Restaurants

Bite-Sizing NYC

You could get a simple meal like kebabs and deli sandwiches almost every other step from carts selling quick foods. But then NY is known for its variety and there is one top O’ the Heap restaurant for every kind of cuisine. Dot miss out on the real restaurant experience, the deli can wait.

A very popular place for some serious eating out in New York is the Chanterelle on Harrison Street. The place is the very picture of what a luxurious eating out experience should be; the service is impeccable, the décor gives the place an intimate feel and the food is exquisitely prepared food. The River Café at Water Street, lying at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn is a pleasure for its fantastic food and striking view of Manhattan. Another place we would recommend is the Aquavit at the 55th Street which sits charmingly in an erstwhile town-house setting; the service and the food are as good as ever.

With so many immigrants in the city it isn’t hard to find good Chinese food in New York. But the real Chinatown experience comes only with Big Wong King at Mott Street. The menu includes dishes that your Chinese takeaway hasn’t even heard of - congee with fried crullers, stir-fried vegetables like no other and special roast pork and duck. A Voce at Madison Avenue is ruled by its Chef Andrew Carmellini, who whips up an unforgettable combination of rustic and innovative Italian in a sleek, Madison Square Park space.

For the best Greek food in NYC go to Kefi which is a basic Greek Taverna but the food is so good you wouldn’t notice it. Porter House New York on Columbus Circle in the Time Warner Center is the most popular steak house that easily beats every other one hands down and RUB is the best BBQ place you could fish out of the sea of BBQ joints in the city.

Good Enough to Eat on Amsterdam Avenue is the one place in the city where you get bountiful home-cooked breakfasts and Norma's, at Le Parker Meridian hotel is the ultimate place for a creative brunch; think asparagus-and-seared-rock-lobster omelet! Also try Katz's Delicatessen (above) for the perfect Jewish kreplach, knishes, and pastrami – not fancy, but no one beats the taste of these Jewish classics.

For the tastiest, fresh out of the oven pizzas try Patsy's Pizzeria and Frankie & Johnnie's on 32 W. 37th Street for juicy sirloin. Save some space for rich homemade ice cream from the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory which is at Fulton Ferry Landing Pier, Brooklyn. The best place to get humongous, freshly baked bagels is Absolute Bagels on Broadway and for the best soul food, go to Charles' Southern Style Kitchen on the Eighth Avenue in Harlem.

NYC Nocturnal Explosion

New York’s night life is legendry; the city works hard and plays hard and there is no type of entertainment that you can hope for and not get in the city. From the Carnegie Hall for the monocle set to the dance club behind the run down department store – it’s all there.

The Monocles may be a thing of past but Carnegie Hall is still one place that you shouldn’t miss, even if you aren’t into that kind of music. It is one of the world's great performance spaces, with an array of world-class talent on display almost every night. If you are a jazz aficionado then The Village Vanguard is the place for you. For hard, cutting and edgy Rock try the Mercury Lounge which is not the tops on ambience but plays some mean rock ‘n’ roll every night. Don’t leave the city without an evening at the Gotham Comedy Club which is far from the raunchy, beer hall comedy you might believe New York to possess. The Club is comfortable and sophisticated and the humor top notch.

Pegu Club on West Houston, 2nd floor is the ultimate haunt of the cocktail junkies and the Ear Inn in the chic SoHo area is one of the oldest of its kind that has the real seventies plush feel to it. The Rise Bar in the Ritz-Carlton Battery Park Hotel is a fabulous place with awesome views of Lady Liberty, New York Harbor, and incredible sunsets. Visit this bar even if you are not staying at the Park. The most incredibly opulent place in NYC undoubtedly is the Rose Bar in the Gramercy Park Hotel. What you get here other than very good and very expensive cocktails is a magnificent room with its Schnabel originals, incredible sound system, lush seating and of course, beautiful people!

Get a very comprehensive list of night places to choose from, here.