Back to NYC Eats… and Drinks!

** Alphabetically arranged, but in no particular order of importance.
** References are credited in ‘[ ]’
** Struck off ones indicate ‘been there, done that’ !!

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Almondine Bakery (Dumbo, Brooklyn)

A-Wah (Chinatown, Manhattan)

ABC Kitchen (Union Square, Manhattan)
– Another ‘farm to kitchen’ operation, this one comes highly recommended and has also earned Time Out NY’s ‘Best New Restaurant’ award! [Ref DG]

Agnanti (Astoria, Queens)

Alewife (LIC, Queens)
– This two-storey gastropub seems to be a good addition to the neighbourhood and with a fireplace to boot, seems like the spot to check out in this weather! [Ref Time Out NY]

Allswell (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
– I have a list of W’burg places to try and now that St.Anselms is out of the way, Allswell tops that list! It features a constantly changing menu of New American cuisine, something this neighbourhood does exceedingly well! [Ref WM]

Alobar (Long Island City, Queens)
– Edible Queens has named this ‘Hog Heaven’. I can’t wait to find out just why 😉 [Ref Edible Queens]

Amaru (Jackson Heights, Queens)
– A new Peruvian Cocktail bar – can only imagine how good their Pisco Sour would be! [Ref Time Out NY]

Angels Share (East Village, Manhattan)

Ariana Kebab Restaurant (Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan)

Artopolis (Astoria, Queens)

Arunee Thai (Jackson Heights, Queens)

Aux Epices (Chinatown, Manhattan)

Awash (Morningside Heights OR East Village, Manhattan)

Ayada (Elmhurst, Queens)

Babbo (West Village, Manhattan)
– One of Batali’s most reputed restaurants, the colourful townhouse setting appeals to me more than the price tag currently! [Ref TimeOut NY]

Bagatelle (Meat Packing Dist, Manhattan)
– Am told their Saturday brunch is ‘legendary’. I guess I’ll only find out once I manage to secure a reservation!

Bahari (Astoria, Queens)

Balaboosta (SoHO, Manhattan)
– This is on the pricey side as far as Mediterranean eateries go, but comes very highly recommended! [Ref DG]

Banh Mi Cart (Financial Dist, Manhattan)
– Trademark Vietnamese Sandwich, substitute Pork with Seafood instead! [Ref Time Out NY]

Bare Burger (Astoria, Queens)

Basil Brick Oven Pizza (Astoria, Queens)
– The second of two Pizzerias worth checking out in Astoria, apparently! [Ref TimeOut NY]

Beecher’s Handmade Cheese & Cellar (Flatiron Dist, Manhattan)
– These guys have apparently taken Mac & Cheese to a different level! And talking of levels, this place also boasts a cellar with a great happy hour![Ref TimeOut NY]

Bi lokma (East Midtown, Manhattan)

Biergarten at the Standard [Meat Packing Dist, Manhattan]

Bierhaus (East Midtown, Manhattan)

Black Market (East Village, Manhattan)
– Known for a quality Burger and good Fries – a combination one can hardly tire of! [Ref NY Mag]

Bobo (West Village, Manhattan)

Breads Bakery (Union Sq, Manhattan)
– A massive space featuring retail, cafe and open bakery, run by a former Tel Aviv baker, best known for his Babka and Rugelach variations. [Ref TONY]

Breslin Bar & Dining Room (West Midtown, Manhattan)

Brick Cafe (Astoria, Queens)

Brisket Town (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
– The man who started Brisket Lab finally gets his own permanent space – there’s got to be a visit in the pipeline, soon! [Ref TONY]

Bungalow Bar (The Rockaways, Queens)
– An outdoor drinking spot that does not attract the hordes from Rockaway Beach, courtesy of its location facing the Bay! They promise to be back up and running this summer – despite the damage suffered during Hurricane Sandy – a good reason to visit them and support a local business in The Rockaways. [Ref TONY]

