Where to Eat While Walking Manhattan – Thrillist

If you want to experience Manhattan like you never have before, you gotta walk it—all of it. Yes, the 13-mile jaunt from Inwood to Battery Park is a daunting one, but it’s the only way to truly experience the flickering of neighborhoods, each so distinct yet melded in succession. Popularized by shows like Broad City and a few adventurous TikTokers, this concrete hike is something every New Yorker should try at least once in their lifetime.

Having participated in the challenge myself, I feel it’s imperative to pin a few stops on the map to motivate you along the way—especially ones that revolve around food. This is your chance to enjoy crispy latkes at a Jewish deli on the Upper West Side and scalding xiao long bao at a dumpling parlor in Chinatown, all in one day. Trust me when I say, you will need the caloric fuel.

A few things to know before you go. There are many routes you can take, but I suggest starting from top to bottom so that you can end with a victorious wave to Lady Liberty. You have the option to conserve your mileage by continuing down a straight path on the west side (Broadway is your best bet), or, for extra adventure, crossing through Central Park. Though I am by no means an athlete—I’d received “participant” ribbons at middle school track meets—I chose the latter, racking up about 22 miles and zero regrets.

It’s hard to say how much time the journey will take, as that depends on how long you stay at each stop, but expect roughly 12 hours. You’ll become acquainted with all the public restrooms this borough has (ahem, fails) to offer, finding respite in Chipotles and Whole Foods.

Resist eating that whole bagel, as difficult as it might be. Some semblance of portion control is important if you want a bite of everything. With all this activity, you might start to feel delirious at some point. For me, that feeling occurred while picking up some socks at a fluorescently lit Gap in Turtle Bay. It’s all part of the fun.

Here’s our itinerary for hitting the best food and drink spots, both old and new, across the length of Manhattan.

Beginning the trek

9 am: Buunni Coffee

Start your day with a long, meditative journey on the subway. If you’re departing from lower Manhattan, set on getting to the very top, take the 1 train to 215th Street, or cheat a little and take the A to 207th. Once in Inwood, walk over to Buunni Coffee, an independent cafe specializing in microroasted beans and Ethiopian plates. Owners Elias Gurmu and Sarina Prabasi, originally from Ethiopia, opened Buunni Coffee with the intention of bringing slow coffee to NYC. The expansive yet welcoming space is really more of a community center, where you’ll learn all about the artsy goings-on of northern Manhattan. In spring, dig into their special rice pudding, made with oat milk, short grain rice, cardamom, roasted pistachio, saffron, and fresh pomegranate seeds. Wash it down with a single-origin drip.

From Buunni, explore the medieval beauty of the Met Cloisters, then get to know Fort Tryon Park.

1 pm: Absolute Bagels

From Fort George, make your way through the three Heights—Washington, Hamilton, and Morningside—arriving at Columbia University’s campus. Fueled up on early morning energy and the promise of adventure, you, like me, might make it through this two-hour stretch without stopping, entranced by the architectural grandeur of those Beaux-Arts and Art Deco apartment buildings. But you’ll probably become ravenous upon entering Columbia University, and there’s no greater interlude than Absolute Bagels. The simplicity of the establishment—no tables, no website, old-school, slotted menu boards—matches the simplicity of its bagel. The ratio of crunchy exterior to soft interior is so perfect here that it needs nothing more than cream cheese—and I say this as a bacon, egg, and cheese fanatic. There’s almost always a line out the door, but this one’s worth waiting for.

2 pm: Barney Greengrass

Congratulations! You’ve made it to the halfway mark. Stroll through the Upper West Side, stopping for a watered-down coffee at Barney Greengrass, otherwise known as the “Sturgeon King,” on Amsterdam Ave and 86th. The great Anthony Bourdain once wrote, “Sunday breakfast at Barney’s is one of those quintessential New York things to do: a crowded, ugly dining room, unchanged for decades, wobbly tables, brusque waiters, generic coffee; but their eggs scrambled with dark, caramelized onions and their lox, served with fresh toasted bagel or bialy [a Polish roll], is ethereal, and the hometeam crowd of Upper-West-Siders is about as ‘genuine New York’ as you can get.” If you only have room for a snack, say yes to the onion-laced potato latkes that the waiters will pressure you to get for the table, or leave with a cheeky rugelach.

