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You have to try these 11 absurdly good foods next time you're in NYC
Will HaskellJun 23, 2015, 01:06 IST
It's hard to figure out where to eat when you're in a new city - especially in New York, which is full of restaurants and food trucks.
But there's one unlikely place where the most unique and bizarre food samplings in any city can be found: Instagram. It's the perfect platform for figuring out where to get everything from a soupy green egg concoction to a ramen burger.
With the help of Gramfeed, MyFab5 and FirstWeFeast, we've collected the most Instagrammed meals in the city - all of which also happen to be delicious.
Whether you're a tourist or a lifelong city dweller, you won't want to miss these 11 famously photogenic dishes.
No visit to the West Village is complete without snapping a shot of this bakery's delicious cupcakes. While there are two locations outside of New York, the vast majority of Magnolia Bakery Instagrams came from the chain's many New York locations.
Jack's Wife Freda dominates the world of New York City brunch Instagrammers. The restaurant has two locations, one on Carmine Street and the other on Lafayette. An Instagram favorite is the Green Shakshuka. To add some ham to your green eggs, be sure to try the restaurant's House Cured Duck Bacon.
3. French Toast Bagel with Birthday Cake Cream Cheese at Tompkins Square Bagels.
This dessert-themed breakfast option is wildly popular. The restaurant topped a list of "Bagel joints bringing creativity to the New York Classic" on NYU News. Owner Steve DeNiro is described as "a local artisan and a small batch purveyor long before either of those terms were cool or hip" on the restaurant's website. The French toast bagel and birthday cake cream cheese combination is certainly cool and hip, invading Instagram feeds on a daily basis.
If you have an Instagram, you've probably seen a friend bragging about getting their hands on a ramen burger. This bizarre hybrid of foods that replaces hamburger buns with ramen noodles is wildly popular to photograph and eat. Time Magazine voted the ramen burger as one of "The 17 Most Influential Burgers of All Time." The best place to get this delicacy is at Smorgasburg, an event where food vendors converge at the East River State Park on Saturdays and the Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 5 on Sundays.
Getting a seat at Sushi Nakazawa's Sushi Bar is almost impossible, given the restaurants enormous popularity. When New Yorkers finally do get to taste of the widely praised sushi, they're sure to Instagram it. Chef Daisuke Nakazawa appeared in the documentary "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" as an apprentice to famed chef Jiro Ono. In the film, he was shown making an egg custard dish called Tamago over 200 times "before he finally gained his teacher's approval," writes Zagat. This dish that elevated Nakazawa to culinary prominence is regularly served at his restaurant.
Ramen restaurants are all over New York City these days, so it's important to chose the best. Late-night Instagrammers are emphatic that the Spicy Ramen from Totto Ramen is a clear winner. The spice comes from a Spicy Sesame Oil, and the dish is only $11.25.
Voted one of America's Best Jewish Delis by the Huffington Post, Katz's Delicatessen has mastered New York's iconic pastrami sandwich. The quintessential deli has been around since 1888, and it's still cash-only. When New York Eater recently held a "Three-Way Battle for Pastrami Supremacy," Katz's handily eviscerated the competition.
Although this milk bar has six locations across Manhattan and Brooklyn, its real home is on Instagram. The Cereal Milk soft serve ice cream is made with milk, cornflakes, brown sugar and salt. It's hugely popular and very photogenic. Summer visitors should snap their photos quickly before their ice cream starts to melt.
With locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn, Cafe Habana serves its delicious corn every night until midnight. The dish is addictive, attracting locals and tourists alive. The corn is topped with mayonnaise, cotija cheese, chili powder and lime.
10. Chicken and Rice from the Halal Guys.
This late night favorite doesn't make for the prettiest Instagram, but it sure is delicious. There's often a long line, but Instagram users seem to think that the Chicken and Rice dish is worth the wait. The secret ingredient is a mysterious white sauce that is drizzled over nearly everything they serve. "Nobody knows what it is, but everybody knows to ask for lots of it!" the restaurant's website says.
11. Grilled Cheese Dumplings from Beauty & Essex.
This higher-end treat makes for aesthetically pleasing Instagram. The Grilled Cheese dumplings are wrapped in smoked bacon and they sit in small beds of tomato soup. In other words, this appetizer is a must for any New Yorker. Please enable Javascript to watch this video