The Perfect Weekend Trip to New York City for Foodies
Looking for a foodie guide for a weekend in New York City?
Are you a foodie and are you planning the perfect weekend trip to New York City? Here is our 48-hour itinerary and our picks for the ultimate New York City restaurant crawl. It includes iconic NYC restaurants, unforgettable dishes and can’t miss foodie experiences.
Day 1 Breakfast: Best Bagel & Coffee
P.C.: yelp, Kim A.
You must start the day bright and early with some delicious breakfast to power you through the day. It is a popular opinion that New York City has the best bagels in the world. Among all the bagels shops, the best bagels in our opinion can be found at Best Bagel & Coffee (225 W 35th St A) in Midtown. All their bagels are made in house and are soft but still have the perfect amount of chewiness. You can also get towering breakfast sandwiches with these bagels here. Best Bagel is conveniently located close to both Penn Station and the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Afterwards you can start heading south to Hudson Yards and the High Line which offers breathtaking views of New York City.
Day 1 Lunch: Market 57 Chelsea Food Tour
The Market 57 food hall (25 11th Ave) is the newest can’t miss foodie destination in New York City. It features over a dozen minority and women-owned businesses, curated by the James Beard Foundation. There are so many tempting options to try so the easiest, fastest and most stress- free way to explore this amazing food hall is joining us on our Market 57 Chelsea food tour. It features plenty of yummy tastings including juicy Chinese dumplings, Japanese crispy rice with spicy tuna, tasty Italian sandwiches, dessert and more! Market 57 is also close to Chelsea Market, Little Island and the High Line so there is a lot to see before and after the tour.
Day 1 Dinner: Keens Steakhouse
P.C.: yelp, Vaughn F.
Finally, we can’t think of a better way to end day 1 of your visit than with a classic New York City steakhouse. Peter Luger Steak House (178 Broadway, Brooklyn) is probably the most famous steakhouse in NYC, but it is a bit out of the way, and we have had just as good steaks at Keens Steakhouse (72 W 36th St). Our go-to here is a juicy steak or a mouth- watering mutton chop with some classic steakhouse sides like creamed spinach and mashed potatoes.
Day 1 Snack: Los Tacos No. 1
P.C.: yelp, Val S.
As a little bonus if you are looking for a savory snack great any time in the day, we love Los Tacos No. 1 (75 9th Ave, 508 W 34th St or 229 West 43rd St). Their carne asada (steak), pollo asado (chicken) or adobada (pork) tacos are all packed with flavor. They have locations in Chelsea Market, Hudson Yards and Times Square.
Day 2 Brunch: Balthazar
P.C.: yelp, Rob K.
Sunday brunch with friends and family is a great NYC foodie tradition. Balthazar (80 Spring St) is a popular French brasserie and bakery in Soho. They are famous for their fresh bread, pastries and brunch dishes like eggs benedict, steak frites and macaroni au gratin. With amazing food, good service and a beautiful dining room, what more can you ask for? Afterwards, you can do some shopping in the neighborhood.
Day 2 Dessert: Eileen’s Special Cheesecake
If you saved room for dessert, we highly recommend the strawberry cheesecake from Eileen’s Cheesecake (17 Cleveland Pl) located close to Balthazar. After all these years, they simply can’t be beat. Their cheesecakes are super creamy, light, fluffy and have the just right amount of sweetness.
Day 2 Lunch/ Snack: East Village Pizza
P.C.: yelp, Amanda H.
When you think about New York City, one of the first things that may come to mind is pizza so you can’t visit NYC without a trip to a top-notch pizzeria. If you want to save some time and get a slice on the go, one of the best pizzerias that sells pizza by the slice is East Village Pizza (145 1st Ave). They really stand out among the rest with high quality cheese, sauce and crust and with just one bite, you can see they have truly mastered their craft. If you are looking for some sit-down restaurants for pizza, you can’t wrong with Lombardi’s (32 Spring St) or John’s of Bleecker Street (278 Bleecker St).
Day 2 Dinner: Katz’s Delicatessen
Finally, there are few restaurants that define the New York food scene more than Katz’s Deli (205 E Houston St). This iconic eatery in New York City has been feeding massive sandwiches and classic Jewish fare to locals and visitors alike for almost 140 years. They have great knishes, hot dogs and matzo ball soups but we all know the real star is their pastrami. We recommend getting their pastrami reuben since the cheese, sauerkraut and dressing really enhance their already delicious pastrami.
There are so many more iconic New York City restaurants and dishes so stay tuned for part 2 of our foodie guide to New York City!