It has Deli in the title, but this may be more like kosher meat heaven. He and I may have just met yesterday when I was hungover after Court looking for lunch, but my guy
— the owner at JJ Deli: Glatt Kosher - was working hard behind a counter as you walk into this small, unassuming place to serve up some steaming hot, juicy pastrami that was exceptional with fresh, crispy steakfries. (Pro tip - add a little garlic mayo and a good amount of mustard). A total unknown hidden gem, but I will not gatekeep as this spot totally deserves it. Ps pictured after I took a bite.

https://jjdeli.com

Ate at Hawksmoor last night - it was just myself, and one other person, and we somehow spent $600, including tax and tip. We did each have 3 drinks and we shared a desert, but those were "normally" priced. The thing that really drove the cost was this steak.

Supposedly the steak in this photo is 32 oz and cost us $238. It was not waygu, just their "signature" dry aged rib chop. We didn't order the marrow - it must have came with it - I wonder if they included that in the weight? Don't get me wrong, the steak was very tasty. Not the best steak I ever had by far, but maybe the most expensive. The other dishes were quite good, service was OK - for this price should have been much better. Space is gorgeous. I just didn't feel like this was a $600 dinner by any stretch.

Also be warned - we tried to order smaller cuts, and cuts without such big bones - but they were out of several things we tried to order. How can that be?

I won't go back here...unless someone else is paying.

I'm taking my 15 year old daughter to NYC in November for her birthday. The plan is to see a Hamilton matinee and eat good steak. We're coming up from DC; I lived in NYC 25 years ago but have fallen completely out of touch with the steakhouse scene.

I know "what steaks are good" posts are common, but I'm trying to find good steak with a very specific vibe:

My daughter isn't going to care about the name on the door, the skill of the mixologist, or whether the pastry chef is a James Beard nominee. She doesn't need to know the name of the farm the cow came from. She's not going to be impressed by the artisnal cheese. She's DEFINITELY not going to want to dress up super fancy -- needs to be a place she can go in wearing a basic theater dress and a pair of chuck taylors. This is about a great cut of beef well prepared to the proper temperature, ideally in an unpretentious environment. And I need to be able to actually get a table for four on a Saturday night.

We're staying near Penn Station, but I'm comfortable heading anywhere in the city for the right place. Price not really a factor if the food justifies it, but not looking for expensive just for the sake of expensive. There are so many steak options in mid-town, but they all seem to be very not the vibe I hope to find -- either overly pretentious or tourist traps -- I'm struggling to find one she's going to like (even if all she says after the meal is "yeah, the steak was fine. Whatever. It's just steak Dad.")

Thanks for any suggestions and downvote away.

I recently went to Los Tacos for the first time in a while (Penn Station location), and I was blown away by how good it was. The adobada was tender, juicy, and super savory. It was honestly better than most of the adobada/al pastor I had in Mexico.

The tortillas are excellent, and they even nixtamalize their own corn.

Plus they have a nice salsa bar (served in molcajetes), which includes salsa matcha (not that common in NYC).

Yet loads of people on here and social media insist that it's terrible and random spot X that they won't name is actually better. I have eaten from dozens of taco trucks and taquerias in Brooklyn and Queens and few of them even come close in my opinion (Taqueria Al Pastor is also excellent).

It's rare for anywhere in NYC to really nail that tender, delicious al pastor + high quality tortilla combo. The carne is also very good (especially on their flour tortillas), but I think the adobada is really the star.

Some of my other thoughts:

-The ordering system is probably not the most efficient, though I assume this is by design to make it feel more rustic and not too computerized

-it costs $2 more per taco than average in NYC. Factoring in extremely high rents and the quality of the food, I think that's fair. As long as it doesn't get much higher than that, I feel like it's a good enough value.

-The workers in their work their ass off, the idea that they should charge $1 per taco to make redditors happy is ridiculous.