Butcher Bar (Astoria, Queens)

Buttermilk Channel (Carrol Gardens, Brooklyn)

Buvette (West Village, Manhattan)

BZ Grill (Astoria, Queens)
– Known to make the best Pork Gyro not just in Queens but across the 5 Boroughs! [Ref Serious Eats NY]

Café la Bergamote (Chelsea, Manhattan)
– I’m told the Croissants here are the best in town. Recommended for its Baguette’s to! [Ref WM]

Cafe Rakka (East Village, Manhattan)
– Noted by my Lebanese friend to have even better Falafels than Mamouns!! [Ref WM]

Cafe Triskell (Astoria, Queens)

Caracas Arepa Bar (East Village, Manhattan)

Casa Enrique (Long Island City, Queens)

Cedars Meat House (Astoria, Queens)

Chao Thai (Elmhurst, Queens)
– Another contender for the ‘better than Sripraphai’ category, best known for its Salads and Whole Fish with Lime Juice! [Ref NY Mag]

Cheburechnaya (Rego Park, Queens)
– Bukharan style charcoal-grilled Lamb Kebabs – I need some now!!! [Ref NY Mag]

Chimu (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
– Noted to have excellent, fresh Ceviche, and all around authentic Peruvian cuisine. [Ref JLG]

City Sandwich (Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan)

Clinton Street Baking Co. & Restaurant (LES, Manhattan)

Country Boys (Park Slope, Brooklyn)
– The folks responsible for the legendary Tacos at the Red Hook ball fields, finally move into their own space. The menu has expanded considerably, but everything on offer seems as enticing as ever! [Ref TONY]

Creek and the Cave (Long Island City, Queens)
– Margarita Mondays and Taco Tuesdays are some of their weekly attractions, and they also feature a patio area, popular in the warmer months!

Crows Nest (East Midtown, Manhattan)
– Possibly the only rooftop bar on the East River, and likely to be a lot less crowded to on account of that! [Ref STC]

Curry-Ya (East Village, Manhattan)

Danji (Hells Kitchen, Manhattan)

Dos Toros (Union Square, Manhattan)

El Cocotero (Chelsea, Manhattan)

El Malecon (Washington Heights, Manhattan)

Earl’s Beer & Cheese (Upper East Side, Manhattan)
– This place was written up for being the ‘best new cheap eats joint’ in the city! Reason enough to go there! [Ref NY Mag]

El Ay Si (Long Island City, Queens)
– Apparently, another great brunch spot to add to LIC’s ever growing list!

El Rey del Taco Truck (Astoria, Queens)
– Where late-night drinkers head to! I’m willing to try it at other times to 😉 [Ref NY Mag]

El Sabroso (Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan)

Empanada Mama (Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan)

Estiatorio Milos (West Midtown, Manhattan)
– Reputed to have the best Greek food in the city, if you can pay the price for it!! Someday.. [Ref GD]

Fatty ‘Cue (Williamsburg, Brooklyn),/span>

Fedora (West Village, Manhattan)

Fette Sau (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)

Five Leaves (Greenpoint, Brooklyn)
– A destination for breakfast, I’m told, and one that’s amongst the best in the city!! [Ref WM]

Fletchers (Gowanus, Brooklyn)
– Gowanus’s answer to Brisket Town – both the NYT and TimeOut rate it highly too. Should be worth a visit, am sure! [Ref TONY]

Fornino (Park Slope, Brooklyn)
– The Times gives it a fairly extensive review but only one star! It sounds interesting to me nevertheless, and besides, I’m curious to find out what a grilled Pizza is all about! [Ref NYT]

Fort Reno (Park Slope, Brooklyn)
– This new eatery is rumoured to be a slice of BBQ heaven in the Slope! [Ref TimeOut NY]

Four & Twenty Blackbirds (Gowanus, Brooklyn)

