The 10 Best Food Neighborhoods In NYC

Get hungry.

Oct 31, 2013
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While New York City is considered one of (if not the) food capitals of the globe, the enormity of the wide-ranging and diverse culinary scene can be intimidating enough to make you feel ready to call it quits and opt for the simplicity and ease of a TGI Fridays. Because the frustrating reality is that while the Big Apple is home to truly inventive, groundbreaking restaurants, finding them amidst the thousands of more generic establishments can feel like a tremendous and exhausting challenge.

That’s why taking a neighborhood by neighborhood approach to dining can be one of the greatest ways to experience the stunning myriad of options. From ethnic enclaves to up-and-coming Brooklyn neighborhoods, some of the most interesting developments in the food world are focused around one block spans that are acting like tiny microcosms. (Witness the Torrisi-ization of Mulberry Street if you have any doubts about the power that a single restaurant can have over one street.) Gabe Stulman is transforming the West Village with his stable of charming, low-key spots, while the opening of several beloved bakeries on a strip in Gowanus has transformed an entire region. These movements not only alert you to amazing food, they also hint at larger movements at work in the urban landscape. The Italian-American population of the Bronx’s Belmont area has made it a longtime destination for traditional red-sauce establishments, but owing to demographic shifts, those spots now stand next to some of the city’s greatest Ghanian and Puerto Rican restaurants.

Tour these 10 neighborhoods for some of the best eats you’ve ever had the privilege of enjoying. From cheap bites to Michelin-starred dining rooms and from old school Chinese to nouveau American, they symbolize the crazy eclecticism that New York City has to offer.

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West Village

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From mainstays like The Spotted Pig to relative newcomers like Tertulia, the tony neighborhood continues to be home to both up and coming chefs and established icons like Keith McNally (Minetta Tavern, Morandi) and Mario Batali (Babbo).

The name of the moment, however, is Gabe Stulman. The Wisconsin native has carved off his own corner of the neighborhood and created a stunningly successful empire of empire with fresh, genre spots like Italian gem Perla, Jeffrey’s Grocery, Fedora, the Japanese Chez Sardine and Joseph Leonard. Each location has a distinct, full formed identity and is a stunning success on its own, bringing a frisson of youthful excitement back to the area.

The Spotted Pig, 314 W 11th St., thespottedpig.com
Tertulia, 359 6th Ave., tertulianyc.com
Minetta Tavern, 113 MacDougal St., minettatavernny.com
Morandi, 211 Waverly Pl., morandiny.com
Babbo, 110 Waverly Pl., babbonyc.com
Perla, 24 Minetta Ln., perlanyc.com
Jeffrey's Grocery, 172 Waverly Pl., jeffreysgrocery.com
Fedora, 239 W 4th St., fedoranyc.com
Chez Sardine, 183 W 10th St., sardine.com
Joseph Leonard, 170 Waverly Pl., josephleonard.com

East Village

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There’s no better spot in the world for economical bites catering to every palate. Falafel? Try Mamoun’s. Dumplings? The aptly titled Dumpling Man. Hot Dogs? Crif Dogs is an experience to treasure.

The abundance of specialized shop makes the area the a destination for foodies looking to get into the nitty gritty. Places like Puddin’, S’MAC, and Pommes Frites have made booming businesses out of taking single items bringing unthinkable variation to them.

Mamoun’s, 22 St Marks Pl., mamouns.com
Dumpling Man, 100 St Marks Pl., dumplingman.com
Crif Dogs, 113 St Marks Pl., crifdogs.com
Puddin’, 102 St Marks Pl., puddinnyc.com
S’MAC, 345 E 12th St., smacnyc.com
Pommes Frites, 123 2nd Ave., pommesfrites.ws
Motorino, 349 E 12th St., motorinopizza.com

Nolita

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With Torrisi and Parm, chefs Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone have made a culinary destination out of their Mulberry Street block. With the most original and consistently rewarding Italian food in the city, Torrisi’s eight course tasting menu is a truly coveted reservation while Parm’s low-key delicacies make it a more casual destination.

The Mulberry/Spring Street nexus makes up a micro neighborhood of inauspicious, can’t miss spots. Ruby’s Australian menu simple, inexpensive menu boasts the sweet chili and mayo topped Bronte Burger, Rubirosa offers inventive pizzas amidst old school decor and nearby Lovely Day is top-notch Thai with a rustic chic atmosphere.

Torrisi, 250 Mulberry St., torrisinyc.com
Parm, 248 Mulberry St., parmnyc.com
Ruby’s Cafe, 219 Mulberry St., rubyscafe.com
Rubirosa, 235 Mulberry St., rubirosanyc.com
Lovely Day, 196 Elizabeth St., lovelydaynyc.com

NoMad

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The newly christened neighborhood is home to a disproportionate number of the city’s most buzzed about restaurants. The area’s dramatic transformation from a barren food wasteland to an exciting and vibrant destination has, in a large part, been ushered in by the wave of outstanding new hotels which include the Ace’s Manhattan outpost and The NoMad Hotel.

