welcome back to my annual roundup of favorite new-to-me places in new york city! i rather enjoy keeping track of this and looking back at the end of the year to see what new discoveries were made.

mile end delicatessen — i had *technically* gotten food from here before, but it was in 2022 when their indoor dining was closed and they had a limited menu, so i’m counting my lunch with michael from this year as my first “official” visit. we shared some excellent latkes, he had a smoked meat sandwich, and i had the spicy schnitzel sandwich. it was all very delicious, and i took an excellent nap on my subway ride home // downtown brooklyn, brooklyn

crave fishbar — after a saturday afternoon visit to the new york historical society alexa and i were feeling peckish so we popped into crave to find some gnosh. we shared a dozen oysters, brussels sprouts, and french fries, and it was all very good // upper west side, manhattan

june — sanjeet has started hosting a monthly “wine down wednesday” ladies get-together, and february’s happened to fall on valentine’s day. a group of us got together at this lovely wine bar for drinks and snacks and to share hilarious dating stories. we went through 3 magnums of a very good red wine and all the food they had on their menu [limited because of the “holiday”] and had a very grand time // cobble hill, brooklyn

bangkok supper club — abi always knows about cool and interesting new restaurants, and a major bonus of being her cousin is getting invited along when she wants to check one out. all the dishes here are inspired by bangkok’s late night food scene and are intended to be eaten family style. the uni and crab tartlet starter is so good and melts in your mouth, and the chilean sea bass curry is the perfect level of spice without being overwhelming. and if you want a cocktail, the mango flame is excellent. a great spot if you want to treat yourself // west village, manhattan

planta — when alex was in town in april she got a group together for dinner at this delicious vegan restaurant. we shared a bunch of starters and small plates and then each got our own main courses and left barely a crumb on the table by the time the night was over // williamsburg, brooklyn [with additional locations nationwide]

sauced — april’s wine down wednesday location is one of those few spots that manages to appeal to everyone without acting like they’re trying too hard. the main part of the bar has low lighting and lots of wood and exposed brick and would be perfect for a first date; the back room is darker and moodier but also has board games if those strike your fancy; and the back courtyard is a great place to kick off your shoes and hang out for a while. i didn’t have any of the wine but others seemed to like it, but i had all the snacks and they were delicious // williamsburg, brooklyn

antidote — this was another find by abi, and it’s so good she went back another 4 times over the following week [i was there for one of the return visits because i couldn’t resist]! everything on the menu is fantastic so your best bet is to go with a group and just order a bunch of stuff and eat it all family style. my one must-have [if you eat meat] is the spicy cumin lamb — it’s incredible and you can thank me later…or better yet just invite me along when you go // williamsburg, brooklyn

the public theater — our friend naomi was in a play at the public theater, and i was happy to finally be able to cross that off my new york list. the space is very cool, with multiple theaters of varying sizes and setups and a central concession area. the public is also who hosts shakespeare in the park and other free shows around the city in the summer, and sometimes you get to see shows there before they go on to broadway, so i’ll continue checking their listings for the future // noho, manhattan

kanyakumari — this place might just be the full package. with a focus on food from bombay down through the southern states and the coasts, it’s such an interesting mix of all the best dishes from each part of southern and coastal india. from the malabar beef to the mangalorean gassi curry to the andhra guntur idli, every single dish is cooked to perfection. and then there’s my favorite, the donne biryani that is the closest i’ve found to sheilamma’s biryani — the first time i had it i started crying because it tasted like home. and if all that wasn’t enough, they have old monk and thums up // union square, manhattan

nisí estiatorio — when sarah was in town in may we had lunch a nisí, a greek restaurant in my neighborhood. we shared an assortment of the spreads and the branzino and it was all very delicious. we had the place to ourselves and got to enjoy a nice chat with our server and watch people coming and going on 30th ave. it’s a great place when you’re in the mood for a nicer spot // astoria, queens

brooklyn brainery — i first learned about brooklyn brainery before i even moved to nyc and when i got here i promised myself i would try out some of their classes, both to exercise my creative brain and to meet some new people. i finally made it happen this year, taking a class in hand-lettering basics — it was great to have a creative outlet aside from writing, and their space is so warm and welcoming. i’m hoping to make it more classes next year // prospect heights, brooklyn

raines law room at the william — after our memorial day trip to the finger lakes dillard and jane spent an extra night and day in the city before going home, and while they were here we got cocktails at raines law room. it’s a beautifully decorated cocktail bar with plush chairs and couches and lots of dark, heavy fabrics and soft lighting and we all loved it // midtown east, manhattan

fish market — i love a dive bar and i love malaysian food and this place is the perfect melding of the two. it’s the perfect place to spend a weekend afternoon day drinking and watching sports without spending all your money // seaport, manhattan

lawn club — i don’t know how exactly to explain the lawn club, but it’s pretty fun. essentially you rent a “lawn” by the hour, and there’s a rotation of games your group can play. we went for farhan’s birthday and played basketball pong, cornhole, bocce, and some frisbee game that looked very dangerous. it feels like a combination of summer camp and drinking games on steroids, and you can order food and drinks throughout your time there. i can imagine it gets hectic when all the lawns are full, but luckily we were there early so it felt relaxed and we had a great time // seaport, manhattan

aunts et uncles — this plant-based caribbean food truck outside the brooklyn museum is fantastic. highly recommend the burger, and ask to add some of their housemade hot sauce. the cucumber-ginger juice is also very good, but as they will warn you it is quite ginger-forward so be prepared — sarah and i shared it which was perfect // food truck @ brooklyn museum / standalone @ flatbush, brooklyn

