Restaurants and Bars in New York

Set out below are some of the restaurants and bars in New York that we visited!  I am sure most people know but there is a huge tipping culture in New York. Whilst some people may regard that as unfair, you know what you sign up for before you visit. When you get the bill, the amount of suggested tip is at the bottom of the receipt and normally ranges from 12.5%-25%. Generally the service is good but it is frustrating having a compulsory tip when the service is average. All prices below include the service charge.

Restaurants in New York

My choices below are more typical American diner (not v New York I know!)

The Counter

7 Times Square, New York, NY 10036

The Counter is near Times Squares and is a relaxed café / restaurant. The main offering was a “build your own” burger where you just tick the boxes you want on the list of ingredients! Through the New York Pass, we were also offered complementary fries.

The cheeseburger with croutons was tasty and filling. The cost was around $40 for 2 people with a tip.

Peter Luger’s Steak House

178 Broadway Brooklyn, N.Y. 11211

This restaurant was recommended by a colleague and it certainly did not disappointed. Peter Luger’s is the oldest steak house in New York and has real character to it.  We booked the table almost a month in advance for a Sunday and the only availability they had was at 16.45 and 21.30! So make sure you book well in advance.

We opted for the standard t-bone steak accompanied by fries and spinach. It was cooked to perfection (medium rare) and was so tender and flavoursome.

Expect good service and great food at this steakhouse. Expect to pay for quality – it was around $160 for a meal for two with an alcoholic drink each.

Hill Country Barbeque

30 West 26th Street, New York

This restaurant was around a 15 minute walk from our hotel and was a typical American style BBQ joint. The food is cooked and carved in front of you, so you can see what you fancy beforehand.

The meat was measured in grams and our server gave us an idea of how much to order. We had ribs, brisket and sausage with refried beans and fries. Decent food, large restaurant and, for once, a tip is not included on the bill – around $60 for two people with drinks.

Pasta Lovers

142 W 49th St, New York, NY 10019

Fairly near Broadway is Pasta Lovers. A little skeptical at first that it may be a tourist trap but we were impressed by both the food and service. We had the pasta with sausage and the portions were massive. A meal for two with a drink around $60.

Pot Belly

Eating out for lunch and dinner wasn’t going to be cheap so we grabbed lunch twice at Pot Belly, an American sandwich shop. A baguette, crisps and drink was around $8 and the subs were packed with filling!

Ellens Stardust Diner

1650 Broadway, New York, NY 10019

Singing staff?  This restaurant was an absolute guilty pleasure but so worth a visit. It is a typical US two tiered diner with booths a few blocks from Times Square serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Expect queues so get there for an early breakfast or dinner.

The waiters/waitresses are either already on Broadway or on the cusp of making it to Broadway. Definitely do not expect karaoke – these guys are good. There was such a lively atmosphere with the singing and the food was actually pretty good!

We had a juicy burger and tasty quesadillas accompanied by frozen cocktails. Dinner and a drink for two people around $60.

Dallas BBQ

241 West 42nd Street

You can probably see a theme here that we really fancied some typical US diner grub rather than upmarket restaurants (Peter Luger’s excluded).

We had a huge platter of meat – brisket, ribs, wings, chips and coleslaw whcih was all tasty. We also has the BEST frozen cocktails (only $10).

Decent diner with reasonable prices ($40 with a drink).

Bars in New York

A general comment to start off with – New York is no London when it comes to bars. There is no heaving Shoreditch or Soho – the bars are spread out and sometimes actually rather hard to find. Basically, you need to know what you are looking for.

I was expecting Times Square to be heaving but sadly it was not! Another observation is that the New Yorkers do not drink as much as the English – the bars were pleasantly calm instead of four five people back queuing for a drink. What a dream.

Softspotbar

128 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249, USA

Located on Bedford Avenue in Williamsberg, this bar offers a happy hour earlier in the evening where ‘well’ drinks (essentially house spirits) are only $5. It is a nice dimly lit bar with friendly service from the bartender.

The Knitting Factory

361 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211, USA

On Metropolitan Avenue lies The Knitting Factory, a cool two roomed bar in Williamsberg. We visited for a comedy evening (free entry) which was very popular. Fun bar and drinks prices fairly reasonable – wine and a beer was around $12. Live music on some nights.

The Rusty Knot

425 West St, New York, NY 10014, USA

Located by the Hudson in West Village is this small tiki themed bar with a relaxed atmosphere and a pool table. Good cocktails which are 241 4-7pm Monday to Friday.

The Jane Hotel

113 Jane St, New York, NY 10014, USA

Based in the Meatpacking Dsitrcit is The Jane Hotel, offering good cocktails and rooftop views.

Webster Hall

125 E 11th St, New York, NY 10003, USA

3 storey large warehouse type club playing (on a Thursday) mainly hip hop. Ladies free entry and drinks reasonable priced ($5-8).

East London Girl: Bars and Restaurants in New York

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