Achhina's Digital Garden

NYC Recs

14 min read

Dinner

  • Gnocco - Emilia-Romagna Italian in East Village $$ (visited 2026-07-25)
    • 337 E 10th St, off Tompkins Square Park. (212) 677-1913. Opened 2000 by Gian Luca Giovanetti (Modena); named for gnocco fritto, the fried-dough street snack. Indoor garden room, exposed brick, candlelit — rustic-cozy.
    • Went with Medo and Halima. In-house menu prices are cash / credit.
    • What we ordered (in-house menu names):
      • Cabernet Sauvignon DOC “Nono Miglio” — Bosco del Merlo (Veneto) ×2 glasses (me) — $16 / $16.50 per glass
      • Guavissimo (Medo & Halima, shared) — Moosa mixed-berries dried-fruit infusion from the Andes, guava syrup, lime, club soda — $13 / $13.40
      • Sauteed Mussels — 1 lb, spicy marinara sauce (choice of that or white wine), crostini bread on the side — $21 / $21.65. Very good — the marinara in particular; reorder this.
      • Burrata — basil sauce, cherry tomatoes, crostini bread on the side; +$7 fresh focaccino add-on — $18 / $18.56
      • Cesar Salad — chicken breast, romaine, croutons, Parmigiano, pomegranate seeds, classic Caesar dressing — $19 / $19.59
      • Gnocchi con Tartufo Nero (me) — homemade gnocchi, black truffle, truffle butter, Parmigiano — $38 / $39.18, their flagship pasta
      • Gnocchi al Pomodoro e Bufala (Halima) — homemade gnocchi, tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella, basil; vegan & GF (penne) options — $24 / $24.74
      • Pappardelle ai Porcini (Medo) — homemade pappardelle in mustard-garlic-parsley butter sauce, porcini mushrooms, EVOO — $26 / $26.81
      • Chocolate Profiteroles (me) — cream puffs filled with whipped cream, covered with dark chocolate
      • Lemon Sorbetto (Medo & Halima) — housemade, ~$11
    • Total: $267.50 for 3 (~$89/head) — I paid, Apple Pay on Amex ••31008.
    • Sun close 10 PM; Fri/Sat 10:30 PM.
  • Chalong Southern Thai - Southern Thai in Hell’s Kitchen $$$ (visited 2026-07-24)
    • 749 9th Ave, btwn 50th & 51st. Michelin Bib Gourmand 2025, NYT starred Mar 2026. Res: (212) 466-6456. C/E to 50th St, one block.
    • First Southern Thai–focused restaurant in NYC. Seafood-led, shared plates, limited vegetarian. Turmeric-forward and sour rather than sweet — genuinely different from the Central Thai you get everywhere else.
    • Order: Crab Curry, Baerng Golae, Platod, mango sticky rice. Went with Medo and Halima — see 2026-07-24 Chalong Dinner with Medo and Halima
    • Know before going: spice is not adjustable on two-pepper dishes; room is loud and tables are jammed together; ~$90/head with drinks. Portions look small but aren’t — don’t over-order.
    • Closed 3:30–5 PM daily. Fri/Sat close 11 PM (kitchen winds down ~10:30), otherwise 10 PM.
  • Hojokban - Korean in ktown $$$
  • Manhatta Rooftop bar in FIDI $$$$
  • 230 Fifth - Rooftop bar in NoMad, 1150 Broadway $$ (visited 2026-07-31)
  • Bad Roman Italian in Manhattan $$$$

K-Town

Researched 2026-07-31 for dinner with Sanam and Jessica Gill (criteria: good food + cute vibes). See also Hojokban under Dinner — same group (Hand Hospitality) as Take 31.

