VE18 Attendee tips: restaurants
Will you be hungry after that panel? Yes. Will you be provided a cornucopia of wonderful meals and perfectly timed coffee breaks throughout the conference? Of course.
But for those looking to satisfy their appetite or have a cocktail during an unstructured moment in the day or eve the VE18 team has compiled a list of recommended eateries in the vicinity of the main conference site.
(Very) loosely categorized below.
DRINKS…AND FOOD
77 W Houston St (btw Laguardia Pl and Wooster St); 212-473-7348 ** ($10-20)
Still among the best and most inventive places for finely crafted cocktails in the city, also with delicious snacks.
40 E 4th St (at Bowery); 212-475-2220 ** ($8-20)
Trendy bar and restaurant, boasting a nice outdoor patio, perfect for summer.
Temple Bar
332 Lafayette St (at Bleecker) ** Dark, quiet, and calming, especially with a couple of great martinis.
Fish Bar
237 E 5th St (btw Second Ave and Third Ave) *
A good, straightforward, cozy dive bar, with inexpensive beers and a nice laidback atmosphere.
314 W 11th (at Greenwich St); 212-620-0393 *** ($18-32)
This West Village gastropub serves up delectable hardy fare and excellent seafood from chef April Bloomfield’s menu. Good bar, too.
TO EAT ON A PARK BENCH
Food Carts around Washington Square South around Washington Square
* (under $10)
It is worth mentioning (for hurried lunch or tight purses) that there are several good, healthy and cheap food carts in the park area: the Cambodian cart that stations in front of NYU’s Bobst Library in the southeastern corner of the square and the Southern Indian cart (NY Dosas) on West 4th St by Washington Square.
4 Union Sqr S (btw University Pl and Broadway) ** The prepared foods section is on the first floor.
VEGAN/VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY
123 First Ave (near E 7th St); 212-477-7177 * ($7.50-13)
Vegetarian, vegan friendly restaurant. Tasty. Smallish and often crowded.
300 E 12th St (btw First and Second Ave); 212-228-2909 ** ($8-15)
Vegan restaurant. Very tasty. Medium sized and usually busy. An East Village staple.
227 Sullivan St # 1 (near 3rd St); 212-337-0863 * ($5-15)
Vegan restaurant. Tasty. Small.
Lan Café
342 E 6th St (btw First and Second Ave); 212-228-8325 * ($5-10)
Vegetarian Vietnamese. Medium small.
28 E 13th Street (btw University Pl and Fifth Ave); 212-627-7150 ** ($8-25)
A longtime outpost for Japanese-accented vegan and macrobiotic food.
430 E 9th St (near Ave A); 212-228-7732 ** ($12-19)
Inventive vegetarian-friendly dishes.
MIDDLE EASTERN FARE
119 MacDougal St (near W 3rd St); 212-674-8685 * (under $10)
Best falafels around, very convenient for a quick grab and very cheap.
117 MacDougall St (near Minetta Ln); 212-254-3480 * ($5-13)
Middle Eastern food, plus burgers. Great setting, with Chaplin movies playing and chalkboard tables (chalk included). Comedy club downstairs.
ETHIOPIAN
Meskerem Ethiopian Restaurant
124 MacDougall St (near W. 3rd St); 212-777-8111 ** ($11-16) Good Ethiopian food and generous portions. Has a number of NYC locations.
LATIN AMERICAN FARE
170 Bleecker Street (near Sullivan St); 212-253-8226 * ($5-10)
Good inexpensive Mexican food.
137 Fourth Ave (near E 13th St); 212-677-7300 * (under $10)
Quick, good tacos, counter service.
354 Bowery (near E 4th St); 212-937-4245 ** ($10-25)
Very good upscale take on Mexican food. Relocated from original spot in Dumbo, Brooklyn.
222 Thompson St (btw Bleecker St and W 3rd St); 212-420-7878 ** ($15-20)
Excellent traditional Cuban food. Sides and starters around 5, and sandwiches and meat from 10 to 13.
93 ½ E 7th St (btw First Ave and Ave A); 212-228-5062 * ($5-14)
Venezualan fare, specializing in arepas. Delicious.
PIZZA
John’s Pizzeria of Bleecker Street
278 Bleecker St (near Jones St); 212-243-1680 ** ($12-20)
Countless times voted best pizza in the city. Small room, lively atmosphere, excellent brick-oven pizza.
349 E 12th St (btw Second and First Ave); 212-777-2644 ** ($9-16)
A relatively new contender for best pizza in the city. Figure on at least a short wait, but well worth it.
67 University Pl (btw E. 10th St and E 11th St); 212-533-3500 ** ($10-16)
Very good pizza, an institution with multiple locations and a long history in the city.
1 Fifth Avenue (at E 8th St); 212-995-9559 ** ($10-20)
Mario Batali’s pizza place, also with good pasta and an extensive wine list.
