NEW YORK CITY | travel guide

Jane's Carousel

Rockefeller Center

They say it's the land of bagels & pizza. But in reality, it's so much more. So far I've been to New York two times and my list of restaurants to try keeps growing. I've done my fair share of sightseeing there but the food is why I'll never stop going back.

There isn't a better way to start the day than with brunch, and NOMO Kitchen located in the NoMo SoHo Hotel does it right. The place itself has great views - with a gorgeous lit arch & greenery as you enter. When I visited, this meal was going to be the first thing I was eating all day so I was starving. I thought this might be one of those typical Instagram famous brunch spots due to all the people taking countless photos and selfies but it really surprised me. We ordered the avocado toast (how original, I know) and the lemon ricotta pancakes. I honestly still think about these pancakes from time-to-time. They were amazing and stole the show!

A visit to Mamoun's Falafel is an absolute must. It's the essential late night spot - but really, you could eat this at anytime of the day. I visited the Greenwich Village location but you can find Mamoun's all over New York. I ordered the falafel sandwich and added extra hummus. I also got french fries which comes with a garlic dipping sauce. It's safe to say that everything was gone within five minutes. Apparently a Momoun's is supposed to open up in the Chicago area so let's keep our fingers crossed!

You can't come to New York and not get pizza. Everyone has their own favorites and Joe's Pizza is one of mine. This is another late night spot and has a very college feel to it. However, the taste of the pizza is nothing like college. I got the classic cheese pizza and was blown away. It's insanely fresh with a light crust, making it hard to stop eating.

Serendipity 3 was on the top of my list because I have a huge sweet tooth and of course, the movies. As soon as I walked in, I fell in love with the whimsical and eclectic decor. There is usually a huge wait time, but I had gone in the afternoon so I was seated right away. I ordered the Forbidden Broadway Sundae which consisted of chocolate blackout cake, ice cream, hot fudge, and whipped cream. If you're a chocolate lover, I highly recommend this.

Washington Square Park

Momofuku Milk Bar was another dessert spot at the top of my list. The first time I went, I tried out the Midtown location. I really wanted to try the birthday cake because I had heard such amazing things about it but unfortunately, they only sell it by the slice at the Chelsea location and at that time, I could not make it there. I decided to try out the cereal milk soft serve and was extremely disappointed. I was expecting it to taste as amazing as it looks but sadly it did not live up to that and instead, it resembled the taste of sour milk. It was as huge bummer but I was willing to give it another shot. When I visited New York again, I decided to go to the Chelsea location for the birthday cake and I am so glad that I did because this was one of the tastiest cakes I've had. It wasn't overly sweet - as birthday cakes tend to be and was exactly what I was hoping it would be.

The first time I went to Brooklyn, I had tried out Grimaldi's Pizza and it was fantastic! It was my first time having New York style pizza and I was a fan. I had walked the Brooklyn Bridge that day to cross over to the DUMBO side, so by the time we got there, I was definitely ready to eat. We got to Grimaldi's a little bit before normal lunch time so we were pleased to find that there was no waiting time at all. However, when we left, a line had started up outside the restaurant. We opted for the traditional pizza which was tomato, mozzarella, and basil. It was absolutely worth the trip over the bridge!

A visit to Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory is a must if you're in the area! It's in a great location right by the water and is perfect for dessert after some pizza. Their ice cream selection is pretty limited but honestly, you can never go wrong with some classic flavors. We opted for a scoop of cookie dough and a scoop of strawberry and it was a great choice.

Even though the name already says it - Best Pizza is the best New York Style pizza I've had to date. On this day I had pizza two other times (Lombardi's and Joe's) but Best Pizza was by far my favorite. It's a super small shop located in Williamsburg. I actually was not even planning on eating the pizza there since I was already stuffed from the full day of eating but as soon as it came out of the oven I couldn't resist. I loved their classic cheese pizza. The crust had a wood fired flavor and the pizza had the perfect cheese to sauce ratio, topped with fresh basil. I can't wait to be back again!

Grand Central Terminal

New York Lotte Palace Hotel

I am a HUGE bagel and cream cheese fanatic. It's one of my favorite foods and I could probably eat it every single day which is why Russ & Daughters was at the top of my list during my New York visit. When we got to their shop location in the West Village, there was already a crazy line all the way out the door and I quickly realized that my wait was going to be at least an hour. One thing that I was surprised to see was that this was clearly a local favorite as well. Some of these "hype" food spots are typically all tourists but that was not the case for Russ & Daughters. When it was finally my turn to order, I asked for a plain bagel with scallion cream cheese and along with some sliced onions & tomatoes in there. That bagel sandwich is without question lived up to every expectation and was totally worth the one hour wait. I can definitely see why so many people visit.

