One of the reasons I love New York City so much is the incredible food options.

No matter what you’re feeling – whether it’s a tasty brunch, an authentic Asian dish, or a classic New York slice – there’s somewhere that will hit your craving.

Here are the places my partner and I ate when we last visited NYC.

*Whipped ricotta toast and a man’s first bagel (April 2023)*

Brunch at In Common

We love a good brunch spot, and I was really excited to eat here. The menu looked right up our alley with fresh ingredients and healthy twists on brunch classics.

I got the Whipped Ricotta Toast with ricotta, honey and figs on cranberry and walnut toast. It was such a good way to start my day. My partner also got his first ever bagel sandwich (what) which, as you can see, changed his life forever.

*The best brunch at the most touristy of locations (April 2023)*

Brunch at Times Square Diner and Grill

Listen, when you’re staying at a hotel near Times Square and you Google ‘brunch near me’, you’re bound to find some touristy spots.

And yes, this was one of them. But it was on our way to that day’s destination, so we went anyway.

You know what? The food did not disappoint.

I got a strawberry French toast sandwich filled with walnuts and cream cheese. An incredible dish that I still think about, nearly two years later.

Never write something off just because it seems touristy. You never know.

Pizza at Don Antonio

Don Antonio was a revisit for us. We’d eaten there the first time we went to NYC and decided to return the second time. It was so delicious.

I love a wood oven pizza that’s so thin it falls apart on its way to your mouth. I also love a good, spicy slice. So I got a diavola pizza with your usual suspects (tomato sauce, mozzarella, basil) and spicy salami.

Always recommend. Always amazing.

Authentic ramen at Ippudo NY

Ippudo was recommended to us by a friend who had visited this NYC location on one of their trips to New York.

It’s also a ramen spot originally from Japan, so I knew we had to go.

I love ramen and sushi, but I’m also allergic to shellfish, which makes ordering at these types of restaurants hard. I usually go for the more basic options, knowing they’ll be safe.

The spicy miso ramen was absolutely the way to go. So delicious.

*Ice cream from a truck is the best ice cream (April 2023)*

This last one is just for me and my partner, because ice cream from a truck is just the best kind of ice cream you can get, in my eyes.

What’s better than walking through a park, you’re hot and exhausted, and suddenly you see a truck serving the creamiest chocolate-vanilla twist ice cream in a waffle cone? Nothing.

Well, we were walking all day in Central Park and I was in desperate need of a sugar pick-me-up, when we came across the ice cream trucks.

The price? Abhorrent. But you know what? I’d pay it again for that ice cream experience.