brooklyn museum — when i saw that part of alicia keys and swizz beats’ art collection would be on display at the brooklyn museum for about six months i knew it would be a great time to make my first visit, and then of course because it’s me it took until the final week of the exhibit for me to actually go. i loved reading about the deans’ commitment to supporting black artists, and we enjoyed perusing the fourth and fifth floors as well // eastern parkway, brooklyn

rockaway beach — i was determined to get in at least one beach day in july and made my first visit to rockaway beach. it’s a bit of a trek to get there, but the ferry is easy and fun, the beach itself is nice, and we enjoyed a lovely sunday soaking up some sun and playing in the waves // rockaway, queens

jongro — i have been hearing about this korean bbq restaurant since i moved here and finally tried it out over the summer. everything we had was delicious, and it was the exact perfect amount of food to make me feel sated without feeling like i had overeaten. will definitely return // koreatown, manhattan

arthur avenue — arthur ave is the bronx’s little italy, and when jesse was here in july we decided to explore it for ourselves. we peeked in all the restaurants, grabbed some lunch, and wandered through the market and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves // belmont, bronx

rolo’s — sarah had heard good things about rolo’s so we decided to check it out for a late sunday lunch and i’m so glad we did. some of the items on the menu change seasonally but when we were there in late july we shared a stone fruit salad, some “war style” fries, and warm polenta bread, and we were very proud when our server complimented us on our order. highly recommend // ridgewood, queens

stay forever — as part of our sunday ridgewood adventure we also popped into this cute shop that sells a variety of bags, candles, kitchen stuff, cards, notebooks, and various other tchotchkes. it’s a great spot if you’re on the hunt for a birthday or hostess gift // ridgewood, queens

laojie hotpot — maggie, molly, and i did a sister hotpot night and had ourselves a feast and it was very yummy // chinatown, manhattan

tea at the whitby — over labor day weekend when the rhodes gals were in town we surprised walshie with tea at the whitby hotel to celebrate her engagement. we each ordered our pots of tea [i had the assam chai and loved it] and fully indulged ourselves with the scones and biscuits and sandwiches and desserts. everything was fantastic, and i’m filing this spot away for future celebrations // midtown-central park south, manhattan

cubbyhole — our final wine down wednesday of the year was at this fantastic lgbtq+ friendly dive bar. they have a phenomenal happy hour, and the bartender gave us free shots and ordered pizza for everyone so you can say i’m a fan. cash only // west village, manhattan

susuru ramen — alexa and i are making an effort to eat at more astoria restaurants and one of our first stops of the fall was this delicious, low-key ramen spot. the food is great and the people who run it are so nice, but keep in mind it’s small so we recommend going early // astoria, queens

food court at new world mall — maggie and i made a pilgrimage out to the new world mall in flushing to avail ourselves of their food court and we were greatly rewarded. we did a loop to check out all 32 vendors before circling back and picking up what we wanted. maggie had a tofu dumpling soup and i got dumplings from one place and dan dan noodles from another and it was all very delicious and i look forward to going back and trying more stuff // flushing, queens

koyo — alexa and i treated ourselves to an impromptu omakase dinner at this spot in the neighborhood and loved their 18-course tasting menu. we had a great time sampling everything, and it was a good reminder to treat ourselves from time to time. we also split a carafe of sake which was the perfect accompaniment to our meal // astoria, queens

willow — alex was in new jersey for work and took the train into the city one evening to have dinner with alexa, johnathan payne, and me. i think alexa is the one who found this bistro that serves up some of the best vegan food i’ve ever tasted. the texture of the steak was so real, and the popcorn chicken was phenomenal // chelsea, manhattan

supreme restaurant — when maggie’s friend mackenzie was in town in november we knew we wanted to take her out for dumplings, and at abi’s suggestion the four of us had a lovely dinner at supreme on mott st. the soup dumplings were great as was everything else we ordered // chinatown, manhattan

dr clark — another abi suggestion, this spot is great for dinner or for post-dinner drinks which is what we did after that dinner at supreme. on a friday night it was full but not overly crowded or loud and gave us the chance to chat and spend some time together. stephen hadn’t had dinner yet so he ordered the lamb curry rice; i snuck a few bites and will definitely order it whenever i go back // chinatown, manhattan

union square holiday market — in two previous christmas seasons living in this city i still hadn’t made it to the union square holiday market but 2024 was my year. maggie and i both had a free afternoon one week and spent some time wandering through the stalls and sipping on hot chocolate. a lovely market and i’ll be sure to go back again in future years // union square, manhattan

peaches — this spot has been on my list since i moved to nyc but i didn’t get there until maggie’s early birthday weekend. their poached eggs and brunch potatoes were excellent, and their bourbon brunch cocktail was divine // bed-stuy, brooklyn

birds of a feather — this excellent chinese restaurant was the perfect spot for maggie’s birthday dinner. we had so much food — dumplings and cumin lamb and green beans and mapo tofu and fish and other greens and fried rice and i’m sure a few other things i’m forgetting and it was all so, so good and i’m full all over again just thinking about it // williamsburg, brooklyn

gossip — matt had his birthday brunch at this very lovely irish pub. between the cozy lights and the wood paneling and the bottomless drinks and the delicious food we had a great time and i took a very nice nap when i got home // hell’s kitchen, manhattan

and there you have it, all the new-to-me nyc places of 2024. some of these have already become regular favorites [looking at you, kanyakumari], and i look forward to exploring more that this city has to offer in 2025.

xx