Where to eat in New York

Restaurants, cafés and street food in New York, United States that locals actually go to — plus the local names for the chains you already know.

• Joe's Pizza — Pizza, Greenwich Village (1). Order the Plain cheese slice. The archetypal New York slice since 1975.
• Gray's Papaya — Hot dogs, Upper West Side (1). Order the Two dogs + papaya drink. The Recession Special institution, open basically always.
• Los Tacos No. 1 — Tacos, Chelsea Market (1). Order the Adobada taco on flour tortilla. Tijuana-style adobada worth the Chelsea Market crush.
• Tops Diner — Diner, East Newark, NJ (2). Order the Disco fries + French toast. The New Jersey diner — maximal portions minutes from MetLife-bound trains.
• Russ & Daughters — Appetizing / smoked fish, Lower East Side (2). Order the Classic bagel with Gaspé Nova. Fourth-generation smoked-fish counter; a century of lox done right.
• Peter Luger Steak House — Steakhouse, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (4). Order the Porterhouse for two + thick-cut bacon. Since 1887 — porterhouse liturgy, bacon by the slice.
• White Manna — Burgers, Hackensack, NJ (1). Order the Slider basket with cheese. A 1946 slider grill in a tiny glass diner; onions steamed into every patty.
• Ferrara Bakery & Cafe — Italian bakery, Little Italy (2). Order the Cannoli + espresso. Espresso and sfogliatelle since 1892.
• Xi'an Famous Foods — Xi'an Chinese, Multiple (East Village) (1). Order the Spicy cumin lamb hand-ripped noodles. From a Flushing basement stall to citywide cult status.
• Katz's Delicatessen — Deli, Lower East Side (2). Order the Pastrami on rye. Since 1888 — hand-carved pastrami and a ticket system you do not lose.
• John's of Bleecker Street — Pizza, West Village (2). Order the Whole margherita pie. Coal-fired whole pies only since 1929 — no slices, no exceptions.
• L&B Spumoni Gardens — Sicilian pizza / Italian ices, Bensonhurst, Brooklyn (1). Order the Sicilian square + spumoni. Backyard-picnic Sicilian squares and spumoni since 1939.

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