I've lost count of my trips to NYC, but I never tire of them. If you'd like to view older posts about places I've visited and food I've eaten, you can find them here or here. However, please note that some of these posts are quite old, and some of the places mentioned may no longer exist. Additionally, my tastes continually improve and evolve. For instance, you wouldn't catch me going to Cha Cha Matcha in the year 2025.

Below, I've outlined my last three-day stint before I caught a train at Grand Central and headed home to Connecticut (and a brief drive into Rhode Island to try Nitro Bar). While this isn't a particularly robust itinerary, it includes some gems to consider. New York has so many options, don’t overwhelm yourself trying to figure out where to eat. Make a list of the types of cuisines you most want to try, and check out Eater posts. Then, cross-reference them with online reviews from regular, non-influencer-type folks. You’ll never get to every place on your list, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself.

Where we stayed: The Sonder Flatiron

What we did that I would not recommend:

Ralph’s Lauren Coffee - the coffee was not good, and the line was long, as it is a hyped social media spot.
Variety Coffee Roasters - awful, they gave me a white latte.
Bryant Park Winter Village - more on that in detail below.
Stone Street Coffee - terrible and rude baristas.

Places I’ve been before that I will always recommend that aren’t food:

The Whitney
The MOMA
The Guggenheim
Planning your trip around a Broadway show.
Getting tickets to see a Stephen Colbert taping (I’ve gone twice).
The Nintendo Store (even though it’s in a touristy area).

Saturday After Check-In

Salswee

If you’re nearby, stop and check it out.

Salswee was an online hotspot that I was unaware of when I entered. It just happened to be near our hotel, and as we were making our way towards the Lego store, I noticed it. Inside, I found a line formed along the long counter filled with pastries and whimsical desserts. I grabbed the Tart Brûlée, which I could conveniently eat outside in the Flatiron seating on the street. It was really sweet, a little too sweet for my tastes, but still good. I wouldn’t say make a special trip to try it out, but if you are in the area, give it a look. The pastries are not cheap; some ran up to $10.

Saturday Dinner

Lola’s

Meh.

This small spot north of Madison Square Park was the dinner I remember the least about of all our meals. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t a meal that stuck with me, especially compared to the other places we tried. It was another spot with smaller plates, but the types of food on the small menu varied. If we could go back in time and choose another place for our Saturday dinner, I would, and hopefully, I would remember it more. I would pass on this one if it comes up in your research.

Sunday Morning First Stop:

La Cabra

Highly recommend

This coffee house/bakery was high on the list of priorities on this trip. There are multiple locations, but we had other places to go around the East Village area, so that's the one we chose for a Sunday morning. The line wasn't too long, but by the time we got outside, it had definitely grown. It's a very tiny space; there are tables, but you may not be able to snag one. You come across the rows of baked goods first, and you can look beyond them and see people in the kitchen working. What interested me the most about this spot was the organization of the baristas. They didn't move from their spots. Everything was set up in a way that they weren't running up and down a bar, grabbing items; everything was at their fingertips, with maximum countertop space, as much of the machinery's "guts" were hidden under the counter. It was a sight to behold in coffee shop efficiency, maximizing a small space and yet quickly cranking out drink after drink without seemingly breaking a sweat.

The drinks were perfect in my book, but the baked goods really wowed me. I still think about their caradmom bun, and wish I could find a duplicate here. We were able to snag a window nook to enjoy our drinks and pastries, and had I not had several other shops on my list to try, I would have happily returned here every day.

Sunday Lunch

John's of Bleecker Street

Could take it or leave it.

Over in Greenwich Village, we needed a slice, so we got in line at John's of Bleecker Street. I'm not usually a fan of waiting in line for something as accessible as pizza, but the line is known to move fast, and it did. However, no slices here, just whole pies, which we technically didn't need, but we got one—a classic Margherita. This one has an excellent crust, but for me, the sauce was a bit too sweet, which I don't particularly enjoy. It was still a solid pie, and the vibe inside was great.

Nearby is a shop I would recommend, called an.mé, which is categorized as a children's shop. However, if you're into Miffy, Snoopy, Sonny Angels, and similar characters, it's worth a stop. There are two locations, but this one is steps away from Johns.

Sunday Dinner

Foxface Naturals

Highly recommend

Research for NYC eats can be overwhelming and exhausting. So I keep in mind the types of restaurants that I love, that we don't have many of in Orlando. I enjoy places that have a minimal menu, focusing on seasonal items. Think Coro, but in NYC. That led me to diving into Foxface Naturals. It's a small, cozy fine dining and natural wine restaurant, serving wild fish, seafood, and game meats. The menu changes frequently, and you will likely see ingredients you may not have ever had back home.

