This is the most delightfully Italian place in the world. Piadine sandwiches are delicious. Easy to make it your local spot.
My neighborhood pub. Food is good, painkillers are strong, bartenders are cuties. Also easy to make into a local go-to. Big backyard in the summer.
Coffee shop with decent grain bowls and Filipino pastries. Only problem is lack of a bathroom.
Lovely, sensitive urban park around a wastewater treatment plan, looking out over the super gross creek. It's really lovely.
Spoonbill annex, focusing more on art books than the location on Beford. Really kind proprietor is often there. Wonderful selection.
All my favorite things in a local bar - cheap, good food (even some healthy), huge backyard area, always the right level of crowded
Caracas is almost always a correct answer to the question "where should we go for dinner" though it is also always slightly more expensive than planned
Another contended for "most Italian place outside of Italy" - wine bar. Amazingly diverse list. Expensive. Super friendly Italian wait staff. Super cozy, great date spot.
Japanese cafe - service can be weirdly slow but the food is uniquely heartly/healthy/light, the ambiance is great (beautiful rooftop in the summer) and it has a great vibe
Fantastic Sichuan food from Cafe China team with a hip vibe. Wontons in chili oil, soup dumplings, Dan Dan, ma po, cumin lamb, fried rice, and kung pao chicken all great.
Fantastic Taiwanese food — a unique menu even in NYC. Clams & basil, zhajiangmian (lamb noodles), and Lu Rou Fan (pork rice bowl) all great. Happy hour until 7. Heavily recommend.
Home of the instagram stunt food rainbow bagels but I still think the bagels are the best in the neighborhood
Yeah it's crowded, yeah it's full of eurotrash, yeah it's the most amazing view in NYC and they are pretty friendly even if you don't get a drink and the prices are worth the view.
Roof. Bar. Decent food that works for just about everyone. Surprisingly good view considering how short the building is.
Huge selection of zines and alternative publications, plus fiction, poetry, biography, et. al. Very funky decor.
This bookstore is super weird and wonderful. Used and new, lots of occult, alternative lifestyle, strange books. They also appear to sell crystals?
The best donut shop in the city. The sour cream and red velvet are my first choices (only $1.10 ea.). The unglazed crawlers are a fan favorite. Also home to an underrated bacon egg & cheese sandwich!
a carefully curated selection of the best in indie comics. if gabe (the owner) is in the house ask him for his recommends - he's on point 90% of the time.
