Home » Special Features » The World’s Best » Best Local Food Specialties New York
New York? Pizza. San Francisco? Dungeness crab. Mexico City? Tacos. Los Angeles? Food trucks. What better way to explore the world’s coolest cities than through the foods they are best known for? Here are Night+Day’s hotlists for the destination dishes (and one beverage) that define our favorite places.
Best Local Food Specialties in....
Best Local Food Specialties: Pizza
New York
Grimaldi’s 19 Old Fulton St., Brooklyn, 718-858-4300 grimaldis.com
The Draw: When you have a hankering for Brooklyn-style pizza—and for many purists there’s just no substitute—hightail it to Grimaldi’s. The Scene: Appropriately enough, Grimaldi’s sits right under the borough’s most famous icon—the Brooklyn Bridge. Courtesy of the coal ovens, the pies here have a thin, smoky crust and are topped with a rich tomato sauce and gooey rounds of mozzarella. A cheery mix of locals and visitors gather around tables covered in red checked tablecloths, while Sinatra croons from the jukebox. NYC doesn’t get more Italian than this. Hot Tip: Make Grimaldi’s a weekday excursion, otherwise the long lines on weekends will have you sayin’ “fuggedaboutit.” Or try its recently opened second location in Manhattan, which, for a short time at least, may be slightly more accessible.
The Draw: In New York City, there’s a perennial debate as to who makes the best pizza in town, but inevitably devolves into something like this: “Lombardi’s or _______?” After all, the place opened in 1905 and is said to be the oldest New York-style pizzeria in the country. The Scene: A friendly, boisterous crowd, going to town on enormous pies pulled hot from the ovens. That’s not arrogance you detect in the staff—that’s pride. Hot Tip: Lombardi’s is busiest during the lunch hour (think tourists wearing fanny-packs), so come for a late dinner when can usually walk right in.
The Draw: This is the least expensive, most accessible of celebrity chef Mario Batali’s restaurants. The pies are reminiscent of the old country, particularly northern Italy, while the toppings are all Batali, including the “lardo” (cured pork with rosemary). The Scene: By day, the place is filled with mothers and children on their way home from Washington Square Park. By night, scenesters and foodies pack the labyrinthine dining area. The wine list is extensive, the pizza menu diverse. Hot Tip: Otto doesn’t take reservations. However, you can request a table in the back of the room overlooking the Washington Mews, a private alleyway of Old European–style houses.
