A 24-hour Walking Food Tour in New York City

3 girls, all with strikingly different backgrounds hailing from New York, California and Thailand, get together after a long and stressful semester to truly embrace the one love they truly, really share: being FOODIES.  Spring flowers in bloom, warm sunshine radiating and final exam stress-free, there was no better way to spend the day… so I thought I’d share my step-by-step journey on this 24-hour walking food tour in New York City with you all!

Stop 1: Mia’s Brooklyn Bakery, Times Square

The first step into the Big Apple’s financial district aka Times Square, was a little bakery shop called "Mia’s Brooklyn Bakery". Mia's served a wide variety of scrumptious-looking baked goods in their little shop, but the ones which immediately caught my eye were the cronuts.

I had heard ever so much about them but never had the opportunity to try one, (Boston, step up your cronut game please!) so as I took my first bite, little did I know how life-changing they would be. The perfect combination of croissant and donut intertwined into one circular pastry, with oozing, thick caramel that is so warm and flavorful, along with a sugary crunch on the outside to end it off. As I wiped the caramel off of my fingers, I savored every bite of that cronut (and honestly, thought about getting another one).

Stop 2: Joe’s Steam Rice Roll, Canal Street Market

Proceeding onto the speedy NYC subway, I got off at the Canal Street Market to explore the many food stalls there, ranging from Mexican to Japanese cuisine. I decided to go for the famous "Joe’s Steam Rice Roll." Having grown up in Asia, Asian food was definitely my first go-to and the best way to connect with my roots, and the Shrimp & Rice Roll I ordered did not disappoint one bit.

The thick rice noodles, served nice and warm, were drizzled with soy sauce along with a sprinkle of sesame on top. The composition of so many flavors in one dish tasted super flavorful, not to mention the tasty bits of juicy shrimp which could be found among this plate of noodles! 

Stop 3: Wah Fung No. 1 Fast Food 華豐快餐店 

Endeavoring to Manhattan’s Chinatown aka the ultimate GO-TO for cheap, quality and absolutely delicious Chinese food, I immediately knew this place was well-known for something just by seeing the long line gradually increasing outside the small store. Just as I had grown up eating street food in Thailand from foam containers, this made the experience of eating this dish even more enjoyable - eventually, I settled on a combination of roast chicken and roast pork with some delicious noodles.

This could not have been a more enjoyable meal in the park, as the noodles soaked in gravy were ever so flavorful, juicy and soft! The combination of both roast chicken and pork cooked so perfectly, yet so crispy and warm, were two very different ones yet both very enjoyable to eat alongside the noodles.  

Stop 4: Little Cupcake Bake Shop

Strawberry Shortcake Slice

A bit of a transition from Asian cuisine and the whole Chinatown scene, my next stop was a little bright little bakery, selling a wide assortment of cupcakes and cakes ranging from Red Velvet to Chocolate Ganache to interesting ones, such as Blue Velvet (say what?). But as a lover of all things strawberry, my eye was pinned towards the strawberry shortcake.

Besides the fact that it was all pretty in pink, the layers of vanilla and strawberry-flavored cake were so soft and buttery! On top of that, and in between the layers was the very flavorful taste of sweet strawberry buttercream icing to top it off with the little sugary bits. 

Stop 5: Luxamor

Still in a pretty in pink kind of mood, who doesn’t have room for (even more) dessert?

In this hidden gem of a dessert/tea bar, the Luxamor Waffle was a Hong Kong egg waffle in a cone, alongside 2 scoops of Vanilla ice cream and a side of fluffy whipped cream with berries and rose petals sprinkled on top. Not to mention, the pink sprinkles of sugar around the plate to enhance the whole aestheticism! With this kind of dish, you really had to get everything into one bite - the waffle, the ice cream, the whipped cream and even the pink sugar just to add a little extra flavor.  

Stop 6: Ichiran NY

Classic Tonkatsku Ramen

As the night gradually pulled to an end, dinner time had arrived and what better way to end the day than with my favorite warm comfort food in the world - ramen! Again, this place definitely had a reputation as the line was also gradually increasing throughout the night. Entering the store, I was given a checklist to customize the overall taste of ramen (i.e. saltiness, spiciness, toppings etc.) and luckily, everything turned out perfectly!

The noodles were just the perfect consistency, super thick along with a flavorful broth. The composition of the toppings such as the soft-boiled egg, pork belly, scallions, spice among the ramen broth and noodles really could not have been a better way to end off my day. I like to call myself a hopeless RAMEN-tic! 

I honestly could not have asked for a better post-finals and end-of-semester celebration and would strongly recommend this to anyone! However, the plethora of mouthwatering food places scattered among the streets of New York City is so overwhelming and tempting, which is why I believe researching and planning was also a major key to success on this trip. I truly believe it’s amazing how a love like one for food can bring people together, and that is why an even more enjoyable part of this trip was how I was able to share all these delicious food items with some of my ultimate favorite foodies.  

A BIG thank you to Spoon University (Northeastern Chapter) for bringing us together! 

Looking for other things to do on a free day with some fellow foodie friends? Try brunching at Tavern Allston, they are guarantee to wake you up with their delicious brunch menu! https://spoonuniversity.com/place/brunch-at-tavern-allston