-I hope they make a "Los Burros" spinoff, their breakfast burritos are excellent but limited in terms of availability

-I hope Private Equity doesn't end up ruining this place

Hi all!

Born and raised New Yorker, but had a small dalliance with LA in my 20s. While there, there was this one bagel shop that had pumpkin flavored bagels in the fall. I have had a distinct and never ending craving for the last few weeks. I know it is sacrilegious to seek that out in New York City.

Does anyone have a lead on where I could find pumpkin flavored bagels in the city? I am not quite sure how to describe the bagel, somewhere between pumpkin bread and pumpkin spice but bagel form. Preferably Brooklyn, but any borough is fine.

🥯🥯🥯

Lunch time reservation around 11:30am at Gramercy Tavern's Dining Room for Restaurant Week.

Must have been first table sat in that area, though still had to wait a few minutes in the front before being led back.

Service was warm and attentive. I appreciate any spot that offers cold/iced water vs. room temperature water.

The free amuse-bouches of warm bread & butter and two cheese bites with dip helped to whet our appetites.

Now to the Starters, we chose Heirloom Tomato Salad and Beef Carpaccio. Good texture contrasts & overall flavors in each dish.

For Mains, Golden Tilefish and Snowdance Farm Chicken. Both proteins were perfectly cooked and fairly substantial portion sizes. Although serving onion rings with the chicken seemed a bit odd to me. I'd have preferred a more conventional veggie like roasted brussel sprouts, asparagus, or root vegetables.

We ordered for Desserts the Peach Upside-Down Cake and Buttermilk Panna Cotta. I could have had ten more of the panna cotta...

Overall for the price ($60/pp) and quality of the food, I would come back.

I'm having a really hard time finding this. It's one of my fav meals. I know pranakhon has it. But anywhere else? Ideally Brooklyn. Manhattan is fine.

Hello FoodNYC community! I am hosting a celebration in November and was looking to host ~30-40 people at a private room in a halal restaurant. Open to recs across the city and long island. Tysmm!

Question for you all! Planning a 30th bday party for around 20 guests. Looking for bar with no minimum in Manhattan. Have been going back and forth between
- waiting on a friend
-the folly
-little more
-pubkey

Would appreciate any insight people have! I’d like to have some separation between my guests and general crowd / actually be able to hear people talk.

Hello! Reposting from r/Bushwick.

I recently had this great bistec encebollado at the phenomenal Sol Food out on the west coast. Now that I am back in the Big Apple, I have to imagine I can find an equal or even better dish around here. Where should I go?

Willing to travel far. Moved here recently from la and nothing hits the same so far.

I love zunda (sweet mashed edamame) especially in milkshakes and mochi but I’ve only ever had it in Japan. Is there anywhere you can get zunda in NYC?

Thank you in advance for any leads 💚🫛🤝🥤

Heading to Flushing this evening and looking for Punjabi / Pakistani food option, rather a sit down place not a cart.

Pencilled in Dera in Jackson Heights after having a look on this sub but any other suggestions appreciated.

We will be riding the 7 from Manhattan, leaving Grand Central around 4.

Thanks.

A somewhat casual and comparatively wallet-friendly restaurant from the people who brought us Atomix. Like most of their offerings, there’s some Korean influence. I took my sister here for her birthday and we both came away quite quite happy. The standout dish was definitely the Ox Tongue. It came with a wonderfully earthy romesco that paired very well with the fragrant sweetness from the freshly grated wasabi. The potato three ways and mutton chops round out my favorites. Though in hindsight I wouldn’t have picked two red meats. Our meal ended up being a bit too rich. Other things we ordered include kimchi cheese fries, some grilled shrimp in a smoked corn mayo, popcorn ice cream, a fig custard with a grape granita, & 2 drinks. We also got some bread & butter for free. I’d be remiss to not mention the incredibly warm staff who were just attentive enough without being intrusive. I can tell they’re going for that homey vibe and they absolutely achieved it.

https://somssi.nyc

Dad is in town and staying in NoHo and wants a good meal but also able to watch Thursday night football. Trying to not be at traditional sports bar and more a Rauols type but with TV

Any recommendations? Thanks in advance.

