Maude Stevens ’26

This is my list for the Top 5 restaurants (loosely used) in NYC. This will be a part of a monthly column- focusing on neighborhoods post this story.

Sam’s Deli and Bodega

A smaller and less pricey supermarket for middle schoolers, the bodega served as my refuge. After living in sleepy Senegal for 6 years, the only thing that calmed me down from the explosive subway ride home was a delectable chocolate swiss roll for $1.50 (often payed in stolen quarters), and petting the local pregnant (or maybe just fat) deli cat, Fufu. A faintly cinnamon smell gathered around the shelves as I searched for this lesser cousin of the HoHo, and the gruff guy at the counter never failed to make me sneeze as he exhaled and an intense tobacco smell assaulted my nose. As bodegas go, this one is certainly worth a visit, even if only for Fufu.

Heavens Hot Bagels

This small bagel shop on the Lower East Side is a big draw for police officers, high schoolers, and random celebrities. A secret of a shop, one can browse over 10 different types of bagels but the true star is the crunchy and inviting egg everything bagel, which is an almost creamy bagel with added egg yolks giving it its distinct yellow color. The honorable mention goes to the soft and chewy cinnamon raisin bagel. Heavens even holds a rising phenomenon in bagel shops: the french toast bagel, stretchy and dusted with powdered sugar. These bagels shine (literally) topped with butter, but locals commonly order custom cream cheese.

Pause Cafe

Bright neon blue, pink, and green signs welcome customers to this Moroccan coffeehouse. It serves a smooth, savory, and sweet toasty iced chai to triumph over the NYC chai scene, a must-have. While certainly noteworthy, that is not the only exceptional treat that Pause has to offer. Serving luscious vegetarian sandwiches crammed with juicy grilled vegetables, a light and vibrant pesto sauce, and tangy tomatoes, Pause Cafe is a Hong Kong reminiscent highlight of the Lower East Side. The line to order packs in the cafe, but the colorful chalkboard menu that stretches from wall to wall keeps the attention off the wait, as well as the tiled chairs with colorful patterns and tables that are a visual joy to sit at.

Syko

“A Korean and Syrian fusion restaurant” is a mouthful, but the mouthful this restaurant delivers is worth it. Their respective dishes of each culture deliver on flavor and meet expectations, but it’s the fusion food that hits a home run. Their “Fat Boy,” a creative take on a burrito, is a scallion pancake wrapped around a hefty serving of Syrian chicken, tofu, or Korean bulgogi, with rice, lettuce, and a secret slightly sweet sauce. I blew my allowance on the Fat Boy but it’s enough for lunch and dinner, and you won’t regret buying such a savory, crunchy, and spicy wrap.

Clinton Street Baking Co

The warm and cozy diner feeling envelops locals and tourists alike in this retro-style diner on Houston and Clinton. Red and brown booths and checkered tables cover the large dining area, with strings of garden lights on the wall. If you can manage to secure a seat at one of those tables or booths, the pancakes will immediately catch your eye. More likely than seeing it on the menu, a waiter will weave by carrying a sizable platter of either their chocolate chip, blueberry, or banana walnut pancakes, and one whiff of the generous serving of warm salty maple butter that comes with it will have you ordering it. The pancakes themselves are everything a pancake should be: crispy and hot, soft in the middle, and deliciously fluffy. Clinton St pancakes will have you wishing your birthday came quicker so perhaps you could get them one more time; the price is best paid annually.