Now that I’m officially a Denver resident, I’ve decided to reveal all of my favorite spots and ways to use New York City!

I always find it interesting when people living in New York take to social media to spotlight their favorite places. Are you crazy?! To live in New York is to find things you love, and keep them fiercely close to the chest so tourists don’t find out about them.

Now, before I tell you my favorite spots, a caveat. I am a frugal girly. I turn my nose up at places like Dante and The Spaniard in the West Village because I feel like they take themselves too seriously. I won’t suggest Nobu because even though yes, the crispy rice is insane, so is the price, and I just can’t enjoy things if they aren’t of good value.

So let’s get into it. I’ll be breaking these down into “vibe” as well:

Great places to go on a date

The basement of Bobo in The West Village: While the upper floors are great for dinner (and usually reserved) you can almost always find a spot at the basement of Bobo, and the vibe is great, it’s cute and secluded, and a great spot for grabbing a cocktail with a first date, or sitting at the downstairs bar to catch up with a friend.

Walker Hotel in Greenwich Village: A lot of people forget about using hotels in the city, but I’m nuts for them (there will be more than one hotel on this list). The lobby of the Walker Hotel is fantastic because you can order a drink right on the couches in the lobby, and there is almost always live music - like one cool guy playing electric guitar in the lobby and it’s a vibe. Tons of people don’t utilize this (I just happened to wander in one day by accident and stayed) and they also have a bookcase there with games and books. Get a martini, listen to the music, and play backgammon with your date - you will impress them.

Bemelmans Bar: Now this date is a bougie one, but it’s so worth it (I wouldn’t do this on a first date). One of my exes once took me here on a Saturday, after a trip to the MET. They have live music that plays here, and if you get in right before 5:30 (I believe it’s 5:30, you might want to double check) you can listen to the live music without paying! Folks who come in after that time have to pay. It’s a great hack, and you feel like you’re in a Woody Allen movie at this bar. The piano is incredible, the walls are ornately decorated - do what we did, which was get faced off of martinis and then go home to have an incredible night ;)

The Flatiron Room: This is a great second or third date spot (I don’t suggest it for a first date because it’s kind of activity/music based) but the Flatiron Room makes me feel sexy when I’m in it. It’s a jazz club type of place, but unlike most jazz clubs in the city, this one actually has space and they take reservations. I loved New York, but so many places there are small as hell, and you never know if you’ll be able to get in. Flatiron Room makes me feel like a Bond Girl on a train, the jazz trio is always great, and it’s fun to dress up and give in to the aesthetic there.

Amateur Night at the Apollo in Harlem - I had the best second date of my life here one night, and this is an absolute must-do for either a date, friend hangout, your parents are in town, you name it. This event happens on Wednesdays and it’s an absolute staple that legends have come out of. The crowd is fun, you get to cheer or boo for the talent on stage, and it’s an absolute legend of a night. Must go.

The best [BLANK] in the city

For the best pasta with pink sauce in the city (each time I have this, I cannot shut up about it) you have to go to Malatesta Trattoria in the West Village. They don’t take reservations, it’s super loud in there and it overstimulates me with how loud it is, but the minute I eat this pasta (and it’s not technically on the menu, you have to ask for it, otherwise the pink sauce comes with ravioli) I fall in love. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. As I type this, my mouth is watering. But I don’t want to overhype it! Go in just expecting something regular, and trust me that it’s good.

For the best martini in the city, I have to say BABS in Greenwich Village. I am not a huge martini girl (I like things that taste sweet and pretty and nice) but the BABS martini is…minty, and elegant, and cool. It’s scary how much I can suck them down, and how refined and not-at-all grimace inducing they are. If you don’t like martinis, you will like the one here!

For the best breakfast sandwich in the city, it’s at Olives in Soho. The line is always so damn long, and I’m sorry, but the service there sucks. It does not take that long to make a breakfast sandwich and I always wait like, 15 minutes for it, hungover and angry. I can see the people in the kitchen and they will make your breakfast sandwich and leave it there for ten minutes before delivering it to you. But, unfortunately, it’s one of the best breakfast sandwiches I’ve had in my life, which is why I kept going back and repeating the cycle of hungover-angry-full and delighted.

For the best banana bread in the city (niche, I know) weirdly it is at Blank Street Coffee. I know there’s a lot of drama around this coffee chain that’s overtaking New York, but put your anger away and get their banana bread one day - you wouldn’t expect it to be so good, and maybe that’s what makes it so good?

For the best sandwich on delivery (or you could get it in person, but I never have, and the store is pretty small and cramped) get the Portofino Sandwich at La Panineria. I want to bathe in their fig jam. I might have had it over 20 times at this point, I’m in love with it.

For the best pina colada in the city that will kind of get you super fucked up in a way you didn’t expect but is great, head to Cuba in Greenwich Village. Their food is good, too, but I couldn’t stop talking about their pina colada.

