taitai

We leave in a week or so for a week in NYC with our three sons (9,8,8). I am looking for suggestions of good, ethnic, restaurants for lunches and dinners. Living in MSP, there really are not a lot of choices of ethnic food and so we are hoping to get our fill while in New York. Looking for more casual places. We have loads of ideas for Chinese so looking more for Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Mexican, Italian, deli, etc. We are going to be all over the city at different points during the week so no specific geographic area in particular. Just good, casual restaurants.

Thanks
taitai

Approach_Guides

Here are a few of our favorites:
Ethiopian: Queen Sheba
Indian: Saravanabhavan
Lebanese: Ilili
Chinese: Tasty Hand Pulled Noodle Shop
Mexican: Mexicana Mama
Have a great trip!

suewoo

If you've never had Ethopian, try it. Your children will love it, since you get to eat with your hands!

Aduchamp1

New York is filled with ethnic restaurants I would not have Mexican food in NYC.

Here is a list I have posted a few times before and are mainly East Village. But this is just a sampling of what NYC offers. Unless otherwise stated it is inexpensive to moderately expensive

Indian-Brick Lane-Banjara, Mitali, Brick Lane, Saravanaa Bhavan. Brick lane great lunch buffet.

Inexpensive Italian- La Marca (3rd Ave. and 22 Street, only opened noon-10 PM, Mon-Fri) Great Value

Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches (limited seating)

Twainese Bao-The Baohaus

Defonte’s-Italian sandwiches especially meatball and potato and egg

Burgers-Black Iron ( also have wonderful onion rings and veggie fries), Paul’s (local divey spot), Corner Bistro (on everyone’s list, zoo on weekends)

Pork sandwiches-Porchetta (that is all they offer and limited seating)

Medium priced Italian-Cacio e Pepe, Gnocco, Supper (cash only), Luzzos (Wood burning pizza oven), Inoteca, Perbeco, La Lavanga, Le Zie,

Expensive Italian- I Coppi (For dinner and great brunch)

Inexpensive Eastern European- Veselka,

French Bistro- Casimir, Lucien (more expensive)

Greek-Pylos (little more expensive)

Tapas- Tia Pol, Nai, Café Mono (more expensive)

Dessert-Veniero's, DeRobertis for the frozen lemon thing and tortonis.

Brunches-Five Points, Blue Ribbon Bakery, City Bakery (18th off 5th), Cafecito (Ave C), Clinton Street Bakery (our favorite but must go during the week, weekend is a zoo)

Pizza whole pies-Motorino, Lombardi's, Pizza Fresca (most expensive of the lot) Gruppo, (many people like Keste or Co but we have not been there.

Pizza by the slice-Artichoke (14th Between First and Second) Bizarre service with a line because the pizza is good and the management is goofy

Hole in the wall-Stage (next to Stomp) great cheap home made soups

French fires-Pomme Frites

Seafood-Mary’s Fish Camp (cramped, no reservations) Mermaid Inn, Luke’s Lobster (just lobster rolls, limited seating) Aquagrill (very expensive)

Ice Cream-Cones on Bleecker, Il Laboratorio de Gelato, Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, Cones and Sundaes (East 10th), Grom (Italian chain)

Chinatown-Big Wong. Joe’s Ginger, NY Noodletown

Dim Sum-Jing Fung, Golden Unicorn, Nom Wah on Doyers.

Jewish Delis-2nd Ave Deli, Katz’s (These are expensive for sandwiches but worth every bite)

Turkish-Turkish Kitchen (Very good values are the daily prix fixe lunch and Sunday buffet)

Expensive but great prix fixe lunches-Gotham, Toqqueville, Nougatine

nytraveler

Well italian and delia re not really ethnic. And while we have a few decent Mexican places - do not look for TexMex - we just don;t have it.

The list above is great.

If you need ideas for specific areas you can look at menupages.com - searchable by neighborhood, type of cuisine and with actual menus with prices - you didn't specify a price but with 3 kids I assume you are looking primarily for budget places.

taitai

Thanks for all the replies. Yes, I know that Italian and Deli are not really ethnic (and for us, neither is Chinese) but coming from the Twin Cities which really has few good offerings in either category, they seem like good things to try in NYC.

