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15 bucket-list eats in New York City

Hungry for the latest and greatest restaurants that New York has to offer? Look no further. We spoke with New York restaurant reviewer and co-founder of The Infatuation, Andrew Steinthal for his most beloved NYC eateries.

Full reviews of all restaurants and cafes listed below can be found at theinfatuation.com

Breakfast:

Russ & Daughters Cafe

127 Orchard St.
212-475-4881

A new sit-down restaurant from these legendary smoked fish purveyors.

Eating something from Russ & Daughters is a must, and unlike the original store up the street, here you can eat at a table.

Must try: Hot smoke/cold smoke 

 

The Smile

26 Bond St.
646-329-5836

The perfect place to lap up practical breakfast while people watching some of New York’s coolest looking folk.

Just don’t expect them to be up before 11am.

Must try: Egg sandwich 

Lunch:

Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridien Hotel

119 W. 56th St.
212-708-7414

Behind a red velvet curtain in this high-end hotel lobby lies one of New York City’s best burgers.

It’s a big call, yes, but you have to eat one of these burgers before leaving Midtown.

Must try: Burger with everything, aka ‘The Works’ – don’t skip the fries either

 

Ippudo Westside

321 W. 51st St.
212-974-2500

The uptown location of our favorite Japanese restaurant import, here you can eat all the ramen you can possibly stand.

Must try: Akamura modern ramen 

 

Cookshop

156 10th Ave.
212-924-4440

Cookshop does some of the best brunches and lunches in town, and it’s conveniently located next door to The Standard High Line hotel.

Must try: Anything that involves eggs

 

Danji

346 W. 52nd St.
212-586-2880

Modern Korean food. All you need to know is two words: bulgogi sliders.

Must try: Bulgogi sliders

 

Joe’s Pizza

7 Carmine St.
212-366-1182

If you leave without getting a slice from Joe’s, New York can’t allow you back. It’s in their city charter.

Must try: Plain slice

 

Luke’s Lobster

93 E. 7th St.
212-387-8487

The original East Village location of a fast-growing lobster roll empire.

Even if you happen to be visiting from Maine, you need to eat one of these bad boys.

Must try: Lobster roll

Dinner:

Il Buco

47 Bond St.
212-533-1932

When you return from your New York escapade, someone at home is going to ask you “Did you eat the best Italian food?", to which you will reply, “Yes, in a rustic antique shop."

You will be instantly more likable and respected by your friends and coworkers after wining and dining at Il Buco.

Must try: Beef carpaccio with fried chickpeas

 

L’Artusi

228 W. 10th St.
212-255-5757

Show up, sit at the bar, eat pasta, eat olive oil cake, repeat.

L’Artusi has excellent food and the best vibe ever. No wonder it’s a favourite among New York locals.

Must try: Olive oil cake 

 

Vinegar Hill House

72 Hudson Ave.
718-522-1018

Here’s how the greatest day in Brooklyn works – you start on a Saturday at about 4pm, walk across the Brooklyn Bridge into Dumbo, continue on to Vinegar Hill House, eat delicious food, then send us a thank you email for planning the greatest day ever.

Done.

Must try: Country chop

 

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Paulie Gee’s

60 Greenpoint Ave.
347-987-3747

If ever you were going to venture over to Greenpoint, this is where we’d tell you to eat.

Paulie Gee’s has some of the best and most creative pizzas in the city, and Paulie himself will be walking around talking to customers.

At the very least you can tell your friends that you’ve heard of it. That’s pretty cool too.

Must try: Hellboy pizza

Late Night/Second Dinner:

Blue Ribbon Brasserie

97 Sullivan St.
212-274-0404

If we were going to tell you to have one meal on your first trip to New York City, this would be it.

We’d also tell you to have it at 2am. Blue Ribbon is open until 4.

Must try: Beef marrow and fried chicken

 

Momofuku Ssam Bar

207 2nd Ave.
212-254-3500

Another classic that we still have in heavy rotation, after all these years.

David Chang’s Korean food empire started here, and it’s still putting out amazing food.

It’s also open late, in case you’ve been out at the theatre…

Must try: Rice cakes and pork buns

 

The Spotted Pig

314 W. 11th St.
212-620-0393

Not only is this one of New York’s best restaurants, it’s one of the city’s best hangouts.

Put your name in with the host and head up to the bar on the second floor for some drinks and action until your table is ready.

Or maybe just skip eating altogether and see where the night takes you.

