You’ve joined the long list of people who have asked me “what should I do in New York?” and “where should I go eat?” Hopefully the list below gives you a place to start doing research.

These are my favorite places and activities I think are worth doing. Ones that have stars next to their names are “must visit” places. Most of these suggestions are in Manhattan, where I live and work. Please take the time to see the other boroughs. See something on here that I’ve forgotten? Please reach out!

For my map lovers, please explore my Google Maps list
For my spreadsheet lovers, please explore my Google Sheets

Food

Name	Cuisine	Event	Price	Location	Notes
Tiger Sugar	Boba	Beverage	$	Chinatown
Le Tea	Boba	Beverage	$	Flatiron	Super aesthetic; gold metal straws
Boba Guys	Boba	Beverage	$	Multiple
Bar Pa Tea	Boba	Beverage	$	SoHo	Known for their boba soft serve
Boris & Horton	Coffee	Beverage	$	East Village	Dog cafe
Remi Flower & Coffee	Coffee	Beverage	$	Midtown East	Beautiful lattes; would recommend rose or lavender latte
Superiority Burger	American	Casual	$	East Village	Vegetarian burgers
Pommes Frites	American	Casual	$	Greenwich Village	Authentic Belgian fries; good late night food
Joe’s Pizza*	American	Casual	$	Multiple	Quintessential New York slice; good late night food
Prince Street Pizza*	American	Casual	$	SoHo	Grab and go, be prepared to wait; known for their pepperoni square slices
Tompkin’s Square Bagel*	Bagel	Casual	$	East Village	My favorite bagel shop; recommend the french toast bagel with triple berry cream cheese
Russ & Daughters*	Bagel	Casual	$	Lower East Side	Recommend any lox bagel
Absolute Bagels*	Bagel	Casual	$	Upper West Side	Cash only
88 Lan Zhou Handmade Noodles	Chinese	Casual	$	Chinatown
Shanghai Asian Cuisine	Chinese	Casual	$	Chinatown
Big Wong	Chinese	Casual	$	Chinatown
Wah Fung Fast Food	Chinese	Casual	$	Chinatown	Cash only; known for their roast pork; $4.25 for a full meal
Clay Pot	Chinese	Casual	$	East Village
Baohaus	Chinese	Casual	$	East Village
Jian Bing Man	Chinese	Casual	$	Koreatown	Good jian bing - Chinese snack
Xi’an Famous Foods	Chinese	Casual	$	Multiple
Mei Yu Spring Restaurant	Chinese - Dim Sum	Casual	$	Chinatown	Cash only
Jing Fong	Chinese - Dim Sum	Casual	$	Chinatown
Tim Ho Wan	Chinese - Dim Sum	Casual	$	East Village	“World’s most inexpensive Michelin Star”
The Halal Guys	Halal	Casual	$	Multiple	Original location is the street cart on West 53rd & 6th Ave
The Kati Roll Company	Indian	Casual	$	Multiple
Tatsu Ramen	Japanese - Ramen	Casual	$	East Village
Totto	Japanese - Ramen	Casual	$	Midtown	Cash only
BBQ Chicken Ktown NYC	Korean	Casual	$	Koreatown	Korean fried chicken
Woorijip	Korean	Casual	$	Koreatown	Affordable pregame spot (soju), affordable food bar
Taqueria St Marks Place	Mexican	Casual	$	East Village
LOS TACOS No. 1*	Mexican	Casual	$	Multiple
Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken	Southern	Casual	$	Lower East Side	Good fried chicken
Simply Bakery	Chinese	Dessert	$	Chinatown
Lung Moon Bakery	Chinese	Dessert	$	Chinatown	Cash only; my favorite egg tart
Alimama Tea	Dessert	Dessert	$	Chinatown	Known for their bubble tea cream puffs
DO, Cookie Dough Confections	Dessert	Dessert	$	Greenwich Village
Grace Street	Dessert	Dessert	$	Koreatown
Spot Dessert Bar*	Dessert	Dessert	$	Multiple	Viral Asian desserts; recommend the plant
Milk Bar*	Dessert	Dessert	$	Multiple
Magnolia Bakery	Dessert	Dessert	$	Multiple	Famous because of Sex and the City; original location is in West Village
Levain Bakery*	Dessert	Dessert	$	Multiple	Famous cookie
Patisserie Fouet	Dessert	Dessert	$	Union Square
Taiyaki NYC	Ice Cream	Dessert	$	Chinatown	Very trendy
fresco cafe & gelataria	Ice Cream	Dessert	$	East Village	One of my favorite gelatarias
Van Leeuwen Ice Cream*	Ice Cream	Dessert	$	Multiple
Giano	Italian	Fancy	$	East Village	My favorite Italian restaurant
Ippudo NY	Japanese - Ramen	Nice	$	Multiple	No reservations; be prepared to wait
Clinton St. Baking Company	American	Brunch	$$	Lower East Side
Joe’s Shanghai	Chinese	Casual	$$	Chinatown	Known for their soup dumplings