A visit to Levain Bakery in the Upper West Side is a necessity if you have a sweet tooth, like myself. This was my last stop before heading back to the airport and I'm so thankful we went even though it was a little bit out of the way. Between my sister and I, we split one chocolate chip walnut cookie and that was more than enough. The cookie was fresh out of the oven and was rich, gooey, and delicious. It was without a doubt, the best chocolate chip cookie I've had. I can see why Levain Bakery is always at the top of any NYC dessert list. This was the best way to end a perfect trip!

I wish I could say I did more than eat on my New York trips but I really didn't. All of the dessert spots there are truly phenomenal. One of my favorites is Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream located in Little Italy. The shop is super cute and is always busy. They have a wide collection of many unique flavors such as salt & pepper pine nut, green tea pistachio, burnt sage and coconut espresso to name a few. Needless to say, I was very tempted to try as many as I could. I ended up deciding on the Cardamom Lemon Jam and I loved it. I was pleasantly surprised that I could actually taste the distinct cardamom flavor and it wasn't overpowered by lemony sweetness. I can't wait to go back and try more flavors!

I know what you're thinking - more pizza?! No food crawl in NYC is complete without having as much pizza as possible though. Lombardi's in Little Italy is famous for their pizza. When we got there it was lunch time and people were already lined up outside so we knew that it would take at least an hour for us to get seated and start eating. However, they also have an option to get carryout where the pizza is done in about 20 minutes so we opted to do that and then ate outside on the benches which ended up being a great option. The pizza was hot, fresh, and exactly what we needed. While I didn't think it was as flavorful as Joe's Pizza or Best Pizza, it still was very tasty and had a great crust.

It had started raining outside and all I wanted was a nice cup of hot chocolate. Milk & Cream Cereal Bar in Little Italy was such a lifesaver. They had marshmallow hot chocolate topped with cinnamon toast crunch cereal. It was extremely sweet and extra fun because of the cereal added on top. This shop also gets bonus points for the social media aesthetic it has going on all over the place.

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Here are some additional awesome food spots to check out but are not pictured:

• Xi'an Famous Foods - Chinatown: This place is a hole in the wall in Chinatown and has generous portions. I am not a huge fan of Chinese food but those who are will definitely enjoy!

• Pietro Nolita - Little Italy: I only ordered a coffee to go from here (mostly for their very Instagram-friendly coffee cups if I'm being honest) but the vibe and menu looked great and I would love to come back for brunch.

• Bagels & Co - Upper West Side: I love all bagels so I thought the one here was great. I ordered a very basic plain bagel with plain cream cheese but there were tons of different varieties. It was nowhere near the experience I had at Russ & Daughters but good nonetheless.

• Bookmarks Lounge - Midtown: This lounge is located in the Library Hotel and resembles a small indoor garden. The cheese plate that we ordered was delicious and was overall a nice way to spend a couple hours in the evening.

• By Chloe - Midtown: I had very large expectations for By Chloe but I was disappointed, unfortunately. First of all, it took me forever to find the location so I was already on edge. Once I got there I was excited by all the options since the restaurant is vegan so I could order basically anything. I opted for the Quinoa Taco salad and it just wasn't anything extraordinary. It wasn't bad but it was something I could easily just make at home.

• Dominique Ansel Bakery - West Village: Even though this bakery is extremely hyped up, I absolutely loved it. The main attraction is the freshly baked cookie shot glasses with vanilla milk poured inside. It opens at 3:00pm so everyone starts lining up around 2:00-2:30 otherwise the line gets crazy. It was a great experience and satisfied my sweet tooth!

• 230 Fifth Rooftop - Midtown: This rooftop is especially cool to check out in the winter because they have heated igloos outside to sit in. However, I went in the Spring and it was still fantastic. The rooftop was decorated with different colored flowers and the view was great.

• Da Claudio - Lower East Side: This restaurant is the definition of Italian comfort food. It has great pasta and more importantly, great bread.

• Sunday's in Brooklyn - Williamsburg: I mainly wanted to check this place out because of the Christmas-time pop up that they had here. They had lots of seasonal food and drinks as well as fun festive decor.