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Guides

New York

New York, USA

A running list of the places I send friends to — bars, tables, coffee, and ways to spend an afternoon.

Drinks

Cocktails

Drinks & a show

Dive (and semi-dive) bars

Natural wine

Wine shops

Breweries

Hotel bars

Food

Burgers & martinis

Treat yourself

Steak frites

Casual (but often sceney)

Breakfast & brunch

Pizza

Asian & South Asian

Quintessential New York

Latin

Chicken sandwiches

Sandwiches

Sweets

Tacos

Burgers

Bistros

Diners

American

Seafood

Mediterranean

Vegan

Healthy

Chinatown

  • Jing Fong
  • Noodle Village ​​Noodle Village is known for its modern interpretation of classic Chinese dishes and its dedication to only using ingredients of the highest quality. ​ Specialties: Wontons, Soup Dumplings, Beef Brisket
  • Qq Café Usa Inc. QQ Cafe is a hidden gem that serves classic Fujianese dishes such as peanut butter noodles and wonton soup. Located right in the heart of Little Fuzhou, this eatery conjures memories of old Chinatown with its signature delicious and affordable eats. ​ Specialties: Peanut Noodles, Fuzhou Wonton Soup
  • Congee Village Congee Village is a world-renowned restaurant known for NYC’s finest Cantonese dishes and over 20 types of congee. ​ Specialties: House Special Chicken, All Congees
  • 46 Bakery 46 Mott is a Cantonese-style bakery renowned for their tofu pudding and bamboo sticky rice. During the COVID crisis, they have been providing free meals to the Chinatown community in need. ​ Specialties: Tofu Pudding, Bamboo Sticky Rice (Zongzi)
  • The Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, inspired by the popular legend that ice cream was invented during the Tang Dynasty, is often referred to as an unofficial NYC landmark because it has served ice cream with Asian flavors for over 40 years. Specialties: Sesame, Lychee, Green Tea, Red Bean, Mango Ice Cream
  • Wok Wok Southeast Asian Kitchen Wok Wok offers hawker street food favorites that transport you to the streets of Penang, Malaysia. ​ Specialties: Penang White Curry Laksa, Beef Rendang, Hand-tossed Fresh Roti Canai
  • Pinklady Cheese Tart Pinklady Cheese Tart specializes in Hokkaido-style Cheese Tarts. Crispy, double-baked tart crusts are filled with a cheese mousse made from three rich cheeses and cream, creating a perfect balance of salty and sweet. Specialties: Original, Matcha, Chocolate Cheese Tart
  • Kuih Cafe Kuih Cafe makes authentic Malaysian snacks and prides itself on using natural ingredients to produce the tastiest foods. ​ Specialties: Nasi Lemak and 2 pieces of kuih (Set B)
  • Golden Fung Wong Bakery Shop ​Golden Fung Wong Bakery is the oldest mooncake bakery in Chinatown and offers an affordable selection of baked goods. ​ Specialties: Mooncakes, Hopia Mongo, Melon Cake
  • Alimama Tea Alimama offers a variety of desserts ranging from mochi donuts to cold brew teas using natural ingredients. They have vegan and gluten-free options. ​​ Specialties: Taro Munchkins, Brown Sugar Boba Cream Puff, Earl Grey Milk Tea, Lychee Rose, Royal Milk Tea
  • Tonii's Fresh Rice Noodle Explore the rice noodle craze by checking out Tonii’s. This no-frills Hong Kong-style eatery offers a wide variety of breakfast foods essential to any Chinatown culinary excursion. Specialties: Rice Noodle Rolls, Kam Hing Sponge Cakes

Queens

Bakeries

Desserts

Quick bites

Markets

Coffee

To-do

Live music

  • The Django
  • Pete's Candy Store
  • Bethesda Terrace
  • Cafe Erzulie This Haitian cafe in Bushwick hosts live music, Caribbean music nights, and the occasional comedy show in its roomy backyard garden.
  • gertrude Wake up with some live tunes at Gertrude, an Australian all-day cafe on the Upper West Side that typically has a musician or two out front on weekend mornings. It's like an extra boost with your coffee!
  • The Beatrice Inn On any given night, experience an upgraded outdoor dining experience at this meat-focused West Village staple, when local artists take the mic.
  • Clinton Hall Clinton Hall in FiDi hosts live music every Friday through Sunday, where you can catch weekly regular Reginald Guillaume and his upbeat tunes.
  • LOULOU This dreamy French-inspired bistro in Chelsea hosts a prix fixe Cocktail Dinner Soiree every Monday night with live music from trumpeter Benny Benack III and his jazz trio from 6pm - 9pm. Loulou also hosts a Brazilian brunch every Sunday afternoon with live performances (weather permitting).
  • Dante NYC You can catch The Bailsmen, a local jazz and swing band, jamming out in front of the OG Dante location on Friday afternoons.
  • Canary Club Embrace the New Orleans vibe of Canary Club with outdoor tunes most nights and a recently-reopened indoor space hosting dinner, cocktails, and live music on Fridays and Saturdays.