Sticking to the west side

4 pm: Los Tacos No. 1

If you decide to stay on the west side, you might as well take a slight detour through Times Square—this is a very I <3 NY day after all. Stop for a bite at Los Tacos No. 1, a small Manhattan chain boasting one of the best tacos in New York City—and by that I mean the Adobada, an incredibly juicy taco made with red chile–marinated pork that’s charred on a spit, carved, and served with tangy strips of pineapple. If you’re still hungry, it’s worth delving into the other proteins on the pared down menu—Carne Asada, Pollo Asada, and Nopal—but I guarantee it’s the pork you’ll be dreaming about. The only downside: They call them taco stands for a reason, so don’t expect to sit. But is there anything more intimate than sharing a counter with a stranger, unleashing the messiest of bites, and avoiding eye contact?

6 pm: John’s of Bleecker Street

Next, make your way through Chelsea and into the West Village, where you’ll stop at the unofficial “pizza block” of Bleecker Street. It’s bookended by Joe’s Pizza on one side and Bleecker Street Pizza on the other. Your dinner destination is located in the middle at John’s of Bleecker Street, a historic institution that has been churning out coal-fired pies since 1929. Here’s the thing about New York pizza. Even if you’re at the most revered slice shop, sometimes what you get is really spectacular, and sometimes it’s not. And that’s because, with such long lines and quick turnaround times, it might be that you got the last slice that was sitting out for a while, or it wasn’t heated long enough. This will never happen at John’s, though, because slices are forbidden. You are meant to sit down, order an entire pie—make sure you ask for it “well done”—and enjoy it piping hot while staring up at frames of famous people awkwardly posing with the owner. I can’t think of a better way to wind down after a long day of cardio.

Crossing Central Park

4 pm: JG Melon

So you’ve ambitiously decided to traverse Central Park. Sure, you’ll end up amassing a lot more steps, but it’s also like, how could you not hit Central Park? After you gaze at those little snappers in Turtle Pond, pay a visit to Belvedere Castle, or dodge runners at the reservoir, it’s time to enter the Upper East Side, where you’ll stop for Gigi Hadid’s favorite burger at JG Melon. By no means am I agreeing with Gigi (for me, that award goes to 7th Street Burger). But this is a quintessential pub, worth checking out for all the kitschy, watermelon-themed paraphernalia. There’s something decidedly preppy about this place, which is fun to bask in when you’re in the land of trust funds, but with $13 burgers on the menu, it’s far from exclusive. You can’t leave without ordering a side of cottage-fried potatoes.

7 pm: Nom Wah Tea Parlor

After traveling through Midtown East, you might want to stop for a quick cannoli at Veniero’s in the East Village before settling for your second dinner at Nom Wah Tea Parlor, Chinatown’s very first dim sum den. Established in 1920, the bustling restaurant is now helmed by first generation New Yorker Wilson Tang, but it’s still filled with old-world charm. At this point in your journey, you’re tired, you’re hungry, and you can’t wait to check off a variety of dumplings with little pencils on a narrow paper menu. Here’s what to get: the Original “OG” Egg Roll, Shrimp and Snow Pea Leaf Dumplings, and Fried Sesame Balls with Lotus Paste.

The end is near

Nightcap: Overstory

Whether you’re coming from east or west, the final stretch to Battery Park will undoubtedly be the hardest part of your journey, so stop for a celebratory drink at Overstory. It’s located on the 64th floor of FiDi’s 70 Pine Street, the Art Deco tower that also houses SAGA and Crown Shy. This cocktail bar is on the fancier side, and you might look a little rattled at this point, but the 360-degree views of the New York City skyline are worth the judgment. Enjoy a Gyokuru Martini and bask in the distance that you’ve just conquered. Who knows, you might even shed some tears. From here, you’re only about 15 minutes away from the finish line. You did it.

Bonus: the next day

Unless you’re a seasoned marathon runner, you’ll probably wake up later than usual the next day, gloriously sore. And that calls for the most filling breakfast at your local diner, where you’ll feast on corned beef hash, massive pancakes, and bottomless coffee, all while staring at some passerby through a curved glass window. You won’t take your eyes off of the changing scenes, because ever since yesterday, Manhattan has never looked the same.

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