Culture & Food
New York Food — The Classics
New York has a culinary identity that has produced its own icons — dishes that can be found here and only here in their authentic form:
New York Pizza
The New York Pizza is thin, crispy, with a slightly oily cheese layer, and is eaten folded in hand — never with cutlery. A slice costs $1–3.50 at a regular pizza shop, $4–6 at the famous places. The best:
- Joe's Pizza (7 Carmine Street, Greenwich Village): The gold standard. Thin, cheesy, perfect. Slice: $3.50.
- Prince Street Pizza (27 Prince Street, SoHo): Famous for the "Pepperoni Square" — thicker, Sicilian-style pizza with crispy fried pepperoni. Always a line.
- Di Fara Pizza (1424 Avenue J, Brooklyn): Many say: the best pizza in the world. Dom DeMarco has been personally cutting the basil since 1965. Worth the pilgrimage.
- Scarr's Pizza (22 Orchard Street, Lower East Side): Hand-milled flour, classic New York style. Hip, yet authentic.
Bagels
The New York Bagel is an art form — crispy on the outside, chewy-soft on the inside, with a hole in the middle. The secret: New York's soft tap water (allegedly). Standard order: "Bagel with cream cheese" or "Everything Bagel with lox" (smoked salmon). The best: Russ & Daughters (179 East Houston Street, since 1914 — Lox Bagel, $16), Ess-a-Bagel (831 Third Avenue), Murray's Bagels (500 Sixth Avenue).
Pastrami Sandwich
The Pastrami on Rye at Katz's Delicatessen (205 East Houston Street, since 1888) is one of the most famous sandwiches in the world: beef cured, smoked, and steamed for days, hand-sliced and piled high on rye bread with spicy mustard. Price: $24.95 — and worth every cent. The famous "fake orgasm" scene from "When Harry Met Sally" was filmed here. The sign "I'll have what she's having" hangs on the wall.
Hot Dogs
The New York Hot Dog from a street stand ($2–3) with sauerkraut and mustard is an iconic experience — even if the quality varies. For the best: Nathan's Famous on Coney Island (since 1916, the original hot dog stand, $5).
International Cuisine & Tipping
The World on a Plate
New York's true culinary strength is the incredible diversity — every cuisine in the world is represented here in its most authentic form outside the country of origin:
- Chinese: Flushing, Queens (dim sum, Peking duck, Xi'an noodles) and Manhattan Chinatown (Mott Street, Canal Street). The best dumplings: Joe's Shanghai (soup dumplings!).
- Indian: Jackson Heights, Queens — 74th Street is Little India. Thali menus from $8, dosa from $6. More authentic than anything in Manhattan.
- Italian: Arthur Avenue, Bronx (the real Little Italy) and the pasta restaurants in Greenwich Village and SoHo.
- Japanese: Ramen (Ichiran, Ippudo), sushi (Sushi Nakazawa, Sugarfish for budget) and the East Village izakayas.
- Mexican: Jackson Heights and Sunset Park (Brooklyn) — tacos for $2, tortas for $5.
- Ethiopian: Little Ethiopia in the East Village (Awash, Bunna Cafe).
- Korean: Koreatown (32nd Street, Midtown) — BBQ restaurants open 24 hours.
Tipping — What You MUST Know!
In the USA, tipping is not a voluntary addition — it is the main component of income for service workers. The minimum wage for tipped workers in New York is $10/hour — tips make up the rest. Not tipping is a serious offense against American social culture.
- Restaurant (table service): 18–20% of the bill (before taxes). For excellent service: 25%. Below 15%: You're saying the service was bad.
- Bar: $1–2 per drink or 15–20% for an open tab.
- Taxi/Uber: 15–20%.
- Hotel Housekeeping: $2–5 per night (left on the pillow).
- Hairdresser/Beauty: 15–20%.
- No tip: Fast food, takeaway, self-service, museums, cinemas.
Achtung
Tipping in New York is NOT optional! German visitors are often puzzled by the 18–20%, but service workers in the USA do not earn a living wage without tips. The bill in a restaurant does NOT include service — tips are always added on top. For groups of 6 or more, 18–20% "gratuity" is often automatically added.
Nightlife & Music
New York is The City That Never Sleeps — and that's no exaggeration. Bars close at 4 AM (many have no official closing time), the subway runs 24/7, and you can still get pizza and a conversation at 3 AM.
Rooftop Bars
New York's Rooftop Bars are a genre of their own — cocktails with skyline views, often on hotels or skyscrapers:
- 230 Fifth: Empire State Building right in front of you. Indoor-outdoor, with a heated terrace in winter (robes included!).
- Westlight (William Vale Hotel, Williamsburg): Brooklyn view of the Manhattan skyline. Hipster chic.
- The Press Lounge (Ink48 Hotel, Hell's Kitchen): 360-degree views over the Hudson and Midtown.
Live Music
- Jazz: New York is the world capital of jazz. Blue Note (Greenwich Village, world-class musicians, from $20), Village Vanguard (since 1935, the most sacred jazz stage in the world, from $30), Smalls Jazz Club (West Village, late-night sessions from $20).
- Rock/Indie: Mercury Lounge (Lower East Side), Bowery Ballroom (Bowery), Brooklyn Steel (Williamsburg).
- Comedy: Comedy Cellar (MacDougal Street, Greenwich Village) — the most famous comedy club in the world. Jerry Seinfeld, Amy Schumer, Dave Chappelle regularly drop by for surprise sets. Reservations highly recommended!
Speakeasy Bars
New York has an obsession with hidden bars in the style of Prohibition (1920–1933). Behind unmarked doors, in phone booths, or behind burger joint refrigerators, you'll find cocktail bars with top-notch drinks:
- Please Don't Tell (PDT): Entrance through a phone booth in Crif Dogs (hot dog joint), East Village.
- Employees Only: West Village — neon palm reader at the door. Best cocktails in the city.
- Attaboy: Successor to the legendary Milk & Honey. No menu — the bartender makes what you wish for.
Tipp
In New York, you show your ID to the bouncer — no matter how old you look. In the USA, the legal drinking age is 21 (not 18!). Some bouncers do not accept German ID cards — bring your passport!
War dieses Kapitel hilfreich?
