New York City is home to many different cuisines and amazing must-try restaurants. I don’t think there will ever be enough time for someone to eat their way through New York and experience everything the city has to offer. I was certainly ambitious during my trips there. I never went to the same restaurant twice and tried to stuff as much meals in a day as possible. Of course I gained weight when I came back but that tends to happen on all my trips anyway. And besides I got to try some amazing food to share with all of you! Here's just a quick peek at some of the favorite places I went to:

Ramen

Ippudo

Ippudo is my favorite ramen shop in New York and also one of the most popular. On any given night you’ll find a line out the door and at least an hour wait. This popular Japanese ramen chain only has two locations in the US and both are in NYC.

I found that pork buns are a very popular appetizer in ramen shops in New York. It’s not as much in the bay area, I hardly see pork buns on the menu, it’s usually karaage or takoyaki. However if you’re at Ippudo, you have to try the Hirata pork buns. It’s the perfect balance of meat and sauce without the soggy steamed buns.

I also highly recommend ordering the Akamaru Modern ramen. It’s similar to a classic Tonkotsu broth but with an added miso paste that gives it that extra umami kick.

Totto Ramen

Also located in Hell’s Kitchen, Totto Ramen is a tiny basement ramen shop. When you enter there’s only a small sliver of room for you to maneuver your way to your table. If another person’s coming out, you gotta wait for them to come out before you can get in. There’s a few tables scattered to the right and a row of counter seats to the left. The counter seats are actually pretty awesome because it's actually pretty mesmerizing watching the chefs mechanically cooking up all the orders.

Lines can also be pretty brutal but it’s not too bad since they take your order when your name is closer to being called. That way when you finally get to your seat, you’ll be served almost immediately.

Totto Ramen is different in that they use chicken in their broth as opposed to pork. It’s a different taste than what I’m used to but still just as delicious. For appetizers they have awesome char siu pork buns, but I would actually go with the char siu mayo don, which is a bowl of their seared char siu on a bed of rice topped with a generous helping of yuzu mayonnaise.

At the counter watching the chefs prepare the ramen and sear the char siu

Bagels

No matter what carb free diet you’re on, you have to try at least one bagel in New York. Fans claim that there’s something special in the tap water that makes the bagels so unique and delicious. There’s probably more scientific reasons in the preparation process, but either way everyone knows NY bagels are special. I tried a ton of bagel shops in the city from sweet to savory and from schmear to deli meat filling. Each one of them were just as delicious as the other. So I’ll list the ones I thought were great and you can decide which one to go to based on location.

Midtown East

Ess-a-bagel

Midtown West

Pick A Bagel

Greenwich Village

Murray’s Bagels

Upper East Side

H&H Bagels

Brunch

I actually didn’t have too many opportunities to brunch in New York since I was by myself for most of the time and brunch is such a couple's activity. However I did immensely enjoy my one brunch experience at The Smith. The atmosphere was lively, the restaurant was filled with sunlight from the wide open windows, and the food coming from the kitchen smelled amazing. From the brunch menu I ordered burrata and the chicken pot pie with eggs. It was absolutely delicious. The burrata was cool, creamy, and cheesy and the pot pie was delightfully savory. My meal also came with a free Bellini as well so that helped top off a delicious meal.

Pizza

Another New York classic and an absolute must-try no matter what carb diet you’re on: pizza! From dollar slices to more upscale classy restaurants, pizza can be found anywhere in the city. Similar to bagels, there may be something in the tap water that gives NY pizzas that extra chewiness yet perfect crispiness. Others claim that the wood fire ovens in NY have been cooking for so long that every pizza leaves a bit of its flavor and mixes in with newer ones.