  • Take 31 - Korean gastropub, 15 E 31st St $$ (visited 2026-07-31)
    • Founded Dec 2011; older sibling of Her Name is Han, Hand Hospitality. Dim, indie-music, date-night energy. Infatuation: the move is makgeolli — house rice wine blended slushy-style (peach/kiwi/banana). Open till 3 AM Fri/Sat. (646) 284-5540.
    • Went with Sanam and Jessica Gill, 9 PM. What we ordered:
      • Ddukbokki ×2 — complimentary, and good
      • Garlic Crust & Spicy Chicken ×2 — $51.90. The standout of the night; reorder this
      • Crispy Corn Pancake — $15.95. Good — the hype holds
      • Braised Pork Belly — $26.95. Miss for me; not as juicy as I’d like
      • White Peach Makgeolli — $23.95. The slushy-style house makgeolli — shaved-snow texture, interesting
      • Frozen Mango — $11.95
      • Saero (soju) — $17.95
    • Total: $161.84 (subtotal $148.65 + tax) + $29.73 tip (20%) = $191.57
    • Service caveat: we got sat in a corner and service was inattentive — had to keep flagging staff down to get served. Food quality carried the night.
  • Her Name is Han - Homestyle Korean, 17 E 31st St $$$
    • Same owners as Take 31; opened 2015, named after owner Kihyun Lee’s mother. “Korean soul food” with playful twists (farro bibimbap, clam japchae). Infatuation 8.2 — room reads library × East Village apartment. Best “cute vibes” pick in K-Town. Gets loud; hard walk-in, call ahead. (212) 779-9990.
  • Osamil - Modern Korean gastropub, 5 W 31st St $$$
    • Name = “531” in Korean (the address). Real draw is Osamil Upstairs: unmarked 12-seat speakeasy above the dining room (ask staff, they walk you through a service door). Won Best Cocktails of New York, 2023 NY Cocktail Expo. Cocktails $23+. Happy hour oysters $18/half-dozen Tue–Sat 5–7, all day Sun/Mon.
  • Jongro BBQ - KBBQ, 22 W 32nd St 2nd fl $$$
    • The loud, fun, retro-Seoul-pocha KBBQ experience. Group pick when the night calls for grilling.
  • Grace Street - Korean dessert café, 17 W 32nd St $
    • K-Town institution: ho-dduk (brown-sugar/walnut/cinnamon Korean donut w/ vanilla ice cream), shaved snow, basque cheesecake, boba. Open till midnight Fri/Sat. The default dinner-capper.

Pizza

  • John’s of Bleecker Street- Greenwich village $$
    • Not always on NYC top pizza lists but Reddit favourite
  • Prince Street - Nolita $
    • Tried it during a late night work issue, it seems to be known for it’s cupped pepperoni which was good, but I found it to be too saucy and sweet in the pepperoni squares. The green machine pizza was completely underwhelming, too leafy of a taste without enough of a balance of cheese and the crust was on the doughier side.
  • Bleecker Street - Greenwich village $
    • I tried the pepperoni slice and something else, but wow the pepperoni pizza was very good. Crust was light and crispy, and it was tossed with crispy pepperonis in abundance. Would definitely have again. The other slice was not memorable.

Hell’s Kitchen — 9th Ave strip

Densest good-food block in Midtown, and quietly the best Thai neighbourhood in Manhattan — five spots at 4.8+. All untested except Chalong.

  • Valla Table - Thai, 641 10th Ave $$
    • 4.9 across 5,800 reviews. Candlelit, more of an occasion.
  • Jan Jao Kha - Thai, 830 9th Ave $$
    • 4.9, only open a few months, small room. Reserve.
  • Elephant Ear - Thai fusion, 690 9th Ave $$
    • 4.8 across 6,400. Crowd-pleaser — broader menu, generous portions, bar, open straight through 11:30am–11pm. The safe group pick vs Chalong’s higher variance. Pineapple fried rice comes in a carved pineapple.
  • Cheeseboat - Georgian, 747 9th Ave $$
    • Khachapuri: bread boat of molten cheese with an egg stirred in at the table. Beef khinkali. Most unusual thing on the street, and four doors from Chalong.
  • Don Antonio - Pizza, 309 W 50th St $$
    • The montanara — dough deep-fried, then baked. Michelin-recognized for it.
  • Empanada Mama - Colombian, 765 9th Ave $
    • Open 24 hours. Check the bag before leaving, that comes up a lot.
  • Kashkaval Garden - Mediterranean, 852 9th Ave $$
    • Mezze and fondue, hidden garden room in the back, open till midnight Sat.

