Oh, also if you are staying near Times Square, I recommend the Sushi Sho bara chirashi. $70 from one of the greatest in the world, and very pretty. We dont really have bento boxes here to the standard of Jimmy Sugi or Hayato, but I think Sho’s chrashi is world class. You just can’t eat there iirc
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I am near Times Square (unfortunately). Will see if I can swing by Sushi Sho but jammed with all sorts of work conferences, meetings and happy hours.
Going to Yoon for KBBQ tomorrow. Better than Mexican in NYC for Cinco de Mayo. Never been but heard it’s good.
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Email them and ask if they care if you send a courier to pick it up and drop it off at your hotel hahaha. Alternatively if you are staying at the Andaz 42nd, they are literally next door and affiliated so you can probably get staff to pick it up for you.
There is some good KBBQ but the good small biz stuff is all deep in Flushing along Northern Blvd where you need a car or a copious amount of time. The stuff in ktown is good but you probably have their chains in LA, or they have a second store open in LA.
Mexican can be good in NYC but you gotta go to the right neighbhorhood and its very different from LA. If you want tacos, do Carnitas Ramirez (East Village/SoHo) or Tacos Ramirez (Williamsburg). Id say NYC has better Tortas and Pueblan food, since most of the mexican diaspora is Pueblan so the palette is a bit different. Tacos Arabes feel like a food made for NYC. Also nothing really spectacular in Manhattan; gotta go to Brooklyn or Queens or the Bronx. Mijos for Arabes, Los Tacos and Los Mariscos are the best you can find in Manhattan but Los Tacos and Los Mariscos are a pass for someone from LA.
If you want something Latin American inspired, eat Puerto Rican food or PR inspired Latin food (better ingredients compared to PR, very large PR diaspora here)
For the next trend in LA you can probably look to spice bags, although I saw a few in LA when I was there. My favorite spice bag is Bar Snack (recently ranked #3 bar in North America) who really kicked off the trend in the city I think.
Edit: I dont care about bar rankings, but it does boost their sales and boost the number of people so I mention it. #1 is Sip and Guzzle, #4 is Schmuck (pass). Martinys, Angel’s Share 2.0, Clemente and EO are also somewhere there.
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Definitely agree with Taqueria/Carnitas Ramirez! Gio and Tania are great. My wife and I have known them since they used to DJ at Transmitter Park during Covid. They’re currently opening a new soccer bar/restaurant in the old Nura space, definitely going to be paying that a visit on my next trip.. super pumped about it. Do not go to Taqueria Ramirez on the weekend though, stuuupid long lines! And don’t miss out on their excellent consomé.
Also, wrong neighborhoods. Taqueria Ramirez is in Greenpoint and Carnitas Ramirez is in Alphabet City.
I also recommend Mariscos El Submarino in Greenpoint, OG location is in Jackson Heights.
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Agree with all of these. Also…I was surprised I really enjoyed Santo Taco
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How are the lines at Cere’s?
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Going to New York next may for a wedding what’s the best area of town for food crawling? Meaning lots of pizza, sandwiches, amazing casual eats, and unfussy sit downs.
was thinking east village, bowery, soho, noho ish? Bonus points if you can recommend me a Hyatt in the area lol
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The Standard East Village is what you want, or Hyatt Union Square which straddles both. But in nyc everything is connected so you can get from a to b very quickly. Union Square is also good, but really whatever is best value since NYC is so connected.
Caveat: I don’t stay there, since I live here, but I know the locations
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I usually stay Hyatt union square if I’m there for work and not staying with my family
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In high consideration but the reviews say the stay is not great. Location seems really good though esp since the wedding is at bowery hotel
How about 50 bowery or beekman (too far south?) or possibly grayson or andaz (too far north)?
Also what would be some of the must eats in the bowery area?
Here’s my list so far:
Rubirosa, ceres, upside pizza, parisi bakery, pops bagels, grand skewer, russ and daughters, katz, una pizza napolotena, joe and pats, nolita pizza, cheong fun cart, banh mi anh am
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I got you. I am out and about right now so when get back I’ll make a list.
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Can’t wait willing to trek semi long distances but that area or within a 20-30 min walk would be preferred
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Ideally stay within short walking distance to the hubs where a lot of subway lines intersect - i.e union square, herald square, times square, Rockefeller center etc and like @lighthill mentioned it won’t take much time to get anywhere in Manhattan.
If you need to schlep to the outer boroughs just take uber, will save you loads of time and walking.
P.S stay at the standard @ the high line if you’re feeling exhibitionist 
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If you are in Manhattan, everything is easy. The most annoying thing about LA is getting around, which is to say NYC is easy. Any hotel in Manhattan is fine. Pick the one that gives you the best value.
I’ve stayed in PHNY, Thompson Central, Beekman for occasions. It depends on what you are seeking for your trip, but if you are wanting to indulge in the city choose the cheapest. If you care about amenities, DM me if you want since it’ll be individualized.
TLDR best qpr for hotels is the cheapest you can find, in Manhattan. If you are willing to commute a bit more (10 min, nonactive) LIC or Downtown Brooklyn. Both open up a lot of really good neighborhood places.
Jersey City is okay but there is a public transit cut off where after you need to uber, so wouldn’t rec unless you are familiar with NYC or you have no kids
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Sorry, injecting thoughts in real time.
