Updated 12/23/2019

New York City is the grandest city there is. It sparkles and pulses, thrills and infuriates, and it will leave you coming back for more time and time again.

When to go: Early December, July, and August for lighter crowds and cheaper hotel prices; and September – November followed by May and June for the best weather.

I’ve highlighted my favorite places in NYC that I return to again and again, include them here only if I feel they’ll add to your NYC experience.

I’m a plant eater that doesn’t particularly enjoy hippie vegan restaurants since they tend to lack creativity, so I look for restaurants with great vegetarian options (black bean veggie burgers don’t count! Boooooring! Except this place.) All the restaurants below have amazing vegetarian options that will keep even the most staunch carnivore happy, but almost all serve meat as well if you feel you must!

This is NYC so most places can get really busy at peak times, check the Google Maps app for peak crowd trends to avoid long waits or make reservations where possible to avoid disappointment or long waits.

For a map view of all my recommendations and to see what’s nearby your current location once you’re in the city, go to my NYC Yelp Collection.

Where to eat:

• Pizza – Luzzo’s, Don Antonio, Motorino, Juliana’s, Lombardi’s, Roberta’s, Emily, Una Pizza Napoletano (fermented dough!), Barboncino – you can’t come to NYC and not eat pizza so pick one and go, just GO! Emily pizza is my favorite at the moment, with thin crispy crust and excellent topping choices, although the classic margarita is always in my pizza order. Luzzo’s is the runner-up, get the Tartufata (truffle pate, mmmm)! Also unique in that I’ve never had to wait for a table there, no matter when I’ve gone. Motorino is around the corner from Luzzo’s. Don Antonio is a great pre-theater option.
• Brooklyn Bagels – Best bagels I’ve had in NYC, get the whole wheat everything with tofu cream cheese, you won’t even know it’s not dairy. But they have loads of dairy cream cheese flavors too.
• Manousheh – for a quick bite in Greenwich Village, head to this place for Lebanese flatbreads stuffed with various flavors. Grab one or two and head to Washington Square Park for a mini picnic. I like the za’atar, fatayer, and nutella ones.
• Halal Guys – if you ever see a line in NYC, hop in it and then ask what everyone is waiting for because New Yorkers will only stand in line if it’s really worth it. The Halal Guys food carts almost always have a line, but really is worth the wait. Get the falafel platter (falafels over rice) and don’t forget the sauces! There are many imitators around the city, so make sure to look for the red Halal Guys lettering on a yellow background.
• Beyond Sushi – plant-based sushi that screams with flavor and beautifully presented. I like the Pickle Me roll and the 4-piece sampler.
• La Maison du Croque Monsieur – a restaurant devoted to the French sandwich, the croque monsieur, in many varieties from veg options to the classic ham and cheese. Order at the counter and find a table. Yum!
• Bluestone Lane – Aussie-style cafe, great for breakfast. Get the green baked eggs or the brekkie board, and a flat white to wash it all down. There are lots of Bluestone Lane coffee shops around the city, but there are only a handful that offer table service with their full menu.
• Ippudo – the best ramen in the city. Their vegetarian broth has the most flavor and umami of any I’ve ever had elsewhere. The Ippudo Westside location is my go-to for a pre-theater lunch or dinner. No reservations, walk-in only.
• Momofuku Noodle Bar – Tasty Asian fusion. I love the shiitake buns and the spicy hozon ramen or ginger scallion noodles. If there’s a salad with kimchi vinegarette, get that too. Go right at opening time for lunch or mid-afternoon to avoid a wait. No reservations.
• Modern Love Brooklyn – an upscale vegan restaurant by one of my favorite cookbook authors. Really really good flavors, both brunch and dinner are amazing. It takes a lot for me to recommend an veg-only restaurant, and this one rises way above the rest so that I can confidently recommend it even to any foodie carnivore out there.
• Brooklyn Cider House – worth taking the L train a couple stops past Williamsburg for this unique place. It’s styled after traditional Basque cider houses in Spain with a fully-immersive experience that involves a multi-course set menu with cider catching directly from ancient barrels. A super fun experience that I highly recommend. If you eat in the bar and order food a la carte, still opt for doing at least two cider catchings as it’s the most unique part about this place.
• Gilligan’s – I discovered this place walking by one day and was drawn in by the sparkly vibe this place puts off. This outdoor restaurant is garden oasis in the middle of Soho, loaded with tropical plants and nooks and crannies to sit in. On a sunny day, go for the beachy vibes, frozen watermelon margaritas, and summer squash flatbread. May through September/early October only.
• ABC Kitchen – my favorite restaurant in NYC. The atmosphere is cozy and the tables set with cute mini flower vases and mismatched French ware. Service is attentive without being intrusive. I love to get many of the smaller plates to share and skip the main entree. Lovely wine list with several options from New York wineries, and the mocktails hit the spot without any booze. Alternatively, the lunch prix fixe offers a great value.
• La Ñapa – This one is in my old neighborhood and a bit of a hike out of Manhattan, but well worth it. Go to the Brooklyn Museum (the most popular tourist destination in Brooklyn- I love the Egyptian exhibit, they have real mummies!) and eat here after. South American fusion with incredible flavors and gorgeous plating at a very affordable price.

