Juliana’s Pizza: New York pizza is world-famous, and Juliana’s is the best of the best. They serve classic thin-crust pizza in a variety of style, including the usual offenders (marinara, margherita, and white pizza) and a few specialties. Get whatever strikes your fancy–it’s all delicious. Go prepared for a bit of a wait, especially if you’re there on a weekend, but the service is much quicker there than it is at Grimaldi’s.
Nerai: Located between Madison Avenue and Park Avenue, this restaurant sells high-end Mediterranean food, including excellent sea food. Dishes include a feta melon salad, pan seared dover sole, and duck moussaka. Though prices are higher–although certainly not outrageous for New York–guests will happily note that Nerai is a non-tipping restaurants, meaning no unexpected costs on the final bill.
Absolute Bagels: What’s a trip to New York without a stop for bagels? Absolute Bagels hand-rolls its bagels and serves them with a multitude of toppings, including plain, jalapeno, scallion, herb, and chives-and-garlic cream cheese, plain and flavored tofutti, a selection of deli salads including white fish and baked salmon salad, and fresh sliced deli meats. Whether you’re coming for breakfast, lunch, or a quick afternoon snack, you don’t want to miss these bagels.
Daniel: This upscale french eatery features the designs of its head chef and namesake, Daniel Boulud. Here they serve multi-course meals with elaborate tasting menus and little surprises in between the courses. The food is wonderful and the experience intimate and exciting.
Pisillo Italian Panini: Located in the Financial District, this tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurant serves some of the best sandwiches in the city. These things are fresh, huge, and amazing, crafted on perfectly baked Italian bread loaves. Personal favorite: the No. 32, the Sant’Agata. It’s stacked with mortadella, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, arugula, and olive oil. Simple, and delicious.
Lincoln Square Steak: This classic American steakhouse offers both table reservations and private dining rooms. In addition to a wide variety of top-notch steaks, Lincoln Square also has both a bar and a raw bar. Spacious and luxurious, with excellent prices and great service, it’s a wonderful place to take the family.
The Halal Guys: If you’ve ever been to New York before, you’ve probably seen their food trucks, but if you haven’t stopped for a bite, you’re missing out. The Halal Guys serve delicious middle eastern street food, and people are willing to wait on long lines–sometimes for as much as an hour–to get it. If you’re unsure of what to get, try their chicken and gyro over rice.