I was in New York recently with work for around 10 days so thought I'd share some places I went to. These threads always go down well and some of the others that are frequently linked to were very helpful in finding places to go. Hopefully this is useful too!
Some days I was out with colleagues but most nights and the weekend I explored myself depending what time I finished. I stayed on 38th and Lexington so some varied places depending on what I was doing.
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My favourite food is BBQ food so this was the main theme of the trip. I like the idea I could try some of this stuff at home, but in truth I can't imagine it will end up anywhere near as good.
First up was Virgil's Real BBQ not far from time square (https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Resta...l_s_Real_Barbecue-New_York_City_New_York.html). I went for ribs, brisket and pulled pork with collard greens and hickory pit beans. It was just far too big, I finished about half of it and the waiter said I did really well
Nice food but would have been more enjoyable if the portion size was smaller. When my mrs comes with me next time I would share this between us and I doubt we would be able to finish it.
Next up was Dinosaur BBQ in harlem. It's off the beaten track and I only went there as I went to the yankee stadium to watch Pirlo and Lampard play for NYCFC. Whether you would venture out here if you were only in mid manhatten I'm not so sure.
However, the food was fantastic. I learnt my lesson from Virgil's and went for wings and 3x ribs with chips and BBQ beans which was the perfect size. The beans were absolutely amazing and the ribs had loads of meat on. All in all with a drink this came to about $28 which was incredible value for money.
Lastly I went to the place I always end up at, Blue Smoke (https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Resta...eviews-Blue_Smoke-New_York_City_New_York.html). I like coming here and sitting at the bar, having a few drinks and watching the sport on TV. The bar staff are always really friendly too. The menu had changed since I last went and I didn't want a huge meal, but the menu didn't really lend itself to anything smaller.
I went for the ribs, green beans and mac n cheese. The ribs didn't have lots of meat but the rub was incredible. Seriously good. This place wasn't cheap, that plate was $33 but it's always safe bet.
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Shake shack - plenty of these about and it's always the first place I go when I get in to Manhatten. Unfortunately there was one about 3 blocks from my hotel/office so I ended up going here 3 times for burgers and an extra time to grab a shake (the vanilla custard shakes are incredible).
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Magnolia bakery at Grand Central station. Another of my favourites and easy to grab on the way back to the hotel. The portion sizes are so big that I often struggled to finish just a main course so no room for desert. After a bit of a walk I managed my appetite returned
$4.50 a slice so not unreasonable by any means.
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There were a couple of decent 24 hour breakfast/deli places on Lexington by my hotel. Both came in under $18 with an orange juice. Certainly not michelin star by any standards but a quick meal to keep me going until lunch time.
The first was Sarge's deli (https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Resta...s_Deli_Restaurant-New_York_City_New_York.html) where I went for pancakes, bacon and maple syrup (missed it out of the picture).
Second was Scotty's diner (https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Resta...ws-Scotty_s_Diner-New_York_City_New_York.html) where I went for the waffle, strawberries, blueberries and maple syrup. I'd recommend this place over Sarge's as the staff aren't anywhere near as miserable.
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Someone in the office recommended a place called Urbanspace Vanderbilt (http://urbanspacenyc.com/urbanspace-vanderbilt/) just past grand central station. Lots of different places to eat and always very busy but the variety and quality was very good.
One night I went for the lobster roll from the red hook lobster pound. Quite pricey at $28 but very nice overall.
Another day I tried Delaney Chicken which was fantastic and only cost $9 for a original friend chicken sandwich. Although the picture doesn't look very appetising it's a piece of southern fried chicken with hot sauce. Really really good. Wish I had gone back (they didn't have any pickles which would have added something extra).
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For my last night I wanted to go for a steak. A lot of the recommended places are very pricey (keens, del frisco etc) and although I'm sure they are brilliant I fancied a bit of a walk on my final evening. I found a place called West Side steak house in hells kitchen (https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Resta...t_Side_Steakhouse-New_York_City_New_York.html). It was over a mile walk across times square (that place...). I can expense all my meals but I like to go for value rather than just spending money for the sake of it, I'm glad I gave this place a try.
I went for the 20oz T Bone cooked medium and it was brilliant. Not a huge fan of thick chips (Tip: Do not confuse chips with friends or you will be in for a big disappointment) but they were nice plus the creamed spinach was incredible. All in with a diet coke I paid $66 so fairly reasonable.
