What to eat New York (Manhattan)? culinary specialties and gastronomy

Enjoying yourself New York (Manhattan)

Timetable Timetable New York (Manhattan)

If you feel like having a pasta dish at snack time or a burger in the middle of the night, you will have no problem doing so in New York! Most restaurants are open all day and serve food all day long. Diners have the longest hours, opening early in the morning for breakfast and late at night. Some restaurants are even open 24 hours a day, such as Cafeteria in Chelsea(www.cafeteriagroup.com/), Empanada Mama in Hell's Kitchen(www.empmamanyc.com), or Waverly Diner in Greenwich Village(www.waverlydiner.com). The only exception to the rule are the fine dining establishments, which often break for the afternoon or open only for dinner, and may close on certain days of the week

The hours of operation vary depending on the type of restaurant and the neighbourhood. Where there are businesses, particularly in Midtown and the Financial District, restaurants are often crowded at lunchtime by office workers. On weekends, it's crowded everywhere, as brunch drives New Yorkers crazy! Finally, the restaurants that have a certain hype (and there are many) are rarely empty.

If you're planning on sampling some of the best restaurants during your stay, we highly recommend that you make your reservations well in advance. The website www.opentable.com is ideal for this. Some establishments do not accept reservations, especially for brunch, in which case you will have no choice but to wait in line, like a real New Yorker!

Budget & Tips Budget & Tips New York (Manhattan)

Food is not cheap in New York. Restaurants are quite expensive, especially since the prices do not take into account the tip or the local tax. If you are in an AirBnB or your hotel room is equipped with a kitchenette, you will make serious savings!

Even so, there are options for smaller budgets. The first one is to eat a slice of pizza for 1 or 2 US$ in one of the countless pizza joints in the city, a typical New York experience! Asian restaurants that don't pay a fortune often offer dishes at unbeatable prices, as do salad bars. Finally, food carts usually offer hearty dishes for less than $10. They are everywhere, even in the very chic Upper East Side, where you will find one of the most famous food carts in the city, Tony's Dragon Grill. Finally, the fast food chains, and God knows there are many in the United States, offer good prices, even if, from a dietary point of view, you can hardly do worse.

The best way to indulge in one of the city's fine restaurants without blowing your budget is to participate in Restaurant Week. This foodie-friendly event is held twice a year, in June/July and January/February. About a hundred restaurants offer a very attractive formula, with very attractive fixed-price menus. More information on participating restaurants can be found at www.nycgo.com/restaurant-week.

To find the city's must-try restaurants, the Zagat guide has long been the bible for New Yorkers. For the past few years, The Infatuation (www.infatuation.com) and Eater (www.ny.eater.com) have been the main reference sites. They provide good addresses for all wallets and offer interactive maps by neighborhood.

The vast majority of restaurants accept credit cards, with the exception of some that opened ages ago. This is the case of Lombardi's, the oldest pizzeria in New York, located in NoLIta

What costs extra What costs extra New York (Manhattan)

A thorny subject if ever there was one, the tip deserves some explanation! To begin with, you should know that in the United States, service is never included in a restaurant (with rare exceptions, in which case the mention " gratuity included " is displayed on the menu). Whatever the quality of the service, it is therefore required to leave the equivalent of 15 to 20% of the amount of the bill as a tip

To simplify the calculation, multiply the local tax (8.875%) on your bill by 2. Even easier: use the Tip 'n Split mobile app, which will calculate the tip for you. In any case, the reputation of the French is so well established that, once someone has guessed your country of origin, you will often see the "Tip" box already filled in at the customary rate! Even if you pay by credit card (we can see you coming...), you will not escape the tip. In this case, don't forget to write the amount of the tip in the "Tip" box and the total amount of the bill yourself, otherwise there will be bad surprises later

Finally, you should also know that prices in restaurants are displayed without tax. In addition to the tip, the local tax of 8.875%, which we mentioned earlier, is added to the total amount. After all this, the final bill has little to do with the menu prices.

The local way The local way New York (Manhattan)

What inevitably shocks Europeans when they travel to the United States are the portions! Even in New York, where fashion has been healthy for several years, dishes can be more than generous. If you have a fridge and enough to reheat your food in your hotel room, just sit back and ask for a doggy bag, it's very common and no one will look at you sideways, even in fancy restaurants. The other surprise often comes from the large glass of water filled with ice that the servers automatically bring to each guest, usually before even taking the order. Don’t force yourself to finish your drink, it is impossible since the waiter will be quick to refill it as soon as you have swallowed the slightest drink!

To be avoided To be avoided New York (Manhattan)

Practical: the note A, B or C displayed on all food service establishments allows you to know the level of hygiene of a place without having to enter it! A, the highest score, is given to the vast majority of restaurants, while B means that there are several violations. You will see that “it does not stop New Yorkers, who eat without blinking in the schools noted B. A tip, on the other hand, don't set foot in a restaurant with a C grade if you don't want to get sick… When it is written “Grade Pending ”.raquo;, instead of letters, it means that the restaurant has a B or C rating and that it disputes the decision of the New York Department of Health. In this case, a new inspection shall be organised within one month

Kids Kids New York (Manhattan)

In the land of the child king, it is not difficult to find restaurants that please the little ones. Restaurant chains will be the best equipped to welcome your tribe: high chairs, changing tables, children’s menus, etc. Some restaurants are particularly fun for children, such as Ellen Stardust Diner (www.ellensstardustdiner.com/) or Alice’s Tea Cup (www.alicesteacup.com), on the theme of Alice in Wonderland. Establishments that do not accept children are rare, they are most often gastronomic establishments in which you would not feel comfortable with an infant anyway!

