New York City Eats

I love seeing where fellow fitness bloggers eat when they travel…especially when they go to New York!  The choices in this town seem limitless which makes deciding where to eat a difficult venture.  I don’t know about you, but I hate being disappointed by bad food when I eat out so good suggestions are key.  In case you are planning a trip to New York, here is where we ate at in New York and what I thought of the food.

Quick Service Meals

Grey’s Papaya

I don’t know if I would go out of my way for this, but Grey’s Papaya was a block away from our apartment.  A $5.95 recession special of two all beef hot dogs and a papaya juice seemed like the perfect idea after an evening of cocktails.

Hu Kitchen

A great quick service restaurant near Union Square, this place offers gluten free, veggie centric fare.  I had a bowl with a root vegetable mash for the base, mushrooms and Moroccan chicken on top.

Katz’s Delicatessen

The place to get delicious smoked meat and pastrami sandwiches.  The lines can be long, but it is worth it.  One sandwich is large enough for Neil and I to share.

Pro tip: tip your cutter before he offers you a slice of meat to try and remember this place accepts cash only.  Also, don’t lose your ticket!

Shake Shack

Hands down my favourite fast food burger.  I’ve encountered long lines at both the Upper West Side and Times Square locations since they are near so many tourist attractions.  Just be patient.

sweetgreen

Neil and I enjoyed sweetgreen so much that we wound up eating here three times (plus there was a location very close to our apartment).  Delicious, huge, fresh salads and grain bowls.  The Spicy Sabzi was my favourite!

Sit Down Restaurants

Clover Club

This Brooklyn cocktail bar also serves a wicked brunch on the weekends.

David Burke Kitchen

I don’t think this restaurant would have been on our radar, but I was searching for places to eat on Christmas Day.  David Burke Kitchen offered a set menu that sounded incredibly festive with roasted goose and venison for options.  The food was delicious, the wine was amazing, but this wound up being our most expensive meal of the trip.

Dirt Candy

If you are looking for highly inventive vegetarian fare, then Dirt Candy is a must visit.  Vegetables are celebrated and carnivores won’t feel like they are missing the meat.

Ivan Ramen

Ramen.  Oh so good.

Lombardi’s Pizza

Google “best pizza in New York” and you will be inundated with so many options to choose from.  I don’t know if Lombari’s is the best or not, but the pizza here has never disappointed me.  The crust is perfectly chewy and not too thin, not too thick.  Just the perfect amount of cheese and toppings.  Thanks to being known as America’s first pizzeria this place gets busy early so be prepared for a bit of a wait.

Pro tip: cash only.

Momofuku Noodle Bar

Boy this David Chang eatery turns out a fantastic bowl of ramen!  In my opinion it is worth the hype.  We arrived 15 minutes prior to opening and joined a growing line.  For anyone that arrived 5 or 10 minutes after open they were already having to put their names on a wait list.

Nom Wah Tea Parlor

If you are looking for dim sum, Nom Wah is a great place to go.  This is not your usual push cart dim sum restaurant.  Instead you tick off your wish listed items on a paper menu and dishes will be brought out as they are ready.

Pro tip: you can always order more.  We ordered way too much food!

Pio Pio

This restaurant serves up Peruvian food and is really reasonably priced.  We’ve been to both the Upper West Side and Hell’s Kitchen locations and the atmosphere is a bit better in Hell’s Kitchen.

Pro tip: the matador combo with a whole, delicious roasted chicken, rice and beans, tostones, salchipapa (french fries and hot dogs) and an avocado salad for $38 is more than enough food for two people.  Also, sangria.

Red Rooster Harlem

Neil and I have eaten here twice and I love this restaurant.  Live jazz or a DJ makes sure everyone here is having fun and the southern comfort food is very good.  On this trip we ate here on Christmas Eve where a special Swedish inspired holiday menu was an option.

Root & Bone

This restaurant serves up some pretty delicious fried chicken, homemade biscuits and buckwheat waffles with cheddar.  Oh, and the collar greens are yummy too.  Reasonable prices, tasty cocktails and a very approachable wine list will put this restaurant on our list for the next time we are in New York.  We ate here on New Year’s Eve.

Talde

This Brooklyn restaurant turns out some very delicious Asian-American dishes.  Dale Talde’s Brussels sprouts are some of the best I have ever had.  Worth a visit if you plan to head over to Brooklyn.

What place is on your must dine list in New York?