Food · New York City · United States
What to eat in New York City
The dishes, drinks and food experiences that define New York City, and where locals actually eat them.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Dllu, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Quick answer
Start with New York pizza slice, Bagel with lox and Pastrami on rye. An open-air food market with dozens of vendors, held at weekends from spring to autumn on the Williamsburg waterfront and in Prospect Park. Menu prices exclude sales tax of about 8.9%, and a tip of 18–20% is expected at sit-down restaurants.
Key facts
- Signature dish
- New York pizza slice
- Vegetarian-friendly picks
- 5
- Tipping
- Tipping is expected and makes up much of service workers' pay: 18–20% at sit-down…
- Food experiences
- 4
12 foods to try
Street food · Vegetarian
1.New York pizza slice
Thin, wide slices with a crisp yet chewy crust, tomato sauce and mozzarella, folded in half to eat on the move. Plain cheese and pepperoni are the classics.
Where: Slice shops all over the city; coal-oven pizzerias in Little Italy and Brooklyn serve whole pies.
Breakfast
2.Bagel with lox
A boiled-then-baked bagel, chewy and dense, split and topped with cream cheese ('schmear'), smoked salmon (lox), capers and red onion.
Where: Bagel shops across Manhattan and Brooklyn, and the appetizing stores of the Lower East Side.
Dish
3.Pastrami on rye
Hand-sliced, peppery smoked beef brisket piled high on rye bread with mustard and a pickle on the side — the signature of the city's Jewish delis.
Where: Katz's Delicatessen on East Houston Street, in business since 1888, and other classic delis.
Street food
4.Hot dog
All-beef frankfurters with mustard, sauerkraut or onions in tomato sauce, sold from street carts and at Coney Island, where Nathan's Famous opened in 1916.
Where: Street carts in Midtown and Nathan's Famous on the Coney Island boardwalk.
Dessert · Vegetarian
5.New York cheesecake
A dense, rich cheesecake made with cream cheese on a graham-cracker base, served plain or topped with strawberries.
Where: Diners and bakeries across the city; Junior's, founded in Brooklyn, is a long-standing favourite.
Dessert · Vegetarian
6.Black-and-white cookie
A large, soft, cake-like cookie iced half in vanilla fondant and half in chocolate, a fixture of Jewish bakeries and delis.
Where: Delis and bakeries across the city.
Drink · Vegetarian
7.Egg cream
A fountain drink of milk, seltzer and chocolate syrup with a foamy head — it contains neither egg nor cream.
Where: Old-fashioned soda fountains and diners, especially on the Lower East Side and in Brooklyn.
Street food
8.Chicken over rice
Chopped halal chicken or lamb over yellow rice with lettuce, white sauce and hot sauce, sold from food carts as a quick lunch or late-night meal.
Where: Halal carts all over Midtown; the best-known started at the corner of 53rd Street and Sixth Avenue.
Street food
9.Chopped cheese
Ground beef and onions chopped together on the griddle with melted cheese, lettuce and tomato on a hero roll — a bodega classic from Harlem and the Bronx.
Where: Corner bodegas, especially in Harlem and the Bronx.
Breakfast
10.Bacon, egg and cheese
Fried egg, bacon and melted cheese on a roll or bagel, made to order on a bodega grill — the city's default quick breakfast, often shortened to BEC.
Where: Almost any bodega or deli counter.
Snack
11.Dumplings
Pork-and-chive dumplings, soup dumplings and hand-pulled noodles reflect the Chinese communities of Manhattan's Chinatown and of Flushing in Queens.
Where: Chinatown around Mott and Doyers Streets, and Main Street in Flushing.
Snack · Vegetarian
12.Knish
A baked or fried pastry filled with mashed potato, kasha or spinach, brought to the city by Eastern European Jewish immigrants.
Where: Delis and bakeries on the Lower East Side and in Brooklyn.
Food experiences
Smorgasburg
An open-air food market with dozens of vendors, held at weekends from spring to autumn on the Williamsburg waterfront and in Prospect Park.
Food halls
Chelsea Market, the Essex Market on the Lower East Side and Midtown's food halls gather many vendors under one roof, ideal for groups who want different things.
Eating in Queens
Take the 7 train to Jackson Heights for Himalayan momos and South Asian sweets, or to the end of the line in Flushing for Chinese food courts and dumpling shops.
Arthur Avenue in the Bronx
The Bronx's Little Italy around Arthur Avenue has old-school Italian bakeries, butchers, delis and an indoor market.
Quick bites and street food
- New York pizza slice — Slice shops all over the city; coal-oven pizzerias in Little Italy and Brooklyn serve whole pies.
- Bagel with lox — Bagel shops across Manhattan and Brooklyn, and the appetizing stores of the Lower East Side.
- Hot dog — Street carts in Midtown and Nathan's Famous on the Coney Island boardwalk.
- Chicken over rice — Halal carts all over Midtown; the best-known started at the corner of 53rd Street and Sixth Avenue.
- Chopped cheese — Corner bodegas, especially in Harlem and the Bronx.
- Bacon, egg and cheese — Almost any bodega or deli counter.
- Dumplings — Chinatown around Mott and Doyers Streets, and Main Street in Flushing.
- Knish — Delis and bakeries on the Lower East Side and in Brooklyn.
Vegetarian options
Of the 12 foods in this guide, 5 are usually vegetarian: New York pizza slice, New York cheesecake, Black-and-white cookie, Egg cream and Knish. Check preparation with staff, as stocks and fats vary.
Eating out: tips and etiquette
- Menu prices exclude sales tax of about 8.9%, and a tip of 18–20% is expected at sit-down restaurants.
- Book popular restaurants through reservation apps, often weeks ahead; many release tables at set times.
- Tap water is free and good, and most restaurants bring it automatically.
- Weekend brunch is a New York institution, with queues at popular spots from late morning.
- Bodegas and delis on almost every corner sell sandwiches, coffee and snacks at all hours.
Tipping
Tipping is expected and makes up much of service workers' pay: 18–20% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 per drink at bars, 15–20% for taxis and ride-hailing, and a few dollars a night for hotel housekeeping.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Bodega | A corner convenience store |
| Schmear | Cream cheese on a bagel |
| Uptown / downtown | North / south in Manhattan |
| Express / local | Trains that skip stops / stop everywhere |
| The City | What residents of other boroughs call Manhattan |
| Hero | A long sandwich roll |
Questions travellers ask
+What food is New York City famous for?
New York pizza slice, Bagel with lox, Pastrami on rye and Hot dog. Thin, wide slices with a crisp yet chewy crust, tomato sauce and mozzarella, folded in half to eat on the move.
+Is New York City good for vegetarians?
Several local staples are meat-free, including New York pizza slice, New York cheesecake and Black-and-white cookie.
+Do you tip in restaurants in New York City?
Tipping is expected and makes up much of service workers' pay: 18–20% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 per drink at bars, 15–20% for taxis and ride-hailing, and a few dollars a night for hotel housekeeping.