Tag: NYC food guide

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: 10 of the Best Ramen Places in NYC for Your Next Noodle Run

Okiboru House of Tsukemen

Tsukemen — thick, chewy noodles dipped into concentrated broth — is a whole different sport from regular ramen, and Okiboru is where New Yorkers go to play it. The noodles have real bite, the dipping broth is intense, and one bowl tends to convert skeptics permanently.

Tonchin New York

Tonchin brings Tokyo polish to New York, with silky broths and precise toppings in a room that feels calm even at peak hours. It’s the kind of bowl that reminds you why tonkotsu became a global obsession in the first place.

GOGYO — Gramercy

Known for its smoky kogashi (burnt) miso ramen, GOGYO does things a little differently — the charred miso adds a depth you don’t get from a standard bowl. Gramercy locals treat it like a neighborhood secret, even though the secret is very much out.

Shuya

Shuya keeps the focus tight: well-executed bowls, honest ingredients, no gimmicks. Sometimes that’s exactly what a ramen craving calls for — a straightforward, deeply satisfying bowl that doesn’t need to show off. For more comfort-food crawls, here’s 15 of the best pizza places in NYC for your next pizza crawl.

Ramen By Ra

A newer name earning its stripes, Ramen By Ra has been winning over noodle obsessives with careful broths and springy noodles. Keep an eye on this one — spots like this tend to have lines out the door within a year.

Ramen Ishida

Ramen Ishida is the connoisseur’s pick: refined, deliberate, and quietly excellent. The kind of place ramen nerds mention in hushed tones, where every component of the bowl has clearly been thought through.

Mr. Taka Ramen

Mr. Taka keeps it approachable — solid bowls, friendly prices, and a menu that doesn’t overwhelm. It’s a great first stop if you’re just starting your ramen journey, and a reliable standby if you’re deep into it.

Nakamura

Nakamura has the downtown cool factor nailed: great noodles in a room that feels like the East Village at its best. The shoyu-based bowls are clean and savory, the kind you think about the next day.

IPPUDO NY

The New York outpost of Japan’s famous IPPUDO chain, and still one of the most consistent bowls in the city. The Akamaru Modern with its garlic oil is a modern classic — rich, punchy, and exactly what you picture when someone says “ramen night.”

Ivan Ramen

Ivan Orkin’s famous shop blends Japanese technique with a New Yorker’s palate — the shio and rye noodle combinations shouldn’t work as well as they do. It’s proof that ramen in New York has become its own delicious thing. Craving more after your bowl? Here’s 10 of the best lobster spots in and around NYC for your next food mission.

From rich tonkotsu and smoky miso to clean shoyu and thick, chewy tsukemen, New York’s ramen scene rewards repeat visits. Save this list for the next time the craving hits — because it will.

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: 10 of the Best Late-Night Eats in NYC for Your After-Hours Cravings

Empanada Mama — Hell’s Kitchen

The undisputed heavyweight of NYC late-night eating. Empanada Mama’s Hell’s Kitchen location confirms 24/7 hours, which means there’s never a bad time for a crispy empanada at 4 AM. The menu is huge, the turnaround is fast, and it has saved more nights out than any of us care to admit.

Coppelia — Chelsea

Coppelia is that rare 24-hour spot that doesn’t feel like a compromise. The Cuban-Dominican menu goes deep — mofongo, ropa vieja, strong coffee — and the people-watching at 2 AM is half the fun. It’s a Chelsea landmark for a reason.

Gammeeok — Koreatown

When the night gets cold and you need something restorative, Gammeeok’s Korean comfort food is the answer. Rich soups, sizzling plates, and a room full of people who had the same idea you did. Koreatown does late night better than almost anywhere in the city.

Kellogg’s Diner — Williamsburg

A proper old-school diner holding down Williamsburg through the night. Kellogg’s is the kind of place where the coffee is bottomless, the pancakes don’t judge, and the booth next to you is having a better conversation than yours. Classic, essential, open late.

