Finding Food in New York Can Be Absolutely Paralyzing
a backup plan for (almost) every neighborhood
Today’s newsletter is less about writing and more about practicality. Labor day came and went and summer’s ease turned to back-to-school fall madness overnight. I love September and this weather is huge for my serotonin, but the way life has ramped up in a mere WEEK has hit me like a truck. I had the same conversation with three separate people yesterday about the woes of being an adult and how your parents and teachers and mentors forget to tell you how hard it is to feed yourself everyday, 3x a day, for the rest of your life. I have to spend money on groceries, come up with meals, carve out time to cook, AND figure out when to eat? And my alternative is choosing from one of 26,000 restaurants in a city and hoping its good, affordable, and has space/time to feed me???? This spiral could not have been a more clear symptom of the perennial Sunday Scaries, but I was exhausted by this propsect, even as someone who loves cooking and eating in general. Sometimes all I can fathom is making a baked potato.
In New York, the plethora of choice is daunting, almost fear-inducing. I will stare at Caviar for 45 minutes trying to decide what to order, and then end up having buttered noodles anyway. This can’t possibly be an original experience. We have too many choices at all times, and when you are hungry and surrounded by 20 food offerings on any adjacent block, making a decision is incredibly un-fun.
I have found a solution…sort of…and that is to have a backup option in virtually every neighborhood of New York. If I were stuck at any time of day with a growling stomach, I would have at least one place that I really like to go to, that I know won’t disappoint me or feel like a total waste of money. Usually, these are quick bites and ideally also offer caffeine. It felt only right, on this week’s very scary Sunday, that I bag my running draft and write a rundown of what those places are. I am happy to be sending it out on a BEAUTIFUL Monday afternoon when I am a bit less overwhelmed and a lot less scared of the week ahead.
For those of you who are new here—hello and welcome!! A reminder that I am always open to suggestions for themes, categories, occasions or neighborhoods you need help navigating in the vast expanse of the New York food scene. I hope this week’s list is helpful.
My Google Map that is riddled with pins and flags is almost as daunting as the great wide unknown of New York Food. People often ask how I know/remember all of the places I mark and I don’t really have an answer other than that my food-related memory is pretty good. I can’t remember how many cans of chickpeas live in my pantry (no matter how many times I check) but I vividly remember my meal at Raku in the winter of 2022. We all have our things. The way I process and categorize all of these little mental notes are mostly by neighborhood, and then by occasion. The list to follow is an amalgam of the true go-to’s, all of which I pulled off the top of my head, which to me, is merely an indicator of each spot’s reliability. The tried-and-true, the never-get-old, perfect for when you are absolutely starving or completely braindead and desperately need some food.
Also, an important reminder that you don’t need to spend $150 to eat well in New York—this whole newsletter would be way less fun if every suggestion cost an arm and a leg.
Brooklyn
Prospect Heights
Crown Heights
Bed-Stuy
Clinton Hill
Fort Greene
Brooklyn Heights
Dumbo
Cobble Hill
Park Slope
Carroll Gardens
Red Hook
Bushwick
Williamsburg
Greenpoint
Taqueria Ramirez (could also be Paulie Gee’s)
Queens
Long Island City
Manhattan
FiDi
Tribeca
Chinatown
Lower East Side
East Village
West Village
SoHo
Gramercy/Union Square
Flatiron
Chelsea
Hell’s Kitchen
Murray Hill
Midtown East
Midtown
Upper East Side
Upper West Side
I don’t spend enough time further north, south, or east to have a VETTED rec in those neighborhoods but…I will. That’s a project for this fall.
Next on the docket…
What’s on your list???
This might be the most practical and useful food list I’ve seen published hahah. Knowing the best places to eat in NYC is one thing, but being able to pull out a gem a block from wherever you find yourself is the best kind of expertise.
East Village is my runaway winner for great, cheap meals. Casa Adela and Rossy’s for Puerto Rican and Dominican food, respectively. Raku. Electric Burrito. A sandwich from Sunny & Annie’s. Smør Bakery and C&B for breakfast. I could go on. For as much as I love Brooklyn, I definitely miss the density of easy options in that area.
I love the specificity of this list! My rec that fits in with the reliable, affordable bite is Sea & Soil in Carroll Gardens, Edith's Sandwich Counter in Williamsburg, and Formosa in Bushwick.