As far as Manhattan goes imo south of 14th is a lot more interesting.
For breakfast/lunches/casual:
-Kopitiam. It’s on the Fujian side of Chinatown. Malaysian coffeeshop. You can get all of the different coffee drinks (I like the white coffee), kaya toast with egg, noodles, Malaysian/Chinese dishes (menu can change).
-Golden Diner. A tribute to NY/NJ diner but instead of Greek touches it’s Asian. Chef is a Momofuku alumni. Never had a bad dish here. One of my favorite places for breakfast.
-Re:Pizza. As far as Manhattan goes John’s of Bleecker for a whole pie. Slices…….Scarrs, Joe’s (Village location only), Bleecker Street, Mama’s Too, NY Pizza Suprema, Village Square. Skip the dollar slices. Lombardi is cool for the historic reasons, but I think by now it’s a tourist destination. Brooklyn is where it’s at though…Lucali’s (don’t forget the calzone), L’industrie, Paulie Gee’s, Luigi’s on 5th/Park Slope.
-Deli/bodegas……this is what I am going to miss when I come back to CA. This is NYC culture. At minimum get yourself a baconeggcheese. In Manhattan I really like delis/bodegas in the East Village. Sunny and Annie’s is a great spot.
-Thai and Vietnamese. I know we have Little Saigon and Thai Town but the past few years there has been some buzz around Thai and Vietnamese. It’s higher price point but the ingredients and cooking is top notch. For Thai: Soothr, Fish Cheeks, and Thai Diner (all nearby). For Viet I haven’t traveled down that road yet but will soon.
-If you are doing the museum/Central Park thing you must visit Zabar’s. Nothing like it in CA. You can get real lox, knishes, Jewish deli items, it’s a wonderland. There is Pastrami Queen on both sides of the park but I think Katz is the standard in NYC. Absolute Bagels and Barney’s Greengrass are also some great spots in the area. Best Bagels is probably your best bet in Midtown.
-Food halls? Chelsea Market is nice. The best spots are the Mexican places, Los Tacos and Los Mariscos. Very Fresh Noodles is on my to-do list. I honestly would skip the food halls. I think the fish tacos at Los Mariscos is pretty good, they have a tia making handmade tortillas for the fish tacos. Something you don’t see in LA (maybe even SD? I am not familiar with fish tacos scene in SD).
-Levain for the chocolate chip walnut cookies. Everyone likes these.
Hudson Yards train station has the Queens bound 7 train a gateway to Tibet, Ecuador, Colombia, Thailand, China, and other countries. If you guys are feeling adventurous and have a metro card.
Enjoy.
