Where I Ate and Drank on a Long Weekend in NYC

I'm going to split my NYC trip into two blog posts, one for the things we DID and one for the things we ATE and DRANK. Seeing as food is the most important thing to me on vacation (I generally ask about dinner while at breakfast) I thought I'd cover what we ate, first! 

Before we dive in, just a reminder that today is the very last day to sign up for Helene's Instagram for Success course. I talk all about it in THIS POST, and how it has helped me build a brand new instagram account from 0-7,400 in just six months! Helene offers payment plans as well, but act today or else you'll miss it for good! 

OK-- FOOD! 

I think everyone thought I was joking when I said I had plans to eat nothing but pizza 🍕 while in NYC. I wasn't. Ok, so I didn't eat pizza and nothing else -- but only because there were times pizza wasn't an option, shocking, I know. Below are the places we ate and drank around NYC, plus an honest visitor review of each place! 

I had some really good recs that I wasn't able to hit and I'm kind of heart broken over that. My friend Nicki recommended Joe's in Greenwich and I wasn't able to get over there. I'm contemplating going back and only going for a pizza tour of NYC. Is that weird? I would really need to work on my Subway navigation because.... holy crap that was difficult. I'm not sure how everyone manages to catch on to how that whole system works. I'm very impressed by you New Yorkers! 

Also, I'm very prepared to stand by my feelings and taste buds on each slice of pizza. If you hate my tastebuds, take that up with them, not me. 

 Stop 1 || Papaya Dog - Midtown East 
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 Stars // 33rd St. and 5th Ave

Classic hotdog. Nothing fancy, just ketchup and mustard. Would have given it 3 stars but they added the ketchup and mustard for me which meant less time without a glove on in 30 degree weather. That earned an additional star.

Stop 2 || Little Italy Pizza - Midtown East 
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 Stars // 33rd St. and 5th Ave
Yes, this is the same address as stop 1.
Yes, we ate a hot dog and pizza back to back. You mad, bro?

I'm a sauce freak when it comes to pizza. The more, the merrier. They loaded the sauce on this traditional slice of NYC Pizza and it tasted like heaven. I'm holding my only 5 star rating for my favorite slice, but this was a VERY CLOSE runner up to favorite slice of pizza ever. It was very, very good.

 Stop 3 || Champagne Bar at The Plaza Hotel  
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐5 Stars // 768 5th Ave 
One of my favorite spots I've ever been to in NYC. It made me feel so chic and special. If you are on a tight budget, this is not the spot for you. I'm normally a cheapskate, but I let it go for this special stop. I had a $24 French 75 and savored every sip. It was beautiful and a must visit for a special cocktail treat!

You get lots of pictures at this place so that I can justify my bar tab.....

Stop 4 (and 7 and 11 and 13) || Drink - Pig and Whistle on 46th
NOTE: Find Greg, the bartender and tell him Sarah from Dallas sent you 
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 Stars // 46th St. between 6th and 7th ave
I met Greg when he came to Dallas to visit my friend Larissa back in May. He's a super cool Irishman who makes a mean dirty martini and will charm your socks off. We spent Sunday strolling NYC with him before we headed off to the Cowboys game, but the rest of our trip we spent drinking at Pig and Whistle. Ok, maybe not the entire trip, but a solid 3 nights! LOLS! When you find your home base, you just gotta ride with it right?

So, highly recommend! Go tell Greg hi and tell him to come visit us in Dallas again!

Stop 5 || Pronto Pizza 
⭐⭐ 2 Stars // Next to Pig and Whistle
Highly average. I'd give it a one star but there is no such thing as bad pizza. I was starving and it was next to Pig and Whistle. If you need me to sum this up in one quote, "It did the job. Nothing more."

Stop 6 || 1 Oak
???  No Idea // Chelsea

Anyone remember that scene from Knocked Up when the two ladies try to get in but the bouncer calls them out for being too old and too pregnant? It felt like that. The dude let us stand in line only to tell us 45 minutes later  that you couldn't get in without a reservation. What I thought was a super cute crop top outfit failed, hard. Bouncer one, Sarah Zero. 

