You’re going to The Big Apple but you only have 48 hours. Like Anthony Bourdain, food is your priority when you travel. So, here is an itinerary on how to eat like the great man in New York City. Feel free to do it in a way that suits your needs. We aren’t going to force feed you strict itineraries. This is a mere guide that you can pick from and use as inspiration. Like the beloved chef and broadcaster, we encourage you to mix it up. Follow your nose. Eat that dish that you know will cause your cholesterol to shoot north. Fill your plate bigger than you need to. Drink a cold beer. Any beer, so long as it’s cold. But remember, always talk to people along the way. Food is as much about communication and exploration as it is about filling your guts.
You’ve settled into your swanky NYC hotel. Now it’s time to eat. After a long day of travel, it’s best to keep things light. Step forward: sushi. Located in the lower east side, down from Katz’s Deli (we’ll get to that later), is Takumi Omakase, a 15-course, 75-minute omakase tasting experience. The 15 pieces costs £75, and it’s BYOB (bring your own beer & wine). Think fresh pieces of king salmon nigiri, scallops, toro w/ caviar, and uni. You’ll be in and out in less than 90 minutes and won’t be too full to enjoy a night on the town.
You look at your phone and notice it’s 2 am. The only thing you’ve swallowed for the past few hours is booze. It dawns on you, you’ve gotta eat before calling it a night. You want something rich and hearty to soak up the beer. That means one thing: Empanada Mama. The colourful Latin American spot serves up loads of crispy, golden, meat-filled empanadas, as well as tapas, arepas, and other Latin American favourites. Breakfast is served all day, too, but you’re not ready for that. Instead, you devour pernil empanadas – pastry parcels filled with marinated pork slow-roasted to perfection. Reggaeton, a Caribbean-style roast pork with sofrito seasoned yellow rice comes next with pigeon peas. The empanadas cost about £3.50 each and the tapas, sandwiches and larger plates roughly £10-25.
Thanks to the late-night empanadas, you’re not hungover. So it’s time to get up early and skip the hotel breakfast. Take your rumbling tummy and head over to The Clinton Street Baking Company. This 32-seat classic American cafe in the LES is known for its decadent towers of fluffy pancakes and baked goods. Other classics like eggs benedict, fried chicken, waffles, and brioche french toast round out a delicious menu. What started as a place desiring to make the best muffins and scones in the city has turned into one of NYC’s best breakfast hubs. You devour everything you can without being sick and head for a wander.
Now you’ve walked off the pancakes and French toast, it’s time to sample one of NYC’s staples. Head to Russ & Daughters to try some of the city’s most iconic bagels and lox. This Lower East Side deli counter has been a pinnacle of NYC dining since 1914 and was just awarded a 7th consecutive Bib Gourmand in the 2022 Michelin Guide New York. The Bib Gourmand rating recognises friendly establishments serving high-quality eats at moderate prices. This place serves high-quality smoked fish, caviar, and famous New York City bagels. You grab a couple and head on out.
If, like us, Asian foods hold a special place in your heart, you’re in luck. Chinatown has heaps to choose from. You decide you want it all, so you take a couple of bites from each. First, you head to Joe’s Steam Rice Roll. Like its namesake, the take-out-style Cantonese spot serves some of the city’s freshest and tastiest rice rolls. The rice is ground fresh with a stone mill on-site and used to make these steamy, delicious rice rolls. They have multiple locations, but the best is the one in Canal Street Market in Chinatown. Next up, it’s Shu Jiao Fu Zhou for some £1.50 peanut butter noodles and £3 pork dumplings. Simple yet delicious, this is a staple of cheap eats in NYC. Before moving on, you swing by Mei Lai Wah. The Chinese bakery and coffee shop serves the infamous BBQ pineapple pork buns that have made their way around social media. The assortment of baked and steamed buns won’t cost you more than roughly £2each. If you weren’t paying attention, you’ve just hit three amazing spots and spent less than £15.