Brooklyn

  • Frankel’s Delicatessen & Appetizing - Jewish deli, 631 Manhattan Ave, Greenpoint $
    • 4.6/1,282. Pastrami egg & cheese is the signature. Closes 3:00 PM daily. Counter seating only, not a sit-down. G to Greenpoint Ave, four blocks. Medo’s pick, 2026-07-25.
  • Smorgasburg - open-air food market, free entry
    • Sat: Marsha P. Johnson State Park, 90 Kent Ave, Williamsburg, 11–6. Sun: Breeze Hill, Prospect Park. Fri: the Oculus. 70+ vendors, Apr–Oct. Full skyline view across the East River from the Williamsburg site.

Halal

Worth keeping straight since it comes up whenever Medo visits.

  • ⚠️ CORRECTION — ilili (NoMad) is NOT halal. Their own FAQ: the NYC location can only arrange halal meat for private events with 3 business days’ notice. The “all meat halal” claim applies to their DC location. I had this wrong previously.
  • Turkuaz - Turkish, 310 W 53rd St $$ — halal is in the registered name. The reliable “nice dinner” option near Times Sq.
  • Istanbul Kebab House - Turkish, 712 9th Ave $ — cosier, cheaper, till 11:45 PM.
  • Hyderabadi Zaiqa - Biryani, 785 9th Ave $ — 4.7.
  • Shah’s Halal - 537 9th Ave $ — 4.8, open till 3 AM.
  • Astoria’s Steinway St (“Little Egypt”) for a proper night out — Levant, Zyara, Mombar (cash only, chef cooks solo).
  • Au Za’atar - Lebanese, 1063 1st Ave, Midtown East $$$ — tableside shawarma carved at the table ($78–98, share it). Halal directories list it but the restaurant’s own site doesn’t say so and they serve alcohol — call (212) 625-3982 to confirm. Three blocks from the Roosevelt Island Tram, which is a normal MTA fare and a genuinely great cheap skyline ride.

Williamsburg

Researched 2026-08-28 for dinner at L’Industrie with Jessica Gill, Vicky and Nithu — see 2026-08-28 L’Industrie with Jessica, Vicky and Nithu. All untested unless marked.

