First-Timer's Guide
What to Eat in NYC: 10 Foods for Your First Visit
You can't eat everything in New York on one trip. You can eat these 10, our picks for a first trip. Here is the one place to get each, exactly what to order, and how to fit all 10 into two or three days.
Short answer
On a first trip to New York, eat a plain pizza slice, a bagel with lox, pastrami on rye, soup dumplings, dim sum, hand-ripped noodles, a chopped cheese, a slice of cheesecake, a hot dog, and a Cronut. Most of them cluster downtown, in the Lower East Side, Chinatown, and SoHo, so six can be done in a single day.
The 10 at a glance
| Food | Where | Neighborhood | Price | Reservations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pizza slice | Joe's Pizza | Greenwich Village | Posted at the counter | Order at the counter |
| Bagel with lox | Russ & Daughters | Lower East Side | $17 (online menu) | Take a number |
| Pastrami on rye | Katz's Delicatessen | Lower East Side | About $29–31 (Katz's site) | Groups of 10+ only |
| Soup dumplings | Joe's Shanghai | Chinatown | $15.95 for 8 (online menu) | Not published |
| Dim sum | Nom Wah Tea Parlor | Chinatown | $5.65–8.50 per dish | Resy, parties of 3–5, Mon–Thu |
| Hand-ripped noodles | Xi'an Famous Foods | Midtown | $15.95 (online menu) | Order at the counter |
| Chopped cheese | Hajji's (Blue Sky Deli) | East Harlem | $11 (online menu) | Order at the counter |
| Cheesecake | Junior's | Downtown Brooklyn or Times Square | $9.25 Brooklyn, $9.50 Times Square | Yelp reservations (Brooklyn) or waitlist |
| Hot dog | Gray's Papaya | Upper West Side | $3.25 | Order at the counter |
| Cronut | Dominique Ansel Bakery | SoHo | $7.75 plus tax | Online preorder |
Joe's Pizza
Start with a plain New York slice at Joe's on Carmine Street. Joe Pozzuoli opened it in 1975. Order at the counter, fold, and eat.
Russ & Daughters
Russ & Daughters opened in 1914 and has been at 179 E Houston St since 1920. This is an appetizing shop, not a bakery or a deli, and the smoked fish is the point. It's open every day from 8am to 4pm.
Katz's Delicatessen
It's a short walk east of Russ & Daughters on the same street. Katz's is open 8am to 11pm Monday through Thursday, and around the clock from Friday 8am to Sunday 11pm.
Joe's Shanghai
Soup dumplings hold hot broth inside a thin wrapper, and Joe's Shanghai is the name visitors know for them. The Chinatown restaurant moved to 46 Bowery in December 2019. Its posted hours are 11am to 11pm.
Nom Wah Tea Parlor
Nom Wah sits on Doyers Street, the crooked lane at the heart of old Chinatown. It serves dim sum all day, every day, 11am to 9pm, including major holidays, so you don't have to plan around a morning-only dim sum service.
Xi'an Famous Foods
Xi'an Famous Foods serves the food of Xi'an in northwest China, and the hand-ripped lamb noodles are the dish to get. This is the one food on the list that's easy from Times Square: the 45th Street and Sixth Avenue shop is open every day, 11am to 9pm.
Hajji's (Blue Sky Deli)
The chopped cheese — ground beef and melted cheese chopped together on the griddle and served on a hero roll — is a New York bodega sandwich. Hajji's, also called Blue Sky Deli, in East Harlem is our pick. It's a counter, and it's the one trip on this list that takes you uptown.
Junior's
New York cheesecake is dense and creamy, and Junior's plain slice is the classic version. The original Brooklyn restaurant is open 7am to 11pm Sunday through Thursday and 7am to midnight Friday and Saturday.
Gray's Papaya
Gray's Papaya is a stand-up hot dog counter on the Upper West Side, and it is still open. It's close to the west side of Central Park, so it fits into a park day.
Dominique Ansel Bakery
Dominique Ansel created the Cronut at this SoHo bakery, and it's still sold here. The bakery opens at 8am.
How do you fit 10 NYC foods into a short trip?
Group them by neighborhood. Six of the 10 are downtown, close enough to do in one day.
- Day 1, downtown: Start at Russ & Daughters for breakfast (it opens at 8am), walk two blocks east to Katz's, then head to Chinatown for Nom Wah and Joe's Shanghai. End the day in SoHo and Greenwich Village with a Cronut and a slice at Joe's.
- Day 2, Midtown and uptown: Xi'an Famous Foods near Times Square for lunch, Gray's Papaya on the Upper West Side after Central Park, and the 6 train up to Hajji's for a chopped cheese.
- Cheesecake: Junior's Times Square location fits into Day 2. Go to the original in Downtown Brooklyn only if you're already there.
Want a full plan with every stop timed? Our 3-day food itinerary does the scheduling.
What should first-time visitors know about paying for food in New York?
Sales tax
Expect 8.875% sales tax on top of most menu prices. That's the combined New York City and state rate on restaurant food and drink. On a $100 bill, it adds $8.88.
Tipping
At sit-down restaurants, tip 18 to 20% of the total bill. That's the standard NYC Tourism publishes. Check the bill first, because many restaurants automatically add 18 or 20% for groups of six or more.
Cash and cards
Carry some cash. Nom Wah takes only cash and American Express. Some restaurants in the city add about 3% for credit cards.
Getting around
The subway costs $3 a ride. Tap a contactless credit or debit card, or your phone, at the turnstile — no ticket needed. Use the same card or phone for every ride: after $35 in seven days, the rest of the week's rides are free. Your physical card and the same card in your phone's wallet count separately.
First-timer's NYC food FAQ
What food is New York City most famous for?
Pizza by the slice, bagels with lox, and pastrami on rye are the three foods most tied to New York. On a first trip, add soup dumplings and dim sum in Chinatown, a chopped cheese, cheesecake, a hot dog, and a Cronut.
Do you need reservations for New York's famous food spots?
Mostly no. Nine of the 10 places in this guide are counters or take walk-ins. Katz's takes reservations only for groups of 10 or more. Nom Wah takes Resy reservations for parties of 3 to 5, Monday through Thursday.
How much should you tip in New York restaurants?
Tip 18 to 20% of the total bill at sit-down restaurants, the standard NYC Tourism publishes. Check the bill first — many restaurants automatically add a tip for groups of six or more.
Is sales tax included in New York menu prices?
Usually not. Most menus list prices before the 8.875% sales tax. A few places include it on certain items — Gray's Papaya's hot dog specials, for example.
Can you eat all 10 foods in one trip?
Yes, in two days if you group them by neighborhood. Six are downtown in the Lower East Side, Chinatown, SoHo, and Greenwich Village. The rest are in Midtown and uptown.
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