Another spot that landed on Michelin’s Bib Gourmand list is Thai Diner. This ode to the classic American diner only offers limited reservations and is mainly based on walk-ins. You’re not deterred by the crowd out front. You simply put your name on the list and find a nearby bar to wait it out if you have to. A few drinks later and you’re seated. You feast on classic Thai favourites like Uncle Boon’s Khao Pat Puu, known as traditional crab fried rice. Another classic is the spicy green curry braised duck leg served with rice noodles, herbs, pickled Thai Bird chillies, and Salted Duck Yolk. You’re craving something a little more familiar with a Thai twist, so you try the fried chicken sandwich with a Nam Prik Noom Green Chile Relish.
After dinner, it’s time to satisfy that sweet tooth of yours. That can only mean one thing: Sam’s Fried Ice Cream, which is open until 11 pm on Friday and Saturday. Originating from a local street fare in Manhattan in 2011, this hole-in-the-wall spot on the Lower East Side is dishing out delicious combinations of crunchy, salty fried balls of sweet ice cream. Create your own by choosing your favourite ice cream flavour, crust flavour, and an assortment of toppings. Dream of strawberry cheesecake ice cream crusted in fruity pebbles topped with powdered sugar and sprinkles. At this point you start to salivate so your partner is on hand with a tissue and a quiet word in your ear (“enough is enough”).
Enough is never enough. So you go to another late-night spot. Gen Korean BBQ House is located near Union Square. This all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ joint is open until 4am every night. Though you’ve barely got room for a after dinner mint at the point, you rally and eat as much as you can for about £30 within two hours. Feasting on freshly prepared meats, seafood, and vegetables, along with the tasty ban-chan (Korean side dishes). The restaurant has no alcohol license, which we’re now thankful for. The gas from the beer might be dangerous.
You wake up feeling a million dollars but you’re still full from the day before. The only appropriate to go out with a bang. For Sunday brunch, check out Balthazar. This grand French brasserie serves brunch on Sat/Sun from 9-4 pm. The menu consists of French classics mixed with American brunch staples. You start with Le Panier, the basket of baked goods fresh from the bakery. The duck liver pâté is an excellent spread for that basket of pastries. Duck Confit Hash & Eggs or Apple Cinnamon Pancakes arrive at the table afterwards to which point you’re bursting at the seams and checking what time your flight is. NY has beaten your belly.
But actually, no, you’re not done yet. You still have a full day. And what is a New York food guide without Katz’s Deli? The NYC classic is home to arguably the most famous pastrami sandwich. Your don’t fear the queue, you embrace it. You take your ticket at the door, line up for some grub, and order confidently to avoid a rebuke from the grumpy butchers (it’s part of the experience that they don’t smile or say more than two words to you). You order a pastrami on rye with mustard and pickles with a bowl of Matzoh ball soup, and some latkes. It’s all stamped on your ticket at the door when you enter. Whatever you do, please don’t lose it. You’ll pay when you leave. Prices are the prices. You eat and drink in the iconic spot littered with photos of famous New Yorkers who have come and gone before you lining the walls.
The trip is winding down, and it’s almost time to head to the airport. But wait, you’ve spent 40-odd hours in NYC thus far and haven’t had a slice of pizza. Don’t worry. On your way out of the city, you ask the cab to swing by Bleeker Street Pizza. This no-frills pizza shop in West Village serves some of NYC’s best pies and slices. There’s no time to overthink it as the meter is running, so you grab a piece of cheese and try their infamous Nonna Maria pizza. It’s a thin-crust pizza topped with fresh mozzarella, homemade marinara sauce, and the finest parmesan and fresh basil. You’re smart too, so you take couple of slices because cold pizza is nothing but delicious, and it beats crappy airport food. The taxi driver decants you onto the curb outside the airport and you waddle into the departures area with your cold pizza and potentially a new diagnose of gout awaits back home. But you’re suitably full and feeling pumped from the whirlwind food tour you’ve just experienced.
You’ve spent roughly 48 hours in NYC and eaten worldwide, tasting 13 different spots. From sushi to pizza and everything in between, NYC is a city that never sleeps, but more importantly, a city to eat.