Must try: Chargrilled burger

 

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12 grand journeys throughout North America

    Continue
    Discover North America’s epic adventures — from Route 66 and Alaska cruises to Hawai‘i road trips, NYC culture, Mexico trails and more.

    1. Route 66, the Main Street of America

    Travelling with: Ricky French

    Sunset on Route 66 in the California Mojave Desert.
    Hit the open road and trace America’s legendary highway. (Image: Getty/Der_Thomasa)

    Dubbed the Main Street of America, Route 66 radiates serious main character energy, cemented into popular culture through everything from John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath to the Disney Pixar film Cars. Spanning nearly 4000 kilometres from Chicago to Los Angeles, the historic highway celebrates its centenary next year, a timely invitation to take the mother of all road trips along the Mother Road. Allow two to three weeks to tackle the full length, or bite off a smaller chunk at either end, cruising the dramatic deserts of California or the more pastoral landscapes of Illinois, lined with neon-lit diners, retro gas stations and quirky roadside attractions.

    2. Mexico’s Día de los Muertos

    Travelling with: Carla Grossetti

    emblematic catrina of mexico with flowers and necklace with sempasuchil flowers
    Celebrate life and honour loved ones in vibrant style. (Image: Getty/Fabian Pacheco)

    You might know Oaxaca as the birthplace of mole and mezcal. But the state in southern Mexico is also where the Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) began. Time your visit to coincide with the colourful holiday, on 1–2 November, which honours and celebrates loved ones who have passed away. Oaxaca is also Mexico’s Michelin-starred culinary capital, with 18 restaurants and a humble taco stand listed in the 2025 guide.

    3. Museum-hop in New York City

    Travelling with: Carla Grossetti

    The Guggenheim Museum’s iconic spiralling exterior, a highlight of North America Epic Adventures.
    Step inside and marvel at bold, world-class art. (Image: Damiano Fiore)

    Your map app will look like it’s been scattered with confetti after you’ve dropped pins on all the museums you want to visit in New York City. Must-sees are the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art aka the Met, and the Museum of Modern Art. The American Museum of Natural History is also a draw. It’s also worth venturing into the boroughs to browse institutions such as the Brooklyn Museum, which has a huge permanent collection categorised by culture.

    4. The USA’s music scene

    Travelling with: Elizabeth Whitehead

    The Seattle skyline at night, aglow with city lights on North America Epic Adventures.
    Soak up skyline views and dive into the city’s coffee culture. (Image: Abigail Boone)

    If you’re a muso, chances are you’ve wanted to make a pilgrimage to the United States, the epicentre of so many beloved genres. Whether you’re head-banging your way around the Grunge Circuit in Seattle, chasing the twang of the pedal steel through Tennessee or bouncing between blues bars in the Mississippi Delta, the USA’s rich music culture has something that’ll strike a chord.

    5. Road-tripping Hawai‘i

    Travelling with: Carla Grossetti

    A woman surfing in Hawaii, gliding across turquoise waves on North America Epic Adventures.
    Catch the waves and ride Hawaii’s iconic swells. (Image: Ben Ono)

    Hawai‘i is one of the most diverse US states to road trip around. Of the six major islands to visit, the Island of Hawai‘i packs in everything from the snowy summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa to black-sand beaches and lava fields frozen in the act of flowing forward. Change down a few gears on the island of O‘ahu, too, where you can find your own patch of sand on Waimanalo Beach. Visit poi and pineapple plantations. And hang ten on beginner-friendly waves on the North Shore.

    6. Cruising Alaska

    Travelling with: Carla Grossetti

    Explora Journeys ship cruising in Alaska.
    Sail past glaciers and spot whales in pristine waters.

    Seeing Alaska from the sea allows you to cover a lot of distance quickly. This immersive frontier now beckons more than ever before with Explora Journeys adding the American state to its global destination portfolio. Best of all are the pre-and post-journey immersions that connect the luxury of a cruise onboard Explora III with the rugged grandeur of the Alaskan interior. UnCruise Adventures also weaves in access to remote national parks, legendary wildlife corridors and authentic cultural experiences on its Alaskan itineraries.

    7. The Wixárika Route in Mexico

    Travelling with: Elizabeth Whitehead

    People journeying through the Wixarika Route.
    Journey deep into sacred Huichol traditions and art.

