Tips for Eating Out in NYC

So you’re looking for a fun, unique dining experience. New York has endless options. Hole in the wall restaurants, rooftops, cafes, food trucks, warehouses, etc. etc. While you are destined to find a delicious food experience in your price range and style preference, here are a few tips for eating out in NYC.

First, decide on an area

Approach your meal as an outing — choose a hip venue in a fun area. Have you always wanted to check out Soho? Use your next meal as the perfect opportunity. Have you heard Bryant Park is a great spot? Go there to grab lunch. Once you decide on a location, you will be able to narrow down your options by quite a bit. Here are some suggestions of where to go according to location.

Bryant Park:

Le Pain Quotidian, a quaint café with a killer menu and great coffee or Alidoro for some yummy sandwiches.

instagram.com/alidoronyc

Penn Station:

Dough Donuts has the best donuts EVER. They are the perfect snack after a long journey to Penn Station after a weekend home. Try Rose Pizza after an exhilarating St. John’s basketball game or wild concert at Madison Square Garden.

instagram.com/nycfoodandtravel

Soho:

Venture down the stairs of The Smile and enter a below-ground, dimly lit, delicious little restaurant. Laden with shopping bags and simply ravenous? Stop at the Grey Dog for a huge selection of delectable sandwiches, salads and soups and follow up your main course with a baked good and coffee.

instagram.com/nycfoodandtravel

Washington Square Park:

Looking for good food and a cozy study spot? Try Think Coffee for a grilled cheese and chai latte while you hit the books. For a more sizable meal and a lovely amosphere, try La Lanterna di Vittorio on Macdougal St.

instagram.com/thinkcoffeenyc

Don’t be afraid to explore

Why not venture to Queens and try Astoria for some foodie adventures and the Far Rockaways for summer themed food experiences. Take at trip to Bedford and mingle with the hipsters before chowing down at The Meatball Shoppe. You can’t forget about NY Sunday brunch, or the smorgasbords happening in Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan all weekend long.

instagram.com/nyc_brunchbabes

Check Instagram for inspo

How do you find out about hip places to eat? If you haven’t been utilizing Instagram as a resource, you definitely should! There are tons of cool foodie accounts that can inspire and guide you on your next food adventure. Some of my favorites are @QueensofqueensNY and @Smorgasburgqueens, which offer suggestions for places in Queens.  Some great accounts to follow that are more general to New York City include @New_Fork_City and @EatingNYC.

instagram.com/new_fork_city

And don’t forget these apps too!

Foursquare, Time Out and Yelp are also good apps and online platforms for finding trendy places to eat. They are especially convenient as you can tailor your search according to price range and atmosphere.

instagram.com/yelp

It’s part of your job as a good New Yorker to explore the wide world of food this awesome city offers. I promise, you won’t regret it. Neither will your stomach. And with a little research, your wallet doesn’t have to either!

Feature image source: instagram.com/eatingwithminnie and 400wyoming.com