The Ace just on its own is a culinary wonderland with The Breslin, a meat-heavy gastropub from The Spotted Pig’s April Bloomfield and Ken Friedman, and The John Dory Oyster Bar, home to unparalleled seafood and cocktails, both located within its confines. The NoMad’s dining room, headed up by Eleven Madison Park’s Daniel Humm, is both a triumph in both its lavish decor and its sumptuous menu.

The John Dory Oyster Bar, 1196 Broadway, thejohndory.com
The Breslin, 16 W 29th St., thebreslin.com
NoMad Restaurant, 1170 Broadway, thenomadhotel.com

Harlem

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Any adequate food tour of Harlem includes both the classics and the recent additions and focuses on the neighborhood’s impressive diversity of genres. Everything from French to barbecue to Ethiopian has a shining example here and restaurants (Rao’s notwithstanding) often lack the packed crowds of their downtown and Brooklyn brethren.

Sylvia’s is a Soul Food institution and while it might no longer be the epicenter of Harlem society that it once was, the food is as good as ever. Though the franchise is officially based in Syracuse, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que’s first Manhattan location is the considered by many the city’s best barbecue. If you’re looking for trendy, Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster is Harlem’s trendiest and, as an added bonus, patrons (and Samuelsson himself) showcase some of the most adventurous fashion you're likely to see all year.

Sylvia’s, 328 Malcolm X Blvd., sylviasrestaurant.com
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, 700 West 125th St., dinosaurbarbque.com
Red Rooster, 310 Lenox Ave., redroosterharlem.com

Gowanus

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The upside of gentrification is the transformation of the Gowanus Canal area into a food utopia. While the neighborhood may leave something to be desire aesthetically, its culinary offerings couldn't be more impressive.

Roberta's alum Angelo Romano has taken his skills to the recently opened The Pines where a daily changing nouveau American menu, an unpretentious atmosphere and a backyard grill have made it as much a neighborhood hangout as a culinary contender. Bakery Four & Twenty Blackbirds is putting out some of the most inventive pies ever seen while Runner & Stone's bakery offers the most spectacular pastry selection in the borough.

The Pines, 284 3rd Ave., thepinesbrooklyn.com
Runner & Stone, 285 3rd Ave., runnerandstone.com
Four & Twenty Blackbirds, 439 3rd Ave., birdsblack.com
Littleneck, 288 3rd Ave., littleneckbrooklyn.com



Williamsburg

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Despite momentous growth in the past five years, Williamsburg’s food star shows no signs of dimming. This year has seen a slate of promising newcomers at the same time that former “of the moment” spots have settled into maturity.

The Elm offers an avant-garde menu by Michelin-starred chef Paul Liebrant while Antica Pesa draws crowds for its stylized Roman food and flashy interior. Marlow & Sons is a new classic with the top-notch oysters and throwback cocktails that are de rigueur in the area. And the majestic Peter Luger, of course, never grows old.

The Elm, 160 N 12th Street, theelmnyc.com
Antica Pesa, 115 Berry Street, anticapesa.us
Marlow & Sons, 81 Broadway, marlowandsons.com
Peter Luger, 178 Broadway, peterluger.com


Flushing

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Diversity doesn’t reign supreme here, but who cares? New York’s best Chinese food can be found, in tremendous volume, in the somewhat distant Queens enclave.

Biang!, the first table service outpost from the famed Xi’an Famous Foods makes noodles the main attraction. Szechuan Gourmet takes a traditional style and simply does it to perfection. Yi Yan Halal explores the Muslim cuisine of Northern China to dizzying effect.

Biang!, 41-10 Main St., biang-nyc.com
Szechuan Gourmet, 135-15 37th Ave.
Yi Lan Halal, 42-79A Main St.

Belmont

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Once thought of as the Bronx’s Little Italy, the Arthur Avenue area is now a veritable melting pot. (Pun unavoidable.) Italian still plays a huge role in the restaurant scene but a veritable United Nations of cuisines stands alongside.

Some of the city’s greatest Ghanian food can be found at Ebe Ye Yie while the Puerto Rican El Nuevo Bohia is a pork lover’s paradise and Gurra Cafe draws crowds with its authentic Alabanian offerings. For classic Italian, Dominick’s Restaurant evokes The Bronx Tale glory days and the family owned Ann & Tony’s is a monument to Neapolitan cooking.

Ebe Ye Yie, 2364 Jerome Ave.
El Nuevo Bohio, 791 Tremont Ave., elnuevobohiorestaurant.com
Gurra Cafe, 2325 Arthur Ave.
Dominick’s, 2335 Arthur Ave.
Ann & Tony’s, 2407 Arthur Ave., annandtonysonline.com

Tribeca

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With one of the city’s highest concentration of marquee name chefs, big and bold statement restaurants can be found on nearly every block of Tribeca.

The fresh Italian of Andrew Carmellini’s Locanda Verde is one of the city’s greatest additions in recent history and David Bouley’s Brushstroke is among the best Japanese to be found. Jeffrey Chodorow brought back retro Jewish-American dining with Kutsher’s Tribeca while Drew Nieporent continues to dazzle with the upper-crust Corton.

Locanda Verde, 377 Greenwich St., locandaverdenyc.com
Brushstroke, 30 Hudson St., davidbouley.com
Kutsher’s Tribeca, 186 Franklin St., kutsherstribeca.com
Corton, 239 West Broadway


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