How to Spend a Perfect 72 Hours Eating Your Way Through New York
New York, New York is a wonderful town, and in between museum visits, ball games, Broadway shows, and strolls through the park, we highly encourage you to make space in your NYC travel itinerary for a stellar lineup of meals. Because, let’s face it, the matter of where to eat should always be top of mind, especially in New York.
We also know that New York trips tend to be a whirlwind. So let’s say you’ve only got 72 hours — Friday morning to Sunday evening — to eat and drink your way through the city. Where to begin?
We have ideas — which we’ve organized below to maximize a long weekend in town (with some bonus planning if you’re coming for the U.S. Open). And you can also check our Hit List of the top 20 restaurants to dine at in New York right now, as well as our guides for so much else.
Your perfect plan is just ahead.*
*P.S. Our itinerary doesn’t include any pizza spots, but we highly encourage you to grab a slice whenever the mood strikes. Here’s an extensive guide to help you locate a few choice stops.
Headed to the U.S. Open?
If your visit to New York includes a stop at the U.S. Open or Citi Field, consider yourself very lucky, indeed. Queens, a.k.a. “the world’s borough” is one of the best places in the entire city for eating well, and we’ve got plenty of suggestions for you:
- Explore Flushing Chinatown like a local.
- Take yourself on a Mexican food crawl along Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights and Corona.
- Get some stellar Taiwanese food over at Taiwanese Gourmet in Elmhurst. (P.S. It’s cash only.)
- Check out New York State Senator Jessica Ramos’ personal favorite spots in her home borough.
- Headed to MoMA PS1? Check out all the great places to eat in and around Long Island City.
- Headed to the Noguchi Museum or the Museum of the Moving Image? Check out these spots in Astoria.
- Devise your own Thai food crawl in Elmhurst. A few suggestions? Playground Thai (technically in Jackson Heights); Ayada Thai; and Zaab Zaab.
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- How to Spend a Perfect 72 Hours Eating Your Way Through New York
Friday: Arts & Culture
Frenchette Bakery at The Whitney Meatpacking District
Breakfast in Meatpacking
Before checking out the Whitney Museum of American Art, head to the ground floor where you’ll find flaky croissants, hearty jambon beurre or mushroom bánh mì sandwiches, and a satisfying savory egg kimchi pastry. Frenchette Bakery, overseen by veteran chefs Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr (Frenchette, Le Rock, and Le Veau d’Or), has a loyal following among New Yorkers for good reason. The bakery opens at 9 a.m. for more of a casual grab-and-go situation, but if you’d like a more sit-down experience — and like to plan ahead — you can make a reservation for the café starting at 10:30 a.m.
Ci Siamo Midtown West
Photo by Giada Paoloni, courtesy of Ci Siamo.
Power (Walk to) Lunch
Work up an appetite by taking a scenic walk on the High Line, a nearly 1.5-mile-long elevated park that runs from the Meatpacking District to Hudson Yards. Your reward, once you reach the end? A bowl of chef Hilary Sterling’s impeccable pasta. We’re especially fond of the stracci, made with rabbit, wine, and Parmesan, but you honestly can’t go wrong with any of the pastas on the menu, and an order of the caramelized onion torta to start. This is also one restaurant where dessert is a non-negotiable. Trust us.
Photo by Giada Paoloni, courtesy of Ci Siamo.
Pebble Bar Midtown
Pre-Theater Drinks
If you’ve got Broadway tickets and want to grab a drink before heading to your show, consider stopping by this multi-story townhouse near Rockefeller Center that was once home to the legendary Hurley’s. It’s where notable New Yorkers like John Belushi, David Letterman, and Johnny Carson called themselves regulars, and today, it’s still got plenty of star power: Pete Davidson, Justin Theroux, and Jason Sudeikis are just some of the bar’s investors. The classically inclined cocktails are serious (in a good way), and the food menu leans toward the lighter side: Think oysters, shrimp cocktail, and deviled eggs.
SEOUL SALON NYC Koreatown
K-Town Bound
Head just a little south of the Theater District and find yourself in New York’s Koreatown, where a cluster of Korean restaurants, sooljibs, and noraebangs surround the blocks on and around 32nd Street between 6th and 5th Avenues. You can’t go wrong wherever the night (and your stomach) takes you, but Seoul Salon, from acclaimed chef Junghyun “JP” Park (Atoboy, Atomix, and Naro) is a solid choice, open until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.
