Main Content

Must-Eat New York City Restaurants Based on Your Favorite LA Restaurants

Must-Eat New York City Restaurants Based on Your Favorite LA Restaurants

Must-Eat New York City Restaurants Based on Your Favorite LA Restaurants

One of the many benefits of working at Douglas Elliman is being able to access its vast network of stellar real estate agents. Jessica Chestler, my fellow agent and friend who works at the DE NY headquarters with her business partner Ben Jacobs, always knows the best places to eat in NYC and in Los Angeles.

Here is her detailed list of must-eat restaurants in New York City, including where to go if you are fans of some top restaurants in LA:

Restaurants from Jess

I can go on and on about the best foods in New York and I am lucky to have spent a lot of time in LA so I wanted to share a helpful guide to where to go based on what you may love in LA:

If you are a fan of Il Pastaio or La Scala for a good chopped, you should go to American Bar. They have the closest salad option. I always get the chopped. Hot take—Il Pastaio has usurped La Scala for me—I started adding basil and pepper to the Capricciosa double chopped. Also, Pastaio’s Arnold Palmer is unrivaled. American Bar is in the West Village and has a special feeling and neighborhood feel as well. If you, like me, are more into the Arnold Palmer than you should be, you need to try the iced tea at Mezzaluna on the Upper East Side. Game changer.

Must-Eat New York City Restaurants Based on Your Favorite LA Restaurants

Image Source
If you are a fan of Giorgio Baldi, go to Primola on the Upper East Side or Emilio Ballato in Soho. The food and feel at Primola feels most like Baldi, but you get much less Kardashians. That said, you will certainly brush up with the big names in real estate and beyond. Not to mention one of the best chicken parms in the city. If you like Baldi for the Kardashians AND the food, we love Emilio Ballato in Soho. The food is incredible, and the sightings are constant.

If you are an Elephante fan, you should go to Laserwolf. Laserwolf is the new hotspot in Williamsburg, Brooklyn-also home to both Jess and Ben! The food and pita is phenomenal, the people are pretty, and the views and sunsets are perfect.

Must-Eat New York City Restaurants Based on Your Favorite LA Restaurants

If you like Golden Bull in Santa Monica, you must go to The Ear Inn in Hudson Square. The Ear is my personal favorite dive bar with great food. The crowd is local, and the feeling is historic. You are making a big mistake not getting the pan seared dumplings with Colman’s mustard here. If you are in Brooklyn, go to Bernies for the same moody bar and fun bartenders with great food.

If you like Dan Tanas, you are making a mistake missing Pietros in midtown. The same red tablecloth, big servings, and great parms with a classic staff making great martinis. Pro tip-get Shells à la Nat at Pietros. BONUS: If you are more of a Craigs person, opt for Elios.

If you are a Sushi Fumi -please bring me a toro spoon on your trip over and go to Tomoe when you get here. Tomoe is not the same flare in terms of the special pieces, but the fish is incredible. Or if you’re looking for some delicious hand rolls, check out Kazunori in Manhattan’s Nomad neighborhood. Perhaps you find yourself in Brooklyn instead…. If that’s the case, you can get similar top quality for good prices at Amami in Greenpoint.


Must-Eat New York City Restaurants Based on Your Favorite LA Restaurants

If you love the bar at The Peninsula, you need to go to Bemelmans. Bemelmans is a heightened version of the dark bar feel but with amazing music and probably the best martini in New York. Not to mention its beautiful famed murals were created by Ludwig Bemelmans, creator of the Children’s book Madeline . This place truly hits theUpper East Side vibe with a buzz of downtown.

If you think Carneys in WeHo is the only dive burger that matters, you need to go to JG Melon on the Upper East Side as well. Not a smash burger but the speed, taste, and fries are the best in the city.

If you love setting your mouth on fire at Night Market in LA, you need to get amazing Thai at Fish Cheeks in Noho. The spice is less numbing, and the flavor is perfect. Get the Crab fried rice.