Court Square Diner — Long Island City

Queens keeps the lights on late too. Court Square Diner in LIC is a chrome-and-neon throwback serving the full diner canon deep into the night — the kind of place where a 1 AM gyro platter just makes sense.

Veselka — East Village

Veselka has been feeding the East Village around the clock for decades, and the pierogies at 3 AM taste like a hug. Ukrainian comfort food, bottomless coffee, and a room that’s seen everything — it’s as New York as it gets. For more East Village flavor, see 15 of the best pizza places in NYC for your next pizza crawl.

BCD Tofu House — Koreatown

Bubbling soon tofu at midnight is a top-tier life decision. BCD Tofu House brings the heat and the comfort in equal measure, with sizzling stone pots that arrive still furiously bubbling. Spice lovers, this one’s for you — and for more heat, here’s 16 of the best spicy tofu spots in NYC.

Mamoun’s Falafel — Greenwich Village

A falafel institution that has fueled late nights in the Village for generations. Crispy, cheap, fast, and open when you need it most — the falafel sandwich here is one of the city’s great equalizers. Everyone from students to celebrities has stood in this line.

East Village Pizza — East Village

Sometimes the night just calls for a slice, and East Village Pizza answers. Hot, foldable, available deep into the night — it’s the exclamation point at the end of a long evening. No notes.

Hadramout Restaurant — Brooklyn

For something different at an ungodly hour, Hadramout brings Yemeni cooking to Brooklyn’s late-night scene — fragrant rice platters, slow-cooked meats, and flavors you won’t find at the average 2 AM counter. It’s the sleeper pick on this list, and the one you’ll end up telling everyone about.

New York doesn’t believe in bedtime, and neither should your appetite. Save this list for your next after-hours food run — your future self, stumbling out of a show at midnight, will thank you.

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: 10 of the Best Thai Restaurants in NYC, From Isan Heat to West Village Classics

Bangkok Supper Club — West Village

Craving something a little more theatrical with your pad see ew? Bangkok Supper Club brings a supper-club feel to Thai cooking, with big, confident flavors and a room that feels like a night out all on its own. Order family-style if you can — the table looks better that way, and you get to argue about which dish was the best on the walk home.

Fish Cheeks — NoHo

Fish Cheeks has built its name on seafood done the Thai way, and it’s one of those places where regulars have strong opinions about the coconut crab curry. The room is small and the noise level is high in the best way. If you’re someone who plans dinner around fish, put this at the top of your list. For more all-borough food runs, here’s 15 of the best pizza places in NYC for your next pizza crawl.

Soothr — East Village

Tucked into the East Village, Soothr leans modern without losing the soul of the thing — the kind of spot where the noodles come out glossy and the spice hits you a beat later than you expect. It’s a strong pick for a date night that doesn’t try too hard.

Thai Diner — Nolita

Thai Diner takes the comfort-food format and runs it through a Thai lens — think diner classics reimagined with fish sauce, lime, and chili. It’s playful, it’s packed most nights, and the menu reads like someone having the time of their life in the kitchen.

Chalong Southern Thai — Hell’s Kitchen

If your tolerance for heat is more bragging right than preference, Chalong is your place. Southern Thai cooking doesn’t hold back, and the dishes here come layered — sour, salty, and hot all at once. Bring napkins. Bring friends who won’t judge you for sweating.

Pranakhon — Greenwich Village

Pranakhon keeps things elegant: refined Thai cooking in a calm, good-looking room in the Village. It’s the rare Thai spot that works equally well for a business dinner and a quiet anniversary, which is probably why it’s so hard to get a table on a Friday.

Zaab Zaab — Elmhurst

Head to Queens for the real Isan heat. Zaab Zaab is the kind of no-frills spot where the spice levels are honest and the flavors are loud — northeastern Thai dishes that taste like someone’s grandmother is still in charge. Elmhurst is full of gems like this; it’s worth the subway ride. Speaking of Queens eats, don’t miss 10 of the best burritos in NYC, from the Bronx to Rockaway Beach.