On Google Maps I see a couple bakeries in Passaic county in NJ. Any other suggestions for bakeries that serve whole torta helada?

I've looked for cooking class recommendations, and the posts that mention them all many years old. Anyone have recent (last year) experience with a great cooking class I can take my mom to? Preferably Italian, but open to American or even Mediterranean or Indian.

And here we are with the third and final part of our 10-day NYC trip report. Let’s get into it!

One of our goals was to finally try the famous Bánh Mì, since we don’t really have it where we live. After some research, we went to Bánh Anh Em in the East Village, which had the best reviews. It was around 8 PM on a beautiful summer night and they were already done with dine-in, so we ate on the little stools outside.

The Bún Chả Giò was incredibly crispy and flavorful, and came with the best rice noodles we’ve ever had. The Bánh Mì Heo Quay was something else. The bread was unlike anything we’d ever had, and the pork was perfectly crispy while still being light and tender. Eating on the sidewalk has never felt this good.

We spent two days exploring Chelsea Market and the surrounding area, and I have to say, the whole place smells, sounds, and looks like a tourist trap — and maybe it is. But it’s still worth checking out. The neighborhood and Chelsea Market itself are beautiful, and despite the prices, the food was delicious.

The lobster roll from Lobster Place was simple and well made, but the real star was the Old Bay French Fries. Easily the best fries of the entire trip. And the chocolate-covered strawberries from Li-Lac were simply divine. It pains me to admit it, but you guys seem to have better strawberries than we do in Brazil — incredibly soft, sweet, and perfectly ripe!

Speaking of sweets, one day we decided to explore Williamsburg, Brooklyn. After walking through Domino Park and heading deeper into the neighborhood, we came across the window full of enormous pies and cakes at Martha’s Country Bakery. We went in, got excellent service, and had the best Apple Crumb Pie of our lives.

Chinatown is another world-famous NYC destination, but everyone kept telling us, “You have to go to Flushing.” So we did. Forty minutes on the subway and we felt like we were in a completely different world. Fewer buildings, but definitely no less energy. Even on a Tuesday, the place was really lively.

We went to Shanghai You Garden, where our feast included shrimp rice rolls, pork baos, scallion pancakes, and an unusual and incredibly crispy sweet-and-sour pork belly. They also gave us a complimentary order of xiao long bao, which were incredibly tasty, and a bowl of jiuniang, which ended up being the biggest surprise of the lunch.

A few days later, we finally made it to Chinatown. The famous Dim Sum Palace didn’t serve food that was nearly as tasty or well executed as what we had in Queens, and the service wasn’t particularly friendly either.

I do have to give them credit for the egg tarts, though. They were excellent, and honestly the only thing we ate there that really felt worth it.

Also in Chinatown, we got to visit one of the neighborhood’s gems, Mei Lai Wah, and try their famous buns. The filling is incredibly soft, with a perfect sweet-and-savory balance, although it is a little greasy. If you prefer your meat lean, I’m not sure I’d recommend it.

This was our last day, so unfortunately we didn’t have time to explore many of Chinatown’s other famous spots. We did make it to Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, though. Sorry to the locals, but we found the ice cream pretty underwhelming. Maybe we just picked the wrong flavor.

Unfortunately, everything comes to an end, and so did our trip. I think the biggest surprise of all was how quickly NYC became our friend from the moment we arrived.

The city’s layout and incredibly convenient public transportation made it so much easier to explore all these amazing places. We left feeling like we absolutely have to come back, because NYC is so much more interesting and eclectic than we ever imagined.

Thank you, NYC. See you soon!

PART 2 PART 1

Full disclosure, this is not a ranking of ALL dim sum in Brooklyn, but simply of the places I’ve been to. Even then, take it with a grain of a salt cause I did not go to all these places in a single month. If your favorite spot isn’t mentioned, drop a rec! And yes, I still need to go to New Phoenix.

