Sampling local fare is one of the many exciting aspects of traveling to a new city, but the cost can really add up, especially if you want to try a bit of everything the destination has to offer. The good news is that sampling the essentials can be done on a budget without sacrificing taste. Today, we look at the culinary mecca of New York City. The Big Apple is known for its cheesy pizza and fluffy bagels, amongst many other dishes. Here are a few local eateries that we recommend as part of our $50 Food Tour of New York City.
Note: This article includes menu prices as listed at the time of writing. Those numbers may fluctuate, and don’t include tax or tip. Be sure to tip your servers for their hard work.
Breakfast: Bagel With Cream Cheese
Bagels have been a mainstay of New York’s culinary culture for over a century. They were popularized in the 1880s by Polish immigrants who brought this traditional food over to the States. One of the main reasons why NYC’s bagels are so popular is due to local water. The city’s water is considered especially “soft,” which creates a chewier dough when incorporated into the bagel-making process. Another reason for their popularity is their portability, as they’re a great breakfast meal for New Yorkers constantly on the go.
Located in Manhattan’s Upper West Side neighborhood, Absolute Bagels usually has a line out the door, and for good reason. This cash-only establishment serves up fluffy bagels covered in creamy schmear on the daily, and is one of the best ways to start any morning in New York City. If you’re in a rush to see the sites, don’t worry, as the line moves fast and you’ll be chowing down on a breakfast bagel in no time.
Absolute Bagels’ menu includes everything from egg salad to sliced roast beef, but for breakfast there’s no better treat than a bagel with cream cheese. Choose whatever type of bagel you prefer from plain to everything and even pumpernickel, and then slather it in your favorite type of schmear. We recommend lox spread, which includes little bits of smoked salmon for some added salty flavor. The entire meal will only run you around $3.55, leaving you plenty of cash for the rest of your day.
Lunch: Italian Sandwich
Beginning in the 1860s, Italian immigrants started traveling en masse to New York City, and by 1930 Italians made up 17% of the city’s entire population. As those numbers grew, the NYC culinary scene saw a huge increase in Italian delis and restaurants across the city. Eventually, Italian food became synonymous with New York, and neighborhoods like Little Italy in Manhattan and Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, continue to serve up Italian homeland classics today.
Among those delicacies is the Italian sandwich, and if you want to sample one of the best, head to Defonte’s. This Brooklyn-based sandwich shop was established in 1922 in the borough’s Red Hook neighborhood. While there are Italian sandwiches scattered throughout NYC, few are more delicious than the ones served up at Defonte’s. This iconic eatery prides itself on high quality ingredients and sandwiches made to order.
For vegetarians, Defonte’s offers crispy and decadent fried eggplant sandwiches covered in melted cheese and tomato sauce. But for our recommendation, we’d go for the Sinatra Special, which consists of steak pizzaiola smothered in tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and grated cheese before the sandwich is finally melted under a broiler. A medium-sized sandwich will only run you around $10.50, but that’s more than enough to fill you up.
Snack: Potato Knish
New York's Jewish population is responsible for a number of the city's now-iconic dishes. Popular foods like pastrami originated with Romanian Jewish immigrants in the late 1800s, leading to the rise of Jewish delis throughout the city, particularly on the Lower East Side. While many have since shuttered their doors, a few establishments from the early 20th century remain to offer a look back in time at the foods that were so prevalent throughout NYC over a century ago.
One such historic establishment is perfect for a midday snack. If you need a pick me up, consider grabbing a snack at Yonah Schimmel, one of the oldest restaurants in New York City. This Lower East Side knishery has been in continuous operation since 1910, and is known for its famous knishes, a classic snack of Ashkenazi Jewish origin that often contains potato filling baked into dough, though Yonah Schimmel offers up more adventurous options as well.
The menu includes your classic potato knish, plus more modern inventions such as a red cabbage knish, sweet potato knish, and even dessert knishes filled with blueberries or apple. Their basic savory knishes cost around $5.50, offering an affordable afternoon treat to keep you feeling full until dinnertime.
Dinner: Pizza
You can’t talk about New York City without mentioning pizza. In fact, the country’s very first pizzeria, Lombardi’s, is located in lower Manhattan. The shop began as a grocery store that sold tomato pies to workers at lunchtime before converting to a pizzeria in 1905. Since then, pizza has become arguably the most popular food in New York City, with over 2,000 pizzerias located throughout the five boroughs.
While you can’t go wrong with whatever pizzeria you choose, we’re taking a look at one in Greenwich Village in particular. Most pizza places in New York City offer up slices, but John’s of Bleecker Street is unique for only selling full pies. So grab a friend and come on down to this culinary staple, which began operations back in 1929. John’s continues to use coal-fired brick ovens that produce a crispy and delicious crust unlike most other pizza places in the city.
The menu at John’s includes pasta, sandwiches, and appetizers, but you can’t beat their pizzas. We suggest keeping things basic with the “John’s Original,” a pie consisting of mozzarella and tomato sauce that’ll blow you away despite its simplicity. A 14-inch pie will cost you $20.99, though that’s more than enough to sate both you and a friend.
Dessert: Gelato
The New York City culinary scene is always reinventing itself, as new restaurants pop up daily. While there’s something comforting about enjoying the classics, it’s also worthwhile to indulge in whatever’s trendy while visiting the city. One of the most popular outlets for food experimentation is the world of ice cream. Brooklyn-based creameries like Malai infuse ice cream with South Asian flavors, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Among the city’s trendiest dessert spots right now is Caffè Panna, located in Gramercy, Manhattan. This tiny shop serves up Italian-inspired gelato and cycles through an ever-changing menu using high-quality ingredients imported from Italy, as well as local ingredients.
Caffè Panna is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so be sure to plan your visit for another day of the week. They often sell out of popular flavors, but if you get there early enough you can snag some gelato before it’s all gone. We recommend a regular size, which includes two scoops plus a crunch and drizzle. During our visit we had the Oreo-infused gelato coupled with a sweet cream and strawberry swirl gelato, topped with sea salt and umbrian olive oil. The cost is only $7, keeping you just under $50 for the entire day.
Total Spent: $47.54
