Joe Bastianich once called New York the best food city in the world. Well, he’s not wrong! From street cart delights to elegant fine dining experiences, NYC is the ultimate foodie heaven. Without further ado, here are 10 must-eat places in NYC for first-timers.

1. Ess-a-Bagel

Garlic bagel with salami, avocado garlic cream cheese, onions, and lettuce.

According to popular myth, bagels in New York are extra delicious because the water here has low concentrations of calcium and magnesium. This in turn creates a really soft dough hence why NYC bagels are considered superior in taste.

Look at all that cream cheese goodness!

Everything bagel with scallion cream cheese, smoked salmon, tomatoes, onion, and lettuce. 

Ess-a-Bagel was established in 1976 and voted #1 in the Tri-State area within two years of opening. It has since then become one of the most well-known bagel joints in New York and is definitely not to be missed!

Address: 831 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10022, United States
Phone Number: +1 212-980-1010
Website: https://www.ess-a-bagel.com/
Reservation: Not needed
Price: $
Hours: 6am to 9pm Monday through Friday; 6am to 5pm Saturday and Sunday

2. Katz’s Delicatessen

Katz’s Pastrami Sandwich.

This kosher-style delicatessen was founded in 1888 and has been a crowd favorite amongst both locals and tourists alike. They are known for their pastrami on rye and can serve up to 15,000 pounds (6,800 kilograms) of pastrami a week. Corned beef is another hot item on their menu with 8,000 pounds (3,600 kilograms) sold weekly. Both are equally delicious, but I suggest asking for additional pickles, or even just plain cucumbers, as it can get quite heavy. The sourness from the pickled cucumber and tomato will cut the oiliness and can act as a palate cleanser as well.

Address: 205 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002, United States
Phone Number: +1 212-254-2246
Website: https://www.ess-a-bagel.com/
Reservation: Not needed
Price: $$
Hours: 24 hours

3. Joe’s Pizza

You can’t visit Big Apple without trying a slice of the famous New York-style pizza. So what exactly makes a pizza New-York style? The number one most notable characteristic is that it is GIGANTIC. Look at how huge the slice is compared to my friend Selene’s face! Apart from that, these pizzas are hand-tossed and have a thin crust. That way you can eat a slice mess-free by folding it in half.

Address: Multiple locations
Website: http://www.joespizzanyc.com/
Reservation: Not needed
Price: $
Hours: 10am to 4am Monday through Sunday

4. Raclette

Selene and I both ordered the Suisse, which comes with roasted new potatoes, cornichons, pickled white pearl onions, bread, arugula, and a choice of meat. She picked jambon de Paris (ham; top) whereas I went with saucisson sec (dried sausage; bottom).

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you have probably seen viral videos on Facebook where servers scrape a blanket of hot, melted cheese onto a plate of potatoes. There are many raclette restaurants in New York, but Raclette is the OG. Now the restaurant is called Raclette, however, that is the name of the dish too and can also refer to a specific type of cheese from Switzerland. Confused yet? Don’t be. Put this on your radar for where to eat in NYC and thank me later 😉

Address: 511 E 12th St, New York, NY 10009, United States
Phone Number: +1 917-853-5377
Website: https://raclette.nyc/
Reservation: First come first serve; online and phone reservations available
Price: $$
Hours: 12pm to 11pm Monday through Thursday; 12pm to 12am Friday; 11am to 12am Saturday; 11am to 11pm Sunday

5. The Halal Guys

Chicken over rice delivered straight to our hotel room.

As its name suggests, The Halal Guys is a halal fast-food franchise. It began as food carts in Manhattan and quickly spread to multiple locations across the state. And let me tell you, nothing beats a warm plate of chicken over rice after a night out drinking. Once you have a taste, you will be hooked!

Address: Multiple locations
Website: https://thehalalguys.com/
Reservation: Not needed
Price: $
Hours: 10am to 4am Sunday through Thursday; 10am to 5am Friday and Saturday

6. Panna II Garden

Pictured is Royal Bangladesh. See below.

This one’s for those of you who can’t wait to start playing holiday jams right after Halloween and are completely obsessed with everything Christmas-related. Panna II Garden is an Indian restaurant that is decked out in festive lights all year round. It was most recently made famous by high school musical sweetheart, Vanessa Hudgens, who posted a picture here to Instagram. It got so popular that the family decided to open a second restaurant (Royal Bangladesh) right downstairs. Don’t be fooled though. The brothers behind this successful enterprise are super competitive. Waiters from each restaurant start hauling guests in from out on the streets and they are, if I may, quite aggressive!

