New York is known for its wealth, rich heritage, endless attractions, and of course, its amazing food culture! This summer vacation, David (one of my friends) went to New York for the holidays. After coming back, he told me all about the delicious food he tried there. So, I thought — why not write a blog about it? My friend David tasted everything from pizza to dosa, sampling almost all the famous street foods in NYC. For anyone planning a trip to New York in the future, this article can be a handy guide based on real experiences.
What will you try — veg or non-veg?
First of all! Many of you — especially Indians who are purely vegetarian — might have a question: Which type of food is more common in NYC, veg or non-veg? The food culture here is rich and offers a mix of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, but traditionally, it leans more toward non-veg because around 85–90% of people in New York are non-vegetarian. My friend is also non-vegetarian, so he enjoys both veg and non-veg dishes. But don’t worry, vegetarians — I’ve also suggested plenty of delicious vegetarian options in this blog post!
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Why NYC Is Truly the Pizza Hub of the World !
If you leave New York without tasting pizza, did you even really visit New York? Pizza is part of every New Yorker’s daily menu. Here, you’ll find at least one pizzeria on almost every street.
No other pizza can beat NYC pizza! NYC pizza is world-famous — and there’s no doubt why. The city has approximately 1,813 pizza restaurants, and the NYC pizza industry generates about $1.5 billion in revenue every year, so it makes sense.
The taste is unforgettable: fresh dough tossed in flour, slammed on the counter, covered with rich tomato sauce, a sprinkle of oregano, shredded mozzarella cheese, and finally slid into the oven.
If you’re visiting New York for the first time and want to experience a truly authentic NYC slice, here i dropped out most popular pizza in NYC .They are known for their long lines of eager customers .
- Joe’s Pizza
- Prince Street Pizza
- Lucali Pizza
- Lombardi’s Pizza
- Krispy Pizza
No Hot dog, No NYC Story !
Yesterday, I saw a video of multibillionaire Bill Gates eating classic hot dogs somewhere in NYC. It made me curious, so I asked my friend if he eats hot dogs too. He said, “No, I don’t eat them because they contain beef and pork.” But then he shared an interesting story about hot dogs.
Hot dogs are a classic NYC street food, and their famous stalls can be found almost everywhere — in Central Park, Brooklyn, Times Square, and many other spots. In the evenings and late at night, people who’ve worked all day gather around these stalls to relax and enjoy iconic NYC food like pizza and hot dogs. If you really want to know the true taste of NYC pizza and hot dogs, ask the people who hustle all day — they know best!
So let’s continue on the topic of why NYC hot dogs taste so different from anywhere else. It’s because of their unique, classic preparation: the sausages are boiled in what locals call “dirty water” (don’t worry — it’s not actually dirty!) that’s been simmering all day. This gives the hot dogs a special depth of flavor. Then they’re topped with garlic sauce, which adds a sweet twist.
NYC even hosts several hot dog contests every year, which shows just how popular they really are. Plus, the price is another reason for their fame: hot dogs usually cost around $3 to $7 — about the same price as a slice of pizza. That makes them an easy, affordable, and classic choice for anyone exploring the city.
Famous Hot Dog Carts you should try is…
- Nathan’s Famous
- Sabrett
- The Halal Guys ( West 53rd Street & 6th Ave , New York , NY 10019 )
- Papaya King
( I heard those name from my freind you must taste hot dog here )
Bagels with Coffee
As i I know many of you may not have even heard the name “bagels,” but when you will visit, you should try them. They’re a classic New Yorker’s breakfast. Early in the morning, when people are on their way to work, they grab bagels with cold or hot coffee and enjoy them outside the cart! The taste of a bagel really makes the morning and sets the mood for these people.
Basically, bagels are a type of bread that is boiled in water, which makes them puffy, dense, chewy, and gives them a crisp crust. In between these two halves of bread, we add toppings like cream cheese and many other toppings according to taste. There are many flavors of bagels, including plain, sesame, poppy seed, onion, and even sweet ones like blueberry, French toast, and chocolate chip—so the taste really varies. You’ll find menus at bakeries where you can try whatever you want.
Historically, bagels are associated with Jewish people as part of their food culture, and they have been eating them for a long time. By 1900, there were about 70 bakeries in New York, all owned by the Jewish community.
