Delicious Food Tour in New York City

If you have a day in Manhattan and you love eating, let me take you on a delicious food tour in New York City! We’re focusing on the Chelsea, West Village, & East Village area for today.

Be prepared, this tour is full of walking, so you can exercise and eat more! Also, I recommend to go with at least two people so you can try a larger variety of foods. Depending on the day, you might need to grab a reservation in the following places listed below: Nami Nori, Mokyo, and Fish Cheeks.

Let’s start with breakfast (optional)

bagels, of course

When in New York, you must have a bagel for breakfast. I recommend to grab a bagel near your hotel and then we will travel to Chelsea! However, if you’re not a big breakfast food person like me, you can skip to the next food spot (also saves more room).

Here are some places that are all over Manhattan that are delicious:

Black Seed bagels because the bread is soft & chewy. Also the proportion of bread and filling ratio is perfect in my book.
Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Company with really delicious spreads and bagel option.

chelsea market food hall

I love chelsea market because it has soooo many food options! Its definitely touristy but I think it’s really fun to see all the different food stalls and little boutique stores. There’s a book store, which is our favorite and a cute flea market tucked in the corner that sells local NYC goods. Don’t forget to go to the bottom of the food market—there’s a cute & small Italian grocery called Buonitalia!

My favorite foods (seriously so good!!) to get at Chelsea Market:

Very Fresh Noodles – Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup is so flavorful and the hand-pulled noodles are chewy and tender!

The Lobster Place – I loved the lobster roll here. The lobster was cooked perfectly and so fresh with a nice buttery bun. It is on the small side (kinda pricey) but really delicious and you won’t regret it!

places to go for a stroll

Here are some places you can walk to from the chelsea market. You definitely want to walk around and digest all the yummy food you ate.

Little Island – This is a cute man-made park that was made on the water/pier. Its small but has a lot of beautiful trees and flowers. Keep in mind that you might need reservations if you go after 12 PM.
High Line– This is a long ‘park’ that connects through many buildings in the Chelsea area. During the walk, you can see gardens, art, food (coffee, ice cream), and views of New York City. Highly recommend this for the views and a place to chill/sit! We were confused how to get up there, but just take an elevator or stairs from the many different park entrances listed here.

head over to west village

If you like to walk, I would recommend to walk from Chelsea to West Village (takes 20 minutes). You can always take the subway or taxi as well! I love exploring west village because there’s a lot of beautiful designer stores (best shopping!) and cute architecture. There’s also so many cute coffee shops (right next to Nami Nori) if you would like to take a caffeine break!

I recommend to go to Nami Nori for delicious sushi ‘tacos!’ They have innovative flavors like xo scallop and lobster tempura (our favorite). You can order the temaki (hand rolls) separately or get the signature set to share! Its also a small snack if you aren’t too hungry and want to have a delicious sample. Keep in mind that it can get busy here so I recommend to book a reservation in advance or come around 3-5PM when its less busy.

ending the day in east village

I told you there’s a lot of walking! But feel free to subway over to east village to get some delicious foods. Here’s some options that I would recommend checking out:

Korean Corn Dogs @ Oh K-Dog – I love getting the potato cheese dog. The potatoes provide extra crispy and the cheese pull on this is immaculate. For the topping, get sugar, ketchup, and honey mustard! I don’t like corn dogs but korean corn dogs are my jam.

drinks @ Jell & Chill – I would recommend getting one drink and splitting it among two people! The drink is really refreshing (& filling) and its made of plant based jelly with delicious fruit toppings!

dinner places (if you’re still hungry)

Here are a couple of delicious options in the area. Note: Fish cheeks is not in East village and you may need to walk towards Noho!

Mokyo has yummy korean fusion tapas. Very delicious but very small portions. The cuisine is quite unique and the place has good ambiance. Keep in mind that you need a reservation and the food is on the pricier side.
Fish cheeks is one of my favorite restaurants in NYC. I love a complex flavor profile and they nail the dishes with fresh herbs and lots of spice! The seafood is fresh and they have $1 oysters during happy hour! It’s served with this thai spicy sauce and fried shallots. I recommend the Prawn Karee and crab fried rice!