The coffee and bagel bagel is a traditional breakfast for Americans in a hurry to get to work. The best bagels, whose recipe hasn't changed much since the early 20th century, are served at the inexpensive Barney Greengrass Cafe (at the corner of 86th Street and Amsterdam Avenue).
It's hard to call them bagels, though, because they're filled with everything from whitefish salad, chopped herring, chicken liver pate with fried onions and scallions, lightly salted salmon, Canadian sturgeon, and so on.
For lunch, we recommend heading to one of New York's inexpensive Italian restaurants. For example, Eataly: La Plaza, La Pizza & Pasta, Pranzo. It's basically a huge deli with a restaurant attached to each department.
La Plaza even has its own medieval square, a replica of the central square of any Italian town. A common feature of all Italian restaurants in New York is that the food, especially pasta and pizza, is cooked very quickly (pizza takes up to 4 minutes) and the portions are huge.
One of New York's top culinary trends is gastropubs with haute cuisine and unassuming interiors. One iconic establishment is The Cannibal. The gourmet marbled hot dog and roasted lamb neck are specialties.
Japanese restaurants can't be overlooked — they're on almost every corner in New York City, from cheap eateries you can eat for 10 USD, to the best fusion restaurants in New York City.
One of the leaders among New York City restaurants in terms of reviews is China Grill. It offers signature wasabi mashed potatoes, crispy spinach and duck salad with bittersweet citrus flavors and wontons.
Probably the best cocktails in the world are made at the legendary The Bar at the Four Seasons Hotel (57 East 57th Street).
If you want to meet a celebrity like Woody Allen or Oprah Winfrey for lunch or dinner, head to Gramercy tavern (42 E. 20th St. (bet. Broadway & Park Ave.). 20th St. (bet. Broadway & Park Ave. S.). Dinner here can be had for 100 USD.
Art lovers can dine among New York's bohemians at Lincoln Ristorante, which is adjacent to opera, theater, and ballet.
And, of course, there's the iconic Eleven Madison park (11 Madison Ave.), where the characters from "Sex and the City" dined.
Fast food lovers will also be in for a pleasant surprise New York has a huge selection of typically Californian cafes with affordable prices. For example, Burger King on 7th Avenue and 36th Street, Starbucks in Rockefeller Center.
Features of New York restaurants and cafés:
Lunch usually consists of an appetizer (or starter), a main course (entrée), and a dessert.
In inexpensive cafés, bread is often replaced with rolls.
Prices: a quick snack in a coffee shop, or lunch in a diner or fast food place costs around 10–20 USD; a meal in a mid-range restaurant (excluding drinks) costs 30–60 USD; dinner in trendy restaurants starts from 70 to 100 USD and up.
A sales tax of 8.875% is added to every restaurant bill. Tipping: around 10% in casual coffee shops and 15–20% in fine dining establishments.
Portions in New York cafés are very large — one dish is often enough for two people.
The cheapest options for dining are Chinese, Thai, and Mexican restaurants, Italian pizzerias, French bistros, and diners during “happy hours.”
Before visiting a famous restaurant, be sure to book a table online, as most high-end places have only 15–20 tables available.
