🗽TIP: OUR NYC RECS
Cereal Ice Cream from Momofuku Milk Bar in NYC | Photo: Average Socialite
This list is for our friends & family visiting New York City who ask for recommendations on where to go & what to do!
First, check our New York City calendar to find out about any events during your visit!
Make sure you book your restaurant reservations in advance. Check their sites or OpenTable.com for bookings. Also, check if it's Restaurant Week during your visit (Three-course prix-fixe dining, featuring at over 500 of the City’s finest restaurants).
BARS/COCKTAILS
Most of the restaurants listed below have bars. Also visit our List of NYC Rooftops and our list of Hidden Restaurants, Bars & Speakeasies.
RESTAURANTS
Lunch/Dinner
Naya
Delicious Middle Eastern/Lebanese cuisine & grill (think Chipotle of Lebanese food)
While We Were Young
Kitchen and cocktails. Healthy Contemporary American Cuisine that is an instagrammer’s favorite!
Vandal
Globally inspired street eats & cocktails in a splashy space with a lower-level lounge & DJs.
Tao Downtown
This enormous, clublike Pan-Asian eatery is known for a huge Buddha centerpiece & a trendy crowd.
STK Downtown
A chic clientele samples steak & scenery in this sleek Meatpacking District setup with a roof deck. (There's also an STK Midtown)
Blue Box Cafe at Tiffany & Co.
Opened in November of 2017, you can now literally have breakfast at Tiffany's!
Check out our post for details & reservation info!
Christmas at Rolf's
Snug German restaurant & bar with an old-world vibe known for its elaborate holiday decorations. Holiday decor is up until the end of May each year. Call to make reservations during the Winter Holiday Season!
Buddakan
Huge, lavishly decorated restaurant offering a menu of Asian dishes & cocktails.
Stanton Social
Eclectic gourmet small plates, high-end cocktails & music in a chic, upscale, 3-level space.
Beauty & Essex
Happening restaurant/lounge hidden behind a pawn shop, with American food & upscale cocktails. Included on our list of Hidden Restaurants, Bars & Speakeasies.
Slick, bi-level space known for celebrity sightings, creative seafood-focused food & a rooftop.
Very popular - large Italian marketplace/food hall in Flatiron.
Authentic Mexican dishes and amazing margaritas! Several locations.
Stylish, dark haunt with a clubby vibe serving Mexican fare in the Dream Downtown hotel.
High-end takes on red-sauce fare await at this A-lister Italian restaurant in a retro-glam space.
Sceney Mexican spot with no-frills taqueria, cafe & exclusive basement brasserie/tequila bar. Included on our list of Hidden Restaurants, Bars & Speakeasies.
Mexican share plates made with local ingredients & tequila & mezcal in sleek digs with a big bar.
High-end Indian restaurant in Le Parker Meridien offering creative prix fixe menus & wine pairings.
Michelin-starred sophisticated Indian fare & a notable wine selection in an elegant, ornate space.
TriBeCa hot spot showcasing rustic Italian cuisine in a lively atmosphere.
New American fare & city views in an arty space on the top-floor of the Museum of Arts & Design.
Sleek, spaceshiplike restaurant & lounge serving Masaharu Morimoto's pricey Japanese cuisine.
Chef Thomas Keller's New American restaurant offers luxe fixed-price menus, with Central Park views. *pricey
Elite French restaurant offers chef Eric Ripert's refined seafood, expert service & luxurious decor. *pricey
Upscale American tasting menus from chef Daniel Humm served in a high-ceilinged art deco space. (Closing temporarily for renovations) *pricey
Michelin-starred high-end American fare in a posh, clubby setting with dining rooms & a lounge with a pool table.
Modern day version of a roadside burger stand serving delicious burgers, chicken, hot dogs, shakes, frozen custard, beer, wine & more.
(by Morimoto)
Drop in for a lunch set, or feast on appetizers and noodles for dinner
Upscale cafe chain in Barneys department store for refined Italian-American plates & salads.
Bergdorf Goodman's 7th-floor cafe offers salads & sandwiches, afternoon tea & Central Park views.
This expansive hotel eatery has 9 food stations preparing eclectic eats, from sushi to pizza. Located under The Plaza Hotel.
Filipino-Thai-accented SE Asian fare & specialty drinks served in modern, stylish digs with a patio.
Michelin-starred New American.
Iconic delicatessen
closed
Legendary pastrami, corned beef & Jewish deli classics.
Filipino Taqueria
Italian
Brunch
Bustling Mediterranean-American bistro popular for its weekend brunch & sidewalk cafe. (No reservations during brunch hours)
Posh chain serving American fare, including brunch & dessert. Some offer dinner & cocktails.
A swanky take on a diner attracting people-watchers all day & post-clubbers late nights.
Classic Roman-Italian soul food in an a casual but elegant setting.
