Delish, Easy NYC Food Crawls For Any Time Of Day
/NYC is a dining capital of the world. But your kids hate restaurants, right?
No problem. NYC is a wonderful city for counter service, quick service, and take out meals. And sometimes, there’s even a bunch of awesome pick up options right near each other. What’s better than a little city food crawl?
Below are three delicious, easy and family friendly food crawls for you to consider.
In The Morning
Librae and La Cabra (East Village)
These two new and notable East Village cafes are similar but also different. And one important similarity between them is that they’re both excellent. The East Village is my favorite place on earth and pretty much the epicenter of NYC eats. Starting your morning here is always a good idea.
Pop out of the Astor Place subway stop and head right to Librae Bakery, located at 35 Cooper Square. Librae is a third culture bakery with Middle Eastern roots and Danish technique. It opened just last May. Everything here is excellent - I’m partial to the Lumee Babka Bun (shown below). The space here is bigger than La Cabra, our next stop, and more sunlit. But do note that neither spot has a public bathroom.
Next, walk just a few blocks uptown to La Cabra, located at 152 Second Avenue. The space here is slick, modern and narrow. Nabbing a seat can be tough, but leaving this serene, minimalist vibe behind is also very tough. La Cabra comes by way of Denmark with a few locations there already, as well as one in both Thailand and UAE. It landed stateside in Manhattan in late 2021 and has been popular since (supposedly a second location in SoHo will open in the coming months). La Cabra is long known for its coffee but you (and your kids) will be blown away by their cardamom bun (shown below) and any of the other delicate pastries on offer.
If you STILL haven’t gotten enough caffeine and baked goods, on your way back down to the Astor Place stop, hit Abraco at 81 East 7th. This spot opened in 2007 and has long been considered one of Manhattan’s best daytime cafes (they are known for their olive oil cake). I love the atmosphere here so, so much. It’s a vibe.
And a fourth nearby sweet spot in the area is noted in the Dinner section below!
At Lunchtime
L'Industrie + Fini (Williamsburg)
It’s crazy but true. The two VERY best slice joints in NYC at the moment can be found within a few blocks radius of one another in Williamsburg (and boy am I jealous of the folks living on that block). Per Grub Street, Williamsburg Has the Best Pizza In The World. Their recent article gives you a whole list of places to hit (some old, some new) in Williamsburg, but I wanna focus on the two newest on that list. They’re just incredible.
L’Industrie was opened by a Florence, Italy native in 2021. Located at 252 S 2nd Street, L’Industrie is a small slice joint (full pies also available), but their slices are nothing like your neighborhood spot. The ingredients that L’Industrie uses are top notch and the love and creativity that they put into each pizza is crystal clear. Do not skip their famed burrata slice - biting into the cool, luscious burrata cheese on top of the warm, tangy tomato sauce is mind blowing. I also am obsessed with their spicy salami slice (shown below). L’Industrie also offers sandwiches, soft serve, bomboloni, and weekly specials.
Fini Pizza opened around the corner from L’Industrie last year at 305 Bedford Avenue. Another slice spot, this time from the brilliant minds behind Williamsburg’s Lillia and Misti, Fini is pricey but perfect. Everything is delicious here but I would say that your order should include both the lemon tinged white slice, and the tomato slice with garlic breadcrumbs (shown below) to really experience Fini at its best.
Time For Dinner
Urban Hawker (Midtown West) or The Market Line (LES)
By now the kids are probably tired and too cold or hot. So consider an INDOOR food crawl - aka a food hall. There are so many all over NYC - some much better than others. The two below are the ones I’m most partial to.
Urban Hawker opened last year in Midtown West (a great stop before a Broadway show) as an authentic Singapore street food center. It features 17 vendors from the UNESCO hawker centers of Singapore and it’s really, really exciting supporting and tasting these cuisines - this is not another boring, same old food hall. Cuisines such as Malay, Peranakan, Southwest Asian, Chinese, and Indian shine here. ALSO, Lady Wong has a stall here (as well as a full blown store in the East Village that can EASILY be added to the above morning food crawl). Rooted in Malay tradition and inspired by New York, Lady Wong is delicate and delicious AND it’s owned by local Westchester restaurateurs, Celeste Tan and Mogan Anthony (of Fatt Root, Pubstreet, Locali, Village Social).
A slightly older favorite food hall of mine is The Market Line located on Delancey Street on the Lower East Side. Part of the even bigger Essex Market that overall deserves a visit and walk thru, the Market Line takes up the ground floor and offers some top notch food and drink. My personal pick would be to order smashburgers from Mighties, and wash them down with a craft beer from the incredible The Grand Delancey (don’t worry, kids are allowed here).
Happy Exploring! Happy Eating!
