NYC: Food

A good restaurant comes down to two things for me: food and atmosphere. The food has gotta be tasty and the atmosphere needs to be captivating. NYC’s food is insane–the good kind of insane–so narrowing it down is hard. But here are my top restaurants in NYC that fulfilled those two qualities of a good restaurant.

Abracadabra – Brooklyn

Okay–I was obsessed with this place from the moment I walked in. It’s Turkish Vegan, so think clean ingredients with a Turkish twist. But they also have meat and eggs that can be added to meals (thank God for the Chicken Tikka and Turkish meatballs). I was drawn to its unique style of cuisine (can I use the phrase ‘food genre’?) and atmosphere. I mean, I had a golden milk with my Chicken Tikka platter, which ya don’t eat together very often. But it was real good–so good that we came back for a second time before we left for the airport.

Those rainbow kites are so dang cute. All of the wall hangings, table cloths, tables, and chairs were mixed matched, but they went together well. And they had a little book shelf in the corner.

Right: Chicken Tikka platter + avocado  Left: Turkish meatball platter + fried egg

Bakeri – Brooklyn

As you can tell by the name, this place is a bakery rather than a restaurant. I only had a latte with almond milk, but it was good. I think it tasted even better out of their Anthropologie mug. I loved the character of this place, with their decorative ceiling and mix of tiles and wood walls. I sat at a little wood table with teeny wooden barstools.

Cafe Mogador – Brooklyn

A Mediterranean spot right across the street from Bakeri. Their hummus and eggplant was delicious. The restaurant itself was adorable, although I did not get many pictures.

Reunion – Brooklyn

More Mediterranean food! I also ordered a flat white, which had me reminiscing of London where I would drink approx. three flat whites a day.

Los Tacos No. 1 – Manhattan

You gave to be on your A-game when ordering here because it’s a little hectic. This place is a grab ‘n’ go taco stand in Chelsea Market. I had one steak and one pork taco (I liked the pork better, which is unusual). Fresh and tasty.

Videology – Brooklyn

Videology is a bar, not a restaurant, but it’s the coolest bar in Williamsburg if you ask me. First off, the concept of this place is incredible. Every night they play a movie and people come to hang out and have a drink. We went on Wednesday, which is their Parks and Rec bingo night. If you get bingo you win a free drink. I ordered the watermelon margarita made with real watermelon.

Tikka Indian Grill – Brooklyn

I love pretty much all Indian food, but I can’t help but order the Chicken Tikka Masala anytime I go to an Indian restaurant. It was flavorful and even a little sweet which I really enjoyed.

Lokal 83 Mediterranean Kitchen – Manhattan

I ordered lamb and veggies and Christin got an arugula and pear salad with shrimp. Friendly staff and great food.

House of Small Wonder – Brooklyn

This place was a mix of adorable, freaking awesome, and mouthwatering. I was gushing about the design majority of the time, but it was hard to get pictures because it is dim inside. The lavender latte was great, as well as the rest of our food.

Pokeworks – Manhattan

We walked through the pouring rain for this sushi burrito. Don’t regret it one bit.

Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream – Manhattan

Salted Chocolate ice cream is all I need to say.

Cookie Do – Manhattan

Raw cookie dough in a cup–what more could I want for dessert? I got one scoop of a brownie batter and Oreo dough, and one scoop peanut butter with Reese’s pieces.

Other places I liked:

Freehold – Brooklyn

Hu Kitchen – Manhattan

Ramen Adante – Brooklyn

Blue Bottle Coffee – Manhattan

by Chloe – Brooklyn

Black Brick Coffee – Brooklyn