Rocky’s Guide to NYC – Rockin Meals

A local’s NYC Food Faves: From Lattes to Late-Night Treats

After 3 years of living in NYC, I figured it was finally time to compile a list of all my go-to spots in one place. As someone with an aggressively long “want to go” list on Google Maps (currently sitting at 700+ spots, send help), and someone who’s basically always thinking about their next meal, narrowing this list down was… a challenge. But we made it.

NYC has so much good food, so after every meal, I mentally file the place into one of three categories:

Would not return (we had a nice run),
Glad I tried it, but once is enough, or
Take my money, I’m absolutely coming back.

This list? It’s all category 3. Whether you’re visiting for the first time or just looking to try something new, these are my favorite places that I recommend again and again. The very top 3-4 of each list are my absolute favorites, while the rest of the list isn’t in any particular order. I hope you love these spots as much as I have, feel free to comment with any questions or places you’ve tried!

I also made a handy little Google Maps list as I find having recommendations embedded into a map is the easiest way to pick spots based on where you’re located. This way you’ll have everything saved in one place and eat your way around the city like a true pro.

👉 Here’s the map with all my favorite spots — save it, use it, love it!

I broke this list down by categories, putting my favorites for each:

COFFEE:

Because you’re going to need some strong coffee in the city that never sleeps.

787 Coffee – Locations all around the city — their iced coquito latte is a great weekend treat.
Kam Hing Coffee Shop – Great Chinese bakery for sponge cake and Vietnamese coffee
La Colombe Coffee – Their draft latte is great
BUDDIES COFFEE – Great Puerto Rican–owned coffee shop — the owner is super sweet and their cortado and iced coquito latte are amazing.
Devoción – Favorite coffee spot for strong coffee.
Café Lyria – Freddo cappuccino is the move here
Ten Thousand Coffee – Great espresso drinks and space — great spot to hang or grab and go.

Bakeries & Breakfast

Best way to start your day, this list has everything from bagel spots, bakeries, to sit down breakfast.

Librae Bakery – My favorite bakery in the city — their feta dill scone is amazing, as is their za’atar bun. Their iced coconut americano is also delicious
La Cabra Bakery – Their cardamom buns are worth the hype, but go early or on a weekday because the weekend lines aren’t worth it
Apollo Bagels – Really love their everything bagel with tomato — SO good. They also have locations in EV and Williamsburg
Tompkins Square Bagels – One of my favorite bagel places specifically for their bagel sandwiches as well. Can order ahead and sit to people-watch in Tompkins Square Park
Santa Fe BK – Really delicious breakfast burrito — I like the one with sausage.
Julien Boulangerie – Great quiche and croissant
12 Chairs Cafe – Really like this spot for brunch — get all the dips and the arayes.
Jams – great brunch spot near Central Park. Their green shakshuka is amazing!
Popup Bagels – Some of my favorite bagels in the city — I like ordering ahead so I don’t have to wait in line and taking them to eat in Washington Square Park

Restaurants

Tried not to make this list exhaustive, but I wanted there to be something for everyone on this list. You know we love flavor around here, and these restaurants deliver on all fronts.

Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi – This is probably my favorite restaurant in NY and great for a special occasion. The vibes, the creativity of the food, the FOOD! THE FOOD! is fantastic. Everything from the pastrami suya to the goat patties to the oxtail was amazing. Cocktails are great here too! Hard to get a reservation, but go early and put your name down.
Thai Diner – I take everyone who comes to visit me here. The crab fried rice, chicken & banana blossom salad, short rib panang, pad thai, and roti canai appetizer (the list can go on) are incredible!
Potluck Club – Fun vibe and great food – fried chicken (order extra biscuits and XO jam), pork & chive potstickers, tiger prawn, rice roll noodles.
Misi – really great spot in Williamsburg right on the water near Domino Park. Snag the whipped ricotta toast with the mushrooms, sheep’s milk ricotta occhi, and nduja bucatini.
Nowon East Village – Really fun Korean fusion restaurant—their legendary burger is one of my favorite burgers in the whole city.
Jing Fong – My favorite place for traditional cart dim sum—the har gow, siu mai, cheung fun, and sesame balls are all great.
NUBIANI – One of the best KBBQ spots in the city – really high quality, reasonably priced, and great vibe.
Cucina Alba – The truffle pasta, eggplant parm, and focaccia bread appetizers here are all incredible.

