Food Bloggers Guide to NYC

When it comes to traveling, I love to explore, from hiking adventures outside of Seattle, to finding the best live music venue in New Orleans, to eating Chinese Hand Pulled Noodles in a park in NYC!

In 2015 I created the San Diego Food & City Guide to answer the question of where to eat and what to do in my hometown.

Throughout the past year I spent a lot of time adventuring through New Orleans, Seattle, New York City, Washington DC, Phoenix, Houston, Oklahoma City and San Francisco. In each city, I found delicious dishes at great restaurants, awesome breweries, fantastic live music venues, charming boutique hotels and quaint shopping districts.

In 2016, I’m so excited to introduce my Food Bloggers Guide for where to eat, stay & play in dozens of different cities!

For the first city guide of 2016, I’m taking you through all of my favorite things to do in NYC!

Over the last decade I’ve visited The Big Apple several times for both work and play, and through friends, Instagram followers and google searches I’ve found tons of great places to eat, stay and play!

You’ll see pictures throughout the page highlighting my favorite things to do in NYC, and I’ve included As Seen On Insta links to give you a closer look at the food and places I’ve featured on my Instagram page on my visits to NYC!

EAT

  • Tasty Hand Pulled Noodles – a small, hole in the wall, recommended by my friend Anthony, producer of Diners, Drive Ins and Dives on Food Network!

Chinese Hand Pulled Noodles in Chinatown, NYC

Pictured: Pan Fried Vegetable Noodles from Tasty Hand Pulled Noodles

  • Bar Bacon – every bacon lovers dream! I stumbled upon this spot one night just wandering the streets of NYC, and ended up going back 3 times that trip!
    • WHERE: Union Square – Manhattan
    • WHAT: American
    • EAT: Bacon Brussels Sprouts with Vietnamese Glaze and Lobster Bacon Mac and Cheese → as seen on Insta!
  • Bocca Di Bacco – another random find on an evening stroll through NYC! Great wine selection & delicious homemade pasta!
  • Aba Instanbul Turkish Restaurant – warning, they do not serve booze (which was very disappointing for a girl that really wanted a glass of wine that day!) but the food was amazing so I’d still recommend coming, maybe just grab a glass of wine (or two) at happy hour first 😉
    • WHERE: Hell’s Kitchen – Manhattan
    • WHAT: Turkish
    • EAT: Lamb Doner on Pita Bread with Tomato Sauce → as seen on Insta!
  • The Smoke Joint – if you’re looking for BBQ in NYC, this is the place to go! Another great recommendation from my friend Anthony!
  • Don Antonio – I met some of my local NYC friends here for dinner on one of my recent trips and everything was amazing! You just can’t beat homemade burrata!
    • WHERE: Hell’s Kitchen – Manhattan
    • WHAT: Italian
    • EAT: Homemade Burrata & Red Pizza with Sausage & Mozzarella → as seen on Insta!
  • The Meatball Shop – on my first trip to Brooklyn, my friend Ashley & I stopped in their Williamsburg location for Moscow Mules & Meatballs, fun spot, great drinks, delicious meatballs!
    • WHERE: Brooklyn, Lower East Side, West Village, Chelsea, Upper East Side, Upper West Side
    • WHAT: Italian
    • EAT: Meatball Sliders & Mini Buffalo Chicken Meatballs → as seen on Insta!
  • City Kitchen → as seen on Insta! – food hall’s are all the rage in NYC these days, and this one is in the perfect location, right in Time’s Square inside Row NYC hotel, with tons of delicious options for breakfast, lunch & dinner! Check out my favorite spots below!

