1. IHOP, Brooklyn
My brother wanted us to try the infamous IHOP (Intentional House of Pancakes) before leaving NYC – and boy am i glad that i did. They offers different styles of pancakes such as chocolate chip, strawberry banana and New York cheesecake pancakes etc. I chose the breakfast pancake as it looked amazing with the avocados. This is a really good place if you like good, affordable and some big portion American breakfast.
2. Joe’s Pizza, Greenwich Village
If you want a really authentic New York pizza, then there is no better place to go than Joe’s Pizza in Greenwich Village. It is owned and operated by Joe Pozzouli who immigrated from Naples, Italy in the 1950s and funnily enough, the pizza recipe used has changed since the pizzeria first opened in 1975. You will see many New Yorkers as well as celebrities coming here.
3. Shake Shack
After taking what seemed to be like hundreds of photos on Brooklyn Bridge, we decided to stop for some dinner at Shake Shack. I’ve read so much about them so was excited to see if it could live up to my expectations. When we entered the burger joint, we noticed the queue was all the way outside even though it wasn’t peak meal time. However, i can see what all the fuss is about. We went with a ShackBurger (cheeseburger, lettuce, tomato and ShackSauce) and Lemonade. In terms of size, it was surprisingly small but the flavour definitely made up for it. The beef taste fresh and the fries were to die for. The Shakes are also really good – thick, but not too thick and tastes like they’re made from high-quality ice cream. We went to the Brooklyn branch but apparently the original and the best is the store in Madison Square Gardens. Shake Shack New York tops my list of best inexpensive burgers.
4. Levain Bakery
I couldn’t wait to sample some of these delicious cookies from the famous Levain Bakery. I can honestly say that these are the most delicious cookies i have ever had – and i’ve had a LOT of cookies :’) I was suprised by its tucked away location, hidden down a short flight of stairs. But after trying these, i wasn’t surprised by its very long queue. It was so good that on my last day in New York, my sister and I had to run in the heavy snow, wait in a long queue, and even close to missing our flights just to get a few more of these for my parents to try. Oh these cookies are just so warm, melty and gooey!
5. Serendipity – Frozen hot chocolate
It took me two tries to get in to this infamous cafe as the line is very long – much longer than the five people you see in the movies. Being the opportunist that i am, i thought we should just wing it and turn up, grab a frozen hot chocolate, take a few pictures then be on our merry way – but it wasn’t to be as they manager told us it would be a 2-3 hours wait. Serendipity 3 is New York’s first coffee boutique opened in 1954. It has seen the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Andy Warhol and Jackie Kennedy sipping the frozen hot chocolate. It really is worth trying if you get the chance.
6. Magnolia Bakery
7. Sarita’s Mac and Cheese
Unfortunately, we never came across this due to time constraints but have heard Sarita’s Mac & Cheese are the best in NYC. S’MAC is created by Sarita and Caesar Ekya. They have a menu of about ten different signature Mac 7 Cheese dishes and also have a build-your-own creation option. I will definitely try this out next time i go to NYC.
I have not tried these out myself but have been told these places are worth checking if you have the time:
8. The Bagel Store – rainbow bagels!
9. Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory
