You obviously can’t bring your bros, guy-friends or homies to dinner at Penelope or Cafe Gitane when you are planning a night out with the dudes or if you ladies have male visitors one weekend. Here’s a list of where to take your Navy friends, single brother visiting or your best friend from high school who are coming to check out the city. ***Beware of meat.
- Parm (Nolita): Who else doesn’t care about layering their stomach with fried chicken and eggplant parms on a saturday night with a side of the best calamari in the city. There can be a wait but you can just post up at a bar around the corner. It’s affordable and casual too.
- The Smith (East Village and Midtown): The menu here is extremely navigable for an out of towner or boy in the city whose just looking to grub. Think mac ‘n cheese, pork chop, tuna tartar and ravioli.
- Katz’s Deli (Lower East Side): Because where else can you stuff your face with a pastrami sandwich at 4 a.m.?
- The Meatball Shop (Multiple Locations): You get to pick your style of balls and sauce and finish it off with a homemade ice cream cookie sandwich. Guys and girls alike dig these balls.
- Minetta Tavern ( West Village): The best burger in town with a scene and a guarantee for success.
- Carbone (West Village): For expensive, yet fun casual Italian with an amazing atmosphere, music and food, come here.
- Blue Ribbon Sushi Izakaya (Lower East Side): A hidden sushi gem that won’t break the bank or have too long of a wait in the Thompson LES hotel (5th pic).
- Motorino (East Village): Pizza. Pizza.
- The Redhead (East Village): Chill bar type of vibe but with serious Southern food.
- Mary’s Fish Camp (West Village): Oysters, Lobster Rolls and a fun little corner restaurant in the West Village.
- El Toro Blanco (West Village): For some Mexican grub, tacos, queso fundido and Margs.
- Mighty Quinn’s BBQ (East Village): My new favorite BBQ spot. Brontosaurus ribs and sweet potato casserole.
- Red Farm (West Village): Trendier Chinese with soup dumplings, dim sum and pastrami egg rolls.
- Rogue & Canon (SoHo): A bar on Houston Street with outstanding food that blows your mind. Don’t miss the peanut butter burger or scallops (4th pic)
- Tertulia (West Village): Spanish tapas at your service with some good brick wall decor.
- The Breslin (Flatiron): Pig, pig and more pig with a strong lamb burger operation.
- Saxon + Parole (Bowery): Oysters, steak, the best chili caramel brussels sprouts, whiskey and a cocktail cabinet membership for regulars.
- The Boil (Lower East Side): A place to get your hands dirty. Peel and eat crawfish, shrimp, etc.
- The Butterfly (Tribeca): Fried chicken, patty melts and the finest cocktail collection.
- St. Anselm (Williamsburg): Watch the wait but this place serves an awesome $15 steak.