’s that has THE BEST pistachio cake and everytime I go to NYC, i go there – one year they custom made a whole huge pistachio cake with raspberries and white chocolate for my sister’s birthday – cannot beat that! So when are you coming to Atlanta? 🙂

    1. OMG that cake sounds phenomenal- your sis is one heck of a lucky gal ;)! And YES- I would love to visit ATL!!

  2. Great post, I’ve been trying to do a similar post for eats in houston and I know how difficult it is. Also, this will come in handy when I travel to NYC by mid next year! BTW that desert with Klondike bar looks super delicious!!

  3. Bookmarking this post for future reference!

    Glad you had such a wonderful trip to the US! And that chocolate dessert. OMG. I was drooling when I saw it on Snap!

  4. I LOVE New York! I wish I could visit this place more often. My last time there was in 2013, so quite some time ago. I loved Bare Burger, but now I want to go back and try your recommendations!

  5. OMG that cake!!! NYC is the only place (other than Santorini) where I’ve been dying to go forever but still haven’t been. I think I’ve been putting it off because I know I will A) spend all my money B) get very, very fat and C) never want to come home!

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