  • L’Industrie Pizzeria - Thin, crisp NY-Italian slices, 254 S 2nd St (at Havemeyer) $$
    • Massimo Laveglia (Tuscany), opened 2017, expanded 2021; second location in the West Village (Christopher St). Daily noon–10 PM. Counter service, mostly standing / a few outdoor tables — not a sit-down.
    • The move is to order online ~30–45 min ahead and skip the line, which routinely wraps the block on Friday evenings. Otherwise budget 20–60 min in line.
    • Slices to order: burrata (the signature — burrata dolloped on the slice), fig jam & bacon, spicy salami + hot honey, truffle, the New Yorker (pepperoni), margherita as the baseline. Chili oil at the counter for the crust. Pistachio gelato / the pastry case is the sleeper — don’t skip dessert.
    • Nearest subway: J/M/Z Marcy Ave (5 min) or L Bedford Ave (12 min). NYC Ferry East River line to South Williamsburg is a nice arrival.
  • After dinner, walking distance
    • Domino Park - waterfront park under the Williamsburg Bridge, 10 min walk north on Kent Ave. Best free skyline view in Brooklyn; the group-photo spot. Open till 10 PM.
    • Westlight - rooftop at the William Vale, 111 N 12th St $$$$. The 22nd-floor Manhattan panorama; 20-min walk or short cab. Same “pay for the view” energy as 230 Fifth, better view.
    • Bar Blondeau - Wythe Hotel rooftop, 80 Wythe Ave $$$. Smaller, less scene-y than Westlight, wine-forward.
    • Fresh Kills - cocktail bar, 161 Grand St $$. Hand-cut ice, classics done well; crowded but not sweaty. The “actually good drinks” pick.
    • The Commodore - 366 Metropolitan Ave $. Strong drinks, famous fried chicken, loud and fun.
    • Radegast Hall - beer hall, 113 N 3rd St $$. Big communal tables, retractable roof, live music most nights — easiest for a group of four.
    • Skinny Dennis - honky-tonk dive, 152 Metropolitan Ave $. Free live country nightly, frozen “Willie’s Coffee” slushy.
    • Baby’s All Right - 146 Broadway $$. Live music venue + late bar, 4 min from L’Industrie. Check the calendar.
    • Brooklyn Bowl - 61 Wythe Ave $$$. Bowling + live venue; group-friendly, Blue Ribbon fried chicken. Emo Night Karaoke was the Fri 2026-08-28 booking.
    • Nitehawk Cinema - 136 Metropolitan Ave. Dine-in movies, late shows on weekends.
    • Dessert walk on Bedford Ave: Van Leeuwen (ice cream), OddFellows.
  • Other Williamsburg pizza (for the “where else should we go” question)
    • Roberta’s - Bushwick, 261 Moore St $$. The original hipster wood-fired pie; Bee Sting (soppressata + honey). L to Morgan.
    • Paulie Gee’s - Greenpoint, 60 Greenpoint Ave $$. Wood-fired, Hellboy (hot honey + soppressata). Dinner-only, cash-only.
    • Emmy Squared - Detroit-style, 364 Grand St $$. The Colony (pepperoni + pickled jalapeño + honey). Sit-down, takes reservations — the right answer if they want to sit.
    • Best Pizza - 33 Havemeyer St $. Frank Pinello’s slice shop, grandma slice. Classic counter, no line.

West Village — around L’Industrie

Researched 2026-08-28 for Jessica Gill, Vicky and Nithu’s dinner (I didn’t go) — see 2026-08-28 L’Industrie with Jessica, Vicky and Nithu. Untested unless marked. See also Bleecker Street Pizza and John’s under Pizza above.

  • L’Industrie Pizzeria — West Village - 104 Christopher St, (212) 256-0648 $$
    • Second location of the Williamsburg original; a third opened in Little Italy. Daily noon–10 PM. Same slices, but a real room — dark wood, tin ceiling, natural wine, and you can actually seat a group. Line still wraps the block Fri/Sat; order online ahead or take slices to the bar next door.
    • Order: burrata (signature), fig jam & bacon, spicy salami + hot honey, truffle. Chili oil for the crust. Bomboloni and pistachio gelato from the pastry case.
    • Subway: 1 to Christopher St–Sheridan Sq, one block. PATH Christopher St is 3 min west — the easy route from Union City/Hoboken.
  • Nearby, walkable
    • Cellar Dog - 75 Christopher St $. Basement bar/pool hall, formerly Fat Cat. Cheap drinks, pool, ping pong, live jazz Wed–Sun; Fri/Sat till 2 AM, bar till 4.
    • Marie’s Crisis - 59 Grove St $. Showtunes piano bar, everyone sings, cash only. The “fun with a group” pick.
    • Employees Only - 510 Hudson St $$$. The classic West Village speakeasy; palm reader at the door.
    • Little Branch - 22 7th Ave S $$$. Milk & Honey lineage, basement, live jazz late.
    • Bar Pisellino - 52 Grove St $$. Tiny Italian aperitivo bar, spritzes, standing room.
    • Smalls Jazz Club - 183 W 10th St $$. Cover charge, sets run past midnight; Mezzrow across the street is the quieter sibling.
    • Comedy Cellar - 117 MacDougal St $$. Reserve online well ahead for Fridays.
    • Christopher St Pier / Hudson River Park - 4 min west, sunset over the river.
    • Washington Square Park - 10 min east.
    • Dessert: Magnolia Bakery (401 Bleecker, banana pudding), Van Leeuwen (Bleecker).

