New York City's Hidden-Gem Restaurants Can Often Be Found Behind These Unique Doors
New York City is unique when it comes to finding places to eat at any given time. You can find yourself at an overly fanciful, white table cloth, Michelin-starred place one night, and the next day you're eating in a speakeasy in the back of a bodega behind an otherwise unassuming white door. It's the kind of city that likes to keep people guessing — it's not so exclusive that you simply can't go to some of these hole-in-the-wall, hidden gem restaurants, but man are you going to have to work for it. And that's the key to getting some of the best food in New York City: being adventurous. Think of the city as a map full of hidden treasures, and when you locate the various X's that mark the spot, you're in for a real treat. Enter, freight entrances.
To the untrained eye, it's a place for the loading and unloading of things. However, for those in the know, they are the entryway to your next great bite. Why freight entrances, you may be asking yourself? From a practical aspect, it's a covered space that can provide meals for workers in the area without being washed out by bad weather. And because it's already an existing space, it's a great way to cut costs. From a New York City aspect, it's another way to create an exclusive dining experience, providing incredible food for those who really want to seek it out, and ultimately, a place that won't get overcrowded by tourists.
If you're willing to go behind the freight door, you'll find some outstanding eats
On West 37th Street in the Garment District neighborhood of Manhattan, you'll find a set of freight doors that go to a loading dock. Unassuming, heavy, and seemingly unimportant to the untrained eye. But take a minute. Take a deep breath which will be filled with the scent of freshly roasted pork and beans, and take a look around for the white and blue sign above the door frame, and you'll quickly realize you absolutely need to be here. El Sabroso has been serving Ecuadorian cuisine to the neighborhood since 1999, and the lunch specials speak for themselves. Plates of slow cooked pernil, pork chops, fried fish, baked ribs, chicken stew, and more are served with white or yellow rice, red beans, and salad. The best part? This massive plate of food won't cost you more than $20.
Walk a few blocks south to West 32nd Street, the heart of Koreatown and one of the best eating and drinking destinations in New York City, and you'll realize that the key to finding the best eats here isn't looking left and right, it's looking up and down. Sandwiched in between a CitiBank and Hana Michi restaurant is a freight elevator. Take it up to the 16th floor, and you'll find Joo Ok, a two Michelin-starred Korean restaurant with a $270 12-course tasting menu. If El Sabroso is your afternoon casual lunch haunt, consider Joo Ok your fine dining, wow-I-can't-believe-I'm-eating-here, dinner destination. The menu combines local, seasonal ingredients with traditional Korean cuisine, making your meal more than worth the freight elevator ride up.