I ate at 6 famous NYC food destinations. Here’s how I rate each spot out of 5 stars

As a New York State local, I was lucky enough to grow up eating at classic New York City restaurants with my Dad. He took me to all his favorites, from a little-known basement Chinese restaurant with dollar bills all over the walls to the iconic Katz Deli. 

I consider myself pretty well-versed in the ways of Manhattan food, however, there are still quite a few trendy spots that I’ve never tried before. So, I recently set off to eat at some of the most well-known eateries in New York City to try their top dishes. 

Along the way, I found a couple of new favorites and a few skippable, overrated spots. This is my unfiltered opinion on six of the most famous NYC food destinations. 

Russ & Daughters ⭐⭐

📍 Map Location 

⭐ My Rating: 2 / 5

I always wanted to give Russ & Daughters a try when I lived in NYC, but I heard too many horror stories about their long lines to ever go for it. Fortunately, the line was minimal when I recently visited. Unfortunately, the bagel didn’t nearly live up to my usual standard.

There was nothing particularly wrong with my bagel from Russ & Daughters, but there was nothing special about it either. If someone said they got it at any regular bodega, I’d believe them. It tasted just like any normal bagel for about 3x the usual price. 

They did have side dishes that looked quite yummy and could be worth a try. However, there are way better, cheaper bagels in NYC than Russ & Daughters, like Absolute Bagels. 

Magnolia Bakery ⭐⭐⭐⭐

📍 Map Location

⭐ My Rating: 4 / 5

Magnolia Bakery has been featured in as many TV shows and movies. It’s made appearances in Sex & The City, The Devil Wears Prada, and my personal favorite, Broad City. As such, tourists always have this place on their to-do list, but is it actually good?

Simply put, yes. Magnolia Bakery is delicious. 

They have locations all over the city, but I visited the Columbus Ave bakery next to Central Park. The line moved fast and there were tons of sweet treats like cupcakes, pies, and cookies. 

However, the star of the show at Magnolia is their beloved banana pudding. It costs about $5 to $9 for a banana pudding depending on the size and it is unbelievable. Velvety, rich, and stuffed with crumbles of Nilla wafers. For such a famous NYC food destination, it’s very reasonably priced and totally worth a visit. 

Gray’s Papaya ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

📍 Map Location 

⭐ My Rating: 5 / 5

I can still feel the excitement I’d get as a child when my Dad told me we could make a stop at Gray’s Papaya after a long day in the city. After trying their hot dogs for the first time in about a decade, I now see that they somehow only got better over time. 

A hot dog with a drink of your choice costs $4.50, making Gray’s Papaya one of the best places to eat in NYC on a budget. 

I highly recommend their papaya drink as it’s the perfect light sweetness to compliment their juicy hot dogs. There are other unique drinks as well, like virgin pina colada and coconut champagne. They also serve very affordable breakfast specials. 

All in all, Gray’s Papaya remains one of my favorite cheap bites in NYC and it’s obvious why they’ve been a staple for over 50 years and counting.

Xi’an Famous Foods ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

📍 Map Location

⭐ My Rating: 4.5 / 5

Xi’an Famous Foods was another popular Manhattan restaurant that I was ashamed to have never tried before. I couldn’t wait to remedy that. 

There are a few locations around the city, but I’d go for the Chinatown one as it has the highest ratings. Xi’an is known for its hand-pulled noodles that you can watch being made in real time. 

I ordered the pork Zha Jiang noodles and the pork and cabbage dumplings. Both items were beyond amazing, particularly the dumplings. The noodles were melt-in-your-mouth soft and the sauces on both dishes were truly addicting. 

Xi’an Famous Foods has officially been added to my must-visit food spots whenever I’m in lower Manhattan. I’m still dreaming about those dumplings. 

Rice To Riches ⭐1/2

📍 Map Location 

⭐ My Rating: 1.5 / 5

I’d never actually heard of Rice to Riches personally, but my friend told me they had become a pretty legendary food spot in Manhattan.

The restaurant sparked interesting conspiracy theories about how they’ve survived 20 years by only serving rice pudding. 

My friend got the French toast flavor, which seemed like a safe bet amongst the other options of Rocky Road and rum raisin. It cost almost $10 for the smallest size, but it was a generous portion. 

The thing was, this stuff tasted like generic, grocery-store rice pudding with a bit of cinnamon and sugar mixed in. I was over it in two bites. Even if you’re a rice pudding lover, there really isn’t anything exceptional about Rice to Riches. 

Chinatown Ice Cream Factory ⭐⭐⭐⭐

📍 Map Location 

⭐ My Rating: 4 / 5

I’m a bit of a picky ice cream eater and it takes a lot to impress me in this department. As one of the most famous ice cream parlors in NYC, I thought that Chinatown Ice Cream Factory could meet my high expectations. In some ways, they totally did. 

I loved the fun variety of flavors with options like lychee, black sesame, and ginger on the menu. My half pistachio and half red bean in a cup was super creamy and flavorful. There is no denying it – this place has excellent ice cream. 

However, my qualm with Chinatown Ice Cream Factory is the cost. Of course, prices are elevated on the island of Manhattan, but over $10 for two scoops of ice cream is a bit much. With that being said, I think it’s worth the splurge if you’re just visiting. 

👉 Read Next: My favorite NYC budget food spots (where you can eat for $10 or less!)

***

After eating at a few of the most famous places in NYC, I can completely understand why some of these spots have been around for generations. However, a couple of them fell flat for me. 

Even if a restaurant has maintained a following for decades, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s still delicious today. You must try them for yourself to decide if these top NYC restaurants truly live up to the hype. 

While most people assume that all food in Manhattan is obscenely expensive, there are actually lots of affordable NYC restaurants. To learn more, check out these places where you can eat for less than $10 in NYC.