My friend suggested some places where they usually go for bagels, mainly Tompkins Bagels and Absolute Bagels. But I also added a few more spots after watching videos from food bloggers, to make this blog post more helpful:
- Russ & Daughters (since 1904, currently run by the fourth generation)
- Tompkins Bagels
- Ess-a-Bagel (since 1976)
- Absolute Bagels
- Liberty Bagels
- Utopia Bagels.
Falafels – Best for Veg Guys
I wrote about my friend’s food tour of Greenwich Village in laste, where he tasted many items including bagels, pizza, and falafel.
So yes — he also tasted falafel! Falafel are little green fried balls that are wonderfully crispy and crunchy as
Falafel are made from ground beans or chickpeas mixed with onions, garlic, chili, baking soda, and other spices. This mixture is then shaped into small balls and deep-fried in hot oil until golden and crunchy on the outside.
Good news for vegetarians! Falafel are completely vegetarian, making them a perfect addition to your food list.
I also shared what kind of taste you can expect, how falafel are made, and where to try them for the best flavor without spending too much.
Traditionally, falafel are a vegetarian dish and those recipes are the most popular — although nowadays you might also find some non-veg variations.
Where to Eat ? For Better tastes and save our Pockets :
- Mamaoun’s falafel Greenwich Villeage ( which introduces first falafels sandwich’s Newyorker , Prices are in between and it usually ranked 1 by bloggers )
- Rainbows falafel
- The halal Guys ( i priviously suggested for Hot dogs also)
- Tamam Falafels
Tacos
While Visiting statue of Liberty next day david tasted Tacos named mexiacan dish at Las Tacos No.1 which is about 2.5 miles away from Statue of liberty . as he described , crowd are also there in afternoon but he manage to get seat there , a poster showing all menus and price in outside ! inside you see bunch of chefs/cateres are making tacos as per orders rteally very and hot crispy tacos . my friend david take tastes of tacos that days .
lets see Tacos making , making of tacos is very easy . in tacos there are mainly three things1) torliia – in which we filled things this like roll covering or we see in dosa , this is made of wheat swear or corn mainly wheat as indian you will know we eat ‘ GEHU KI ROTI ” daily with sabji is exactly like that but main difference is torlila is slightly thick . Now we talked about fillings in between torllias it is filled with Meats , some vegetables and cheese after that we can add Salsa,sour creams ,guacamole and souce like onions , tomatos .
In terms of taste, tacos are savory, juicy, slightly spicy, and incredibly satisfying. Meanwhile, the way David described them to me, I feel like tacos are another version of dosa — but filled with meats and vegetables instead of the usual potato masala. And the toppings are like salsa, guacamole, and sauces instead of crispy dal and coconut chutney.
But if you want to eat tacos in New York, go to Los Tacos No. 1 to experience the real taste of tacos! You’ll never feel like your money is wasted. I’ve seen many YouTubers rate Los Tacos No. 1 highly in terms of taste and its popularity among locals and tourists alike.
Indian Dosa – Not Limited only to indian
During his first day in Greenwich Village, as I described earlier, he went to Washington Square Park with his friend in the evening. Then they decided to try the famous NYC Dosa (David had heard about this cart for the first time, but it was his relative who knew all about Greenwich Village) near the park.
When they got there, the massive crowd of foreigners and Americans proved that this Indian food isn’t limited to just Indians here. He saw many people of Chinese, South Korean, and British origin who were enjoying their food. Amazingly, there’s only one guy, single-handedly serving dosa (worth $10) and Puducherry samosa (worth $3). He’s been doing this for 17 years, now running into his 18th year, and people call him the NYC Dosa Man.
David almost struggled for an hour to finally get his dosa plate! In the plate, there was white coconut chutney and dal served with the dosa, just as expected. As soon as the plate arrived in David’s hands, he quickly tasted a piece of dosa with dal, driven by curiosity about why this small cart is so popular — and of course, because he was hungry.
According to David, the dosa tasted “khatta mithha masaledar with dal” (sweet, tangy, and spicy) and was very smooth and tasty with the coconut chutney. After that, he also tried a South Indian drink there.So, my suggestion is: if you’re in NYC and near Washington Square Park, you must visit this spot at least once!
Real Tastes are Here…
Of course! New York is a big city with a diverse and vibrant food culture. Here, I’m describing some food carts that were either mentioned by David or actually visited by him. I’m not writing this exactly as David told me — instead, I’ve written it in my own words.
