Lately, the city has been raptured by novelty eateries that use exclusivity as a commodity. These tried and true staples—which you can actually get a table at—serve good food without the artifice.
The other night, while walking my dog past Liz Johnson’s Frog Club in New York, I heard a guy dressed suspiciously like Christian Bale in American Psycho say to his friends, as they decamped from an Uber and gave their name to the bouncer, “It may not be great. But it’s the hardest table to get in the city.”
This made me, a person who loves to eat food, sad. I mean, I do get it; exclusivity as a marketing strategy is effective particularly because modern life is so oversaturated with plainclothes’ critics commentary. Aside from providing a sense of meaning in a world with no exit, the notion of exclusivity also presents an opportunity to have a semi-unique experience. But, I do want you guys to be going out to eat for the food!
I worry that TikTok novelty-shock culture and the still-mounting cultural yen for post-pandemic indulgence have overlapped to a point where our clout-hunting behaviors are at a fever pitch and we’re forgetting what’s important about going out to eat: eating. It’s happening everywhere, but it feels heightened in New York City. So here are a few places around town that have been serving astoundingly good food for a while (you won’t see those American Psycho guys there), and which are easy to walk into or reserve on the day-of.
Malecon
Eat with a group so you can order a few types of mofongo for the table, a whole chicken—Malecon style—chuletas fritas, arroz con pollo, and both the tres leches, and the flan for dessert.
Malecon, 764 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10025.
Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop
Go basically any time that young adults aren’t likely to be hungover in droves (during which times there will be a long line)—weekdays in the late morning and early on the weekends are usually a safe bet. Order a chocolate-red velvet old fashioned twist and a BEC on a bagel, plus drip coffee, and eat them at the counter.
Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop, 727 Manhattan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222.
Kanoyama
Stunning sushi. Not that expensive. Omakase is on order, but I always go a la carte.
Kanoyama, 175 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003.
Asian Jewels
Pillowy cheung fun and har gow, and just-steamed roast pork buns that release a plume of warmth when you bite into them, and chewy-crisp fried bean curd spring rolls.
Asian Jewels, 133-30 39th Ave, Flushing, NY 11354.
Saravanaa Bhavan
I am partial to the onion uthappam, though any of the dosa or idly that come with the lunch specials will make you forget it’s a weekday.
Saravanaa Bhavan, 81 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10016.