Soho

Researched 2026-08-01 for dinner with Sanam and Jessica Gill; bars re-researched 2026-08-29 for the return with Jess, Vicky and Nithu. Untested unless marked.

  • Shuka - Mediterranean (Israeli / Moroccan / Levantine), 38 MacDougal St $$$ (visited 2026-08-01, 2026-08-29)
    • (212) 475-7500. Chef Ayesha Nurdjaja; same owners as the old Hundred Acres. Dark, courtyard-feel room, fairy lights — photographs well. Reserve. Portions run small for the price; ordering an extra mezze is normal. Infatuation 7.9: “safe choice,” kebab section is the strength.
    • Amandeep’s rec (“food’s bangin, vibes are nice”). See 2026-08-01 Shuka with Sanam and Jessica.
    • What I’ve had:
      • Whipped feta with pistachio — the standout; worth going back for on its own. Reorder every time.
      • Fried halloumi — really good; a signature.
      • Lamb kebab — good.
      • Grilled Arctic Char kebab — good. (Previously logged as “fish achar” — wrong name.)
      • Babaganoush — flat, little flavour. Skip.
      • Squash blossoms — no memory; Infatuation warns they’re heavily fried.
    • Still to try: Sirloin Steak kebab (Infatuation’s favourite skewer), Merguez, Whipped Tahini, Grilled Peach, Charred Romano Beans. The breaded chicken and cauliflower from older reviews are off the menu. Skip the pink beet hummus — photogenic, not the best dip. Full menu, terms, and cuisine notes in Shuka.
  • Or’esh - Mediterranean $$$ — buzzy, 4.7, hard reservation. My top pick before Amandeep’s list came in.
  • Piccola Cucina - Sicilian $$ — Amandeep’s runner-up (“been like 20 times”); tiny, buzzy, cramped.
  • Rubirosa - Italian, Nolita $$ — good, brutal wait.
  • Balthazar - French brasserie $$$$ — the classic scene; food good-not-great.
  • La Mercerie - French $$$ — quieter, gorgeous room.
  • 5ive Spice (Vietnamese), Raku (Japanese noodles) — Amandeep’s picks for a cuisine change. Ayah — rejected, “paying for vibes not food.”
  • After dinner — bars (brief: party mood, good music, not a club; 9 PM dinner means midnight-closers don’t work)
    • Yesterday’s - 157 Bleecker St $$ — 4.7, 3 min from Shuka, open till 4 AM Fri/Sat. Two floors, disco balls, upstairs dance floor; Infatuation: “clubby tavern,” crowd skews recent-grad. 23+ on Fri/Sat, walk-in after 8 PM, 2-hr table limit. Best fit for “party but not a club.”
    • JIMMY - rooftop at ModernHaus SoHo, 15 Thompson St $$$$ — 18th floor, pool, DJ, 360° views. ~$20 door Sat, $20+ cocktails, reserve or queue. Polarizing: Infatuation “not too crowded or clubby”; Time Out “vibes over substance,” music cut at 1 AM. Yelp lists closed Sun–Tue.
    • Sloane’s - 2nd floor of The Manner, 58 Thompson St $$$ — Sanam’s original pick. Jewel-box speakeasy, jazz, dim; $24 cocktails, strong. Dress code “dress for a beautiful room.” Till 2 AM Fri/Sat. The “nice bar,” not the “party.” The Manner’s rooftop is guests-only.
    • Bar Hugo Rooftop - 525 Greenwich St $$ — two rooftops, Hudson/WTC views, till 2 AM Sat, calmer. Backup rooftop.
    • Odd Sister - 45 Mercer St $$ — Amandeep: “okay.” Dim, good music, walk-in, till 1 AM.
    • Groove - 125 MacDougal St $$ — live funk/soul band from ~9:30, $10 cover, people dance. Skip the food.
    • ART SoHo (Arlo rooftop) and The Rooftop at The Manner both close at midnight — no good after a 9 PM dinner.

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