Some days I was out with colleagues but most nights and the weekend I explored myself depending what time I finished. I stayed on 38th and Lexington so some varied places depending on what I was doing.
---
My favourite food is BBQ food so this was the main theme of the trip. I like the idea I could try some of this stuff at home, but in truth I can't imagine it will end up anywhere near as good.
First up was Virgil's Real BBQ not far from time square (https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Resta...l_s_Real_Barbecue-New_York_City_New_York.html). I went for ribs, brisket and pulled pork with collard greens and hickory pit beans. It was just far too big, I finished about half of it and the waiter said I did really well
Nice food but would have been more enjoyable if the portion size was smaller. When my mrs comes with me next time I would share this between us and I doubt we would be able to finish it.
Next up was Dinosaur BBQ in harlem. It's off the beaten track and I only went there as I went to the yankee stadium to watch Pirlo and Lampard play for NYCFC. Whether you would venture out here if you were only in mid manhatten I'm not so sure.
However, the food was fantastic. I learnt my lesson from Virgil's and went for wings and 3x ribs with chips and BBQ beans which was the perfect size. The beans were absolutely amazing and the ribs had loads of meat on. All in all with a drink this came to about $28 which was incredible value for money.
Lastly I went to the place I always end up at, Blue Smoke (https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Resta...eviews-Blue_Smoke-New_York_City_New_York.html). I like coming here and sitting at the bar, having a few drinks and watching the sport on TV. The bar staff are always really friendly too. The menu had changed since I last went and I didn't want a huge meal, but the menu didn't really lend itself to anything smaller.
I went for the ribs, green beans and mac n cheese. The ribs didn't have lots of meat but the rub was incredible. Seriously good. This place wasn't cheap, that plate was $33 but it's always safe bet.
---
Shake shack - plenty of these about and it's always the first place I go when I get in to Manhatten. Unfortunately there was one about 3 blocks from my hotel/office so I ended up going here 3 times for burgers and an extra time to grab a shake (the vanilla custard shakes are incredible).
---
Magnolia bakery at Grand Central station. Another of my favourites and easy to grab on the way back to the hotel. The portion sizes are so big that I often struggled to finish just a main course so no room for desert. After a bit of a walk I managed my appetite returned
$4.50 a slice so not unreasonable by any means.
---
There were a couple of decent 24 hour breakfast/deli places on Lexington by my hotel. Both came in under $18 with an orange juice. Certainly not michelin star by any standards but a quick meal to keep me going until lunch time.
The first was Sarge's deli (https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Resta...s_Deli_Restaurant-New_York_City_New_York.html) where I went for pancakes, bacon and maple syrup (missed it out of the picture).
Second was Scotty's diner (https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Resta...ws-Scotty_s_Diner-New_York_City_New_York.html) where I went for the waffle, strawberries, blueberries and maple syrup. I'd recommend this place over Sarge's as the staff aren't anywhere near as miserable.
---
Someone in the office recommended a place called Urbanspace Vanderbilt (http://urbanspacenyc.com/urbanspace-vanderbilt/) just past grand central station. Lots of different places to eat and always very busy but the variety and quality was very good.
One night I went for the lobster roll from the red hook lobster pound. Quite pricey at $28 but very nice overall.
Another day I tried Delaney Chicken which was fantastic and only cost $9 for a original friend chicken sandwich. Although the picture doesn't look very appetising it's a piece of southern fried chicken with hot sauce. Really really good. Wish I had gone back (they didn't have any pickles which would have added something extra).
---
For my last night I wanted to go for a steak. A lot of the recommended places are very pricey (keens, del frisco etc) and although I'm sure they are brilliant I fancied a bit of a walk on my final evening. I found a place called West Side steak house in hells kitchen (https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Resta...t_Side_Steakhouse-New_York_City_New_York.html). It was over a mile walk across times square (that place...). I can expense all my meals but I like to go for value rather than just spending money for the sake of it, I'm glad I gave this place a try.
I went for the 20oz T Bone cooked medium and it was brilliant. Not a huge fan of thick chips (Tip: Do not confuse chips with friends or you will be in for a big disappointment) but they were nice plus the creamed spinach was incredible. All in with a diet coke I paid $66 so fairly reasonable.