Where to drink:

• Angel’s Share– NYC is known for its speakeasies and this is my favorite. Find it by going upstairs to the Japanese restaurant, take a left at the top of the stairs and go through the unmarked door. Talented mixologists sling cocktails with an Asian flair – try the Flirtibird, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, or El Verde that’s reminiscent of salsa (but in a good way).
• Dear Irving – this place is my go-to for low key drinks and great conversation with its speakeasy vibe without being difficult to find. Unlike a lot of place in Manhattan, their tables are arranged so your neighbors aren’t all up in your smack, and the ambiance is all-around amazing. Push the button near your table when you’re ready to order. I love the Vice Versa cocktail.
• Burke and Wills/Manhattan Cricket Club – in the Upper West Side, Burke and Wills is the Australian bar/restaurant downstairs and when you pass through a plush padded door just passed the bar (ask the hostess first), you’ll be led to the speakeasy Manhattan Cricket Club upstairs. Start early at Burke and Wills with their daily happy hour from 4-8pm, offering two-for-one cocktails and dollar oysters. Happy hour is cash only so make sure to stop at the ATM first. Once it hits 6pm, head to the hostess to request a table upstairs at Manhattan Cricket Club, housed in a restored turn of the century apartment. The best and most unique drink I always get of theirs is the I’ll Have Another with garam masala syrup, sounds weird but it’s amazing.
• Pegu Club – another great lounge with a speakeasy vibe. Their cocktails are made with fresh juices and ingredients. Try the Pisco Punch or the Old Cuban.
• Raines Law Room – a speakeasy with a lush twenties vibe and private tables surrounded by velvet couches and gauze-y curtains. Go early or make reservations if you can.
• Nitecap – my current favorite cocktail place – their menu is so fun and the cocktails are next-level.
• Rum House – The only place to get great cocktails in the Theater District, so go pre- or post-theater. HH daily 12-6pm – $10 rum punches and daiquiris, otherwise get the Escape. My two favorites to grab a beer when I have a half hour to while away before a show are The New York Beer Company for their good beer list, and Shorty’s for NYC’s best fries with the downside being it can be on the loud side.
• Existing Conditions – these guys have mixed science and cocktails with all kinds of things like centrifuges, fat-washing, and clarifying. If you’ve had enough ABV, they have an excellent selection of non-alcoholic cocktails.
• Clover Club – head here after a stroll along the Brooklyn Promenade. Excellent cocktails in a cozy setting. On the World’s Best Bars list for 2019.
• Rooftops:
  • Bookmarks – quaint little rooftop that feels like a penthouse terrace. They serve a stellar Prohibition Punch, so get the truffle popcorn for ease of drinking more punches or move on to the Ginger Passion sparkling wine cocktail. Near the NY Public Library and Bryant Park.
  • Birreria – a year-round rooftop with a retractable roof inside Eataly. Head back towards the checkout area and there’s an elevator behind the fancy bottled drinks, take it to the 14th floor. Skip getting a table here and pop a squat at the bar. Beers and wines on tap. This place can get busy, so go mid-afternoon on a weekday to beat the after-work crowd. By the Flatiron Building.
  • Westlight – hands down the most magical rooftop in the city, if not on the planet, thus well worth the trek over to Williamsburg in Brooklyn. I take all my out of town guests here. Great cocktails, great nibbles, and a view of Manhattan that will take your breath away for days. Make a reservation for an hour before sunset for the most magical light, or go right at opening to avoid a wait.
  • Dear Irving on the Hudson – near Times Square on the 40th floor of the Aliz Hotel, with excellent views of midtown, including the Empire State Building, and good cocktails to top it off. Make reservations to avoid disappointment.
• Brooklyn Brewery – If you’re still thirsty after Westlight, head to this iconic brewery to taste some of their brews right from the source.
• BG Restaurant – go for high afternoon tea from 3-5pm overlooking Central Park, on the seventh floor of the Bergdorf Goodman department store. Make reservations in advance and request a table by the window.