We are not looking for budget really. Just good experiences/atmosphere and nothing too stuffy. The boys really don't do formal so more casual places are best for us.

Thanks for the Ethiopian suggestions. Having lived in DC, I have experienced many Ethiopian restaurants but these will be new for the boys so it is a good idea. Not one I had thought of at first.

Thank you again.
Taitai

happytrailstoyou

for Greek, we absolutely love Uncle Nick's. The food is great and the service is very New York but respectful of tourists--they love to give people a good time: http://unclenicksgreekcuisine.com/

HTTY

HappyTrvlr

Vietnamese, highly recommend Co Ba, 110 9th Ave, near Chelsea Market and the Highline Park.We ate there five times last month. Open for lunch and dinner. Also, I have lived in Mpls so how much you crave ethnic food.

totorofan

Here are some more recommendations:

Caracas Arepas on the lower east side for Venezuelan arepas. It is a small place but great food. Empanada Mama on Ninth Avenue in midtown west is also good.

For Mexican, if you want to travel out to Corona, Queens, Nixtamal Tortilleria is really good. Visit Louis Armstrong House while you're in Corona!

For Japanese, I love the Totto restaurants in midtown: Totto Ramen (expect a long wait), Yakitori Totto (skewered things), and Soba Totto (for soba noodles). Also in midtown is Sapporo, on W. 49th Street, just east of Seventh Avenue. It's a ramen and donburi (rice bowl), quick, typical real Japanese place - nothing fancy.

Many ramen places in NYC, especially downtown. Ippudo is the most popular and there will probably be a long wait (like Totto Ramen above). I really like Minca Ramen and Kambi Ramen - both owned by the same guy and both downtown - as well. A new ramen place, if you want to travel uptown, is Jin Ramen, up near Harlem and Columbia U. No lines...yet.

I just ate tonight at Gazala's Place, on the UWS on Columbus Avenue and 78th Street. (There's also the original Gazala's Place on Ninth Avenue in midtown west - the UWS one is a more upscale setting.) The woman who owns them is a Druse and the food is middle eastern - hummus, lamb, whole fish, etc. Very good. The pita is different from what we're used to - papery instead of thick.

Have fun in NYC!

totorofan

Oh - and I forgot about china y criolla places on the upper west side: Chinese/Latin restaurants. La Caridad on Broadway & 78th, Flor de Mayo on Broadway & 100th Street and Amsterdam & 83rd, and Dinastia China on W 72nd Street. Not the most upscale places but old school.

ekscrunchy

If you can make the trek out to the Queens Chinatown, you will be rewarded by Chinese food that is often far superior to the offerings in Manhattan. In addition to Cantonese seafood, Sichuan, and Hunan, there are stellar restaurants featuring the food of other regions not widely represented here in the US.

Flushing is easy to reach on the subway or the Long Island Railroad. If you are interested, I will give you names of restaurants that I enjoy. (We rarely eat Chinese food in Manhattan anymore, as the quality and breath of the menus pale by comparison)


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/di...pagewanted=all


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/di...prod=permalink

SueNYC

My great niece and nephew love Korean barbecue at 34 W 32nd Street

http://thestarryeye.typepad.com/expl...beer-here.html

taitai

We just got back from NYC and I wanted to thank everyone for all their suggestions. We had a great trip and ate a tremendous amount of really good food. The favorites for our boys were the following:

Kung Suh for Korean BBQ (their absolute favorite meal the whole trip)
Shake Shack
Big Wong
Chinatown Ice Cream Factory
Momofuku
Eataly
Tina's Cuban (had it delivered to picnic tables in Central Park)
Angelo's Coal Fired Pizza
Talent Thai
Veniero's Pastry Shop

Thanks again for all the suggestions.

jroth

For a very good Turkish place in the theater district and very reasonable prices: Akdeniz.