Food — Pizza, Bagels, Delis & Food Halls

The New York Pizza is a religious topic. The thin, wide slice with the characteristically crispy yet pliable crust, a simple tomato sauce, and mozzarella — folded and eaten on the go — is the city's national food. The secret? Allegedly the New York tap water, which is particularly soft and gives the dough its unique texture. (New York pizza bakers who move to Florida supposedly have the water delivered.)

The eternal debate — which pizzeria is the best? — will never end. The classics:

• Joe's Pizza (7 Carmine Street, Greenwich Village): The gold standard. Since 1975. No frills, no craft toppings — just perfect New York pizza. $3.75 per slice. The line is long but moves quickly.
• Di Fara Pizza (1424 Avenue J, Brooklyn): 80-year-old Dom DeMarco has been topping every pizza himself since 1965 with imported buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil, which he cuts with kitchen scissors. Hours-long wait times, but many consider it the best pizza in the world. $5 per slice.
• Prince Street Pizza (27 Prince Street, SoHo): Famous for the "Spicy Spring" — a thick, Sicilian pizza with pepperoni cups that curl into crispy fat bowls. Not classic, but heavenly. The line often stretches around the block.
• Scarr's Pizza (22 Orchard Street, Lower East Side): The new generation. Scarr Pimentel mills his own flour and bakes in a coal-fired oven. Result: perhaps the city's most perfect crust. $4 per slice.

The New York Bagel is something entirely different from what is sold under that name in Europe. Crispy on the outside with a light crust, dense, chewy, and simultaneously fluffy on the inside — boiled in water (sometimes with malt) and then baked. Here too, New Yorkers swear by the tap water as the secret ingredient.

The classic order: "Everything Bagel with Lox and Cream Cheese" — a bagel with the "everything" seasoning (sesame, poppy seeds, garlic, onion, coarse salt), spread with cream cheese and topped with smoked salmon, capers, and red onions. The perfect New York breakfast.

• Russ & Daughters (179 E Houston Street, Lower East Side): Since 1914. Not just bagels, but a Jewish-American cultural experience. The smoked fish (salmon, sable, whitefish) is hand-sliced before your eyes. The café next door (Russ & Daughters Café, 127 Orchard Street) serves the same products with table service.
• Ess-a-Bagel (831 3rd Avenue, Midtown): Huge, soft bagels with an absurd selection of toppings. The line often stretches out onto the street. Best to order while you wait.
• Absolute Bagels (2788 Broadway, Upper West Side): The insider tip among locals. Hand-rolled, oven-fresh, perfect. No tourist crowds, but loyal regulars who have been shopping here for decades.

Besides pizza and bagels, New York has a thriving food hall culture and legendary delis that have been a staple of city culture for generations.

• Katz's Delicatessen (205 E Houston Street, Lower East Side): Since 1888. Famous for the pastrami sandwich — hand-cut, smoked, and steamed beef between rye bread, stacked so high you can barely open your mouth. $28 for a sandwich (share it, the portion is absurdly large). The famous orgasm scene from "Harry & Sally" was filmed here — the table is marked.
• Zabar's (2245 Broadway, Upper West Side): Since 1934. A Jewish delicatessen paradise — cheese, smoked fish, olives, bread, coffee. The kitchenware department upstairs has a cult following.
• Urbanspace Vanderbilt (230 Park Avenue, near Grand Central): A food hall with 20+ stalls right next to Grand Central Terminal. Perfect for a quick, good meal in Midtown.
• DeKalb Market Hall (445 Albee Square West, Brooklyn): Brooklyn's answer to Chelsea Market — 40 stalls in Downtown Brooklyn, with a legendary branch of Katz's Deli (shorter line than at the original!).