Francois Payard Bakery (SoHO, Manhattan)
– A renowned bakery with good sandwiches too! Next time I’m taking visitors through SoHo!! [Ref Time Out NY]

Franny’s (Prospect Heights, Brooklyn)

Freemans Restaurant (LES, Manhattan)
– Tucked away, at the end of an alleyway in the Lower East Side, this restaurant is supposed to be quite the “hidden” gem! [Ref MF]

Fu Run (Flushing, Queens)

Gahm Mi Oak (West Midtown, Manhattan)
– A K-town staple for many but one that I’ve managed to miss on each visit to 32nd Street!! [Ref GD]

Gazala Place (Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan)

Ginny’s Supper Club (Harlem, Manhattan)
– Taking up the basement space of the much hyped Red Rooster, Ginny’s is known for its retro look, live music and a good selection of cocktails – making it worthy of a visit in its own right! [Ref TONY]

Golden Palace (Flushing, Queens)
– More Flushing fun with Dongbei style cooking this time – Chilli Pepper crispy Flounder, amongst their offerings! [Ref NY Mag]

Greenwood Park (Park Slope, Brooklyn)
– A former auto-body shop turned Beer Garden, which has an impressive line up of drafts, a fireplace for cooler weather, and a backyard complete with 3 bocce courts! Probably the best spot to hit after a run around neighboring Prospect Park! [Ref TONY]

Gulluoglu (East Midtown, Manhattan)

HanGawi (East Midtown, Manhattan)
– I wouldn’t normally associate vegetarian food with Korean cuisine but this place does just that, and from all accounts, extremely well! [Ref HA]

Hanjan (Flatiron, Manhattan)

Han Shin Pocha (Flushing, Queens)
– Still haven’t tried the Queens version of K-town, so am more than intrigued to try this Korean dive – with good eats – sooner rather than later! [Ref NY Mag]

Hill Country BBQ (Flatiron Dist, Manhattan)

Il Buco (East Village, Manhattan)

Ippudo (East Village, Manhattan)
– Another Ramen hotspot worth checking out! [Ref DG]

Isa (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
– Written up a lot as one of the spots to watch out for in 2012! Will have to wait for the crowds to subside I guess! [Ref Timeout NY]

Jackson Diner (Jackson Heights, Queens)

Jade Asian Restaurant (Flushing, Queens)
– Another recommendation from my Chinese colleague, this one for Cantonese Dim Sum!

Jean Claude (UES, Manhattan)
– An unpretentious little French eatery, which recently moved from SoHo to the Upper East Side [Ref GS]

Jeepney (East Village, Manhattan)

Jeffrey’s Grocery (West Village, Manhattan)
– A cozy corner location on one of my favorite streets in the West Village – one that is part-grocery, part-Oyster bar, part-Cafe, with a simple, but enticing enough menu to boot! Takes a while to get a reservation here, apparently, so I might have to settle for brunch first.

John Brown Smokehouse (LIC, Queens)
– This is the third in line of reputed Western Queens smokehouses and so far I’ve only tried one of them!! [Ref Boro Mag]

Joseph Leonard (West Village, Manhattan)
– Fried Chicken with a twist in a West Village setting! [Ref Time Out NY]

Kababish (Jackson Heights, Queens)
– Usually skeptical about South Asian food recos, but their ‘Gola Kebab’ is apparently the dope and available late into the night! [Ref Edible Queens Mag]

Kabab Cafe (Astoria, Queens)

Karczma (Greenpoint, Brooklyn)
– In NYC’s Polish stronghold, here’s another highly recommended eatery – comes complete with pretty waitresses 😉 [Ref NY Mag]

Katz (Lower East Side, Manhattan)

Keste (West Village, Manhattan)

Kin Shop (West Village, Manhattan)

Kyo Ya (East Village, Manhattan)

La Esquina (SoHo, Manhattan)

La Esquina del Sabor (Corona, Queens)
– This cart apparently churns out some Ecuadorian delights, including some mean roast Pork!! [Ref Edible Queens Mag]

Lakruwana (Stapleton, Staten Island)

Lan Sheng (West Midtown, Manhattan)

Landbrot (West Village & LES, Manhattan)
– A traditional German bakery comes to town – reason enough to head downtown! [Ref TONY]

Lani Kai (SoHo, Manhattan)
– This Hawaiian themed cocktail bar is best known for a legendary Happy Hour and a well made Mai Tai!

