Aussie lifestyle writer Olivia Williams Jones shares her favourite foodie spots in New York City.
With the spring already heralded in, one can’t help but think about all the entertainment in NYC that the happiest season brings. Luckily, New York City always has an abundance of options to take your party out for dinner. Alternatively, you can experiment with the city’s countless catering options, and there are some really fantastic ones you must try this spring. Why stress over food, when you can let professionals do the cooking?
Parm
When you say modern Italian-American restaurant, you think Parm. Their hero, antipasti and dessert platters are ideal for lunches and casual gatherings. This comfort food restaurant delivers free within five blocks from their West Side and Williamsburg locations, including Battery Park City.
Vimbly Taste Buds Kitchen
If you’re searching for a cosy, fun and food-centric place where you can spend a crisp spring evening, look no further than Vimbly. They partner with vendors to offer all kinds of activity classes and excursions for both travellers and city-dwellers, varying from family-inspired events to unusual date nights for couples. On their website, you can select the city, in this case, Manhattan, NYC, and choose from categories like Learn, Explore, Eat, Watch, etc. Find out about the essentials of Emilia-Romagna cuisine or book a wine tasting night with their resident sommelier.
Haru Sushi
When it comes to cocktails and dinner parties, it’s hard not to consider sushi as one of the first three options. People at Haru are well aware of this, so they’ve specialized in handling corporate and less corporate events, both large and small. Let them bring the tasty tuna nori to you, and if you take your guests to them, they have private dining rooms for accommodating small groups.
Fig & Olive
If you’re more in a Mediterranean mood, you should definitely give a shot to Fig & Olive. Drawing inspiration from traditional Spanish, French and Italian flavours of the south, their team of chefs can easily compile a fantastic menu of burrata crostini, salmon crudo and their signature chicken tagine – a perfect setup for an intimate candle dinner at home.
Classic Harbor Line
If there’s one thing New Yorkers are passionate about, it’s their brunch. Raise your brunch experience to the next level with Classic Harbor Line and book one of their delicious three-hour brunch cruises. Sipping mimosas and sampling assorted waffles while sailing around Manhattan is a gastronomic tour hard to beat. Brunch that takes place on board a 1920s inspired yacht starts with fresh pastries, bagels and a customised waffle station, continuing with quiches, sausages, glazed spiral ham, kale salad, fresh fruit and desserts.
Imaginative party menus
If you get tired of hunting for unique gastronomic venues or simply want to throw a small, private birthday party at your place of stay, NYC has got you covered. There is a number of food businesses such as Naturally Delicious, who specialise in seasonally inspired menus for events both big and small. Following a philosophy that on a rooftop party, cocktails are equally important as amazing food, Alchemiq has established a strong trend in mixology in NYC. It shouldn’t come as a surprise when all their cocktails are crafted by one of the city’s leading mixologists.
Korilla BBQ
Buying food from a street cart is a genuine New York experience. The lines that form in front of the best food trucks are somewhat of a cross-section of the population – coming from all backgrounds and income niches. Every New Yorker has an opinion about their favourite carts “just two blocks away”. However, since they often move, tracking down these carts is sometimes challenging. Tiger-striped food trucks operated by Korilla BBQ are hard to miss. Besides a delicious menu of Korean-style meats like beef bulgogi, braised short ribs and spicy chicken, they also offer tacos and burritos.
The city that never sleeps is also one that always eats. With so many eateries and speciality dishes sprouting up, it’s never easy to make a choice. On the other hand, with so many perfect choices, you can hardly miss.
Other Things to Do in New York
- See some of the best views of the New York skyline from the Empire State Building and the Rockefeller Centre
- Go for a walk in Central Park
- See a Broadway show
- Visit the 9/11 Memorial and Museum
- Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge
- Take the Staten Island ferry
- Stroll the High Line
- Visit Madison Square Garden
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Olivia is a psychologist and entrepreneur from Brisbane. Mother of two beautiful children and proud owner of two silly boxer dogs. She is a passionate writer, a traveller and a conscious consumer, seeking healthy and sustainable products to incorporate into the lives of her family. Her motto is “Be the change you want to see in the world”.