10 NYC Restaurants and 10 Bakeries, Specialty Shops & Markets
Sooo many favorites to add to the list!
It’s springtime, and that means lots of people visiting NYC—just today I was texting with a friend about the best itinerary for her family’s visit, and I can’t wait to see them next month!
If you’re planning a trip to the city, here are a couple places to start:
Our Family’s Perfect Three Days in NYC
15 More NYC Restaurants I Love
And then here are ten more restaurants that I’m adding to my list of favorites, as well as ten markets, bakeries and food specialty spots—here’s to soaking up every moment and every bite in this delicious city!
10 Restaurants
1. Rubirosa A supercool spot in Nolita, which is one of our favorite neighborhoods. They serve Staten Island-style cracker crust pizza, and it’s GREAT. The vodka sauce and the tie-dye are our favorites, and they have a really good gluten-free pizza, too—Aaron-approved :) It’s cozy and old-fashioned on the inside, and along with your pizza, I definitely recommend the baked clams.
2. Thai Diner Start with the Baan Salad and the Thai Disco Fries. The Phat See Ew and Laab with Mushrooms are great, and the Coconut Sundae is perfect to share. The décor is weird & wonderful, & every bite is surprising & delicious—one of my favorite meals in recent memory!
3. Gramercy Tavern An absolute classic for a reason. The tasting menu is served in the dining room in the back, and the front room and bar are a little more casual but still cozy and perfect, like having lunch at a fancy friend’s house. The burger is fantastic, and like all Danny Meyer restaurants, the flowers and the artwork are dazzling.
4. Taqueria Ramirez A tiny spot with a tiny menu, and absolutely spectacular tacos. Greenpoint is one of my favorite neighborhoods—get some tacos and then wander down by the waterfront and the galleries.
5. L'Industrie The original is in Williamsburg, and recently they’ve opened another one in the West Village right by William’s school—lucky for us! The pizza is PERFECTION. We love the margherita and the burrata slices, and also the gelato is amazing—order a few slices, and then get a gelato to share while you wait.
6. Oxomoco A beautiful plant-filled Mexican spot with a Michelin star in Greenpoint. Aaron still talks about the tlayuda with sweet corn. A fantastic date night spot.
7. Dante If you love beautiful design and perfect cocktails, put this on the list. Every time I go, I think to myself, “I want to live here.” Stylish, fancy, known for their Martini Hour and their negronis. The original is in Greenwich Village, but “ours” is in the West Village on Hudson, and it’s the loveliest.
8. I Sodi From the same chefs/owners as Via Carota, Commerce Inn, Bar Pisellino and Buvette, and in the same darling stretch of the West Village. This one is Rita Sodi’s homage to her family home in Tuscany, and both the design and the food reflect that—it’s spare, simple, composed. The lasagne is a must-order—one for the table to share, for sure.
9. Superiority Burger People call it the best vegan burger in the city, and I agree. A supercool old-diner feel, great energy, and really great desserts. Sit at the bar for the burger and a cocktail, and then get at least one pint of ice cream to take home for later.
10. Empellon al Pastor I’m clearly very into both Greenpoint and the East Village right now, aren’t I? That’s absolutely true—two great neighborhoods and great food scenes, too. Alex Stupak started as a pastry chef in fine dining restaurants and then opened a series of Mexican restaurants in the city, all versions of the Empellon name, & this one is my favorite—a dive bar in the East Village. Absolutely great tacos, and delicious queso and guacamole. Very much recommend, especially for happy hour or late night.
10 Bakeries, Speciality Shops & Markets
1. Fabrique Famous for their cardamom buns, which are extraordinary—but their breads and coffees are great, too. Possibly one of the proudest moments of my year: I brought a box of these cardamom buns to the Cape last summer where we were staying with truly the most Swedish people I know…who had just returned from a trip to actual Sweden (!!!), and they loved them, raved about them, & hid them from their children. A triumph!
2. Russo's I will take any excuse to stop in to this one and the next one—and they’re right next door to each other in the East Village. Russo’s is known for their fresh and smoked mozzarella and great frozen pastas. On a nice day, a prosciutto loaf, a ball of fresh mozzarella, and some of their grilled artichokes would make a dream picnic situation.
3. Veniero's One of the oldest Italian bakeries and cafes in the city, and so charming. There are cases and cases of pretty cookies and cakes, and they wrap everything up in red and white boxes tied with string. Famous for their cheesecake and their cannoli, and I always get a couple pignoli, too.
4. Acme Smoked Fish At brunch earlier this year, friends in Greenpoint served us the best whitefish salad I’ve ever had, and they told us about Acme—on Fridays you can walk up to the place where they’ve been smoking fish for four generations and pick up your salmon or whitefish. Incredible.
5. Murray’s Cheese Shop In one of my favorite stretches of the West Village, with of course the best cheese selection, but also jams and chocolates and fancy butter and breads. The staff is super-knowledgeable, so it’s a great place to taste a few new cheeses and ask lots of questions.
6. Eataly There’s one by Madison Square and one down by Wall Street, and both are massive and beautiful. There’s a fruit and vegetable market, a wine bar, a pizza counter, fresh pastas, a gelato bar, and at Christmastime, an entire room of pannetone. Their focaccia is the perfect thing to bring to a dinner party, and if you were coming to my house and brought me their tiramisu, I might cry tears of happiness.
7. Union Square Greenmarket On Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, you can wander the north and west corners of Union Square—flowers, produce, meats and eggs, breads. It’s open year round, and a great place to discover new farms and bakeries.
8. Economy Candy If anyone in your family has a sweet tooth—and especially if anyone has an affection for old-fashioned candy and candy shops—this is like heaven.
9. Breads Bakery There are a handful around the city, and we go to the one near Union Square, so if you’re going to the Greenmarket there, you should definitely add a stop to Breads. They make the absolute best sufganiyot (traditional Jewish jelly-filled doughnuts) and latkes during Hanukkah, and year round their babka and challah are legendary.
10. The Donut Pub I don’t know that we’ve ever been able to walk by the Donut Pub without stopping in—classic donuts and pastries, and a breakfast counter serving egg sandwiches and coffee. If you want to be a hero, bring a box to a birthday party or pop out for a box while the kids are still asleep.