The Big Apple. The city that never sleeps. In its eight-mile radius, New York houses over 26,000 thousand restaurants. It’s one of the most international cities in the world, and it has always set a high bar for cuisine. It’s a melting pot, famous for its pizza, its bagels, its cheesecake, its dumplings, and, of course, its fine dining. It’s one of our favorite cities in the world.
New York is also where Kaitlin first started her food blog, @carnivorr. She used her college years to study the city’s food scene, to test every dollar pizza slice, to scientifically rank each ramen joint, and to hunt down the best bagels in town. Anders had been to New York a few times on his own, but we took the city by storm together for the first time in 2019, and have been back every year since. Below are the five essential places that, in our opinion, you cannot miss on a trip to New York City – our favorite pizza slice, our favorite bakery, our favorite wine bar, and our favorite fine dining restaurants.
Looking for more great spots for food and drinks in NYC? Check out our city map of New York!
Mama’s Too
Frank Tuttolomondo’s pizza joint, Mama’s Too, stole our hearts with its incredible square pizza slices. The toppings change seasonally – most recently, we were obsessed with the elote pizza, but our other two favorites are the cacio e pepe and the vodka slice, with a rich tomato sauce. These squares are almost like focaccia – doughy, crispy, and with a caramelized crust. Everything is made fresh and served until it runs out. You don’t wanna miss this spot – it’s home to our favorite pizza slice in NYC! In addition to the original Upper West Side location, Mama’s Too has opened another shop in the West Village.
MAMA'S TOO Address & Contact Information 2750 Broadway, New York, New York Website Instagram Facebook
Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare
Two-Michelin-starred Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare is our favorite fine dining restaurant in NYC. The luxurious chef’s counter hidden inside a grocery store got a complete overhaul when two new head chefs took over in 2023. Max Natmessnig and Marco Prins completely revamped the menu; now it’s more modern, more European-inspired, and much punchier in flavor. The menu is decadent, with tons of caviar, foie gras, wagyu, uni, and truffles, but the creative combinations were what really wowed us. The dishes are playful, innovative, and bold – every bite is a flavor bomb. Amidst many marvelous dishes, there was one we never wanted to finish: a Maine diver scallop with a vin jaune sauce, fig leaf oil, and kaluga caviar. Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare is better than ever!
CHEF'S TABLE AT BROOKLYN FARE Address & Contact Information 431 W 37th St, New York, New York Website Instagram
Win Son Bakery
One of our favorite bites in NYC is the scallion pancake egg sandwich at Win Son Bakery. It reminds us of a cheesy quesadilla on a flour tortilla, but with the wonderful addition of scallion. (Big fans of alliums here!) This dish was so good that we ordered seconds immediately after finishing our first sandwich. On the side is their signature Ginger Deluxe sauce (a blend of kewpie mayo, ginger, scallion, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, garlic), which was so delicious we bought a bottle to bring home with us. We also adore the Fan Tuan (the rice roll with the fried dough and pork floss inside) and the mochi donut.
WIN SON BAKERY Address & Contact Information 164 Graham Ave, Brooklyn, New York Website Instagram Facebook
Ilis
Ilis is a fine dining restaurant from chef Mads Refslund, the co-founder of Noma. The name loosely translates to “fire and ice” in Danish, and the Nordic-inspired dining room centers around a huge open kitchen where seasonal North American produce is cooked over a wood fire. The chefs go to the market and get fresh ingredients every day, resulting in inventive, delicious, and sometimes experimental servings. A standout from our meal was the bigeye tuna from Montauk, prepared two ways. First, it was served raw with gooseberries, oxalis leaves, and a rose petal pesto, and we were instructed to scrape the sashimi off the fish bones. After we finished one side, the bones were taken back to the kitchen and the meat on the other side was cooked over the fire before returning to our table, this time covered in an orange romesco sauce, sesame seeds, plum, and yuzu. Ilis is unlike anything else in New York, and a fun, unique addition to the city.
ILIS Address & Contact Information 150 Green St, Brooklyn, New York Website Instagram
The Four Horsemen
A trendy Williamsburg natural wine bar with a Michelin star? Trust us, we were just as skeptical as you, but the food at The Four Horsemen absolutely blew us away. We ordered practically every dish on chef Nick Curtola’s concise à la carte menu, and each bite was so good that we were very close to ordering them all again. From the braised leek toast with whipped ricotta and Cantabrian anchovies, to the crispy potato cubes with crème fraîche, chives and Japanese curry, to the fried chicken with black maitake mushrooms, cipollini onions, and marsala, every bite was a banger, and left us craving more. Added bonus? Their natural wine program is one of the best in the city. The Four Horsemen served us our very best meal of our most recent NYC trip – we can’t wait to go back.
THE FOUR HORSEMEN Address & Contact Information 295 Grand St, Brooklyn, New York Website Instagram Facebook
What’s your favorite restaurant in New York? Let us know in a comment below.
From my 5 years living in New York
Hometown BBQ – amazing BBQ in Redhook
DimSumGoGo – best dim sum and Chinese
Brasserie En – Good Japanese High end Izakaya
KiKis . Lower east side greek
Momofuku Ko – high end. but amazing
Nice! We really want to go to Hometown BBQ. Anders went to DimSumGoGo many years ago and loved it. It’s due for a revisit to Momofuku Ko soon too. Thanks for the other tips!