There’s only one thing to do when you don’t know what to do for the weekend… go on a food tour. I spent another weekend in NY for a cousin’s wedding and I found myself with a bunch of spare time on Saturday afternoon. I was originally determined to try a milkshake at Black Tap, but once I got there, I realized – why stop there? I might as well make the most of my short time in Manhattan. I’m going to share with you all the three spots I went to as well as my thoughts and a quick OOTD!
The key to going on an afternoon-long food tour is wearing comfortable clothes. I chose tomgirl jeans from American Eagle and a camisole from Aritzia so there would be no regrets. I also lucked out with the weather; it was in the high 70’s that day, so I didn’t feel gross and miserable walking in between stops.
My first stop was Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer (Meatpacking District location) for a milkshake. I had The Donut Shake, and it was the best milkshake I have ever had in my life. There’s a perfect balance of vanilla, chocolate, and cafe au lait.
The outside line was about forty-five minutes, which isn’t bad at all considering the popularity of Black Tap plus the weekend city traffic. I would definitely recommend splitting the milkshake with another person in your party, because I honestly would not have been able to finish it all by myself, as good as it was. And don’t be afraid to be the person that asks for a container for your donut and malt balls…you’ll thank yourself when you realize that you wish you had a snack while you binge watch Netflix later on in the weekend.
Overall, it’s definitely worth the wait and price tag (if you share it with someone) if desserts are your thing!
My second stop was Ippudo New York. It was only a short walk from Black Tap, and I didn’t mind burning some calories after that milkshake. Ippudo is known best for its Ramen, which I have never had aside from the packaged kind you have no choice but to eat in college sometimes. I had the Wasabi Shoyu Ramen, which is the vegetarian option – all of the other options contained pork soup noodles. Although some of the vegetables in the dish were new to me, I enjoyed it!
This is another pricy dish that can easily be split between two people. You can get an extra bowl of noodles for a couple of dollars, as you’ll have more than enough broth in the one bowl for the additional noodles. Another nice touch was the green (matcha) tea served in the middle of the meal. The atmosphere itself was pretty cool and immersive and made me forget I was in Manhattan for about an hour. Another win!
Of course, none of my food tours would be complete without a coffee stop. I visited Toby’s Estate for the first time a few weeks ago, but I decided to walk to the Flatiron location after Ippudo NY. The Flatiron location is absolutely beautiful, and the drinks are just as good as the Brooklyn location. I was still pretty stuffed by the time I got there, so I settled for just a cold brew.
There is a bookstore connected to the coffee shop with a plant shop within it, so you can easily spend an hour or two here. I wish I could’ve brought home a cactus! I ended up getting the Cereal guide to New York City, which will pave the way for future adventures.
While I could’ve toured around all of Manhattan, I ran out of time on Saturday evening. I’m glad I got to explore the Meatpacking District, East Village, and Flatiron District of Manhattan in an afternoon. One of the reasons why I love NYC so much is because there are so many different neighborhoods within Manhattan that take on personalities and characteristics of their own, and to me, there’s no better way to explore than to check out their best food spots.
Let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions for my future NYC trips!
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