Smokers Smokers New York (Manhattan)

In New York City, smoking is strictly prohibited in enclosed public spaces, including restaurants. If you eat on the terrace, don’t tell yourself to light a cigarette  either: even without an explicit ban, it is very frowned upon and so unusual that your table neighbours may get big eyes when they see you do it. If you want to smoke before the end of the meal, leave the restaurant and move a few meters away so as not to inconvenience customers on the terrace

Tourist traps Tourist traps New York (Manhattan)

If you can, avoid restaurants in high tourist areas, especially around Times Square. In most cases, these are restaurant chains that serve an American cuisine that is not famous and often too expensive. If you move away from even a few blocks, you will find restaurants of a much higher quality. Because we can’t always do otherwise, we still have selected the best schools in these neighbourhoods!

Take a break New York (Manhattan)

Timetable Timetable New York (Manhattan)

Most bars are open by noon, but the more upscale places rarely open before 4pm on weekdays. Smaller neighborhood bars close at 1 or 2 a.m., but if you're going out on the Lower East Side, West Village, Meatpacking or Midtown, it's much later. On weekends, the nights get longer and the bars rarely close before 4am on Friday. As for coffee shops, which are legion in New York, they generally open at 7 or 8 am and close before 8 pm.

Budget & Tips Budget & Tips New York (Manhattan)

If you're going to take full advantage of New York's nightlife by hitting the city's bars (and you'd be wrong not to!), it's best to go out with a fat wallet. The prices listed do not include the local tax, which is 8.875%, or the tip. It is customary to leave a US$1 or US$2 tip per drink or, if you have had many drinks and pay by credit card, about 18% of the bill.

The highest prices are probably found in rooftops and speakeasies, where cocktails can cost up to US$20. No matter where you go out, beer is still the most affordable alcoholic drink, and there are local and artisanal brands that are really worth it! On the other hand, wine is atrociously expensive, especially for those coming from France... In bars and restaurants, the price of a glass of wine varies between 12 and 18 US$. Finally, in cafés and tea rooms, a hot drink usually costs between 3 and 4 US$

Fortunately, New York has a lot of broke people and they have found a way to go out without breaking the bank! Ask them what their secret is, and they'll whisper these two magic words: Happy Hour. This usually takes place on weekdays, between 5pm and 7pm, sometimes earlier. Alcoholic beverages are half price or a few dollars cheaper than usual. In some bars, the reduced prices also apply to food, usually appetizers or plates to share.

Age restrictions Age restrictions New York (Manhattan)

In the United States, alcohol consumption is subject to very strict rules. The minimum legal age for ordering alcohol and drinking in public is 21 years. As you enter the bars, no matter how old you may be on the slope of the quarantine, a doorman will systematically ask you for your identity card. Anyone who is not of legal age will be expelled. In some places, at specific times, young people over 18 years of age are allowed to enter but are not allowed to buy or consume alcohol once inside. A word of advice, don’t think you should break alcohol laws, it doesn’t amuse Americans who have inherited some puritanical reflexes.

What's very local What's very local New York (Manhattan)

Cocktails are to New York what wine is to Bordeaux... Every bar and restaurant in the city serves them and, even in the most obscure places, the bartender will be able to concoct you a Cosmopolitan of the thunder, shaker in hand. This pink cocktail popularized by Sex and the City was born in New York, as were the Bloody Mary, the Manhattan, the Gin-Gin Mule and the Old Fashioned, Don Draper's cocktail of choice in Mad Men. New York's trendy bars offer not only these classics but also signature cocktails of their own invention

Americans are also big fans of beer, especially IPAs, the bitter, highly hopped beers. In bars, restaurants and liquor stores, you will discover that there are New York beers, and that they are quite good: Brooklyn Brewery, Coney Island Brewery, SingleCut Beersmiths are some local brands.

As for non-alcoholic beverages, Americans, and especially New Yorkers, are big coffee drinkers. It must be said that a good dose of caffeine is often necessary to keep up with the frantic pace of the Big Apple! During a walk in Manhattan, no more than 5 minutes go by without coming across a crowded coffee shop or a New Yorker with a cup of coffee in hand. Here again, there is something for everyone: cappuccino, iced coffee when it's hot, matcha latte for the trendiest, and black coffee for the purists.

Kids Kids New York (Manhattan)

In New York, there is no law against taking a child to a bar, as long as the child is accompanied by a responsible adult and provided the place serves food

Smokers Smokers New York (Manhattan)

The legislation on smoking is very dissuasive in New York. Just like in France, smoking is obviously forbidden inside shops and cafés, the few cigar bars in the city being the only exception to this rule. This also applies to electronic cigarettes. When there are tables outside, you will sometimes see the non-smoking sign. But be aware that even when the sign is missing, smoking on the patio of a café or bar is not allowed in the United States. If you try to light a cigarette, you will be asked to move away

Practical information for travel New York (Manhattan)
Organize your trip with our partners New York (Manhattan)
Transportation
Accommodation & stays
Services / On site
Send a reply