https://ny.eater.com/maps/best-nyc-restaurant-visitors-tourist
16 Tourist Trap Restaurants in NYC That Are Actually Good
Worth the time for visitors and locals
Patty DiezAug 6, 2018, 4:05pm EDT
2167 Frederick Douglass Blvd
New York, NY 10026
These massive cookies might give non-New Yorkers sticker shock — they’re $4 each — but many locals say the money is well worth it. Cookies come in four flavors (chocolate chip walnut, dark chocolate chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, and dark chocolate peanut butter chip), and the fist-sized treats are gooey and addictive. Pro-tip: They freeze very well.
2090 Broadway
New York, NY 10023
The dogs at Gray’s have been widely loved for decades, particularly as a popular drunken stop for locals. With its Recession Special still going strong — two franks and a medium drink for $6.45 — it’s little wonder why.
Nick Solares
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200 Columbus Ave
New York, NY 10023
Magnolia has a reputation for cupcakes after Sex and the City made it famous. But that’s the rookie move — instead, go for the decadent banana pudding or airy icebox cake.
W 53rd St
New York, NY 10019
Lines snake down the block constantly at this chicken and rice phenom. Its flagship cart sits on West 53rd Street off Sixth Avenue, prime location for tourists going to the Museum of Modern Art and the Midtown lunch crowd. Get the combo platter, and get the sauces.
The Halal Guys
6. Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant
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89 E 42nd St
New York, NY 10017
This oyster bar has reigned inside Grand Central’s subterranean space since 1913, and it welcomes commuters just as much as tourists daily. The smart move is to sit at the bar with a plate of raw oysters during the late lunch hour. Order the love-it-or-hate-it oyster pan roast, and decide which side to choose.
Grand Central Oyster Bar
Eater NY
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Madison Ave & E.23rd St
New York, NY 10010
The burger that has swept America was born right here in Madison Square Park, where what started as a stand is now a smooth operation that draws long lines nightly. It moves quickly, though, and all is well once a Shackburger, cheese fries, and shake is in hand underneath twinkling string lights.
Nick Solares
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342 E 11th St
New York, NY 10003
This Italian pastry shop has been going strong since 1894, where cannoli, tiramisu, sfogliatelle, and gelato are all required orders. Devotees of the bakery know to grab a table under the stained glass ceiling just before Veniero’s closes (midnight during the week, and 1 a.m. on weekends).
189 Spring St
New York, NY 10012
Ever heard of a little pastry called the Cronut? Suckers line up at 6 a.m. for the croissant-doughnut hybrid that took the world by storm — but locals know to go later in the day for pastry chef Dominique Ansel’s stellar kouign amann, frozen s’mores, or any of the other pastries in the case, really.
Nick Solares
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205 E Houston St
New York, NY 10002
Few sandwiches are as famous as a pastrami from Katz’s, and perhaps none have had quite the Hollywood treatment. Sure, it fills up to the brim in here daily, but locals know to file in near closing time or on Saturday nights, when it’s open all night. Katz’s also serves one of the city’s best hot dogs, properly topped with sauerkraut and mustard.
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178 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY 11211
Peter Luger is likely the most quintessential version of a classic New York steakhouse — and the best known beyond NYC. The 130-year-old temple to meat lives up to its reputation with a supremely beefy porterhouse, a simple burger, and inch-thick bacon slabs.
Nick Solares
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1 Front St
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Grimaldi’s boasts one of the longest waits in New York, troubling since the city is filled with just-as-good and far better pizzas. But it’s a no-brainer stop for tourists visiting the adjacent Brooklyn Bridge, and it does in fact serve a very fine pie. If the line is just too long, try Julianna’s.
1310 Surf Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11224
It’s a fact that the dogs served at the original Nathan’s are superior to any from its many franchise locations. They are also better than many of the other hot dogs found in New York. Go on any day that isn’t the Fourth of July.
Nick Solares
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