We had a fantastic meal here, and after I posted a few shots to my stories, the Chef reached out for feedback. Not something that happens all that frequently, if I'm honest, and I absolutely love it when they take an interest in getting details from paying customers.

Note: It is temporarily closed on Google, so if it interests you, please check.

Honest de-influence break

Bryant Park Winter Village

Gutted to say I can’t recommend anymore.

For years, long before Covid, we took regular trips to NYC in the fall or early Winter, and the Bryant Park Winter Village was always on the agenda. It used to be the most casual stroll, with hot apple cider in hand, as we visited all the booths and bought handmade trinkets from the artisans. We'd sit in the cold night air and grab a crepe or something light, and have what was a romantic evening stroll under the string lights; it was always a highlight of each trip.

It's now an absolute disaster.

Me in 2010 with a delicious crepe in Bryant Park.

We went on Sunday night, and it was so packed we could barely take steps to get into the park physically. Once we managed to get in, we could scarcely move freely, see the vendors, or find a place to sit. It is now an overly hyped event, where the focus is no longer on local artisans, light snacks, and warm drinks. It's primarily a carnival-type of food, each with a line longer than the next. I dislike large crowds where you are sardined in and cannot move, so we left. We decided to try again during the day on a weekday. It was slightly better, but not by much. The food lines were still long (although admittedly not as long as they had been during the previous night's visit), and we saw people yelling at each other over seating arrangements. We even had some unpleasant individuals try to take a chair from us. The booths I was able to access were selling items I later found on Shein (as I had suspected when I saw them), and the one booth we stopped at to get a snack was lackluster and overpriced.

It's such a draw on social media; I know this may not deter you, but the market has changed significantly over the past 10 years, so it's not worth going in the evening. If you go at all, go during the day and hope for the best. There are other markets to explore that aren't as hyped and ruined as this one.

Monday Morning First Stop

PopUp Bagels

YESSSSS!

Do you want to see a blurry picture of a bagel because I was extremely impatient? See below. Our plan for Monday morning was the Natural History Museum, so I scoped out nearby coffee/breakfast options. PopUp Bagel had been on my list, and since a location was near the museum, it made for a perfect morning plan. We had to order a specific amount; the minimum I believe was three bagels, which I thought was too much, but we had no issue inhaling them all. They are smaller bagels, but they are so incredibly light that you keep going back for more bites. Our bag was handed to us so hot that I couldn’t even hold the bagel for a good picture at first. You could see the steam coming off of them as I ripped mine to dip on a park bench. These are honestly the best bagels I’ve ever had.

Monday Activity

Natural History Museum

Over several years of NYC trips, I’ve visited many museums, but I had not gone to the Natural History Museum. The architecture inside alone is reason enough to go. There is a large area that spans the first two floors with seating so if you want to sit, hang, people watch, and take photos you can, before you head into the different exhibits. The museum is larger than it looks, so if you take your time, you can definitley spend a few hours here.

Cut through Central Park

Being that far up on the Upper West Side, we could have hailed a cab, but we took advantage of cutting through Central Park to get back down to Columbus Circle, where there was another video game shop to scope out. If your feet can take it, and you are there during peak foliage, a Central Park stroll is a must. For foliage reference, these pictures were taken on November 11th. Due to warmer weather (ahem, Climate Change), foliage doesn’t happen as early as it used to, so keep that in mind, and consult fall foliage predictions if seeing the leaves change is a priority.

Monday Dinner

Estela

If you are willing to splurge, yes.

Estela is a highly recognized Michelin Star restaurant located North of the Nolita area. At night, it screams dark date night vibes. We sat at the bar, and had a great waitress who told us some of the history of the space. It used to be the Knitting Factory, a prominent music venue known for hosting artists like Sonic Youth and Yo La Tengo in its early days.

I gave up trying to capture all the dishes; the lighting was so dim, and I will never pull out my phone’s flashlight in public, so all I can tell you is that the food was terrific. Small plates, so yes, it adds up, and it wasn’t a cheap meal, but after heavy research into many highly rated, bucket list restaurants, I decided to bet on Estela, and it didn’t disappoint me.

One of the standouts, which is still on the menu, was Endive with walnuts, anchovies, and ubriaco rosso. I had never had endives prepared like this, but I loved the mixture of flavors - a little tart, a little sweet. It was weird and delightful, and the type of dish I want to see on a menu, as opposed to the same old pairing that gets overdone.

This spot, I would say, is definitely more for serious foodies, as the menu is small and focused, so you need to be ready to be open to dishes that off the bat may not immediately resonate with you.

Sunday After Dinner

Koreatown

From Estela, we half-walked, half-cabbed our way back up towards Koreatown. When you walk through it, you will see many familiar companies that have opened in Orlando. I was looking for what we didn’t have yet. Places like The Face Shop, Koryo Books, Teso Life, K-Pop Station, and Koreatown Shopping Court, which is a row of stalls selling various items. I stopped only for a tanghulu and to go inside some of the shops.