LIC Water Taxi Beach (Long Island City, Queens)

Lee’s Tavern (Dongan Hills, Staten Island)
– This one’s a trek away but is rumoured to have ‘the best Pizza in SI’! Might just have to get on that Ferry again.. [Ref NY Mag]

Locale (Astoria, Queens)

Locanda Verde (Tribeca, Manhattan)
– Worth going to for the Sheep’s Milk Ricotta alone, this eatery seems to be the go to spot for Italian in Tribeca! [Ref TimeOut NY]

Lucali(Carrol Gardens, Brooklyn)

Lupa (East Village, Manhattan)
– Another one from the Batali stables and quite possibly the East Village’s answer to Babbo! [Ref WM]

M. Wells (Long Island City, Queens)

Ma Peche (East Midtown, Manhattan)
– Written up for their Banh Mi sandwiches – the more, the merrier, I say! [Ref Time Out NY]

Maharlika (East Village, Manhattan)

Maison Kayser (UES, Manhattan)

Maison Premiere (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
– A cocktail bar that’s being talked about a lot lately. The mixologist here works his magic with Pimm’s too, I’m told! [Ref Time Out NY]

Martha’s Country Bakery (Forest Hills, Queens)
– NYT’s recent ’36 hours in Queens’ featured this bakery in Forest Hills and recommended it highly. Turns out there’s a branch close to me in Astoria! [Ref NYT]

Mary’s Fish Camp (West Village, Manhattan)

MexiQ (Astoria, Queens)

Mia Dona Cart (East Midtown, Manhattan)
– One more for NY’s countless food carts, Mia Dona serves up meatballs in Foccacia! [Ref NY Mag]

Mapo BBQ (Flushing, Queens)

Mighty Quinns (East Village, Manhattan)

Motorino (East Village, Manhattan)

Mrs. Kim’s (Greenpoint, Brooklyn)
– Amongst the ‘Asian New Wave’ eateries, this one sounds the most interesting what with its Pork Sausages done Korean style! [Ref NY Mag]

Mundo Astoria (Astoria, Queens)

Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao (Flushing, Queens)

Natives (Jackson Heights, Queens)
– Recommended by a Colombian lady as being her go to spot! Nuff Said!

Nom Wah Tea Parlor (Chinatown, Manhattan)

North End Grill (Battery Park City, Manhattan)
– Danny Meyer takes his Tabla Chef to Battery Park and puts him to work on New American cuisine, with a view of the Hudson – sounds like a good deal to me 🙂 [Ref TimeOut NY]

Num Pung Sandwich Shop (Union Square, Manhattan)

NYC Cravings Truck <twitter.com/nyccravings>
– Serves Taiwanese Fried Pork – it gotta be good 😉 [Ref NY Mag]

Onya (East Midtown, Manhattan)

Ornella (Astoria, Queens)
– One of the highest rated (by Yelpers and my Italian American colleague) Italian eateries in the hood! [Ref TP]

Ottomanelli Burgers & Belgian Fries (Woodside, Queens)
– The Hamburger spot opened by a local institution, Ottomanelli & Sons Prime Meats and Wild Game, and a few doors down from them! [Ref Edible Queens]

Pachanga Patterson (Astoria, Queens)

Painkiller (Lower East Side, Manhattan)
– The ‘Tiki’ themed Cocktail bar, with funky interiors! [Ref Time Out NY]