INDIAN
90 West 3rd St (btw Thompson St and Sullivan St); 212-529-5353 ** ($10-18)
Really good northern Indian food. All entrees around $15.
SOUTHEAST ASIAN
21 E 12th St (btw Fifth Ave and University Pl); 212-255-3271 * ($7-10)
Excellent Cambodian num pang sandwiches (similar to Vietnamese banh mi) served at counter. A few stand-up counters for eating.
Galanga
149 West 4th Street #2 (near Sixth Ave); 212-228-4267 ** ($8-20)
Good Thai food.
17 Waverly Pl (btw Broadway and Greene St); 212-473-8888 ** ($10-25)
Right around the corner from 721 Broadway. Standard Vietnamese-inspired fare.
EAST ASIAN
100 University Pl at E 12th St; 212-243-7752 *** ($19-32)
A New York classic for sushi and sashimi.
65 Fourth Ave (btw 9th and 10th St), 212 388-0088 ** ($12-20)
First New York outpost of Japanese ramen noodle restaurant.
Thé Adoré
17 E 13th Street (btw University Pl and Fifth Ave); 212-243-8742 * ($6-12)
A Franco-Japanese-inspired tea house with nearly forty teas on offer. A wood-heavy decor with a great room upstairs for a quiet chat over tea. Good fresh sandwiches too.
380 Lafayette St (near Great Jones St); 212-533-7000 *** ($15-35)
A flashy take on Chinese dim sum.
171 First Ave (near E 11th St); 212-777-7773 ** ($9-16)
Where star chef David Chang made his name with Japanese noodles and pork buns.
207 Second Ave (at E 13th St); 212-254-3500 ** ($9-16)
David Chang’s second restaurant, with its name playing on the Korean word for wrapped food, relishes new combinations of Asian flavors and all manners of meat.
AMERICAN
24 E 12th St (btw Fifth Ave and University Pl); 212-488-5900 ** (8-15)
All kinds of burgers, beers, and shakes at this establishment.
31 Great Jones St (btw Lafayette and Bowery) *** ($18-26)
Seasonal American and Mediterranean cuisine.
54 Great Jones St (btw Lafayette St and Bowery) ** ($9-17)
Creole and cajun-inspired fare at this bar and restaurant.
60 Third Ave (near E 10th St); 212-254-0888 ** ($22-27) Excellent, inventive American cusine.\
325 Bowery (btw E 2nd St and E 3rd St); 646-602-7015 ** ($14-26)
Trendy restaurant started by downtown Freemans. The restaurant, serving American Southern-accented fare, is on the second floor, while the first floor counter serves Stumptown coffee and food, including tasty scones, to go.
299 Bowery (near Houston St.); 212-933-5300 *** ($15-25)
Daniel Boulud’s downtown place.
55 Third Ave (btw 10th and 11th St); 212-420-9800 ** ($14-21)
Billed as an “American brasserie,” this place serves quite good food in a lively atmosphere and opens out onto the street.
93 E 7th St (near First Ave); 212-387-8487 ** ($8-15)
Lobster rolls, counter service.
24 E 17th St (near Broadway); 646-336-5523 * ($6-10)
Union Square location of the make-your-own-salad mini-chain.
60 E 8th St (btw Broadway and University Pl); 212-780-0577 ** ($6-12)
Tom Colicchio’s sandwich shop. Good sandwiches and soups.
OF EUROPE
283 W 12th St (at West 4th St, btw 7th and 8th Ave); 212-243-7073 *** ($19-28)
For a fancy meal. Traditional Scandinavian food. Highly praised.
335 Bowery (at E 3rd St); 212-505-9100 *** ($21-39) Italian restaurant in the fashionable Bowery Hotel.
14 First Ave (at E 1st St); 212-260-6481 *** ($18-30)
Longtime French bistro.
15 East 12th St (btw University Pl and Fifth Ave); 212-229-9313 ** ($16-25)
Cafe, bakery, and more expensive restaurant, serving French bistro fare all day.
DESSERT/ICECREAM
95 E. 10th St (near Third Ave); 212-979-9398 * ($3-8)
Excellent ice cream and sorbet shop, with a specialty in East-Asian-inflected flavors such as “red bean” and “wasabi.”
401 Bleecker St at 11th St; 212-462-2572 * (under $10)
Granted, it is not really a “dining” option. Over in the West Village, Magnolia Bakery’s famous cupcakes can be a great treat, full of sugar to handle long panels.
251 E 13th St (near Second Ave); 212-254-3500 * ($2-12)
Good place for desserts, ice cream, and coffee. No seating, counters only. Right next to David Chang’s Momofuku Ssäm Bar.
60 University Pl (at E 10th St); 212-253-5599 ** ($6-12)
Pricy and addictive gelato from this Italian chain, now touching down in New York.
48 1/2 E 7th St (at Second Ave) * ($5-10)
Artisanal ice cream, homemade pastries, and coffee. Also runs an ice cream truck that often comes to Univ Pl near E 12th St.
