EThe editors · 2 New York classics lists — switch
The New York classics
The foods the city is known for, at the places that made them famous.
12 placesTwo or three daysRead the guide ↓
1. Katz’s DelicatessenPastrami on rye, hand-cut. Keep your ticket.DowntownFood & drink1 hourPastrami sandwich about $30
2. Russ & DaughtersBagel and lox from the 1914 appetizing shop.Village & DowntownFood & drink30 minBagel with lox about $20
3. Lombardi’sThe first licensed pizzeria in the US, from 1905.Village & DowntownFood & drink1 hourWhole pies about $25–30
4. Magnolia Bakery, Bleecker StreetBanana pudding, not just the cupcakes.Village & DowntownFood & drink15 minBanana pudding about $6–8
5. Shake Shack, Madison Square ParkThe first Shake Shack, in the park.MidtownFood & drink45 minBurger about $8–10
6. Ess-a-BagelHuge bagels in Midtown.MidtownFood & drink15 minBagels a few dollars
7. The Halal Guys, 53rd and SixthChicken over rice from the original cart.MidtownFood & drink15 minPlatters about $12
8. Gray’s PapayaA hot dog and a papaya drink on the Upper West Side.UptownFood & drink10 minHot dogs a few dollars
9. Levain BakeryThe giant chocolate chip walnut cookie.UptownFood & drink15 minCookies about $5–6
10. Absolute BagelsAn Upper West Side bagel favourite; cash only.UptownFood & drink15 minBagels a few dollars
11. Junior’sNew York cheesecake in Downtown Brooklyn.BrooklynFood & drink45 minCheesecake slice about $10
12. Nathan’s Famous, Coney IslandThe Coney Island hot dog, since 1916.BrooklynFood & drink30 minHot dogs about $6–8
The guide
How to do it: The New York classics
These are the foods people come to New York to eat, at the places most associated with them. None is cheap any more, and some have lines, but each is still worth doing once.
Spread them out; a pastrami sandwich alone is a meal for two.
- The order to do it in
- Lower East Side (Katz’s, Russ & Daughters, Lombardi’s) one day, Midtown (bagels, Halal Guys, Shake Shack) another, the Upper West Side (Gray’s, Levain, Absolute) and Brooklyn (Junior’s, Nathan’s) with Coney Island.
- When to go
- Mid-afternoon to avoid lunch lines at Katz’s and Russ & Daughters.
- Getting there
- Subway.
- What it costs
- About $5–30 per stop.
Worth knowing
- At Katz’s, keep the ticket you’re given at the door.
- Absolute Bagels is cash only.
Started from the pins on Capture the Atlas’s best foods in NYC map (the map). Places, notes and the guide checked and written by us; prices and opening times change, so check before you go.