Pao de Queijo (Astoria, Queens)

Pates et Traditions (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
– I’ve walked past this place and it looked most enticing. My fellow foodie from W’burg confirms it as a must do brunch spot for the nabe! [Ref WM]

Patisserie Des Ambassades (Harlem, Manhattan)
– If you’re ever biking or running the loop in Central Park, am told this bakery will more than satisfy you! [Ref JLG]

Paulie Gee’s (Greenpoint, Brooklyn)
– The search for the best Pie continues.. Could this beat Lucali?? [Ref NY Mag]

Peaches HotHouse (Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn)

Pies ‘N’ Thighs (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)

Pig & Khao (LES, Manhattan)

Pilar Cuban Eatery (Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn)

Ping’s (Chinatown, Manhattan)
– Known for its seafood, this place supposedly has great dumplings to! [Ref WM]

Plan B (SoHO, Manhattan)
– A Northern Spanish Tapas Bar (if you want to get really specific!) that has been written up for its creative and rather bold decor, and culinary offerings! [Ref thrillist.com]

Ploy Thai (Elmhurst, Queens)

Point Brazil (Astoria, Queens)

Pok Pok NY (Red Hook, Brooklyn)

Popover Cafe (Upper West Side, Manhattan)

Prime Meats (Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn)
– Again, I attribute the NYT food section for drawing my attention to said establishment! I have to admit though, it does sound great!

Recette (West Village, Manhattan)
– They say the Pork Belly sandwich – served only during Sunday brunch – is reason enough to go here! [Ref Time Out NY]

RedFarm (West Village, Manhattan)
– A chic setting for upmarket Chinese food in the Village – Pac Man Dumplings included 😉 [Ref Time Out NY]

Red Hook Mercado (Red Hook, Brooklyn)
– The weekend food carts next to the ball fields of Red Hook have been talked about by many – perhaps a trip out there before the summer’s out is in order!? [Ref NY Mag]

Red Rooster (Harlem, Manhattan)
– Red Rooster has become something of a Harlem institution – pricey for that part of town, but apparently quite worth the hype! [Ref TimeOut NY]

Rest-au-rant (Astoria, Queens)

Richardson (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
– Known to have some of the best cocktails city-wide – yet another reason to visit Hipster central!! [Ref WM]

Rincon Criollo (Corona, Queens)

Roberta’s Pizza (Bushwick, Brooklyn)

Robotaya [East Village, Manhattan]

Rosamunde Sausage Grill (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
– A west coast import opens its doors in hipsterland, boasting an impressive Beer line-up and 24 different Sausages on the menu! A combination the Germans perfected long ago, and one that’s hard to screw up! [Ref TONY]

Rosarios Deli (Astoria, Queens)
– Noted to make some of the best Italian sandwiches – the combo being the one to get! [Ref TP]

Rubirosa (SoHO, Manhattan)

Russ & Daughters (Lower East Side, Manhattan)

Sabor Venezolano (Astoria, Queens)

Sac’s Place (Astoria, Queens)
– Coal oven Pizza – rumoured to be Astoria’s best thin slice!

Sage General Store (Long Island City, Queens)

Saint Anselm (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)

Sakagura (East Midtown, Manhattan)

Salon De Ning (East Midtown, Manhattan)
– The Peninsula’s rooftop lounge seems well worth it for a one drink splurge!