The best places to go in winter

Because let’s face it, it’s nice everywhere in the spring and fall, but during those harsh winter months you need a fun winter aesthetic place to go to, and these were always my favorite.

Tiny’s and the bar upstairs in Tribeca has a cool fireplace downstairs, and it’s also a great date spot because it’s a cozy restaurant that feels cool and has good food. It’s like you’re eating in someone’s apartment (but they live in Tribeca)

Grab a drink at the bar at Anton’s in the West Village. I remember so many times walking home in the winter months to my place in the village, and walking by Anton’s and it would always glow in the winter. Anton’s doesn’t have a fireplace, but it feels like it should. The bar is classic and timeless, and heading in there during a cold winter night feels like you’re going into a bougie friend’s comforting home, so grab a drink at the bar either solo or with someone in tow.

My favorite food hacks in the city

Everyone goes to Carbone for their spicy vodka pasta, but if you go to Parm (I know one place is on the Upper West Side, they might have another) you can literally get the exact same pasta. And actually have a seat at the restaurant too. It’s done by the same person, the pasta is truly the exact same, and unlike Carbone, Parm isn’t a place that takes itself soooo seriously that I want to roll my eyes. And the pasta is damn good.

Call me basic, but I do love Sugarfish (they have two locations in the city). I always, always go there for lunch because the lunch menu is quite literally the same as the dinner menu, but it’s always about 20% cheaper because it’s lunch prices. When you go for lunch, it’s actually a reasonable price! And the sushi is amazing.

There are some places that are kind of restaurant dead zones in the city, and one of them is around the like, Union Square-ish area. There is a restaurant there named Villanelle that isn’t amazing, but they oddly enough run this happy hour that’s almost all day on Saturday, and the happy hour is a steal. It’s a nice place, with an outdoor garden, and I suggest you take advantage of the HH specials.

Places paired with activities that I love in New York

One of my favorite things to do is pair an activity with a place, so these are specific combos I used to love.

The Standard Cafe in the East Village - I used to love coming here on weekend mornings, and having breakfast by myself while using their wifi, and blogging. I love a good hotel restaurant, the vibe in here is great, the food was always fantastic, and then afterwards, if I had a mimosa, I would head down to their basement bathrooms (which are also vibey) and sometimes pop into the photobooth solo and take photos of myself. Don’t judge! It’s super fun, and I highly suggest it.

The Bus Stop Cafe in the West Village - I used to love coming here by myself on a weekday for breakfast (they have a breakfast special where you get food, OJ, and coffee together which is always what I want) and I would do crosswords by myself because it just felt like that type of neighborhood establishment where you should eat food and read the paper and not be on your phone.

Grabbing Amber Sushi in the West Village and walking to the water for a solo picnic - Amber Sushi is not the best sushi, but I’m convinced they stay in business because they’re close enough to the water (west side highway) and this combo activity is enough of a great one that I’m sure other people do it too. Place a to-go order here, and take it with you outside!

Grabbing a drink at The Roxy Hotel, listening to music, and having a photoshoot downstairs with your friends - I love a good hotel, and The Roxy in Tribeca is fantastic. Downstairs they have these gorgeous bathrooms, and couches, and after a drink or two, my friends and I always end up taking multiple photos down there, it’s so fun.

Other miscellaneous favorites

I used to love going to the spas in New York, and I found that the best bang for my buck was going to The Great Jones Spa in Noho, because each service (massage, facial, etc) also gives you access to their like, water lounge area, and I would come with a book and truly spend about 4 hours in there after a massage. Eat their apples, drink some tea, and just chill.

Also, the Ancient Aire Baths in Tribeca are super fun to experience - either with a friend or with a partner, and you feel so cool in them.

Going to Governor’s Island for a day trip is absolutely worth it - so fun, tickets are mad cheap (or sometimes free before noon) on the ferry, and it’s a perfect sized island to explore.

Bird Dog in the West Village is also one of my favorite restaurants, truly every single item on their menu is incredible (except for the black eyed pea gumbo, I didn’t like that, but truly literally everything else is perfection). Although I will say, I liked them more when they were BYOB haha, but they aren’t anymore, which makes it a bit of a pricier experience.

Laser Tag at Bowlmor in Chelsea Piers - Now that I’m out of the city I can admit how often I went here. Yes, I would take dates here. And sometimes it would be just us in the laser tag arena hahaha because no one else in New York took advantage of how cool this spot was! Other times, it was me and children. But what can I say? I love laser tag. And there’s a bar nearby, arcade games…I loved it.

Yes, all of these places are in Manhattan, and yes, they’re all in the village area - but I lived in the East and West Village when I was in New York and I am a homebody. I don’t like to wander too far. There are hundreds of amazing places in New York, but these were my absolute favorite.

I hope you enjoy this list, and enjoy your time in New York - whether it’s for a weekend trip, or years of living there!

Until the next one,
S

FluentlyForward New York City Recommendations