“Rubirosa, ceres, upside pizza, parisi bakery, pops bagels, grand skewer, russ and daughters, katz, una pizza napolotena, joe and pats, nolita pizza, cheong fun cart, banh mi anh am”
Lens I am approaching this from is what I would pass on as special from someone who is born in NYC and has been to LA a handful of times
Pass on Rubirosa
Sub l’industrie for Ceres, not because it’s necessarily better, but because you can order online and cut the line. These pizzas are all so top tier that unless you eat them regularly it’s hard to tell.
Never hear of Upside, idk.
Never heard of parisi but if you give me what it does, I may be able to suggest something better.
Bagels are like tacos in NYC. Startup is Apollos but there are a bunch. Do what you want.
Grand skewer is goat. Be cash only and slightly hammered. Get with extra spice if you can handle spice. Note they arent always there.
Russ is an OG but you can order for pick up. It’s preserved so the ny native move is to put the salmon on better bagels.
Katz is good but you can again preorder. It’s expensive as well. Hit similar to Langers et al. Pass if low on time.
Una in the West Village is gone.
Never heard of the rest except cheong fan cart. There are ssebral, so lmk which you have in mind. There are a few in store places close to the one I am thinking of as well that are just as good.
I’d add:
Malaysian beef jerky
Bangkok supper club/Fish Cheeks/Sappeisan/Pranakgon/Soother. LA Thai is always recommended but NYC Thai is beautiful. These are unfair to group together but they are all good and very different styles.
Atoboy: Atomix on a budget and 80% there. Qpr for days.
I Sodi/L Artist/ Misi: RSVP is ideal but take out is good too. If you think Mozza is good, this is the next generation.
Kinda hammered since I took some friends out but feel free to ping me about specifics
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Appreciate the feedback. Will book/check these out.
Parisi makes a popular chicken cutlet Italian sandwixh
Any other good Sandwich/pizza places in the area? And also anything quintessentially New York? Or things that LA is highly lacking in? I’m trying to find things that I can’t really get in LA
I will be generally skipping Mexican, Korean (aside from possibly atoboy), or Thai unless there is a true standout and also Chinese unless I make it to queens
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The three Thai places I suggested are probably in the same league as Anajak (caveat with I haven’t been to Anajak, but they are high end versions of Thai). Bangkok supper club in particular is a fine dining adjacent take on Thai which I don’t see often.
A lot of sandwich places in NYC. Id rec Alidoro in what is now called Hudson sq, and Faiccos. Those are the two in Manhattan I’d seek out. I know LA claims Italian sandos, but those two are east coast Italian. Faiccos in particular is known for cutlet. I’ve heard good things about Comptons but haven’t been.
Salt Hanks if you want the east coast take on the French dip but it’s fine. Not with the wait.
Bacon egg and cheese at a local bodega (also sausage egg and cheese). Whatever one is closest. It’s hard to explain the magic until you’ve had one. Try it on both a roll and a bagel.
“Halal”, which has speead around the country, but get one when you’re mildly trashed and you’ll understand.
Likewise for chopped cheese.
Japanese fusion if you want to spend money. L’Abielle, Icca Italian, et al. Japanese food might get a better rep in LA but Japanese in nyc is pretty cutting edge if you look for it. Rule of thirds/Acre and the whole neighborhood is good
Wine bars if you care, and cocktails as well. For wine, Chambers. For cocktails, Sip and Guzzle or Bar Snack.
For real nyc exclusives, unless you’re planning to drop money on fine dining, it’s about accessibility. You can go from anywhere to anywhere is a heart beat, and it doesn’t matter. The real heart of New York imo is the energy and the proximity, and less specific things.
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lower manhattan and bowery area is so good for casual eats especially.
From bowery area, chinatown is a 20-30 min walk and east village is a 20-30 min walk in the other direction. There’s something magical about walking around there in the density of eats and vibes.
Fong on if you want a fresh tofu pudding (dou fu hua)
If you want New York things that you can’t get in LA, caribbean is a big one; west african food generally, but I feel like most places for that are further north on the island
compared to everything else in this thread I feel like halal is more of an only if smashed kind of thing. appreciating halal really requires either being smashed or trapped at a desk
Veselka? it’s more of an institution / east village thing
Ugh now I want to go to double chicken please
The big difference imo is that LA is a place that revolves around destination restaurants. Lower manhattan is like the density of multiple LA koreatowns or more (but more pleasant walking experience) but for all kinds of food/vibes
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Typed this out before your response so some
Overlap!
Whoop, I’d say if you are willing to travel, there are a few nyc rarities. In deeper Brooklyn, Afghani, Pakistan and middle eastern sans Indian food thrives along Coney Island Ave.
Caribbean in Flatbush is something you probably will not find in LA. This is the big one if you like Latin flavors, since Tatiana et al are blowing up. Get some doubles and oxtail and Caribbean curry.
Yemeni/Maghareb is solid here as well along Atlantic Ave in Brooklyn.
Id actually pass on Veselka. There is a small Ukrainian church kitchen that is cash only and where the locals go, and blows Veselka out of the water. When I last went it was called Streecha. Hours are weird but god that food is good
Georgian food you can find ish in LA, but really all ex Soviet thrives in deep Brooklyn. Think Bay Parkway or Brighton. Azerbaijani, Uzbekistan, etc.
You can find rarer Mexican food, like mole blanco inNYC along Arthur Ave in the Bronx as well. Mole blanco is a dish a lot of my Mexican friends haven’t even heard of.
Lots of Latin American proper food along Roosevelt Ave in queens, with fun hybrids since a lot of Nepalese/Tibetans/Pinoys live there. Think Venezuelan, Mexican, Momos, etc on the same ave. A trek from Manhattan though
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What does this mean? The Bowery is an avenue that literally runs through both Chinatown and the East Village.