Best Places To Eat In NYC 2018

5 dishes you should go out of your way to try

Sometimes it's not just enough to add a restaurant to your bucket list—you want to know exactly what to order when you get there. These are the dishes we've tried recently and loved, and think you will, too.  

Vanilla Soft-Serve at Big Gay Ice Cream

My drunk food of choice after a night in the West Village? It's not a greasy, red pepper flake-dusted slice from Joe's on Carmine or Bleecker Street Pizza, but a towering cone of soft-serve ice cream. Yes, it's a little unorthodox, and, no, it does absolutely nothing to soak up any alcohol, but it's hard to turn down exemplary vanilla ice cream. Andrew Bui, Editor 

Carrot Cake at Martha's Country Bakery

The carrot cake from Martha's ranks just below the best I've ever had—and placing second in this category is a big deal in my book. The walnut-to-raisin ratio is perfect, as is the cream cheese frosting on top of the behemoth of a slice. The four-layer wonder is fluffy but served cold, which allows it to survive the car ride home. Aryelle Siclait, Social Media Intern

Yuca Cake at De Maria

We're apparently in a dessert state of mind over here, so I hope you're in the mood for something sweet. I'll give anyone a nickel who finds something to be mad about in chef Adriana Urbina's yuca cake, complete with frozen sunflower seed whipped cream, passion fruit and dulce de leche. Abby Reisner, Content Director

Fried Chicken at The Beatrice Inn

It should come as no surprise that a piece of meat prepared by Angie Mar is one of the best things to eat right now. But when The Beatrice Inn announced its new late-night bar bites would include buttermilk fried chicken with spicy honey (and half-off splits of Champagne), I knew I had to try it. I'd wait up until 10 p.m. any night of the week just to get more of this crunchy, sweet and spicy chicken. Erica Bonelli, Social Media Editor 

Mango Tart with Mango Ice Cream at Purple Yam

It's Filipino Restaurant Week in NYC, and I'd have been remiss not to participate. Though Purple Yam served up three courses delicious enough to make me want to book a flight to Manila, it was the dessert that did it for me. It had all the greatness of summer in one bite, without the heat exhaustion and sweat that comes with it. Shana Bethea, Editorial Intern