Welcome to 30. 

Stop 7 || Cappones Salumeria in Chelsea Market 
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 Stars // Chelsea Market

CB out-ordered me here, but I vowed the entire trip that if Pizza was an option, I needed to order pizza. CB ordered one of their Italian Hero Subs which looked and tasted phenomenal, and I ordered a plain cheese pizza which was pretty good considering that was not their specialty. I would have given 3 stars, but the customer service was excellent.

Guy that worked there: "That'll be $64."
CB: "For a Pizza and a Sandwich????"
Guy: Triple for Cowboys fans *in the most New Yorker accent possible*

Stop 8 || Met Life Stadium
⭐ 1 Star // New Jersey

Come on now, you think I'm going to give that place 5 stars after a Cowboys loss? We did have a great time though. It was my first cold weather football game and only 3rd NFL stadium, ever! It was CRAZY how many Cowboys fans there were at this game! We travel well!

We ate popcorn and hot dogs and drank local IPAs. More about this stadium experience in tomorrow's post. Here we are in the warmest place in the stadium!

Stop 9 || Smith and Wollensky 
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 Stars // 49th St. and 3rd Ave

Greg (from up there at Pig and Whistle) introduced us to his childhood friend from Ireland, Oliver. Oliver is THE BEST EVER and seemed to have as much fun with us as we had with him! Again, a mean dirty martini awaits you at Smith and Wollensky.... ask for Oliver!

Didn't take any pictures. Boo, me.

Stop 10 || The Corner Cafe
⭐⭐ 2 Stars // 24th St and 6th Ave

One of those, I AM SO HUNGRY I CAN'T WALK A MINUTE MORE WITHOUT EATING, stops. Wouldn't send anyone here, pizza wasn't that bad though!

You thought I was kidding about the amount of pizza I ate...

Stop 11 || Aunt Jakes
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 Stars // Little Italy 

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG.
(Can you tell I'd be the worst food critic ever?)

This. Place. Was. Outstanding.... and quite frankly, pretty affordable by NYC standards. I even wrote my very first yelp review I was so impressed with the food, prices and service. A glass of rose and a big dish of pasta (Rigatoni with Broken Meatball Sauce) for less than $20.... IN NYC!!!!!

Recommend x 100000.

Stop 12 || McSorleys Old Ale House
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 Stars // 15 E 7th Street 
NYC's oldest operating saloon. ABE LINCOLN passed through McSorleys.
ABE!!! Like, what?

You get two choices: light beer or dark beer, and they come two at a time. This place is CASH ONLY but very affordable. I think it was just $5.50 for the two beers.

Service great, beer tasty. Simple, easy, fun. Recommend.

Stop 13 || Carnegie Deli
⭐⭐ 2 Stars // 7th Ave and 55th St., Near Central Park

One of the most famous Deli's in the country certainly was a disappointment for me. Maybe it was the fact that I was blindsided with a $24 sandwich, but it really did nothing for me. For what it is worth, CB loved every bite of his. I got the corned beef, CB got the pastrami -- both per the server's recommendation. 

I think since they are closing their doors on Dec. 31st, they maybe stopped caring? I dunno, I just wasn't a fan. 

Stop 14 || John's Pizza
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 Stars // 260 W. 44th St. - Times Square

Our last pizza stop of the trip came just 30 minutes before we had to leave for the airport, and I was SO PUMPED to find that we saved the best for last. This pizza was coated in delicious pizza sauce and covered in cheesy pepperoni goodness. This was the best slice of pizza I had while in NYC -- with Little Italy being a very, very close runner up. John's is a sit down pizzeria, housed in an old church. 

THE CHURCH OF PIZZA. No wonder I loved it! 

*not pictured on my NYC food and drink roundup -- the fireball shots in my coat pocket to keep me warm 😂*

Hope you liked this post and have a couple of places you can visit on your next NYC trip! I'll be back tomorrow with more on what I did for play while in NYC! 

I'm know many of you guys are NYC die hards, I'm curious to hear what you think of my pizza choices! Or any of my choices for that matter, let 'er rip in the comments section!