Spring Break NYC trip with teenagers
 

Will be in NYC next week for a band trip. On tuesday from 1-2:30 we have lunch on our own in Chinatown/Little Italy looking for suggestions for 5- teenagers and 1 adult. Considering Lombardis pizza, Da Nico Restarante, or Big Wong King..any other suggestions. On Wed we have lunch on our own Central Park/Museum of Natural History...any suggestions?

Thanks

Well first WELCOME TO NEW YORK, you are in for a great time, and hopefully the weather will co-operate and give you some nicer temps.

I just walked in the door from the area of the MNH, so can give you some ideas. The museum has a cafe on the bottom floor that is good for teens, burgers and such. If you want something a bit nicer, walk one block west to Columubs Ave and walk south (left) and you will find TONS of restaurants, right on the corner at Columbus and 77 or 78th is a fairly new Shake Shack, the kids will LOVE it there.

Every block of Columbus will have several restaurants. If you want more pizza/burgers one more block to Amsterdam and you will find lots more choices a little less expensive.

Chinatown is a fav haunt of mine so I can recommend a few places, if the kids have never had Dim Sum take them to Mandarin Court, I think it's the best in the area IMHO. It is on Mott ST, almost a block down from Canal.

You order off a steam cart, and just ask what the server for what's in it. Also ask for the "sweet soy sauce", but better with everything.

If the kids want something a bit nicer, take them to the Peking Duck House also on Mott, and a bit nicer and the Peking Duck is the best there. The prepare the duck right at your table, so it's a bit of a show, and then you roll up the duck, sauce, scallions and cucumber in a kind of a pancake, and it is SO AMAZINGLY GOOD.

From there, try Silk Road a door or two down for Bubble Tea or head back to Canal St and walk over to Little Italy for some desert.

Hope this helps and have a GREAT time while you are here.

There is really nothing of interest left in Little Italy.

Big Wong's is perfect for teens-try the spicy chow fun, the roast duck and the spare ribs. The spare ribs are cut differently than most Chinese restuarants. And do not forget the Chinatown Ice Cream factory.

The teens may like stores like

Evolution
Forbidden Planet
Pearl River-A local Chinese department store.
Broadway from Canal Street up to West 4th-millions of jeans and teen clothes places

Washington Square Park for people watching

I think the cafeteria at the Museum of Natural History will be just fine for lunch. Let's you explore the museum for while, then eat there, and then go back to exploring the rest of the museum without leaving the premises. Good food too. Not the usual "cafeteria" yuch food. Good quality.

Enjoy enjoy.

Younger "tweens," and maube older teen girls will like Pearl River Mart, and older teens ( esp. boys) go next door to Yellow Rat Bastard. Yellow Rat Bastard is pretty cool for that age (at least from my experience w/my kids, esp my son).

But alas, the OP asked only for dining suggestions.

I can second the rec for Mandarin Court for Dim Sun. And I would skip Little Italy for a meal. I suggest getting Dim Sum for lunch and maybe taking dessert away from the take out at Ferrara in Little Italy. YUM. A great combination of the two areas. The teens will love picking out their Dim Sum and then picking out their desserts from the assortment at Ferrara. And eating those desserts on the way to whereever, multitasking like teens like to do.

http://www.ferraracafe.com/home.php

http://www.yelp.com/biz/ferrara-bake...-cafe-new-york

Rubirosa has just been named best pizza in NYC by NY Magazine.
http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/rubirosa/

On Wed., if you want a nice lunch, see if you can get a reservation at the Boat House in Central Park. For something more casual, Flor de Mayo is Chinese/Latin and very good.
http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/flor-de-mayo/

If you want a restaurant that will seat the whole band there is a restaurant on the upper west side that would work, Angelina. I think it seats well over 100 and great food. If you are a school group, the restaurant will give back to your school 10% of what the group spends. A nice way to do a little fundraising for your school while you are here.

The food is really good, Italian pizza, pasta, salads and well priced. It's located at 104 and Broadway.

If you need more info please let me know.

Just had another thought, with a large group you can get discount tickets at some of the theatres and sites, like the Zoo, and guided tours of the zoo as well.


Again enjoy your trip.

One waring about the Shake Shack - the lines can be humongous unless you go inn off hours - around the corner and down the block - must be an hour at least.

The area does have a host of places to eat. If you tell us what kinds of foods th ekids like/dislike people can name specific places.

Open about type of food, my son likes all types of ethnic foods and will talk his friends into to trying foods. There shhould not be any more than 10 in my group but more likely around 6 of us. The meals with the entire group is all planned with our tour, but happy that they let us explore and eat on our own for 2 meals. In China town we have 1 1/2 hours for lunch. While at the Museum of Nat. History we have about 5 hours for lunch and museum.

Thanks.

Another good place for dim sum in Chinatown is Jing Fong (at 20 Elizabeth St.), and I think this would be a great place to take teens. It is a very large place, kind of like a big banquet hall, with many dim sum carts going around to the tables constantly. Here is pic:
http://0.tqn.com/d/gonyc/1/0/z/X/jing_fong.jpg

It's a very Hong Kong kind of Dim Sum place, vibrant and a bit noisy. They are only open til 3:30 pm, and typically the carts going by with the dishes are not quite as plentiful after 1 pm, as dim sum is typically eaten early in the day. All their dumplings are good, as are the famous pork buns. I rarely find a dish I don't like there. And if you want to se the carts that aren't coming around to your table, it is ok to get up and take your ticket as you walk over to carts going through other areas of the place, and pick off of those carts.

Jing Fong is excellent for dim sum but avoid the weekends, it is a zoo. It holds upwards of 800 people and it is full. They make few concessions to occidental tastes. I have been to weddings, 100 day baby banquets, and I once sponsored a corporate evernt there and it never disappoints.

If you have 5 hrs total for lunch and the Museum of Matural History, I wouldn't use time to eat lunch outside the museum. You and the kids will want as much time as possible at the museum, it is great. Are they going get the tickets where they can see a sepcial exhibit or and IMAX film or the planetarium show along w/the regular museum?

Just eat at the museum and let them have all the time you can get at the museum. The museum has a good food court on the lower level and 3 different cafes. See this page:
http://www.amnh.org/museum/food/

Some teens will have a great time at the museum and some might be bored. If your group ends up having a lot of time for lunch, you can walk over to Amsterdam avenue 2 blocks over and have your choice of sushi, Thai, Dominican food, diner food, whatever you can imagine--even a place with just lobster rolls!

If you want to get out of the building for a shorter period of time, there's a Shake Shack (good local fast food burger place) literally across the street from one of the museums' entrances

Ok, and I'm saying sorry for the pun up front, but just HAD TO BITE on this one LOBSTER ROLLS......WHERE? I want to go RIGHT NOW!!!

http://www.lukeslobster.com/upper-west-side-nyc

It opened here a couple months ago, but there are two older locations too

nyer, that is a very unique tip for NYC. I am definitely trying out Luke's on my trip next wk!

I have eaten at Luke's in the East Village.

There are very few seats, so it is mostly take out.

There is very little mayo on the roll but the sweetest, freshest lobster. For $17 you get a lobster roll, designer chips, and a designer soda.