When I visited my best friend, Fiona in her new stomping ground, New York she planned a jam-packedย itinerary based solely around the Big Apple’s mouth-watering food scene – what a friend.
Ten days and ten pounds later, we had eaten our way across Manhattan sampling everything from calorific Chicago deep pan pizza toย succulent, zesty chickenย taco shells.
And although my waistline begs to differ,ย the indulgence was worth every calorie.
Here are my must eats in New York!
Cream cheese bagels
NYC does cream cheese bagels like nowhere else. Not only can you choose your flavour of bagel – plain, salted, herbed, you name it – you can also pick from a ridiculous number of cream cheese flavours and fillings (scallion and smoked salmon being a firm favourite).
Once chosen,ย an unholyย mound of the chosen cream cheese as well as, any other toppings are lathered ontoย the soft bagel guaranteeing a heavenly ooze.
Try ย Ess-a-Bagel in Midtown for a banging bagel.
Burgers
Visiting Manhattan and notย taking pleasure in an overflowing burger filled to the brim with meat, cheese, bacon, onion rings and lashings of sauce would be a crime.
Black Tap in Soho, Meatpacking, Broome Street andย Midtownย sell scrumptious burgers served up with a mammoth mound of fries. If you’re feeling brave team this with a freak-shake for dessert…
Freak-shakes
Freak-shakes have become quite the craze recently and, after trying one in New York, I can see why.
A drink and dessert in one, freak-shakes offer a thick milkshake of your chosen flavour with anything from frosting, ice cream andย chocolate sauce to crumbled cookie, chunks of brownieย and even alcohol builtย atop your glass like a piece of art.
Black Tap is where you’ll find the most Instagrammable freak-shakes that won’t disappoint.
Pizza
Where do I start with pizza.
$1 pizza slices to go, crispy thin crust pizzas, thick deep pan pizzas, NYC has it all.
Grimaldi’s in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Woodbridge, Garden City and Coney Island has been voted asย the best pizza in New York. Whilst Emmett’s in West Town makes the best Chicago deep pan pizzas in town.
Cookies
Fancy a gooey choc chip cookie the size of your head? Levain Bakery is the place for you.
A cute tinyย bakery in Wainscott, Harlem, Amsterdam Avenue and West 74th Street, this bakery’s cookies are so popular you’ll be lucky if you don’t have to queue before getting your hands on the crumbling cookie of your choice.
Get a selection of flavours and find a pew in Central Park to gorge.
Tacos and nachos
Along with the prominent Mexican influence in the US comes fantastic Mexican food.
In New York, tacos are served in a floury soft shell stuffed with everything from smokey strips of succulent pork, beef and chicken to crispy strips of fishย topped with tangy salsa, coriander and an essential squeeze of lemon. Whilst nacho ‘chips’ย tend to come doused in a mound of chilli, cheese and fresh tomato salsa.
The best tacos I had in the city were atย Los Tacos No.1 in Chelsea Market. Push the boat out by getting one of each filling – you won’t regret it.
Mac n’ cheese
A trip to New Yorkย would not be complete without indulging in a delicious,ย gooey bowl of mac n’ cheese.
Try The Smith in Midtown, East Village, Nomad or Lincoln Square for a giant portionย (tip: one appetizer is enough as a main course).
Have you ever been to New York? What would beย your must eats in the city?