Saranrom Thai — Elmhurst

Another Elmhurst standout, Saranrom Thai keeps the menu broad and the prices kind. This is weeknight Thai food at its best — fast, fiery, and the kind of place where you end up ordering “just one more thing” every single time.

SriPraPhai — Woodside

SriPraPhai is a Woodside institution and a rite of passage for anyone serious about Thai food in New York. The menu is enormous, the room is humble, and the papaya salad alone justifies the trip. If you’ve only ever had Thai food in Manhattan, this is the place that recalibrates your standards.

Mitr Thai — Midtown

Good Thai in Midtown that isn’t a sad desk-lunch situation? Mitr Thai delivers. It’s the rare Midtown spot with real character — handy for a lunch break that actually feels like a break, or a pre-theater dinner that won’t make you late for curtain.

However you like your Thai — fiery Isan dishes in Queens, elegant plates in the Village, or a modern twist in the East Village — New York’s got a table waiting. For more late-night inspiration after dinner, check out 16 of the best spicy tofu spots in NYC for heat lovers.

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: 16 of the Best Spicy Tofu Spots in NYC for Heat Lovers

If you think tofu is bland, you haven’t had it the New York way. This city’s spicy tofu game runs deep — from Korean kitchens ladling out bubbling soondubu jjigae to Sichuan spots where the mapo tofu hits with that signature numbing heat. Here are eight standouts worth putting on your list first.

Where the heat is

Mountain House in the East Village and Spicy Moon, also in the East Village, both lean into the spice-forward side of the menu. Over in Koreatown, Cho Dang Gol and BCD Tofu House are the go-to names for Korean-style tofu stews done properly — the kind that arrive still bubbling in the stone pot.

For Sichuan heat, Chuan Tian Xia in Sunset Park brings the fiery, numbing peppercorn kick, while Café China in Midtown pairs old-school décor with a serious mapo tofu. Hupo in Long Island City and Antidote in Williamsburg round out the list for the Brooklyn and Queens crowds.

Soondubu or mapo? Why not both

Soondubu jjigae is the comfort pick — silky soft tofu in a spicy broth, usually with seafood or pork, served screaming hot. Mapo tofu is the bolder one: cubes of tofu in a chili-and-Sichuan-peppercorn sauce that builds as you eat. New York does both well, which is half the fun of working through a list like this.

Planning a full day out? Pair your tofu crawl with 20 fun things to do in NYC today, from salsa socials to outdoor movies. And if you’re in the mood for a film after dinner, DreamWorks’ Forgotten Island is the warm family pick of the season.

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: 10 of the Best Burritos in NYC, From the Bronx to Rockaway Beach

New York’s burrito scene doesn’t get the credit it deserves. Between the California-style monsters loaded with fries, proper Mission-style wraps, and spots rolling everything by hand in fresh flour tortillas, there’s a serious burrito within reach no matter which borough you’re in. Here are ten worth saving for your next craving.

The borough-by-borough hit list

Electric Burrito (East Village) and Son del North (Lower East Side) cover Manhattan’s downtown core, while Summer Salt in Flatiron holds it down further uptown. Brooklyn is stacked: Los Burritos Juárez in Fort Greene, Vato in Park Slope, B’KLYN BURRO in Clinton Hill, and two Bushwick favorites, La Abuelita and Plaza Ortega.

Don’t skip the outer boroughs. Taqueria Tlaxcalli reps the Bronx, and Super Burrito out in Rockaway Beach is the one to hit when the weather’s good and you want your burrito with an ocean view.

California vs. Mission: know your styles

The California-style burrito is the maximalist — carne asada, fries, cheese, guacamole, all of it. The Mission style is the San Francisco classic: rice, beans, meat, salsa, neatly wrapped and built to be eaten with two hands and full commitment. New York does respectable versions of both, plus plenty of hybrids that don’t care about the rules.

