Coming to NY for the first time from London very soon and my boyfriend asked me to organise a food crawl for his birthday! The plan is to go to a museum in the morning and then eat and walk for the rest of the day. The vibe is grabbing a single bite at each place and sharing so we can try the max amount of food. We're specifically sticking to these cuisines (we're doing diff foods on diff days).
I know the first one is a bit out of the way but it's near where we're starting our day, but generally we'd like to be able to walk between places (up to 30 mins walking per stop). Have I missed any great finds / should I replace any of these? Thank you!
by whatsmyalterego
29 Comments
I’d say replace Van Leeuwen with Caffe Panna for something more unique (and better imo)
Been ages since Vanessa’s is worth it. So many better and cheaper dim sum or just dumpling spots. Xi’an i could say the same but at least it’s not as drastic of a fall off
add los tacos no1 along with the tacos/carnitas ramirez
no pizza or bagels?
+ 1 on Los Tacos. If you plan it right, you can start at Ramirez in Greenpoint, stop at Xian, add Chato’s tacos, and work your way to the Birria Landia truck on Metropolitan. I’d also add a few breweries along the way. Good luck!
Skip Vanessa and go to Super Taste on canal and Eldridge
I also like Kuih Cafe, a Malaysian desert place in Chinatown, open Thursday to Sunday.
They do small mochi-like desserts, great for a food crawl IMO
Also il laboratorio del gelato instead of van leeuwen
Mei lai wah is right next to chi cha san chen and have really delicious roasted pork buns and egg yolk buns
white bear #6 in lieu of vanessa’s dumplings
I think Chicha San Chen is not meaningfully better than most boba spots to go out of your way for (especially to wait in line), but if the line is short go for it.
Maybe swap Xi’an Famous Foods with Maxi Noodles. I like XFF, but you can get Xi’an food in London that’s as good if not better.
If you’ll be in Chinatown anyway, try Chinatown Ice Cream Factory for some cool flavors instead.
1915 lanzhou hand pulled noodle
Drop VL, and from Pecking House you can easily walk to Malai on Smith St! Incredible spiced, rich ice cream 🐓➡️🍧
There’s nothing really wrong with Vanessa’s, their dumplings and pancakes are perfectly fine and authentic but they’re like a white wash version of a cheap dumpling spot, as in it’s slightly more expensive and they mostly cater towards the non Chinese so it’s going to be non Chinese locals in there.
There’s like 4 other cheap dumpling spots within a few blocks away. Would recommend any of those spots instead if you’re looking for a more “authentic” hole in the wall dumpling experience.
**3 spots super close to Vanessa’s:**
[King’s Dumpling](https://maps.app.goo.gl/NpAFe8rZRNvxZibo8)
[North Dumpling](https://maps.app.goo.gl/kmQ6fGJQQvP3eDZS8)
[Super Taste](https://maps.app.goo.gl/qBgcMRwCvHMEdb3z5)
There’s also [Shu Jiao Fu Zhou](https://maps.app.goo.gl/JN1mVMfiHtMUPUw66) but I hate recommending them because they mostly have boiled dumpling also they’re already giga popular/touristy from all the social media/influencers recommending the same spot.
**2 more spots:** (slightly further away from Vanessa’s but they’re close to Chi Cha Sen)
[Tasty Dumpling](https://maps.app.goo.gl/se57VKwJDWfpjmwUA)
[Jin Mei Dumpling](https://maps.app.goo.gl/KyGs7YDRV4LBZo6D6)
—
I also feel like the [Los Tacos #1 location in NOHO](https://maps.app.goo.gl/R6zUyRXyDXNapZSE6) deserves a mention if you’re going for a bunch of tacos spot (get the pork/adobada). The best part is that they’re right next door to [Levain’s](https://maps.app.goo.gl/9mDG97cRd87vDbc6A) (famous for their thick cookies) so you can knock out 2 birds with 1 stone. There’s also a [Funny Face bakery](https://maps.app.goo.gl/KDTvWccfihXTmEG26) across the street that has similar thick cookies but I think Levian’s is slightly better.
Shanghai 21 for crispy whole fish with chili sauce
Nyonya for hainanese chicken and rice, Kang kung belacan, roti canal
Figo for gelato and brioche buns (they also have a great brownie)
Gopchqng Story for grilled intestines
You can do a lot better than Vanessa’s. Almost any hole in the wall you stumble into in Chinatown will be superior. I particularly like the dumplings at Spicy Village or Shu Jiao Fu Zhou, if you want some recs.
Wo hop
Cocotazo is right be and is delicious! Definitely can second that one
Brit here, Carnitas Ramirez is really worth going to. You should go before 7pm though as they may run out of some cuts. Definitely get the gordita to share and the chiccarones, I really liked the carnudo (crispy pork belly).
Pecking House is on my list too, may try it tomorrow, I can let you know how it is.
I’d highly recommend Bark BBQ as well! Lemme know if you want some more recs
I’d replace carnitas ramirez with taqueria Ramirez and Vanessa’s with din tai fung
Kolachi, Kati Roll, and/or Thelawala Roll
Replace van leeuwen with morgensterns
Get Anita Gelato over Van Leeuwen
For Chinatown maybe replace Vanessa’s with Spicy Village?
As others have mentioned, I’d swap Van Leeuwen for Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, Chi Cha San for HeyTea, Vanessa’s for Super Taste. Xi’an is Good but my favorite noodles has to be the dan dan noodles at Spicy Moon.
And I love Carnitas Ramirez. Definitely order some of the less “common” cuts like ears and snout!
Edit: Sunday Morning is just around the corner from Carnitas Ramirez so you can try to get some cinnamon rolls if they haven’t sold out for the day.
Thanks for visiting NYC! Here’s a list of [Manhattan Restaurants](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA0ckQpJLtLSmNz-YF21kIZH3W_tmTo81), enjoy!
Visited in February and Carnitas Ramirez was my favorite bite of the whole trip
Would recommend adding Wu’s and ordering the fried anchovies. And I don’t even like anchovies lol
Steamed rice rolls > Xian Famous Foods
Remove Vanessa’s dumpling.