Salt & Fat (Sunnyside, Queens)
– American-Korean fusion sounds intriguing enough to begin with and then they go and tell you that the thing to get here is the Oxtail Terrine – I’m sold!! [Ref Edible Queens Mag]

Salvation Taco (East Midtown, Manhattan)

San Rasa (Tompkinsville, Staten Island)

Seersucker (Carrol Gardens, Brooklyn)
– Another highly recommended ‘Southern’ place in Brooklyn. [Ref NY Mag]

Seoul Chicken (LES, Manhattan)
– The latest Korean-style offering of the addictive stuff called Wings! [Ref TONY]

Singlecut Beersmiths (Astoria, Queens)

Sisters Caribbean Cuisine (Harlem, Manhattan)
– Known to have some of the best goat curry, Caribbean style, in the city – reason enough to go there! [Ref NY Mag]

Soba Totto (East Midtown, Manhattan)

Soba Ya (East Village, Manhattan)

Soomsoom Vegetarian Bar (Upper West Side, Manhattan)
– Another Israeli Falafel place, which, if even as good as Maoz, should be worth a try! [Ref NY Mag]

Southern Spice (Flushing, Queens)

Spicy & Tasty (Flushing, Queens)
– If you like the sound of Tea-smoked Duck, this might be the spot for you! It certainly seems right for me 😉 [Ref NY Mag]

Steak ‘n Shake Signature (West Midtown, Manhattan)
– The Times rates this Midwestern import a serious contender to Shake Shack!! [Ref NYT]

Stove (Astoria, Queens)

Sullivan Street Bakery (Hells Kitchen, Manhattan)

Sushi Gari (Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan)
– Multiple locations in the city but a fellow foodie vouches for the HK one! [Ref DG]

Sushi Yasuda (Flatiron Dist, Manhattan)
– Rated as one of the best Sushi spots in the city, their prix fixe lunch appears very affordable! [Ref Time Out NY]

Sushi You (East Midtown, Manhattan)
– Other than the fact that the Chef just left recently, this place is reputed to have some of the best Sushi in the city! Can be pricey though.. [Ref GD]

Sweet Afton (Astoria, Queens)

Sylvia’s (Harlem, Manhattan)
– Known to be another soul food bastion in the city! Would be interesting to see how it compares with the much more recent Amy Ruth’s!

Tanoreen (Bay Ridge, Brooklyn)

Taproom 307 (Murray Hill, Manhattan)
– Could be the next best thing to Ginger Man for east midtown, what with over 40 craft brews on tap! [Ref Timeout NY]

Taqueria Coatzingo (Jackson Heights, Queens)

Taralucci E Vino (Flatiron Dist, Manhattan)
– Heard they do some of the best Coffee, Italian style, in the city, and they have more than one location too! [Ref JG]

Tehuitzingo (Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan)

Tellys Taverna (Astoria, Queens)
– A Serious Eats staffer from Astoria rates it as his favourite Greek spot in the neighbourhood. [Ref Serious Eats NY]

The Astor Room (Astoria, Queens)
– One of the oldest restaurants in the neighbourhood – a Kaufman Studio staple – and still rumoured to be serving a good brunch and dinner! [Ref Boro Mag]

The Bowery Diner (Lower East Side, Manhattan)
– The quintessential New York Diner gets a makeover with a Belgian Chef and model-like hostesses, and supposedly some good food too! [Ref TimeOut NY]

The Bronx Beer Hall (Belmont, Bronx)
– Located inside the Arthur Ave Retail Market – which I missed seeing the last time I was there – the borough gets its first Beer Hall, with local brews on tap. As soon as the weather gets better, I’ll be heading up there! [Ref TONY]

The Dutch (SoHO, Manhattan)
– Touted as the latest ‘SoHO hotspot’, with some even calling it ‘the new Balthazar’! The wait for reservations is almost a month – if I ever get there, it’d better be damn good! [Ref TimeOut NY]

The General Greene (Fort Greene, Brooklyn)

The Lot on Tap (Chelsea, Manhattan)

The Marrow (West Village, Manhattan)
– The celebrity chef who brought ‘creative Thai’ to the West Village expands his footprint there with German – Italian offerings (his roots essentially!) that include Sauerbratened Lamb Ribs and Berliners!! The space is supposed to be quite something too! [Ref TONY]

The Meatball Shop (Lower East Side, Manhattan)

The Spotted Pig (West Village, Manhattan)

The Tippler (Meatpacking Dist, Manhattan)
– This supposedly non-pretentious spot in the Meatpacking does a cocktail called the ‘Gin & Chronic’ – need to go there just for that! [Ref Time Out NY]

Torissi Italian Specialties (SoHO, Manhattan)
– Another ‘must try’ as far as Italian eateries go, or so the buzz has it! And everyone insists its worth the hype, the wait and the price!!