Fish Cheeks – One of my favorite spots in the city for Thai food—their crab fried rice is some of the best in the city, the whole branzino is amazing, and their wings and crab curry are also really great.
Thirteen Water – My favorite omakase and reasonably priced at $85 per person—they also have a West location.
Rubirosa – A staple if you can get a reservation—their tie-dye pizza is to die for.
Rolo’s – Great neighborhood spot for wood-fired eats—the lasagna, rib eye, and Calabrian bread are delicious.
Shanghai 21 – Great spot for sit-down in Chinatown. Their soup dumplings and spicy wontons are some of the best.
Kame – Their spicy ramen is really delicious.
Nami Nori – Really yummy temaki spot. They have a Williamsburg location too.
S&P Lunch – Great diner for a tuna melt and matzo ball soup.
Laser Wolf – Really delicious Mediterranean food with incredible views of Manhattan.
Don Angie – Their lasagna really is that good.
Pig and Khao – Their chili pan mee, fried chicken (when they have it), and cocktails are excellent.

Quick Bites

For when you don’t want a sit down meal but still want something filling to keep you going!

Super Taste – Hands down my favorite place for dumplings in the city. Fried pork dumplings are a must and their hot sesame noodles are great too.
Scarr’s Pizza – Their hot boy pizza is probably my favorite slice in the city.
L’Industrie Pizzeria – Their fig bacon pizza or their spicy pepperoni are my favorites. The burrata slice is skippable IMO but the gelato is a must, especially with the olive oil and flaky sea salt topping.
7th Street Burger – You can’t come to NY without a late night double smashburger from 7th Street. I take everyone that comes to visit me here and there’s now locations all around the city.
Shu Jiao Fu Zhou – A staple on every Chinatown food crawl I take people to for their cheap peanut noodles and steamed dumplings (they have fried dumplings on weekends too that are amazing).
All’Antico Vinaio – a sandwich shop from Florence, their mortadella, burrata, and pistachio pesto is truly memorable.
Grand Street Skewer Cart – Great spot for skewered meat—the spicy seasoning they put on top is amazing.
New Kim Tuong – Next to the famous Wah Fung that always has a line but this place is better IMO.
846 Grocery – You can’t leave NYC without getting a chopped cheese—specifically on a roll with Chipotle mayo. This spot is my favorite to grab before a Yankees game (grab a beer and head to the back patio), but there’s bodegas all around NYC you can head to.
A&A Bake Doubles and Roti – If you’ve never had Trinidadian food you are missing out. Our favorite spot for doubles, a bake and saltfish, and their buss up shut plates with curry shrimp and pumpkin are delicious.
Katz’s Delicatessen – This place is iconic for a reason and their pastrami is actually great/worth it. Open late night—when you go in, grab a ticket and head further down the meat counter for less of a line.

Sweet Treats

Because walking around NYC is better with a sweet treat reward.

Joey Bats Cafe – A must-stop in Chelsea Market for their Portuguese egg tarts—the perfect little sweet treat for walking around.
Culture Espresso – Their corn cookie is SO good—like a mix between a sugar cookie and cornbread. Their chocolate chip is really good too!
Caffe Panna – My favorite ice cream in the city. The menu rotates, but don’t skip the panna on top whatever you do. If they have any of the marshmallow flavors, get it, otherwise their Aud’s dream is great too.
Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakery – Their cheesecake is incredibly good.
Magnolia Bakery – People come here for their banana pudding, but I personally think their cheesecake is better—super creamy and delicious.
Levain Bakery – Proof that popular doesn’t always mean overrated, these cookies live up to the hype, especially their coconut caramel. There are locations all around the city, but I love to snag a cookie after a long walk through Central Park.
Martha’s Country Bakery – Love this spot for a late-night sweet treat—their key lime pie is really delicious, and they do specials daily like $3 slices of pie on Wednesdays.
Gelateria Gentile – Williamsburg – Really good gelato.
KYU NYC – their coconut cake is really incredible.
Pinklady Cheese Tart – really great spot for creamy cheese tarts – the blueberry original and ube are probably my favorite flavors.

Bars

From cocktail lounges to dive bars, this list has it all!