    For generations, the Indigenous Wixárika People of Mexico have walked a sacred path known as Tatehuarí Huajuyé, or ‘The Path of Our Grandfather Fire’. The annual pilgrimage route spans 500 kilometres, taking in significant sites in Wixárika spirituality and cosmology. The route passes through the deserts, mountains and forests of northern Mexico before reaching Wirikuta, believed to be the place the sun first emerged. The route is a living cultural landscape of Indigenous culture pre-Columbian influence and, in July this year, was formally inscribed into UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

    8. Drive the Iceberg Coast in Canada

    Travelling with: Carla Grossetti

    Iceberg off the east coast of Canada
    Chase icebergs along Expedition 51 on Canada’s east coast. (Image: Canadian Tourism Commission/ Chris Hendrickson)

    Download the icebergfinder.com map to better plan your road trip along Canada’s Iceberg Coast. The new highway, which has been nearly 25 years and CAD$1.1 billion in the making, threads through the country’s pleated coastlines around Quebec, Newfoundland, Labrador, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick before looping in the French islands of St Pierre and Miquelon. As well as chasing icebergs along Expedition 51, travellers will have the opportunity to engage with cultures that have thrived in the pristine provinces for thousands of years.

    9. A foodie tour of Nova Scotia

    Travelling with: Katie Carlin

    Lunenberg Nova Scotia
    Try lobster rolls in Lunenburg on the east coast of Canada in Nova Scotia. (Image: Natalia Kvitovska/ Unsplash)

    World-famous for its lobster, Nova Scotia is a Canadian province best savoured through its culinary clout shaped by sea and terroir. Bite into lobster rolls at historic Lunenburg’s Salt Shaker Deli & Inn and sip maple rum at Ironworks Distillery. Winery-hop around Wolfville’s rising vineyards (don’t miss Lightfoot & Wolfville). Take a maple syrup tour at Sugar Moon Farm near Earltown. And pull up a seat at waterfront Bar Sofia in Halifax, where Nova Scotia oysters aguachile arrive bright with cucumber, lime and pickled onion.

    10. Soak up the sun in the Caribbean

    Travelling with: Carla Grossetti

    Overwater bungalows off a beach in the Caribbean
    Experience the white-sand beaches and cerulean seas of the Caribbean on board a cruise.

    The Caribbean is on the radar for seasoned cruisers. And it’s easy to see why, with white-sand beaches, cerulean seas and swaying palms so picture-perfect they look AI-generated. Cruise with Windstar, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity on its inaugural Xcel season to the Caribbean to enjoy action-packed excursions such as snorkelling coral reefs and shopping for local trinkets. And those sea days? Spectacular.

    11. Red Chair Hikes of Canada

    Travelling with: Kassia Byrnes

    Red Adirondack chairs overlooking Lake Minnewanka in Canada
    Take a seat at Lake Minnewanka, one of more than 400 red Adirondack chairs scattered across Canada’s hiking routes. (Image: Getty Images/ Autumn Sky Photography)

    No one appreciates the great outdoors more than Canadians, emerging from snow-covered winters to tread glacial rivers and snowshoe through forests, or to hike mighty mountains and wildflower-strewn valleys come spring. Along popular hikes around the country, more than 400 red Adirondack chairs have been placed in peaceful, breathtaking locations. What started as a social media contest now sees hikers soaking in classic Canadian lake and mountain vistas, overlooking historic sites or gazing down on the mountainous path they just travelled.

    12. Ride the Rocky Mountaineer from Denver to Moab, USA

    Travelling with: Carla Grossetti

    Sweeping views from the Rocky Mountaineer.
    The Rocky Mountaineer will continue as the Canyon Spirit in 2026, seen here carving through Ruby Canyon.

    Sighting wild animals is one of many incredible thrills along the two-day luxury Rockies to the Red Rocks route onboard the Rocky Mountaineer across America’s Southwest between mid-April and mid-October. In addition to the lone bear, we spot bighorn sheep, elk, beavers, pronghorn antelope, bald eagles and ospreys. Riding the rails onboard the luxury train, which was founded in Canada in 1990 and has been awarded the prestigious World’s Leading Travel Experience by Train several times, has never been about just getting from A to B. Ride the train from Denver to Moab and you will see the scenery change from snow-capped peaks to meadows, red-rock canyons and soaring cliffs that resemble ornate Gaudí-esque cathedrals. But it’s not until you get off the train that you can produce the ultimate Venn diagram, with nature and adventure in the intersecting spheres.