Some NY pizza shops have the power to do whatever they want and still have loyal fans flocking to their restaurant. In fact, one problem I continually encountered when traveling by myself was that a lot of places only sell pies whole, not by slices. But I was so determined to try those pizzas that I actually made friends with other solo travelers just so we could sit together and split the whole pie. Another place I heard of said there’s only the one original chef who cooks each pizza by himself at his own pace, and the restaurant still has a line of patient patrons out the door. Anyway, below are some of the awesome places I tried and would recommend to you. Most of the time I limited my toppings to two or less so I could really enjoy the cheese to sauce to dough ratio without being distracted by the extra hooplah.

Greenwich Village

John’s of Bleecker St.

Open since 1929 (and you can tell with all the old pictures and carvings on the wall) John’s pizzas are made fresh to order. They don’t serve by the slice so make sure to come hungry, with a friend, or ready to take home your leftovers.

Joe’s Pizza

One of the few places I found that serves by the slice, and just a couple blocks away from John’s!

Brooklyn

Grimaldi’s

Juliana’s Pizza

Both restaurants are conveniently located right under the Brooklyn Bridge and right next door to each other. Both will have lines out the door, but they do move pretty quickly and the wait is definitely worth it. They also only sell whole pies and not by the slice. I really can’t argue that one is definitively better than the other, they both make really great pizzas and are worth checking out. Although there is an interesting albeit a little confusing story to them so you can take your pick on which one to eat based on the story.

Patsy Grimaldi learned how to make pizza at his uncle’s restaurant in Manhattan, Patsy’s Pizzeria. Soon he opened up his own pizza shop in Brooklyn and also called it Patsy’s Pizzeria. Eventually his aunt sold the franchise along with naming and branding which forced Patsy to rename his restaurant to Patsy Grimaldi’s. After operating Grimaldi’s for years, Patsy eventually sold the restaurant along with its naming rights. Ultimately Grimaldi regretted his decision to sell his restaurant and came out of retirement to try and squeeze back into his business. After many legal disputes, Grimaldi couldn’t get his restaurant or his naming rights back so he decided to open up a new restaurant right next door to Grimaldi’s and named it after his mother, Juliana. So now there are two pizza restaurants right next door to each other, Grimaldi’s original location with new owner and Grimaldi’s original owner and pizza maker, now at Juliana’s.

Theater District

Don Antonio by Starita

We wanted a quick yet nice bite to eat before we headed off to our Broadway Show for the evening. When we first passed by Don Antonio by Starita, we saw a pretty sizable crowd waiting for tables. However, when I actually went inside and asked how long the wait would be the hostess told me it would only be about 10-15 minutes.

This place blew me away. Not only was the food absolutely delicious but the service was impeccable. My glass of water never even reached its halfway point before our server would refill it. At one point Harrison dropped his napkin on the floor and bent down to pick it up and when he sat up again, there was a new neatly folded napkin waiting for him on his plate. They were very quick and attentive and I was really impressed.

For appetizers we ordered Arancini, a lightly fried rice ball with Italian ham. This was heaven in a bite. Very lightly fried and gushing with hot cheesy rice on the inside. For pizzas we ordered the Truffle Burrata Pizza and the specialty, Montanara Starita. The Truffle Burrata was amazingly cheesy with a generous amount of black and white truffles sprinkled with olive oil and covered with prosciutto. I love burrata on its own but it was really delicious baked onto this pizza. The Montanara Starita is their specialty, it’s a lightly fried pizza so the dough is extra crispy and hollow. It’s a must-try if you’re stopping by this amazing restaurant.

Late night Food

The Halal Guys

The yellow Halal Guys cart is a staple to 53rd Street and 6th Ave. At any time of day there will be a long line queuing for the cart but it’s especially packed late at night until 5:30am. If the line doesn’t convince you, just walk by the cart and get a good whiff of the meat being grilled. Get the combo (beef and chicken) over rice, and don’t forget to smother your meal in their famous white sauce!