Ichiran	Japanese - Ramen	Casual	$$	Midtown	Famous in Japan
Katz’s Delicatessen*	Jewish	Casual	$$	Lower East Side	A classic
Pocha 32	Korean	Casual	$$	Koreatown	Known for their watermelon soju served in watermelons
Mercado Little Spain	Spanish	Casual	$$	Hudson Yards	Food market on ground floor of Hudson Yards
Up Thai	Thai	Casual	$$	Upper East Side
Lady M Cake Boutique	Dessert	Dessert	$$	Multiple	Known for their mille crepe cakes
Dominique Ansel Bakery	Dessert	Dessert	$$	SoHo	Known for their cronuts and cookie shots
Keki Modern Cakes	Japanese	Dessert	$$	Chinatown	Known for their Japanese cheesecake
Flipper’s	Japanese	Dessert	$$	SoHo	Known for their Japanese pancakes
Sushi by Bou	Japanese - Sushi	Fancy	$$	Multiple	Reservation required; reserved time slots for dining
Room Service	Thai	Fancy	$$	Hell’s Kitchen
Fish Cheeks	Thai	Fancy	$$	NoHo	Reservation required significantly in advance; my favorite Thai/Asian Fusion restaurants
Black Tap	American	Nice	$$	Multiple	Famous for crazy milkshakes and burgers
Spicy Moon Vegetarian Szechuan	Asian Fusion	Nice	$$	East Village	Vegan; reservations highly suggested; one of my overall favorite restaurants and I’m not vegan
Momofuku Noodle Bar	Asian Fusion	Nice	$$	Multiple	Momofuku empire is famous; many locations of varying quality
MaLa Project	Chinese	Nice	$$	Multiple	Great drypot with customizable levels of spice - be careful
Cafe China*	Chinese	Nice	$$	Midtown	One Michelin Star; very affordable
Hometown Hotpot & BBQ	Chinese - Hotpot	Nice	$$	Chinatown
99 Favor Taste	Chinese - Hotpot	Nice	$$	Chinatown	Affordable AYCE hot pot
Carmine’s Italian Restaurant	Italian	Nice	$$	Multiple	A classic Italian restaurant in NYC; family sized portions
Raku	Japanese	Nice	$$	East Village
Fukurou	Japanese	Nice	$$	Greenwich Village
Konbini	Japanese	Nice	$$	Koreatown
Soba Noodle Azuma	Japanese	Nice	$$	Midtown
KazuNori: The Original Hand Roll Bar	Japanese - Sushi	Nice	$$	Flatiron
Nami Nori	Japanese - Sushi	Nice	$$	Greenwich Village
Jeju Noodle Bar	Korean	Nice	$$	Greenwich Village
miss KOREA BBQ	Korean	Nice	$$	Koreatown	KBBQ
Jongro BBQ	Korean	Nice	$$	Koreatown	My favorite KBBQ restaurant
Soju Haus	Korean	Nice	$$	Koreatown	Good late night food
BCD Tofu House	Korean	Nice	$$	Koreatown	Good late night food
Dons Bogam & Wine Bar	Korean	Nice	$$	Koreatown
Barn Joo	Korean	Nice	$$	Union Square
Macao Trading Co	Asian Fusion	Fancy	$$$	Tribeca
Bohemian	Japanese	Fancy	$$$	NoHo	Need a reference to get a table
SUGARFISH by sushi nozawa	Japanese - Sushi	Fancy	$$$	Multiple	No reservations; be prepared to wait
Jewel Bako	Japanese - Sushi	Fancy	$$$	NoHo	One Michelin Star
FIG & OLIVE	Mediterranean	Fancy	$$$	Multiple
Gotham	New American	Fancy	$$$	West Village	One Michelin Star; reservation required significantly in advance
Carbone	Italian	Fancy	$$$	Greenwich Village
Eleven Madison Park	American	Fancy	$$$$	Flatiron	Three Michelin Stars; reservation required significantly in advance
Ocean Prime	American	Fancy	$$$$	Midtown
Per Se	French	Fancy	$$$$	Columbus Circle	Three Michelin Stars; reservation required significantly in advance
Le Bernardin	French	Fancy	$$$$	Midtown	Three Michelin Stars; my favorite 2+ Michelin Star restaurant in NYC; reservation required significantly in advance
Daniel	French	Fancy	$$$$	Upper East Side	Two Michelin Stars; reservation required significantly in advance
Marea	Italian	Fancy	$$$$	Columbus Circle	One Michelin Star; recommend squid ink pasta
Ai Fiori	Italian	Fancy	$$$$	Midtown	One Michelin Star
Sushi Nakazawa	Japanese - Sushi	Fancy	$$$$	Greenwich Village	Two Michelin Stars; reservation required significantly in advance
Cote	Korean	Fancy	$$$$	Flatiron	One Michelin Star; reservation required significantly in advance; Korean BBQ
The Modern	New American	Fancy	$$$$	Midtown	Two Michelin Stars; reservation required significantly in advance; attached to MoMA
atera	New American	Fancy	$$$$	Tribeca	Two Michelin Stars; reservation required significantly in advance
Peter Luger Steakhouse	Steak	Fancy	$$$$	Williamsburg	One Michelin Star; reservation required significantly in advance; cash only