Breakfast & brunch are specialities at this high-end restaurant inside Le Parker Meridian Hotel.
Party Brunches
Fine French bistro known for a lively brunch scene, with an opulent space accented by graffiti art.
Upscale, industrial-chic Italian eatery with a downstairs nightclub featuring DJs & bottle service.
Snacks/Coffee/Tea
Also check out our updated list of Desserts here!
Cookie Dough ice cream - the latest NYC trend.
Black and White Cookie
The cookie made even more famous by Seinfeld Episode 77. A black-and-white cookie, or half-and-half cookie, is a soft, sponge-cake-like shortbread which is iced on one half with vanilla fondant, and on the other half by chocolate fondant. Find it in any deli or bakery.
NYC Pizza (All over NYC)
NYC Hot Dogs (All over NYC)
Made famous by SATC
Snug, charming bakery known for it's Kim K crying face and other famous celeb face cookies & cupcakes with flowers.
Bite sized cupcakes
A cupcake ATM on 780 Lexington Avenue
Home of the Cronut. Also try the cookie shot.
Coffee, bites & instagram-worthy photo ops
Made famous by the movie. The popular item is the frozen hot chocolate.
Ralph Lauren's daughter, Dylan, created what claims to be the largest candy store in the world.
Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer
Their milkshakes were a recent NYC craze.
Asiate in Mandarin Oriental Hotel
Nice views of the park. I would go here for tea. You can also go for lunch/dinner.
Whimsical tea salon on a brownstone.
Tea salon & garden. Macarons
Award-winning bakery from chef & owner Christina Tosi.
Try their cereal milk flavored ice cream!
(Meatpacking or Upper West Side)
With locations in some of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities, including Las Vegas, New York City, Bahrain, Chicago, Miami and Orlando, Sugar Factory is known the world over for its celebrity-endorsed Couture Pops, which have turned sweets into the latest designer accessory. Iconic superstars including Kylie Jenner, Kendall Jenner, Britney Spears, Drake, Nicole Scherzinger, Kim Kardashian, Eva Longoria and Rupert Grint are just a few of the celebrities who have either endorsed or have been spotted with the sparkly lollipops. Sugar Factory’s loyal celebrity following has received widespread media attention from People Magazine, the Daily Mail, US Weekly, Entertainment Tonight, Extra and more.
The food at Sugar Factory American Brasserie is a treat for all, offering guests a one-of-a-kind dining experience, serving decadent and tasty fare to satisfy any craving. Created by a team of world-class chefs, the signature menu offers everything from pancakes and sweet and savory crepes to salads, burgers and pizzas, all available throughout the day. Sugar Factory also offers spiked adult beverages made with premium spirits, including Sugar Factory’s signature 36-ounce alcohol-infused smoking candy goblets, all of which are available without alcohol for the kids.
Home of the legendary fish-shaped ice cream cones. Try out the unicorn!
SIGHTSEEING/ATTRACTIONS
The Vessel/Hudson Yards
The Edge/Hudson Yards
Statue of Liberty
Empire State Building
Broadway
Metropolitan Museum of Art (There is a Met Gala Exhibition (every May - September)
Guggenheim
Central Park
Top of the Rock
The Highline
Grand Central
Catch a Broadway show (Hamilton or check our list of openings)
FAMILY FRIENDLY
Dylan's Candy (above)
Alice's Tea Cup (above)
Sugar Factory (above)
M&M Store
The Vessel/Hudson Yards
Hershey's Store
American Doll
Central Park Zoo
American Museum of Natural History
NY Botanical Garden
Broadway Shows (Wicked, Hamilton)
SHOPPING
Food Hall & Shopping Mall in Meatpacking District
Hudson Yards
Stores you may not have at home:
Banana Republic
Abercrombie & Fitch
J.Crew
Uniqlo
TopShop
American Apparel
Urban Outfitters
Zara
H&M
Ricky's
LuluLemon
Department Stores
Bloomingdales
Saks Fifth Avenue
Bergdorf Goodman
Macy's
Lord & Taylor
Barney's
Henri Bendel
The Apple Store
Tiffany & Co.
PRIVATE/MEMBERS ONLY CLUBS
Parlor
Norwood
The Soho House (Manhattan & Brooklyn)
Playboy Club
HOTELS
Booking a room here will give you access to the Members Only spaces/restaurants.
Dream Downtown
The Standard Hotel
The W Hotel
ROOFTOP POOLS
(see above)
Beach at Dream Downtown ($65 day pass, M-F 11AM-5PM)
La Piscine at Hotel Americano ($40 day pass, 9AM-5PM)
Le Parker Meridian ($150 day pass)
(day pass available)
Hotels you can book that will grant you access to their pool: Hotel Gansevoort, The James Hotel, Soho House, Mr. Purple, Hotel Americano, Le Parker Meridian
BLOWOUTS/HAIR
MAKE-UP
Sephora
*Hair/Make-up that Travel to You