During our eight days in NYC we spent a whole lot of time eating! Fortunately, our group of four was really harmonious and as we all like to try new restaurants, too, we've had fun times going out together and enjoying some delicious meals. And frankly, what better way can you think of getting to know a country/city better than by adapting the eating habits of its townsfolk? To my surprise, people in New York don't fit in the American nutritional picture - at least those Manhattan residents. I've never been to a city where its inhabitants are so fit and slim like Manhattan people! They are running around in their Nike Frees or Heels, being ridiculously skinny, enjoying some fresh salad or green juice. Yep, that pretty much sums it up. Of course, this scenario changes as you go to other parts of the city e.g. Queens. Eating fresh and healthy is much more expensive than buying junk food (at least in NYC), so the division of those different eating habits into the different districts is kinda obvious. The reason why you see a lot of junk in that post is a simple one: I can eat tons of salad at home but nobody does hamburgers and fries like Americans - even in Manhattan ;) Here are some of my favourite NYC dining spots!
Love, Julie.
5 Napkin Burger Hell's Kitchen: 630 9th Ave, New York, NY 10036
Seriously, these pictures speak for themselves! That veggie burger is amazeballs, as are the fries and onion rings. The location is super cool as well and I would have loved to try the delicious looking milk shakes if I had had a tiny empty space left in my stomach.
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Verb Cafe: 218 Bedford Ave, New York, NY 11211
Welcome to hipster paradise :) That place must have been there long before the word 'hipster' became so fashionable in Europe! Delicious bagels, hummus, chai and fresh orange juice are the perfect breakfast and a good start to stroll around the little vintage shops in the street. Plus: there's a photo booth outside the cafe!
Magnolia Bakery: 401 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014
Although that's a very popular spot in NYC, I wanna tell you something about the bakery. First, it's a darling place full of charming little details that are more vintage like than glamorous. It really is so pretty but extremely tiny! There's a newspaper article in the shop that relates to Sex and the City and Carrie's house is just around the corner. (Looking kinda different, though.) The cupcakes are looking beautiful but in fact don't taste well. As in all other cupcake bakeries I've tried in NYC, they are much too fat and sugary. The brownies at Magnolia are a different story and I would rather advice you to try them instead of their famous, not so delicious cupcakes.
McDonalds:
No adress here - there are McD's everywhere around town. They do have different meals than in Europe (Austria) and are a cheap and kinda yummy alternative to 'real' restaurants. You get two very delicious apple pies (that actually taste like real cinnamon apple pie!!) for one dollar. SO GOOD.
Sushi Park: 121 E 2nd Ave (between 7th St & St Marks Pl) New York, NY 10003
That sushi bar located in exciting East Village is a totally cozy place with great food and surprisingly low prices! There's even a dollar menu! All products are high quality and that restaurant's definitely worth a try.
Nathan's and Auntie Anne's: Nathan's Famous-Coney Island Boardwalk - Boardwalk and Stillwell Brooklyn, NY 11224
Coney Island is a great place to hang out on a sunny day! There a numerous outdoor seats to enjoy your meal and the lovely beachside. Nathan's a fast food restaurant with yummy dishes, such as clam chowder etc. and Auntie Anne's is an amazing pretzel take away next to Nathan's. I realized that Americans love pretzels but when I first tried those cinnamon pretzel bites, I was in 7th heaven!! That stuff seriously is so tasty! I had to buy it again on our terminal at JFK airport before leaving.
Bagels!! I love bagels. They are my typical NYC food and can be found almost everywhere around town. A great cafe is near Topshop and the loveliest bagel of our trip was prepared at a restaurant of the famous sandwich chain 'Lenny's' near the Staten Island Ferry station.
Target: 139 Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn, NY Atlantic Terminal
Target is a huge shop selling all kinds of groceries, drugs, toys, clothes, decoration etc. I was overwhelmed by the size of this shop and especially the countless products you can find there. I ended up spending three hours and 150$ on pushing my cart through the shelves and hallways and buying tons of incredible sweets, stationary and a couple of souvenirs for my family. Cray cray!!
Further nice restaurants:
Grimaldi's: Under the Brooklyn Bridge, 1 Front Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Delicious pizza restaurant!! Be prepared to wait in line for 30-60 minutes, though. It's no longer 'in fashion' in NYC to take reservations, which makes it almost impossible to get a table in a fancy restaurant without queuing!
St. Anselm: 355 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211 nr. Havemeyer St.
St. Anselm is a steakhouse serving amazing food that is being freshly cooked in front of the guests. It's more like a cozy bar with dimmed lights and great drinks (first time ordering cream soda for me - yumm!) which makes it even more comfortable. The stuff is the nicest you can imagine and that salmon steak is indescribably good. Again, you have to wait to get seated but next door is a nice bar where you can spend your time until you get informed on your free table.