Tourist Destinations

Name	Description	Neighborhood	Notes
Bronx Zoo	Activity	Bronx	Adults $40
Dumbo	Activity	Brooklyn	Trendy cobblestone neighborhood in Brooklyn
Brooklyn Botanic Garden	Activity	Brooklyn	Adults $18; free on Fridays from 8am-12pm
Brooklyn Bridge*	Landmark	Brooklyn	First bridge to connect Brooklyn to Manhattan
The Metropolitan Museum of Art*	Museum	Central Park	Adults $25; students $12; NY residents donation based
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum	Museum	Central Park	Adults $25; students $18; donation based on Saturdays from 5-8
Central Park*	Park	Central Park	Spend a day getting lost here
Hudson Yards	Acivity	Chelsea	Shopping
Chelsea Market	Activity	Chelsea	Shopping & food hall
Vessel	Landmark	Chelsea	Tickets are free if you book time slot in advance
The High Line*	Park	Chelsea	Elevated grerenway connecting Chelsea Market to Hudson Yards
Union Square	Park	Chelsea / East Village	Farmer’s market; famous holiday market in the winter
Wall Street	Landmark	FiDi	Charging bull statue
New York Stock Exchange	Landmark	FiDi
9/11 Memorial & Museum*	Museum	FiDi	Memorial is free; for museum adults $24; students $18
Battery Park	Park	FiDi	Statue of Liberty views
Washington Square Park	Park	Greenwich Village	Famous arch
Statue of Liberty Monument*	Landmark	Island	Adults $19.25; recommend booking crown reserve ticket in advance; be wary of scams
Ellis Island	Landmark	Island	Included with Statue of Liberty ticket
Fifth Avenue shopping*	Activity	Midtown	Luxury shopping; famous in pop culture
Broadway	Activity	Midtown
Rockefeller Center	Landmark	Midtown	Top of the Rock Observation Deck; adults $38; famous for annual Christmas tree lighting
Times Square	Landmark	Midtown	Only go once… if you must
Grand Central Terminal	Landmark	Midtown
St.. Patrick’s Cathedral	Landmark	Midtown
Empire State Building*	Landmark	Midtown	Adults $72; different ticket packages
New York Public Library*	Landmark	Midtown	Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Macy’s Herald Square	Landmark	Midtown	The world’s largest store; Macy’s flagship; end of the Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Museum of Modern Art*	Museum	Midtown	Adults $25; students $14; free on Fridays from 5:30-9
Bryant Park	Park	Midtown	Ice skating rink in the winter
Strand Bookstore	Activity	NoHo
SoHo shopping	Activity	SoHo	Shopping
Columbia University	University	Upper West Side

Nightlife

Name	Description	Neighborhood
The Central Bar	Casual Bar	East Village
The Three Monkeys	Casual Bar	Midtown
Sing Sing	Karaoke	East Village - Saint Marks Place
Radio Star Karaoke	Karaoke	Koreatown
MK Karaoke	Karaoke	Koreatown
Mission NYC	Nightlife	Chelsea
Marquee New York	Nightlife	Chelsea
Fat Buddha	Nightlife	East Village
Solas	Nightlife	East Village - Saint Marks Place
LPR	Nightlife	Greenwich Village
Krush	Nightlife	Koreatown
IchiUmi	Nightlife	Koreatown
The Delancey	Nightlife	Lower East Side
Hair of the Dog	Nightlife	Lower East Side
Los Feliz	Nightlife	Lower East Side
La Caverna	Nightlife	Lower East Side
et al.	Nightlife	Lower East Side
Mr. Purple	Nightlife	Lower East Side
205 Club	Nightlife	Lower East Side
Local 138	Nightlife	Lower East Side
Troy	Nightlife	Meatpacking District
TAO Downtown Restaurant	Nightlife	Meatpacking District
Up&Down	Nightlife	Meatpacking District
PHD Rooftop Lounge	Nightlife	Meatpacking District
Gitano Jungle Room	Nightlife	SoHo
Raines Law Room Chelsea	Upscale Bar	Chelsea
Amor y Amargo	Upscale Bar	East Village
Refinery Rooftop	Upscale Bar	Midtown
High Bar	Upscale Bar	Midtown
Dear Irving Gramercy	Upscale Bar	Union Square

Ling Zhou

Hi! I'm Ling.

I'm a current MBA student at the Wharton School and a former strategy consultant.
I currently live in Philadelphia with my dog, Pebble.

This place is for me to organize my thoughts and share everything from my reading list to restaurant recommendations. Please feel free to message me to get in touch!

New York City

Food

Tourist Destinations

Nightlife

Ling Zhou

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