Parks & gardens

  • WNYC Transmitter Park
  • Madison Square Park
  • Paley Park Opened in 1967 and spanning just one-tenth of an acre, Paley Park is widely recognized as the original "vest pocket park" and an inspiration for urban spaces across the world. And while it may be small, it makes use of all its 4,200 square feet, packing in a 20-foot waterfall, airy honey locust trees, and walls covered in ivy. With seating also available, it's the perfect spot for an al fresco lunch date.
  • Untermyer Park and Gardens For a little day trip just outside the city limits, we suggest hitting the Untermyer Gardens Conservancy in Yonkers. The stunning gardens, originally commissioned by Samuel Untermyer on his private estate in 1916, span 43 acres and boast water features, a walled garden inspired by those of Indo-Persian antiquity, and a stretch of vista modeled after Villa D'Este in Italy. Oh and did we mention the "Temple of Love" overlooking the Hudson and Palisades? The best part, however, is that it's all free and open to the public!
  • St Luke in the Fields Garden Find tranquility in the renowned garden of St. Luke’s in the Fields, an Episcopal Church in Greenwich Village. It's dotted with benches so visitors can sit and stay a while among the rare hybrid blooms, native flora, berries, and more. If it's a good enough rest stop for over 100 species of birds and 24 types of moths and butterflies, it's good enough for us!
  • Elizabeth Street Garden
  • Jefferson Market Garden A tranquil garden in the heart of historic Greenwich Village, we are open to the public free of charge.
  • West Side Community Garden A neighborhood sanctuary nestled between two apartment buildings, the West Side Community Garden was founded in 1976 when it was transformed from a trash-filled lot to the lovely escape it is today. Privately owned but open to the public daily, it's famous for its thousands of blooming tulips which culminate in an annual festival each spring.
  • Wave Hill Public Garden & Cultural Center It's mind-blowing that this plush 28-acre municipal garden and cultural center overlooking the Hudson River and Palisades is actually within the five boroughs. It was once part of a private estate (visited by the likes of Mark Twain and Theodore Roosevelt), and from its sweeping vistas to its dreamy on-site architecture, it has certainly retained its grandeur. Be sure to book your tickets before visiting!
  • Heather Garden Most New Yorkers are familiar with the beloved Fort Tryon Park way uptown, but not everyone sniffs out the enchanting secret heather garden - a three-acre, four-season destination full of trees, shrubs, and perennials, including dozens of varieties of heaths and heathers. One of the largest collections of heath and heather in the country, in fact!
  • Narrows Botanical Gardens The Narrows Botanical Garden, or "The Jewel of Bay Ridge," is found in my home hood of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Situated on four and a half aces of parkland on Shore Road, overlooking the Narrows waterway, it's our own miniature Central Park of sorts, with a lawn for picnics and cultural events, along with a native plant Sanctuary, lily pond, zen garden, and a variety of colorful rose bushes! You may even spot a turtle or chicken while you're there.
  • 6BC Botanical Garden Seriously, who knew this whimsical wonderland could be found hidden amidst the apartment buildings and dive bars of the East Village? Talk about a concrete jungle! 6BC Botanical Garden, a community volunteer effort since the early '80s, boasts an impressive horticultural library and hundreds of plants, paired with rock sculptures and hidden nooks for some quiet time. While it's currently open only to members during this time due to COVID, it should definitely be on your NYC checklist once it opens back up to the public!
  • The Battery The Battery (formerly known as Battery Park) boasts 195,000 square feet of perennial gardens, free and open to the public, including The Gardens of Remembrance, filled with blooms, and The Bosque, a 4-acre woodland garden boasting more than 100 London plane trees. All overlooking the Hudson River.
  • Greenacre Park Another one of the city's "vest pocket" hidden gems, Greenacre Park is a true urban oasis in the heart of Midtown. The peaceful scene is composed of plush evergreen plantings, walls of ivy, colorful seasonal flowers, and, of course, the dramatic 25-foot waterfall cascading down blocks of granite. Definitely not your typical city sight.

Record shops

Thrift

Christmas markets