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.
Resy Presents
Tables Worth a Trip
- 40 Restaurants Across America Worth a Journey
- How to Spend a Perfect 72 Hours Eating Your Way Through Atlanta
- How to Spend a Perfect 72 Hours Eating Your Way Through Chicago
- How to Spend a Perfect 72 Hours Eating Your Way Through D.C.
- How to Spend a Perfect 72 Hours Eating Your Way Through L.A.
- How to Spend a Perfect 72 Hours Eating Your Way Through Miami
- How to Spend a Perfect 72 Hours Eating Your Way Through New York
Sunday: Adventures in Brooklyn
Sailor Fort Greene
Brunch by the Brownstones
Sunday in Brooklyn, preferably at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the Brooklyn Museum, or Prospect Park, calls for an epic brunch, and the one at Sailor certainly delivers. This corner spot has, arguably, the best quiche in the city, perfectly wobbly with a buttery, flaky crust. Take our advice and pair it with the Turkish eggs and flatbread. The burger and Caesar salad are also top notch, and you’ll likely want to cap off your meal with a decadent order of custard-like French toast. Reservations can be tricky to come by (although brunch is the in-the-know move), so it’s best to plan ahead if you can. Brunch reservations drop on Mondays at 11 a.m.
Cafe Mado Prospect Heights
Must be 21 years of age or older to consume alcoholic beverages. Please drink responsibly. Photo by Chris Coe, courtesy of Cafe Mado
A Post-Park Spritz
After spending time at the park, pop by Cafe Mado for a refreshing drink before dinner. They’ve got everything from spritzes and martinis to wine and housemade zero-proof cocktails (we’re especially partial to the Grand Fir, best described as a “Norwegian Sprite”). They also make their own nitro cold brews, including one that incorporates raspberries from the greenmarket.
Must be 21 years of age or older to consume alcoholic beverages. Please drink responsibly. Photo by Chris Coe, courtesy of Cafe Mado
Radio Kwara Clinton Hill
Photo by Dominique Sindayiganza for Resy
For Dinner? Pepper Soup and Pounded Yam
Closer to Prospect Park in nearby Clinton Hill, Radio Kwara is the à la carte counterpart to chef Ayo Balogun’s critically-acclaimed Nigerian tasting menu restaurant, Dept of Culture. Tuck in for a buttery slab of bread topped with crispy mushrooms or marinated goat, paired with a warming bowl of pounded yam or the goat meat pepper soup.
If you’re interested in exploring more Black-owned restaurants in the city, refer to this ideal one-day eating itinerary from Black-Owned Brooklyn.
Photo by Dominique Sindayiganza for Resy