Must-Eat New York City Restaurants Based on Your Favorite LA Restaurants

Image Source
Here are some other places we love with no comparisons but if you ever need to know more-you are welcome to call us for your NY needs:

  • 53 NYC -amazing new midtown spot with great Asian fusion and attached to a great new condo 53W53
  • Barano in Williamsburg for Italian (and amazing for gluten free friends!)
  • St. Anslem for under rated amazing steak in Williamsburg
  • Birds of a Feather for amazing Sichuan style Chinese food in a hip corridor of Williamsburg
  • Lucali for some of the best pizza the city has to offer in the gorgeous Carol Gardens neighborhood. We recommend hiring a task rabbit to wait in line for you to get in! If you’re lucky, you may experience a Jay Z and Beyonce sighting


Must-Eat New York City Restaurants Based on Your Favorite LA Restaurants

Image Source

  • Sistina on the Upper East Side has an amazing ambiance and even better breadsticks.
  • Frenchette for amazing food in Tribeca. You cannot go wrong with any order here.
  • Via Carota for the best salad still in the West Village.
  • Misi for some of the best Italian food in Brooklyn. Located in Williamsburg across the infamous Domino Park expansion that offers incredible river/bridge/city views.
  • Mojo in Chelsea has great quality and priced omakase. Sushi Yasaka on the Upper West Side has the best sushi dinner for the price..and Sushi of Gari is above the rest for nigiri pieces.
  • If you want a fun sleeper in the village, Cowgirls All Chopped Up salad is one of a kind.
  • AND lastly, my favorite tuna tartare in the city can be found at a classic bistro on the Upper East Side, Match 65.

Douglas Elliman has a network of offices Nationwide. Contact me for agent referrals if you’re looking to move to New York City!

Related Posts
Visitors Guide to Costa Rica
After recently visiting the gorgeous country of Costa Rica, I asked my Douglas Elliman Pasadena colleague, Tim Durkovic,...
Visitors Guide: Nicaragua Adventure with Toby Fuhrer
Looking for an exotic, unique, luxury destination for your 2024 travels? My travel-obsessed soul sister, Toby Fuhrer...
Visitor’s Guide to Norway | Roadtripping with Toby Midgen
When my dear friend Toby told me she was planning an incredible trip to Norway, I knew I had to get all of the detai...
Lake Arrowhead Visitors Guide: Q&A with Jo Gartin of Love, Luck, and Angels
Lake Arrowhead is an idyllic lakefront town nestled amongst the San Bernardino Mountains, just a short drive from Lo...
Q&A with Jenna Hoyas: Guide to Visiting San Diego & Coronado
About Jenna Hoyas, San Diego Realtor Since becoming a full-time real estate agent in 2015 and making partner at The...
Q&A with Skye Hoppus: Guide to Visiting Ojai
Background Story Before real estate, I had a career in television and journalism, working at MTV during the 90s. Fo...
Where to Stay & Eat in Mallorca
I have been wanting to visit Mallorca for a number of years (having done Ibiza and Minorca in my teens and 20’s), ...
Top 10 Best Restaurants And Stays in Provence, France
I go to the South of France every year to see my mother who has lived there for 23 years. There is always more to ...
The Best Restaurants and Pubs in London, UK
Every year I visit my hometown of London and every year I’m asked for a list of my favorite restaurants by friends...
Moving/Investing Between Miami and Los Angeles
How Measure ULA May Affect Relocation Measure ULA is the biggest tax hike in the history of Los Angeles. This w...
Must-Eat New York City Restaurants Based on Your Favorite LA Restaurants
One of the many benefits of working at Douglas Elliman is being able to access its vast network of stellar real esta...
What To Do in Nantucket | An Insider’s Guide
Adobe stock | #476265814 After dropping my son off at the Berklee School of Music, I decided to jump on a plane to ...
What To Do When Visiting Provence and South France
Summer means travel! And every year, I like to visit my mother who lives in Provence,France. Thus, as a frequent vis...
Neighborhood Spotlight: Mar Vista
MAR VISTA Mar Vista is a quiet neighborhood on the Westside of Los Angeles, east of Venice, east and south of San...
The Juliette Interviews: Sonya Walger
When summer rolls around, if you are lucky enough to have a beach holiday scheduled, what is the most important thin...
A FlyGeorge curated Aspen experience
There have been so many concerns about flying since the start of the pandemic. Medical experts have mixed opinions o...

Get In Touch

Thinking of buying or selling? Let’s chat!

    Skip to content