Life in New York City
Eat & Drink
Pizza history, food halls, old-school counters, and where locals actually eat. Guides, not paid placements.
In this section
Classic NYC foodsPizza, bagels, pastrami, egg creams, and the stories behind them.Read more ↓
Food halls & marketsWhere to eat when the group can't agree.Read more ↓
Borough food tripsDay trips built around a neighborhood's food, from Arthur Avenue to Flushing.Read more ↓
Drinks & rooftopsBars and views, with honest notes on price and crowds.Read more ↓Classic NYC foods
The city's best-known foods mostly came with immigrants, and you'll find them all over town, not only at the famous addresses.
- The slice: a thin, wide New York-style slice you fold in half to eat. Neapolitan-style and square Sicilian pies are part of the story too.
- Bagels: boiled and then baked, so they come out chewy. Get one with cream cheese (a schmear) or with lox from an appetizing shop.
- Deli classics: pastrami or corned beef on rye, a half-sour pickle and a knish at a Jewish deli.
- The egg cream: it has no egg and no cream, just milk, seltzer and chocolate syrup.
- New York cheesecake: dense and rich, made with cream cheese.
- Street and bodega food: halal cart chicken over rice, the chopped cheese from uptown bodegas, and a hot pretzel from a cart.
- Black-and-white cookies: half vanilla icing, half chocolate, sold at bakeries all over the city.
Borough food trips
Pick a neighborhood, take the train, and eat your way down the main street. These are some of the city's most famous food neighborhoods:
- Arthur Avenue, the Bronx: Italian bakeries, butchers, cheese shops and red-sauce restaurants.
- Flushing, Queens: regional Chinese cooking, food courts, dumplings and Korean barbecue.
- Jackson Heights, Queens: momos, South Asian sweets, and Colombian and Mexican food.
- Manhattan's Chinatown: dim sum, roast meats, noodles and bakeries.
- Astoria, Queens: grilled seafood and Greek tavernas, plus Egyptian and Brazilian spots.
- Brighton Beach, Brooklyn: Russian, Ukrainian and Central Asian food a block from the boardwalk.
- Flatbush & Crown Heights, Brooklyn: jerk chicken, roti, patties and doubles.
- Koreatown, Manhattan: late-night barbecue and karaoke on West 32nd Street.
Food halls & markets
Good for groups that can't agree, and for a quick lunch between sights.
- Chelsea Market: in the old National Biscuit Company factory, where the Oreo was developed, right off the High Line.
- Essex Market: a Lower East Side public market with vendors under one roof.
- Arthur Avenue Retail Market: an indoor Bronx market opened under Mayor Fiorello La Guardia.
- Greenmarkets: farmers markets around the city. The best known is in Union Square.
- Outdoor weekend markets: seasonal food markets like Smorgasburg in Brooklyn. Check locations before you go, because they move.
Drinks, rooftops & tips
A few things locals know:
- The drinking age is 21 and bouncers check ID. Drinking from open containers on the street is illegal.
- Rooftop bars are popular at sunset and on warm weekends, so go early or book ahead.
- At sit-down restaurants, tipping around 20% is standard. Tax isn't included in menu prices.
- Popular restaurants book up fast. Lunch, early dinner and sitting at the bar are the easiest ways in.
- Skip the chain restaurants around Times Square. A short walk or one subway stop gets you to better food.
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