Après dinner drinks at Royal Bangladesh.

When we got here, we didn’t even realize they were two different restaurants and went straight into Royal Bangladesh. We also came on the same day as Raclette since the two are relatively close together. Having said that, we simply did not have any more space in our stomachs for food. Nonetheless, I do hear great things and can’t wait to be back again.

Address: 93 1st Avenue #2, New York, NY 10003, United States
Phone Number: +1 212-598-4610
Website: http://www.pannatwo.com/
Reservation: Even with a reservation, you can expect to wait ~90 minutes on busy nights. If you’re not a fan of waiting, I recommend avoiding regular meal hours.
Price: $
Hours: 12pm to 12am Monday through Sunday

7. Shake Shack

ShackBurger.

In-N-Out or Shake Shack is a classic debate amongst burger-lovers. While the former has a much longer history with origins starting in California in 1948, the latter originates from New York and actually sprouted from a hot dog cart in Madison Square Park back in 2001. Having tried both, my vote goes to Shake Shack. Their patty is a lot juicier and their cheesy fries are worth gaining love handles for. They now have locations throughout the country, but why not try it in the very place it was created!

Address: Multiple locations
Website: https://www.shakeshack.com/
Reservation: Not needed
Price: $$
Hours: Hours differ by location

8. Russ & Daughters Café

Lef: Super Heebster Bagel Toast (with whitefish and baked salmon salad, wasabi-infushed fish roe, and horseradish dill cream cheese). Right: Potato Latkes (with wild salmon roe and crème fraîche). I know they don’t necessarily photograph well, but hey, don’t judge a book by its cover!

If you’re looking for more of a sit-down alternative to Ess-a-Bagel, Russ & Daughters Café is a fantastic spot for satisfying your bagel cravings. Potato Latkes and Super Heebster are highly recommend dishes. Additionally, they have open-faced bagels and regular grab-and-go shops too. I actually enjoyed sitting at the bar in the café though. It felt like a very personal experience where we got to chat with the server and learn more about the menu + how their food is prepped.

Address: 127 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002, United States
Phone Number: +1 212-475-4880 ext. 2
Website: http://www.russanddaughterscafe.com/
Reservation: Not needed
Price: $$
Hours: 10am to 10pm Monday through Friday; 8am to 10pm Saturday and Sunday

9. Remi Flower & Coffee

Lavender Latte.

On the list of “best places to eat in New York,” this definitely isn’t your usual pick. However, if you adore plants and beautiful latte art, this would be your cup of tea. Note that we were headed straight to Ess-a-Bagel after thus did not get to try the food here. Their baked goods looked and smelled absolutely divine and I’ll most certainly be back again for them!

Address: 906 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10017, United States
Phone Number: +1 646-559-1233
Website: https://www.reminyc.com/
Reservation: Not needed
Price: $$
Hours: 7am to 7pm Monday through Friday; 8am to 6pm Saturday and Sunday

10. Lumaca

Arancini. Mascarpone, black truffle, regiano, lemon aioli.

Bistecca. NY strip steak, roasted marble potatoes, garlic, arugula.

Last but not least, my personal favorite for places you must eat in NYC: Lumaca. This Italian restaurant by celebrity chef John DeLucie recently opened in October 2019 and was a highlight of my trip in November. Dishes here are heavily influenced by DeLucie’s Southern Italian routes and aren’t what you would find at a typical Italian restaurant. I especially loved the Arancini and Bistecca and the service was superb as well. 10/10 would come again!

Address: 34 E 32nd St, New York, NY 10016, United States*
Phone Number: +1 212-683-5894
Reservation: Not needed
Price: $$
Hours: 7am to 12pm Monday through Thursday; 7am to 12am Friday and Saturday; 7am to 11am Sunday

*Lumaca is housed within HGU New York. Click here for a full review of my stay.

There you have it. 10 must-eat places in NYC for first-timers!

Don’t forget to check out my latest New York vlog and if you’ve enjoyed this New York food guide, be sure to pin it to Pinterest for later. Now before you jet off, have a read on these helpful tips for visiting New York for the first time too. Otherwise as per usual, see you in the next post!