Dough Doughnuts at City Kitchen NYC

Pictured: Cafe au Lait Doughnut at Dough Doughnuts in City Kitchen

Azuki Sushi at City Kitchen NYC

Pictured: Sashimi & Manhattan Roll at Azuki Sushi in City Kitchen

illi Box at City Kitchen NYC

Pictured: Duck Shawarma at ilili Box in City Kitchen

STAY

  • Row NYC | 700 8th Ave New York, NY 10036
    • WHERE: Times Square
    • WHAT: One of the largest contemporary NYC hotels with over 1,300 guest rooms. The hotel motto is “More NY Than NY” and the decor and design reflect this motto by highlighting the different areas of NYC.
    • HIGHLIGHTS:
      • City Kitchen: The upscale food hall located inside the hotel is originally what attracted me to staying here, for obvious reasons, being a food blogger and all! Let me just say, it did not disappoint! All of my favorite highlights from City Kitchen are listed above in the “DINE” section.
      • CYC Fitness: After eating all of the donuts, lobster rolls and pork buns I could get my hands on in City Kitchen, I was excited to hop on a bike & take a spin class downstairs at CYC Fitness inside the hotel. If you can get in a class with Elena, do it, she seriously rocks!
      • Glam & Go Blowout Studio:  Following my spin class, I went across the hall to get my first every blowout! Yes, I know, I’m totally behind the times 😉 The ladies in the studio were super friendly and gave me a fresh look for a day out in NYC!

View from Row NYC Hotel Room

Pictured: The view from my room at Row NYC Hotel

Hotel RL Brooklyn | 1080 Broadway Brooklyn, NY 11221

  • WHERE: Brooklyn Bed-Stuy
  • WHAT: A new boutique hotel in the up-and-coming Bed-Stuy neighborhood of Brooklyn featuring a game room and lounge, backyard area with outdoor games and “The Living Stage” featuring live performances from local artists.
  • HIGHLIGHTS:
    • “The Living Stage” – a platform for local performers, from musicians, to artists, to community leaders to share with the community.
    • Game and Movie Room – catch a movie, play a game or just relax in this large game room in the basement of Hotel RL Bed-Stuy.

Hotel RL Brooklyn Bed-Stuy Boutique Hotel Room

Pictured: My room at Hotel RL Brooklyn

PLAY {during the day}

  • Rockefeller Plaza – I couldn’t believe it on my last trip to NYC when my boyfriend said he’d never been to Rockefeller Plaza (he’s been to NYC dozens of times and even lived there for a few months!) It’s most impressive in the winter when the Rockefeller Plaza tree is up and lit, but also a fun visit anytime of the year!
  • Yankee Stadium – opened in 2009 the New York Yankees stadium has as many dining options, as it does baseball games. If the team is in town when you’re visiting, I’d definitely recommend catching a game!
  • Central Park – my favorite place in NYC, if you’ve never been to the city, Central Park should be your first stop! It’s beautiful year-round, whether it’s covered in snow in February or bright and sunny in July, there’s so much to see, I always love exploring the park on each trip to NYC!

Yankee Stadium NYC

Pictured: Yankee Stadium

PLAY {in the evening}

  • The Press Lounge – a rooftop bar with amazing views of the city! A must visit for martinis and soaking in the bright lights of the big city!
  • Mehanata – it’s been almost 4 years since I visited this Bulgarian bar & dance club on the Lower East Side, but I’ll never forget dancing the night away with my friend Erin to awesome music and hanging out on swings while ordering beers, because yes, they have swings instead of bar stools!
  • Ava Lounge – another fun rooftop bar with beautiful views. What can I say, when in NYC, rootftops are always a good idea 😉

View from The Press Lounge Rooftop Bar NYC

Pictured: View from The Press Lounge

This page is an ongoing project, if you didn’t see your favorite NYC spot on the list, please comment below and let me know! I’m in NYC every 3-6 months and always looking for new adventures in the Big Apple!

I’ll be updating this page after every visit to NYC with new spots to check out. In the meantime be sure to follow me on Instagram & Snapchat (WhitneyMBond) for daily updates on where my foodie adventures take me in my kitchen, around my hometown of San Diego and on my travels!

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