Coffee and Snacks:

• Gasoline Alley – my favorite coffee in the city
• Ninth Street Espresso
• Joe Coffee
• La Colombe – get their draft latte, if only I could figure out  how they get it so light and airy
• Levain Bakery – cookies and pastries from heaven. Get the dark chocolate peanut butter chip cookie (they are GIANT) or the raspberry bomboloncini.
• Doughnut Plant – I love their peanut butter and blackberry jam filled doughnut – it’s a square-shaped doughnut with a hole in the center and they somehow get filling in every bite. Best idea ever! No more dough dough dough filling filling filling dough dough dough problem.
• Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream – Best ice cream in NYC, and best of all they have both dairy and vegan ice cream. The only vegan ice cream I’ve ever had that I wasn’t like, yeah, this isn’t dairy.
• Juice Generation – start your day or kill a hangover with freshly made fruit and vegetable juices. They also have smoothies.

What to do in-between eating and drinking:

• Wicked the Musical – enter the online digital lottery, and if that fails, head to the Gershwin Theater two to two-and-a-half hours before the show to enter the in-person lottery. Even if you don’t win, they almost always offer $69 orchestra tickets to the people who didn’t win, but you must purchase right then and there.
• Harry Potter the Play – a must for Harry Potter fans, and even those who aren’t (my mom didn’t watch all the movies and only read a couple of the books and still loved the play). It’s an epic story that starts where the seventh book’s epilogue left off that’s told in two parts, in a matinee and evening show all in one day (or two consecutive evening shows in the case of Thursday/Friday performances). Enter the weekly Friday Forty lottery via the Today Tix app by 1pm ET on Friday for a chance at $40 tickets to both parts. For the best priced regular tickets, buy directly on Ticketmaster the day of or a few days before the performance for $40-95 orchestra seats (weekday performances work best for this strategy). My favorite seats in the theater in this order: Orchestra B1 and B2, any Orchestra center aisle seat, any front orchestra seat (rows AA-J), orchestra row K has virtually unlimited leg room, Dress Circle or Balcony box seats at excellent for feeling like you’re having a private theater experience- just know you’ll have to lean forward a bit to see the whole stage, but I’ve found it’s totally worth it), and front row Dress Circle or Balcony. Use A View From My Seat to see specific seat reviews.
• other Broadway shows – try your luck at entering various lotteries for a chance to buy deeply discounted tickets (usually around $30-45- see HERE and HERE), or purchase day-of half off tickets (or next-day matinee tickets at the Brooklyn, Lincoln Center, and Seaport locations) at TKTS. Download the app to see in real time what shows are offering discount tickets.
• Top of the Rock or One World Observatory – best views of the city from above
• 9/11 Memorial Museum – it’s a good idea to buy tickets in advance
• Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island – touristy but worth it for the history, especially Ellis Island. Buy tickets online in advance, don’t buy from any of the hawkers off the street in Battery Park, they’re either a huge rip off or a scam.
• Transit Museum – all things subway including actual old subway cars complete with historical advertisements in the cars.
• Tenement Museum – a unique museum in that they tell the stories of the people that lived in 97 Orchard St over the years since it was built in 1863. Visits are by tour only and you’ll learn about what it was like to be a working class immigrants in NYC. Buy your ticket online in advance. Grab a bite before or after your tour at nearby Dudleys (good looking brunch menu, dinner small plates, and cocktails), Dirt Candy (super unique vegetable restaurant that will tickle your taste buds – sit at the bar to order from their á la carte menu and make sure to get the Korean Fried Broccoli ), or Doughnut Plant for a snack.
• Museum of City of New York – if you’re interested in the history of the city, go here. The film at the beginning shows an overview of how the city came to be and talks about things like how Wall Street got its name and why the city street look like they do.
• American Museum of Natural History – dinosaurs, history of human evolution, animals, stars, and more. Make sure to get tickets to the planetarium as well. Fuel up beforehand by grabbing a masala dosa or thali at the nearby Southern Indian spot, Saravana Bhavan.
• Chelsea Market – go and discover!
• Bryant Park and the New York Public Library
• Free Tours by Foot – pay-what-you-wish ($25-35 suggested) walking tours. Renee is the best – she does the Lower Manhattan tour on Mondays/Fridays at 9:45am, Soho/Little Italy/Chinatown on Saturdays at 2pm, and Greenwich Village on Mondays/Fridays at 2pm and Saturdays at 10am.
• Central Park – no trip to NYC is complete without a stroll through Central Park. The southern part of the park is where you’ll find most of the famous spots, but it’s also the most crowded. The more north you go, the more wilderness you’ll get, with “wilderness” being a relative term of course. When you get thirsty go to the iconic Tavern on the Green for drinks on their outdoor patio. Get nibbles and wine at the outdoor Le Pain Quotidien (food and drink are good but service is slow – it’s a restaurant IN freaking Central Park after all so just take the opportunity to take in the scenery).
• Roosevelt Island Tramway – great views of Manhattan for free when you use your 7-day subway pass. There’s not much to do on Roosevelt Island so just hop on the return tram. Find the tram entrance at E 60th St and 2nd Ave.
• Brooklyn Heights Promenade – stroll along this park and take in gorgeous views of Manhattan. End with pizza at Juliana’s before heading for drinks on the rooftop of 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge. If you walked south on the promenade, head to Luzzo’s BK for pizza.