The Kati Roll Company

The Kati Roll Company is a convenient easy to grab and go meal, and it’s also just really yummy. The restaurant serves Indian food wrapped up in roti and stuffed with either eggs, meat, or potatoes. My favorites are the Unda Roll, the Unda Aloo Roll, and the Chicken Tikka Roll. The roti to meat ratio is balanced and even though the wraps are pretty small, they’re packed with flavor. I also love the fact that they’re smaller because I can try more variety in one order. Open until 2am, this place will hit the spot for those late night munchies!

Mamoun's Falafel

Open in 1971 Mamoun's Falafel is the oldest falafel restaurant in New York. It's a tiny shop with limited counter seats but the falafels are wrapped nicely for you to eat on the go. They're packed with flavor and overflowing with sauce so the falafels don't taste dry at all. Priced at $3.50 for a falafel sandwich, this place is very reasonable and open late till 5am every single day.

Dessert

Momofuku Milk Bar

Momofuku Milk Bar is the dessert place that immediately comes to mind when I think of sweets in New York. With several locations scattered around Manhattan and Brooklyn, it’s always easy to dream about stopping by the Milk Bar after dinner. They offer cakes, pies, and cookies, but they’re most famous for their Cereal Milk soft serve. The Cereal Milk aims to capture the taste of the milk left in your bowl after you’ve finished your cereal. The soft serve is milky and sugary and the corn flakes add the bit of saltiness and firm crunch that perfects the dessert.

Birthday Cake (the crumbles are the best part!)

The birthday cake truffles and crack pie are also to die for. I always end up buying a whole crack pie to bring home after a trip to New York. They’re both sugary and crunchy and unbelievably addicting. Crack pie is definitely the perfect name for this delicious dessert.

Schmackary’s

Open late and conveniently located in the theater district, Schmackary’s is a no brainer when it comes to dessert after a Broadway show. They have tons of fun flavors in cookies and ice cream sandwiches. Look out for the ones that are fresh, they’re best warm and right out of the oven!

Magnolia Bakery

Magnolia Bakery is known for their cute cupcakes as well as their delicious banana pudding. I’ll admit that I actually didn’t eat my cupcake until the next morning after I bought it so it wasn’t as fresh and delicious. However I can attest to how amazing the banana pudding is. It’s vanilla pudding mixed with vanilla wafers and fresh bananas. It’s thick and fluffy but overall not too sweet. I usually tire of puddings easily, but I couldn’t control myself from finishing the entire thing!

Pasticceria Rocco

Nothing beats a freshly filled cannoli in a cool crisp shell. Pasticceria Rocco offers a variety of other baked goods but it was their cannoli that stood out to me the most. They're very generous with their filling, with more than half of it oozing onto the parchment sheet itself. Their filling is rich and creamy and sprinkled with a dash of chocolate chip. The cannoli itself is not too sweet which makes it a bit dangerous for me because that means I can keep eating more and more!

JUNIOR’S

If you’re craving for cheesecake, look no further than Junior’s! They offer a variety of flavors but nothing beats the original creamy cheesecake. Some have argued that the chain has grown too much and the quality of the cheesecake has diminished, but I thoroughly enjoyed my share. They even have a convenient location at Grand Central Terminal so you can pick up a slice before or after your commute.

Dominique Ansel Bakery

Credited for creating the coveted cronut (half croissant / half donut), Dominique Ansel Bakery also has a host of other scrumptious sweets! If you want to try one of their cronuts, make sure you start lining up 30 minutes even before the bakery opens or they’ll run out by the time you get there. If you don’t make it in time for the cronut, definitely order a DKA (Dominique’s Kouign Amann). It’s a sweet caramelized croissant that will more than make up for the fact that you missed the cronut.

If you really have a sweet tooth, try out their frozen s’more. It’s slightly crunchy and sweet and it’s a cool refreshing treat for a hot summer day.

I still have more restaurants on my list that I need to try for my next New York trip, so I'll probably update this post more. Do you have any favorite NYC restaurants that I should try? Let me know and I can add it to my list!