Tortilleria Nixtamal (Corona, Queens)

Tomoe Sushi (East Village, Manhattan)
– Another highly recommended Sushi place, with exceptional Green Tea Ice Cream to boot! [Ref WM]

Tori Chin (UES, Manhattan)
– Once again, rated highly by my Japanese friend, notable for its Yakitori offerings, on the pricier end of the Yakitori spectrum! [Ref NK]

Totto Ramen (Hells Kitchen, Manhattan)

Trini-Paki Biryani Cart (West Midtown, Manhattan)

Tulcingo Del Valle (Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan)

Umi No Ie (East Village, Manhattan)
– A highly recommended Izakaya-style Japanese eatery! [Ref BC]

Uncle Zhou (Elmhurst, Queens)
– More Thai goodness in mini Thailand AKA Elmhurst! [Ref NYT]

Verde (Bushwick, Brooklyn)
– Noted to be one of the better Pizzerias in the borough that does it best, with a coal-fired oven to boot! [Ref BC]

Vesta (Astoria, Queens)
– I walked past this place recently and it looked warm and inviting. Local Astorians give it very high ratings too! Seems like a nice, unpretentious, neighborhood Italian eatery worth checking out.

Vietnam Banh Mi #1 AKA Saigon Vietnamese Sandwich Deli (Chinatown, Manhattan)
– Rated even higher than nearby Paris Cafe by my extremely knowledgeable and resourceful Asian co-worker! [Ref SK]

Vinegar Hill House (Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn)
– The ‘local’ in a neighbourhood I would very much like to call home someday 🙂

Vini E Oli, (Fort Greene, Brooklyn)
– Highly recommended to me by my Italian American friends, this one’s supposed to be the real deal! [Ref BC]

Wafa’s (Forest Hills, Queens)
– Family run Lebanese eatery – Queens answer to Tanoreen perhaps?? [Ref NY Mag]

Wafels & Dinges <twitter.com/waffletruck>

Walter Foods (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
– My Billyburg partner-in-food-crime has told me to add this to my list and he promises I will not be disappointed! Their Raw Bar, Cocktails and pretty much everything else inbetween is worth the trek to Kings County it seems! [Ref WM]

Weather Up Tribeca (Tribeca, Manhattan)
– The Tribeca branch of Weather Up Brooklyn, this Cocktail bar is known to be classy, pricey, with some good bar food. [Ref DG]

Wechsler’s Currywurst (East Village, Manhattan)

Whitehall Tavern (West Village, Manhattan)
– Walked past it several times, and its hard to imagine a more English setting for a pub in the city – need to get there before the summer’s out!

Wild Rise Pizza (DUMBO, Brooklyn)
– This Pizzeria is known for its wild-Yeast fermented dough, which apparently makes all the difference to the falvour! [Ref TimeOut NY]

William Hallet (Astoria, Queens)

Xian Famous Foods (Flushing, Queens / East Village, Manhattan)

Yvonne Yvonne Truck (Upper East Side, Manhattan)
– Caribbean delights, including Goat Curry, from a truck! [Ref NY Mag]

Zabb-Elle (East Village, Manhattan)

Zero Otto Nove (Arthur Ave, The Bronx)

Zenon Taverna (Astoria, Queens)
– Am told this is one of the better Greek spots in Astoria. There are many to choose from, of course, but this one is walking distance from home 😉 [Ref JG]

Zigolinis Pizza Bar (Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan)

Zoma (Harlem, Manhattan)>/span>

Zum Schneider (East Village, Manhattan