Tuesday Breakfast

Golden Diner

The hype is real, in my opinion.

Yes, I saw these pancakes online and had to have them. However, I didn’t wait in any line to eat them. I made reservations, which, after seeing all the videos of people saying they waited for over an hour to eat here, I can’t help but wonder if they realize that reservations ahead of time are an option. The Golden Diner is a tiny, quaint, no-frills diner located south of Chinatown, complete with counter seating and tables that line the front windows of the space. I was here specifically for the Honey Butter Pancakes. A single will run you $12, a double $16 (which is cheaper than Briarpatch). These fluffy pancakes are served with honey maple butter, finished with lemon zest. You can add a berry compote, but I declined because I didn’t want them to be too sweet.

There is absolutely no need for syrup on these pancakes unless you are a glutton for super-sweet pancakes. I found them to be just sweet enough, exactly how they are served, with the lemon zest adding a nice punch to it. These pancakes are thick, but not dense or dry. They had a nice bounce to them, with plenty of airation. With two people attacking the double stack, we had a hard time finishing them. We also got a savory item, the Chinatown Egg & Cheese Sando. At $13, this compact sandwich had soft scrambled eggs, American cheese, and a hash brown patty, served on a sesame scallion milk bun—a nice alternative for someone who doesn’t want a sweet breakfast. The table next to us got the burrito, which looked amazing.

On my visit (which was not on a weekend), there was still a line of people outside, but the service was speedy. We were seated, served, and paid within 25 minutes. So they have a good flow of getting people in and out.

I would recommend adding to your breakfast spots, but making reservations, so you aren’t waiting outside for too long.

Koré Coffee

So cute, so tasty.

We didn’t get coffee at Golden Diner because I had this cafe on my list, which is an 11-minute walk from there, heading into Chinatown. It came as a recommendation from another intense coffee lover, so I had to visit. Koré is known for its unique Korean twist on classic coffee shop fare, such as croffles and tiramisu lattes. It’s tiny, but there is some seating, but nothing too comfy, so you feel inclined to stay awhile, other than the window seat. I got the Tiramsu latte, and it was exceptional. Their standard latte was balanced as well.

There is so much coffee to consume in NYC that I feel like I wouldn’t recommend making a special trip just to come here. However, please note that just because a shop is in NYC, it doesn’t mean it will be good. We had a lot of misses on this trip, as we visited at least three shops a day. Koré was not a miss.

Exploring Chinatown

We were already in the neighborhood, so we had a few places bookmarked that we checked out, like Mei Lai Wah for their pineapple bun, Stanley's Claw Machines on Mulberry,

Lunch

Cello's Pizzeria

Yes!

After walking through Chinatown, we headed North towards St. Marks Place. This pizza joint hit the spot. Thin, crispy slices, good balance of toppings. I had so many pizza spots bookmarked, but I also didn’t feel like going entirely out of my way to try a slice. I was really happy with Cello’s. It was simple but good, and very easy to get in and out at our own pace.

We hit a few shops around the East Village area, including Toy Tokoyo, which was a highlight. I don’t have many pictures, as I was fully immersed in exploring the store. However, if you are someone who likes Blind Boxes and other collectibles, this is a spot you'll want to check out. It was much larger than it looks on the outside. Another great spot over in this area, if you are into video games, is Video Games New York.

After that, we kept walking toward Southwest for a stop at Cafe Lyria. I really wanted to try their Freddo Cappuccino, and I honestly have no idea if I was served the incorrect drink or a completely different one. A Freddo Cappuccino is a Greek iced coffee drink that combines a frothed, chilled double shot of espresso with a creamy, cold-frothed milk topping. As you can tell from the picture, that doesn’t look like what I was given. It didn’t taste bad, but it was definitely overhyped, and if it’s on your list, I wouldn’t bother.

Tuesday Dinner

Dhamaka

Most definitley recommend.

There is so much good Indian food in NYC that I struggled to decide which restaurant to choose on this visit. I landed on Dhamaka in the Lower East Side. We had a few appetizers, such as the Chana-Chhena Tikki and Naan bread, but the main event was the Nalli Biryani, a slow-braised lamb shank served with aged basmati rice. This is a dish often used in celebrations, and I can see why. Our server presented it to us and gently shredded the lamb off the bone effortlessly, and mixed everything before we dug in. This huge pot had the most tender lamb I’ve ever tried. It’s genuinely a portion size fit for much more than two people; we had leftovers to bring back to our apartment. Every dish we had was brimming with flavor, and the service was far beyond that of some of the other more notable places we’ve dined. It was warm and comforting, and I could have stayed there all night. It was the perfect last dinner in the city before we headed to Connecticut.