Where to stay:

• Budget – use Bidding Traveler to guide you through the Priceline bidding process to get the best price for the neighborhood and star category you want. I recommend selecting the neighborhoods Central Park South, Chelsea, Empire State Building area, Madison Square Garden area, Midtown West, and Times Square for the most number of hotels in the thick of things. The Upper West Side is my favorite neighborhood in Manhattan and is quieter, near Central Park, and still very accessible to the places you’ll want to go. Soho/Tribeca is also a good choice. Downtown/Wall Street can be especially cheap on weekends since its hotels cater mostly to the business crowd, but it also means it’s a bit dead on weekends and you’re on the very southern tip of Manhattan so it could take a bit longer to get to many of the places you want to go. Bidding tends to be best one week out from your trip, so I’d recommend booking a refundable reservation somewhere and then try your luck at bidding.
• NYC is full of all the usual hotel chains and poking around hotels.com will give you the ability to sort them by user ratings and price, and filter for the star categories you are willing to stay in.
• If you want more than just a clean room to sleep in, the hotels I list below are particularly worth highlighting as they will elevate your stay in the city in one way or another.
  • Soho Grand Hotel – in beautiful Soho with all its fancy shops and cute little restaurants. Upon request, they’ll give you a pet goldfish during your stay. Other amenities include complimentary use of Brooklyn Bicycle Co bicycles, multiple dining/bar options including the seasonal outdoor dining space Gilligan’s, and very pet friendly.
  • 1 Hotel Central Park – gorgeous hotel in an excellent location convenient to two subway lines
  • 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge – on the Brooklyn side in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge with a rooftop bar
  • Library Hotel –  near Grand Central. Cute boutique hotel with an awesome rooftop called Bookmarks you should go to regardless if you’re staying here or not.
  • The NoMad – near Madison Square Park. Upstairs they host a VERY popular and well-done magician show that you’ll want to buy tickets for weeks in advance.
  • Ace Hotel – hipster hotel in midtown also near Madison Square Park
  • The High Line Hotel – in Chelsea in a historic building. The always excellent Intelligentsia coffee in the lobby and seasonally on their front patio, complimentary bicycles to ride around the neighborhood, and pets welcome.
  • Gramercy Park Hotel – a grand hotel with the cherry on top being access to the exclusive private Gramercy Park only residents (and hotel guests via the doorman) have a key to enter.

For more insider recommendations and things to do:

• Citymapper app – use this for point-to-point directions for getting around the city. It tells you where the subway entrance is, which subway car is optimal based on your destination, and gives walking directions with a map to your destination. It also takes into account any MTA service changes, which Google Maps only does sometimes. There are also options for taking Uber/Lyft instead of transit, or even Citibike, the city’s bike sharing program.
• MTA unlimited 7-day metro pass – You’ll want one of these bad boys even if you’re only in the city for a few days, as it pays for itself after just 13 trips. It’s good for unlimited subway and local bus rides (expires on midnight 7 days from day of first use). Buy at any of THESE locations.
• City Walks New York – pick up a copy of this stack of neighborhood cards before your trip. Cards have a map with a walking route on one side and a description of the things to do along the route on the other. Grab a card from the deck and just wander a neighborhood, seeing what there is to discover. As great as my recommendations are, nothing beats the thrill of discovering for yourself the hidden treasures of this grand city.
• To explore hot new restaurants, check out Eater’s Manhattan Heatmap, updated regularly.

What to skip:

• The Empire State Building – it’s a giant freaking tourist trap. Instead opt to see the Empire State Building from another rooftop, like the Top of the Rock observation deck at NBC Studios and take their studio tour while you’re at it.
• Walking the Brooklyn Bridge on a weekend (opt for a weekday instead)
• Grimaldi’s Pizza – you may have seen it in the guidebooks because it’s in all of them, but it’s simply not worth the hassle. Go to any of the other pizzerias I’ve listed and your belly will be happy.
• Walking Highline Park on the weekend, it’s just one long line of butt to butt tourists. Go during the week instead and bring your lunch from Chelsea Market.