Amor y Amargo – One of my favorite cozy bars in the city, great for a pre-dinner drink in Manhattan.
Forgtmenot I love the vibes here. The decor, the friendly crowd, just an overall great place to watch soccer or hang with friends.
Gallow Green – Cute garden rooftop bar.
Joyface – one of my favorite bars to go out dancing with the girls. They play 70s music and have a disco ball and its just so much fun.
The Charleston – our favorite dive bar, you get a $1 personal pizza for each drink you order and there’s a lot of fun games.
Peak Lounge Bar – Great rooftop bar with stunning views of the city.
Sauced – Fun wine bar with a back patio.
Lamonte – Love this place for a carajillo (like a Mexican espresso martini) on the back patio.
Harriet’s Rooftop – Great view of the city from Dumbo for a cocktail during the day or at sunset.
Paddy Maguire’s Ale House – Great spot in the winter as it’s decked out in Christmas decorations.
Please Don’t Tell – Fun little speakeasy.
The Dead Rabbit – I love this place for a guinness, Irish coffee (frozen or hot), and a Scotch egg.
BAR GOTO – Really fun cocktail bar for whiskey lovers, their plum boulevardier and hojicha old fashioned are both great.
Westlight – Great spot in Williamsburg during the day for views of the city.
Desert 5 Spot – Fun country bar for dancing and live music.
King Tai – Great cocktail bar with pop-up food trucks.
Olde City Cheesesteaks & Brew – As an Eagles fan, you know I had to put my favorite bar to watch games at! Get there early because it gets packed.

BONUS: Things to Do

One of the things I love SO much about NYC is that there’s something here for everyone. You’re never short of things to do, but here’s some ideas to check out whether its your first time visiting or 10th time!

Live Music – There’s no shortage of spots in NYC for live music. The Django is my favorite for a live jazz show, Arlene’s Grocery is really fun for a more casual live music vibe, and you can find a variety of free summer concerts in the park here.
Comedy – I take almost everybody that comes to visit me to comedy because it’s such a fun nighttime activity. Check out the iconic Comedy Cellar or pop into lesser known casual spots like East Village Stand Up Comedy or Sesh Comedy for BYOB with friends.
Art Galleries – check out Thirsty Gallerina for wine + art events for a date night or night out with friends.
Parks – of course a trip to Central Park is a must (I really enjoyed doing the bike loop on a Citi bike to see the whole park, but Prospect Park, Washington Square Park, and Elizabeth Street Garden are also really high up there for me. It’s a great way to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city for a picnic or walk around.
Sports Games – depending on the time of year you come, catching a Knicks or Rangers game at MSG, NY Liberty game at Barclays, or Yankees game at Yankee Stadium, all can be such a great time. If you go to a Yankees game, check out Billy’s for a fun vibe before the game, or grab a beer and chopped cheese from 846 Grocery Corporation to sip on their hidden back patio before the game.
Food Markets – in case you didn’t get enough food from the lists above, Smorgasborg is such a fun way to try multiple different kinds of food. You can check out the locations and days open here. If you do have time to venture out to Queens, I highly recommend heading to Queens Night Market for the most diverse and delicious assortment of food you’ve probably ever seen. It has a price cap of $5-6 per food item so it’s a great affordable way to try multiple different foods.
Museums – there’s a million museums in NY that you can check out, but my favorites are The Whitney Museum and of course The MET (check out their rooftop garden if you come during summertime!).
Broadway Shows – a quintessential must while in NY, dressing up for dinner and a broadway show just hits so good. My favorites are Lion King, Book of Mormon, Harry Potter, and Hamilton.
Farmers Markets – I love a farmers market stroll, and the Union Square Greenmarket is hands down the best. It’s open Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays and has everything from fresh produce, pastries, flowers, to handmade art.

Kid Friendly NYC

I’ve been lucky enough to have both my godson (8yo) and niece (5yo) come visit me in NYC. Since finding the right kid-friendly activity in NYC can be trial an error, I compiled a list of our favorites below:

Sloomoo Institute – this was probably our favorite spot of the trip – such a fun sensory experience touching slime with different colors, textures, and smells.
Statue of Liberty – a ferry is a fantastic way to get around the city that’s kid friendly. You can see the Statue of Liberty from a regular ferry from Dumbo to Wall St, or you can pick the Circle Line Tours that will take you around the Statue of Liberty for a closer look.
American Museum of Natural History – Dinosaurs, the giant whale, and a planetarium. Have them watch Night at the Museum beforehand to get them extra into it!
FAO Schwarz – Every kid I have taken here has LOVED it – famous toy store with a giant floor piano.
LEGO Store – Rockefeller Center – Life-size builds and hands-on fun
Color Factory NYC – This was a really fun, immersive, and colorful exhibit for all ages. The ball pit at the end was a HIT!
Broadway Shows for Kids – Favorites include The Lion King, Aladdin, and Wicked.

🎠 Outdoor Fun

Central Park – Climb rocks, ride the carousel, visit the zoo, or rent rowboats at Loeb Boathouse.
Brooklyn Bridge Park – Piers with playgrounds, splash pads, and Jane’s Carousel.

That’s my list — for now😉. NYC’s food scene is constantly changing, but these are the places I always return to. If you try any of these, tag me or let me know what you think! And if you’ve got a spot I need to check out, I’m all ears!

Rockin Meals