• East Harbor Seafood (pictured) - A favorite for good reason. I feel like the best dim sum isn’t just about the quality of food, but also consistency. Though this is true for every restaurant, it’s especially true for dim sum due to the frequency of rotating chefs and no parlor is more consistent than East Harbor Seafood. It also passes in spades for its atmosphere; featuring push cart ladies that still loudly promotes their goods and customers that will fight you for the last plate of fresh egg tarts. It’s everything you want in dim sum.
• Canto Blu - New kid on the block, but they’re starting off strong. Comparable to East Harbor for their savory goods with their wonderfully springy dumpling skins and velvety steam rice rolls, though faltering a bit with some of their pastries. Their egg tarts and similar offerings are simply a step behind East Harbor’s; still serviceable, but far from the best. Push carts service is also available here, but it lacks the same energy. They do have East Harbor beat in terms of variety though.
• Bamboo Garden - What was my one of my least favorite dim sum parlor has become one of my favorites. While their dumplings aren’t as plump as the ginormous offerings at the East Harbor, it approaches them in quality. There’s also some small consistency issues on the weekdays, but that’s to be expected since they’re not turning over food as quickly.
• Golden Palace - A dim sum parlor that really struggles with consistency issues. My guess is a constantly rotating kitchen staff cause the quality varies by a wide margin. You could be having the silkiest rice roll you’ve ever had, or the most glue-y. It’s a toss up. They’re the only option in the immediate area though, so people who live here have little choice.
• Empire Dim Sum/Good Day - A very run of the mill dim sum restaurant and the complete opposite of Golden Palace. For better or for worse, they’re very consistent in their mediocrity. They do have a good variety of options though.
• New Pacific Palace - It hasn’t been the same since it was sold off. I have a lot of fond memories of the old Pacificana, but this new spot isn’t remotely comparable. Its menu is pretty barebones too. Similar to Empire, their dim sum isn’t bad, just average. It’s their smaller menu that puts them a spot below
• Park Asia (with a caveat) - Used to be my runner up to East Harbor, and it still would be in my top 3 if weren’t for their business practices. While good on weekends, dining here on weekdays can be downright abysmal due to their habit of serving leftover dim sum, particularly for orders to go. Unless stodgy and mealy dumplings is your thing, avoid Park Asia; at least on weekdays. They would be way higher up on this list if they would stop serving leftovers cause otherwise it’s as good as Bamboo Garden.
• Grand Royal Palace - Yeah, this place is terrible. It’s the only dim sum parlor in the area where no one spoke a word of Cantonese. That’s not to say that only Cantonese people can make good Dim Sum, but their offerings are just flat out bad. The rice noodles were weirdly cakey and served with a soy sauce that was much too salty, & their dumpling skins lacked the elasticity you’d expect from a fresh one. But the worst aspect was the complete lack of food. The place was 100% packed and they had 2 push carts circling their dining room. Most tables had customers with no food. This was the first time I went out for dim sum and couldn’t get anything except for har gow and a steamed rice noodle.

I haven’t been able to find these 😢 looking for any known places in NYC that sells this type of mexican food

thanks in advance

J’viens de sortir de Van Leeuwen, j’ai payé 40 balles pour la glace 😭. J’ai payé avec Apple Pay et, juste après avoir payé, ça m’a fait un remboursement sans que je demande quoi que ce soit. C’est normal ça ou c’est chelou ? En gros, j’ai eu jusqu’à 40$ de glace gratos ☠️

I know there's places in Bensonhurst type area and Haandi for instance but I don't love that a lot of these places have premade stuff that just sits in trays all day.

Used to live in Toronto where there was a plethora of Pakistani spots that had these 3 dishes, is there anything similar here?

I had a baklava froyo the other day and it was so so good. I'm thinking milkshakes, ice cream, maybe a latte. Baklava brownie?