Food Adventuring Around NYC
Brian Hoffman is a classically trained actor who is now a full-time tour guide, blogger, and food obsessive. He leads food and drink tours around New York City, which not only introduce tour-goers to delicious food, but gives them a historical context. He has written food articles for Gothamist and Midtown Lunch in addition to overseeing this blog and a few food video series, including Eat This, Locals Know, and Around the World in One City. His latest series is an international cooking show with his son which can be found on this site.
THE PLACE: There are certainly no other Irish Soda Bread Shops that I can think of in Manhattan. Perhaps that is why Mary O’s has had a huge line since the store debuted a few months ago. In addition to having a niche product, the bread at Mary O’s has developed a massive following when …
I’ve resisted reviewing Shelsky’s Brooklyn Bagels because there is a potential conflict of interest here. I’ve been praising their freshly made bagels for years now since their other location on Court Street is a stop on one of the Brooklyn food tours I lead. I’ve known Peter Shelsky and his business partner Lewis for a …
THE PLACE: While wandering around scouting a brand new food tour, I discovered a little stand outside the famous Phil-Am Food Mart. This is a weekend pop-up that is not officially related to the Filipino market, but of course, is selling street food that would appeal to the market’s customers. And don’t worry, they absolutely …
Almost anyone who’s dipped their toes in the NYC food scene know about Los Tacos No. 1. The local chain is showing tourists (and locals) that Mexican food in New York is so much better than Pedro Pascal realizes. Hope he hears this joyful cheer for Los Tacos No. 1…
THE PLACE: It’s been a long, long time since I’ve been invited to a party in Manhattan and it feels like I accidentally stepped into one when I recently dined solo at C as in Charlie. I stopped by as soon as they opened on a very frigid weekday night and by the time I …
THE PLACE: This prime corner bar space has changed hands many times in the last few years, but it’s current tenant is possibly the most major player in the cocktail scene that has inhabited this space in recent memory. ¡Superbueno! has been beloved by those in the drinks industry and in 2024, it was named …
THE PLACE: One of my favorite Korean restaurants used to sit at this open storefront on First Avenue. It was heartbreaking when Oiji closed – although that restaurant went even more upscale in a much more expensive iteration called Oiji Mi. Thankfully, the gang from Hand Hospitality (behind other Korean favorites like Atoboy and Her …
The buzz started when Nate Skid started popping up his new pizza business at local breweries. I had heard about Nate’s and figured one day I would actually give it a try. Amazingly, I was wondering down Atlantic Avenue after a Brooklyn food tour and lo and behold, Nate’s had permanently popped up in the …
THE PLACE: I was ready to hate Bad Roman and write it off as a not serious restaurant that is all social media hype. It is definitely some of that, but it was better than I expected. This was our best option for a special dinner out before a show at Lincoln Center considering we …
THE PLACE: Just as Sweetgreen was once a unique and delicious entry to the NYC lunch scene, ThisBowl has taken the healthy bowl-obsessed contingent by storm. ThisBowl is an Australian chain (called Fish Bowl down under) and my guess is they are hoping to pull a Sweetgreen here. After garnering huge lines in Noho, a …
It does seem like nowadays the best place to get a black and white cookie is not at a German bakery, but rather at a Jewish appetizing shop. The exciting Simply Nova tries to do it all when it comes to New York Jewish food from smoked salmon to pastrami sandwiches and, of course, black …
THE PLACE: In a section of Long Island City that seems to be turning into a little Asia of sorts (thanks to lots of Chinese, Korean, and Japanese restaurants), Nai Brother sits on an unassuming corner. It’s one of two New York City locations of a Sichuan restaurant chain specializing in a unique dish. The …
Tompkins Square Bagels has only been open since 2011 but it has become as big and iconic of a player in the New York bagel scene as Ess-a-Bagel or the now closed Absolute. It took Alphabet City by storm (an area that was in need of a fresh bagel shop) and has since expanded to …
THE PLACE: Once I arrived to the sparse, but sleek new Park Slope bakery Miolin, I realized I used to hang out at this space many moons ago when it was a wonderful Austrian restaurant called Café Steinhof. The times have certainly changed and now this neighborhood storefront tempts you with the intoxicating smells of …
Bakeries open all the time in this city. It seems everybody is taking the time to let their dough rise and laminate their croissants (and stuff them with all sorts of colorful fruits and nuts). It’s inspired me to burst into song with this parody of Dua Lipa’s hit song Levitating. I present Leavening….
THE PLACE: Not one of the smash burger places that gets all the hype in NYC, Lovely’s Old Fashioned has been sitting under-the-radar in Hell’s Kitchen for the last year or so. The old-fashioned name and feel, along with a lack of tables (only a lunch counter overlooking the griddle), truly gives a sense that …
It’s embarrassing that I never ate at Frankel’s before now. They’ve been opened in that narrow corner between Williamsburg and Greenpoint since 2016. And they name check lots of the iconic NYC dishes I search for on this blog: pastrami, bagels, smoked salmon, hot dogs. Perhaps the overwhelming number of New York-Jewish specialities has been …
THE PLACE: One of the newer speakeasies in the city, Paradise Lost is a super fun new tiki bar that has become a little secret among local bartenders. A (mostly) unmarked door that requires a hostess to buzz you in, reveals a kitschy transportive hallway leading to a “tropical hellscape” that is as fun and …
I’m counting down the 10 best dishes I tasted in 2024… As I put together my list of the ten best dishes I tried in NYC, I realized just why I love this city. I didn’t purposely curated this list to be diverse in terms of neighborhood, cuisine, or price point. It just ended up …
I’m counting down the 10 best dishes I tasted in 2024… As I put together my list of the ten best dishes I tried in NYC, I realized just why I love this city. I didn’t purposely curated this list to be diverse in terms of neighborhood, cuisine, or price point. It just ended up …