Lower Manhattan is home to SoHo, East Village, Chelsea, and Union Square alike – aka a foodie’s paradise. With so many neighborhoods and cuisines to choose from, it’s hard to know where to go. That’s why we did all the hard work for you this weekend.
The Coffee
Pushcart Coffee
Photo by Nicole Laszlo
Obviously, caffeine and the city that never sleeps go hand in hand. As soon as I arrived for Fall Break at my luxurious, cosmopolitan hotel room (read: NYU dorm in East Village), I hit up Pushcart Coffee to get my fill of society’s most accepted vice. Pushcart’s claims to fame are the fact that they accept NYU dining hall swipes and their flavored simple syrups, which change monthly.
I was fortunate enough to stumble upon the month of Lavender, and added a generous pump to my iced almond milk latte. Spending $6 on a single latte totally made me feel like a real New Yorker too – another plus!
The Bagel
Bagel Bob’s
Some people think there are only seven Deadly Sins. These people are wrong. There are eight, and the most horrific one is going to New York and not getting a bagel. I, for one, am not a sinner.
Not only does Bagel Bob’s have amazing boiled New York bagels and spreads, but it is also conveniently located across the street from Washington Square Park, where I savored my delicious egg bagel with lox and cream cheese – and the sesame bagel with peanut butter I shamelessly got the next day.
The Ramen
Ramen Takumi
Photo by Nicole Laszlo
In New York, it is easy to find great food from any culture, and Japanese is no exception. Any ramen restaurant you go to in New York will be decent at the very least, and Ramen Takumi is a decent place for decent ramen. Be aware of their hot sauce though. It is NOT Sriracha and you should ABSOLUTELY NOT dump the entire bottle into your ramen. If you do, you, like me, will end up crying into your bowl and have a numb tongue for the rest of the day.
The Cookie
Levain Bakery
Photo by Nicole Laszlo
Chances are, if you frequently peruse foodstagrams, you have heard of Levain Bakery and their famous cookies. I certainly had, so I made the trek (in a cab) to the Upper West Side to check it out. Though the line was a bit intimidating, it was well worth the wait. It went pretty quickly, and this chocolate chip walnut cookie might have been the best cookie I have ever had (like, ever).
The Pizza
Artichoke Pizza
I bring you this picture directly from Artichoke Pizza itself because I literally could not stop my friends from eating this incredible pizza long enough to take a picture. Artichoke Pizza is aptly named after its famous – you guessed it – artichoke pizza, coated in cream sauce and topped with artichoke hearts and mozzarella cheese.
The best thing about Artichoke Pizza is that it is open till 5 am. Actually, scratch that. The best thing about Artichoke Pizza is that the slices are bigger than my face.
The Brunch
The Grey Dog
Photo by Nicole Laszlo
Though you might have not been able to tell from this article, New York also has healthy food options, even for brunch. I went to The Grey Dog and had their Poached Eggs and Avocado Salad with smoked salmon. The atmosphere of this place was awesome, and having a pseudo-salad for brunch made me feel a little better about solely existing off of carbs and ice cream for the rest of break.
The Ice Cream
I saved this part for last because it is obviously the most important.
Momofuku Milk Bar
Photo by Nicole Laszlo
I had big hopes for Momofuku’s famous Cereal Milk soft serve. However, the soft serve actually tasted too much like the milk at the bottom of a big bowl of cornflakes. It made me feel like I was back in the dining hall, riddled with disappointment after being forced to have bad cereal because we were all out of Reese’s Puffs.
Big Gay Ice Cream
Photo by Nicole Laszlo
Slightly disheartened by my Momofuku experience, I went to Big Gay Ice Cream, which did not let me down. After spending 10 minutes studying the menu and pissing off my friends with my indecisiveness, I settled on the “Salty Pimp”: vanilla soft serve injected with dulce de leche and sea salt, then dipped in chocolate shell. It. Was. Amazing.
Snowdays NYC
Photo by Nicole Laszlo
Prior to my weekend in Lower Manhattan, I had only heard stories of “snow cream,” this mystical hybrid of shaved ice and ice cream, and barely even believed such a magical creation could exist. But, then, I stumbled upon Snowdays and discovered that it was not a dessert of myth.
I ordered their signature flavors, Yeti Tracks (a delightful combo of blueberry and oreo) and Sweetmilk (which was basically vanilla), and topped them with sweetened condensed milk, oreos, and marshmallows. It was the perfect end to the weekend, and the perfect beginning to my sugar crash immediately after.