When I have been asked recently to give a few suggestions of cool places to go to in New York City, I decided to write this guide for anyone else who travels to The Big Apple in the near future.
First of all, if you are staying in a hotel – even though I suggest using Airbnb, for obvious financial reasons – I would pick one of the following: The Standard by the High Line, The Bowery Hotel, The Ace Hotel or if you have an unlimited budget, The Mercer, greatly located in Soho.
The quickest way to get around is by subway – you can buy an unlimited 7-days/30-days pass at every station. If you are a picky person and you find the subway too dirty, there are of course, yellow cabs and ubers. Their price is similar so you might find it easier to whistle for a cab and hop on one than to wait for the uber to come, and you can pay with cards/apple pay in every yellow cab so don’t worry if you don’t have cash on you.
For breakfast I would recommend you stop at Russ & Daughters Cafe, more exactly for a bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon. It’s a NYC thing.
The best coffee you’ll find at Toby’s Estate. I love their Brooklyn location the best, but they have two in the city as well. One near Flat Iron District, and one in the West Village.
I would also mention Brooklyn Roasting Co , Cafe Grumpy, Ground Support- on West Broadway, La Colombe, or McNally Jackson – a coffee shop in a bookstore (the perfect combo).
Lunch: Cafe Habana, Gaia Italian Cafe (amazing unpretentious Italian dishes) Cafe Gitane, Butcher’s Daughter – for healthy/vegan options, Jack’s Wife Freda (also perfect for brunch on weekends). The special mention here is La Esquina – I would get the quesadilla with chicken to go.
Best weekend brunch: RinTinTin, The Smile, Dimes.
After you eat at one of these places on a Saturday, make sure you don’t miss the Lavo Brunch (you can eat there as well), but the party starts around 3:30. The door is pretty hard, so consider spending some money there. Trust me, if you like to party, this is the place you want to be on a Saturday afternoon.
Dinner: for a “no secrets” dinner date, go to Buvette. No secrets because the tables are close to each other and you can hear what others are talking. But the food here is to die for. A good wine list with affordable prices and the restaurant is small and cozy. For an earlier dinner (or a late lunch) try their sister restaurant, Via Carota for Italian dishes instead of French and for the best Negroni.
Other good restaurants for dinner: Freemans, The Fat Radish, Gemma at the Bowery Hotel, Indochine, or if you are going on a date, try to make a reservation for a booth at Balthazar. You’ll love the setup.
If you want to party, Acme is a great place to go to on a Friday/Saturday night. For electronic music go to Lavo, for hip-hop go to 1Oak. Up&Down is also nice, as well as Happy Endings.
Try Magnolia Bakery for cupcakes and the best banana pudding and Veniero’s for other desserts.
The best pizza is at Di Fara. The best dumplings (and other Chinese dishes) – Joe’s Shanghai. The best burger at Minetta Tavern. Try also Burger&Barrel and Shake Shack. Best sushi (or one of the best): Blue Ribbon Sushi.
If you find yourself in Williamsburg, it is worth going to Miusa Wine Bar for a bite and a glass of American wine.
Other than that, enjoy yourself, take a walk in Central Park, eat ice-cream, feel good and have fun.
Make sure you follow MissHypeWit’s adventures in the city. She asked for the suggestions and that’s how I got to write this. You can find her on Instagram here.
And of course, don’t forget to take photos.
These are places I’ve been to and I’ve liked. Undoubtedly, there are other amazing restaurants/bars in New York City and it’s also part of the game to discover your favorites yourself.
I love your New York guide! I was hoping to ask you a question over email, could you email me whenever you get the chance? Thank you!
Thank you Paulina! Please go ahead and ask me here, I would be more than happy to be able to answer your question. 🙂