Make it a full outing with 20 fun things to do in NYC today — grab a burrito, then catch a salsa social or an outdoor movie. Film fans can check our review of DreamWorks’ Forgotten Island for an evening pick.

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: NYC’s Best Breakfast Sandwiches Go Way Beyond the Basic BEC

The bacon-egg-and-cheese will always have a home in New York. But the city’s breakfast sandwich scene has moved way past the basics — think scallion pancake wraps, bulgogi-loaded bagels, and hash browns stuffed inside the sandwich instead of on the side. Here’s what’s worth trying.

The new classics

The scallion pancake BEC swaps the roll for a flaky, griddled scallion pancake — crispy edges, chewy middle, and it holds up to the egg and cheese beautifully. Bulgogi and kimchi bagels bring Korean barbecue flavors to the morning bagel, sweet-savory beef with the funk of kimchi cutting through the richness.

Then there’s the pastrami, egg and cheese, which takes the deli’s greatest hit and puts it on breakfast duty. Hash brown egg sandos do exactly what the name promises — a whole crispy hash brown inside the sandwich for crunch in every bite. And malawach breakfast wraps use the flaky Yemenite flatbread as the wrapper, which might be the best vehicle of the bunch.

Spots on the radar

Worth checking out: @betweenthebagelny, @frankelsdeli, @courtstgrocers and @hanisbakerynyc — all tagged by local food hunters as places pushing the breakfast sandwich forward.

Fuel up, then see 20 fun things to do in NYC today for where to spend the rest of your morning. Working up a bigger appetite? Our Forgotten Island review makes the case for a matinee after brunch.

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: 10 Hot Chicken Spots to Try in NYC

Hot chicken has fully taken over New York. What started as a Nashville specialty now comes with Sichuan peppercorn twists, Pakistani and Indian-inspired spins, and heat levels that separate the curious from the committed. Here are ten spots to put on your spicy food crawl.

The heat map

Pecking House and Peaches HotHouse are the names that come up first — both with serious followings. Rowdy Rooster and Birdies Hot Chicken keep the Nashville style front and center, while Namkeen and Koji Chicken bring South Asian and Korean influences to the format.

For the chains-done-right crowd, Dave’s Hot Chicken and Hangry Joe’s both have NYC outposts, and Fluffies Hot Chicken plus 375° Chicken ‘n Fries round out a list that covers just about every corner of the city’s heat spectrum.

How to order

Start one level below what you think you can handle — Nashville-style heat builds, and the places that do it right don’t mess around. Pickles and white bread (or slaw) aren’t garnish; they’re the cooling system. And keep something cold to drink within arm’s reach.

Cool down after with 20 fun things to do in NYC today — an outdoor movie or a jazz set pairs well with a scorched palate. Or catch Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil if you want your evening as intense as your lunch.

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: 10 of the Best Lobster Spots In and Around NYC

Few things say summer in the city like a proper lobster roll — but the good news is New York’s lobster spots deliver year-round. From old-school seafood counters to white-tablecloth dining rooms, here are ten favorites in and around the five boroughs.

The roll call

Red Hook Lobster Pound in Red Hook is the classic pilgrimage — worth the trip alone. Greenpoint doubles down with Sailor & Siren and Greenpoint Fish & Lobster Co. Chelsea has three contenders: Cull & Pistol, the Lobster Place, and The Mermaid Inn.

Downtown, Mary’s Fish Camp in the West Village and Lure Fishbar in SoHo both do the thing properly, while Luke’s Lobster covers both the Upper East Side and DUMBO — handy no matter which side of the river you’re on.

Hot and buttery vs. cold and creamy

The great debate: Connecticut-style (warm lobster tossed in butter) or Maine-style (chilled lobster with mayo)? New York serves both with conviction. If you’ve never had an opinion, order one of each and settle it yourself — that’s what a seafood crawl is for.

Make a day of it with 20 fun things to do in NYC today, from waterfront hangs to evening jazz. And for a lighter evening plan, DreamWorks’ Forgotten Island is the feel-good film of the moment.