1.The Halal Guys is Waiting for You
As I mentioned earlier in this blog post, The Halal Guys are one of the iconic street food brands in NYC. Their story began in the 1990s when Egyptian immigrants started selling hotdogs from a cart in Manhattan. Thanks to their unique taste and loyal following, they transformed into a global brand that now has over 400+ branches worldwide—including 3 branches right here in New York City!
As shown on the shop’s poster, they serve Falafel, Gyro, Chicken, and their famous combo platters, with prices usually ranging between $10 to $12. They also offer delivery in NYC through third-party platforms, with delivery charges between $1 to $5 depending on your location.
According to The Halal Guys’ official website, they currently operate these three verified NYC locations:
- 53rd Street & 6th Avenue corner (Midtown Manhattan)
- 307 E 14th Street, East Village (Storefront)
- 31-10 Thomson Avenue, Long Island City, Queens
If you visit NYC, this is one classic street food spot you definitely shouldn’t miss!
2. NY Dosas
Located into Washington Square Park, this shop keeps alive the taste of South Indian dosa outside India and also introduces the taste of dosa and samosa to other New Yorkers and foreigners. Usually, New Yorkers and our Indian people are spotted here daily.
They serve mixed dosa and uthappam (other South Indian food) for around $10, and samosa for $3. According to the poster of this shop, they also have 40+ drink items.
Must try for Indian tourists!
3. Adel’s Famous Halal food
As the name indicates, this is recognized as the Most Famous halal truck in New York! Located in Midtown Manhattan, I bet you can’t see this cart without people crowded around it! The main items served here are chicken and lamb, which come with yellow spicy rice and white sauce and given in a combo of both. Their viral combo of chicken and lamb is the main attraction Here ! Combo price is around $9, which is fully worth it!
4.Lucali Pizza or Prince Street Pizza : Choice is Yours ?
Both are quite famous in newyork for taste of pizza . large crowds & lines are prove that is not normal pizzeria like other 1800 !
Lucali Pizza located in Brroklyn known for its thin ,creast ! for pizza you have to wait useally 1/2 hours ! get seat here to eat pizza is more difficult task ! famous singer biance eat pizza here No delivery available here so you must go for pizza taste !
on other side prince street pizza ( located in manhatten ) also known for its deffrent types of pizza like sicilian style , square type pizza, prince perfaction pizza & mercer margarita ! unlike lucali pizza it offers delivary options but only full pies we cannot orders slices of pizza in new york . price of full pizza( not slice ) are starting from 25$ and ending at 45$ ! but if you order delivary additional 10$ to 12 $ charged for extra depends on locations ! slices of pizza price starting 4.5$ .
5. los tacos No.1
Wanna taste Mexican dishes in NYC? Let’s try Los Tacos No.1! As mentioned in the name, this really is the Number 1 taco spot — known for serving truly authentic and delicious Tijuana-style tacos. They make handmade corn and flour tortillas filled with options like adobada, carne asada, pollo, and vegetarian nopal (grilled cactus). There are also a variety of toppings like salsa, onion, cilantro, and guacamole para. Prices are affordable, and they even have delivery options.
YouTube bloggers helped make this place popular for its authentic, tasty Mexican tacos.
The Food Tours Of NYC
They reached the dosa point after 7:30 pm, and there was already a large crowd of Indian people and foreigners waiting. He had to work hard to finally get his dishes, but the smell of fresh, hot dosa kept them going. At last, around 8:30 pm — after waiting almost an hour — they finally had their plates in hand. And once those plates were there, he ate the dosa like he’d never seen it before!
He ended up eating three dosas right there. The dosas were fantastic and crispy, served with dal and a chutney that was tangy and a little sour too — and that made it all the more delicious! He also tried a special South Indian drink from the cart, which made the evening feel complete.
On the second day, David joined a food tour of Greenwich Village — as if he still felt something was left unexplored. The price was around $89 (about 6000 INR). Like many big cities, New York also offers plenty of food tours run by different groups. You can find them online on sites like Tripadvisor, Viator, and Booking.com.
The specialty of these food tours is that you go with an empty stomach for about three hours, and a guide takes you to handpicked places where you get to taste pre-decided items — like pizza, hot dogs, bagels, and buffalo wings — at some of the most famous spots in the area.
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This Newyorker break- fast .
