New York City’s restaurant scene is always vibrant, but the fall semester is an especially exciting time for NYU foodies who play catch up on all they’ve missed over the summer. With a constant stream of TikToks and Instagram Reels showcasing the latest and greatest New York City restaurants, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the endless options. To save you and your friends the trouble of figuring out where to eat next, here are eight new restaurants near campus that guarantee a satisfying meal.
The Corner Store
475 W. Broadway
American $$
If you want to wine and dine like a real New Yorker, consider spending an evening at this intimate, kitschy SoHo establishment. Opened this month by Catch Hospitality Group, The Corner Store is an ode to New York City seafood and steakhouses, serving up old-school American dishes and drinks surrounded by velvet booths and David Bowie photographs.
Priced at $39, the Steak Frites served Disco-style — consisting of New York strip steak with au poivre and hand-cut fries with peppercorn aioli — is the most popular entree. While the fries are just, well, fries, the drizzle of peppercorn aioli makes them addicting and will have you wolfing them down as if they’re McDonald’s. The Corner Store also has an extensive martini menu, including a $40 martini service with two perfectly chilled drinks: Oli’s Dirty, which is extra olivey, and Classic Dirty that incorporates house-made tomato water.
SourAji
23 Ave. B
Japanese $$$
Located in the heart of the East Village, SourAji takes pride in being New York City’s first all-you-can-eat omakase. With a title like that and recent TikTok fame, it’s no surprise that its Resy is fully booked until the end of November. But don’t worry — you can always inquire about same-day walk-ins in the case of cancellations.
While there’s an endless sea of omakase restaurants around town, it’s hard to beat SourAji’s value. For $98, you get unlimited sushi and drinks in a 90-minute seating. While the omakase menu varies, it typically consists of akami, otoro with uni, king salmon, saba, unagi, scallops and even Wagyu. Once you try all the courses, I recommend ordering as much Wagyu as possible to get the most bang for your buck. Each piece is blow-torched, beautifully tender and is sprinkled with truffle salt.
Loong Noodles
28 St. Marks Place
Chinese $
A hidden gem, Loong Noodles is the latest addition to the no-frills Asian restaurant scene on St. Marks Place. This cute, neon pink aesthetic shop, which opened just before the start of the school year, serves a variety of Chinese soup and dry noodles, as well as a few dumpling items, like wonton soup and wontons doused in chili oil.
Although you could get any of the 14 different noodle options on the menu, the simplest and — in my opinion — best noodle dish is the “beef rice noodle.” Reminiscent of Taiwanese beef noodle soup, this dish has all the classic components — round rice noodles, beef brisket and baby bok choy — on top of a mala twist. If you ask to make it spicy, a dry mala seasoning made of Sichuan peppercorns and chili will be mixed into the noodles to create a wonderfully tingly and numbing sensation in every slurp.
Sullaluna
41 Carmine St.
Italian $
If you’ve ever wanted to experience reading in a cozy Italian cafe while sipping on a cappuccino, you no longer need to buy a plane ticket. Last July, Italy made its way to the West Village with Sullaluna, a quaint bistro and bookshop that features a fun selection of picture books, pastries and pasta. From couples on casual dates to introverts enjoying their alone time, you can find all sorts of people reading “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” while eating like a very hungry caterpillar.
Garnering the most hype, Sullaluna’s gnocchi dishes are pillowy and come in a variety of sauces, including marinara, truffle, gorgonzola and beet. If you want something lighter, the whipped ricotta with Sungold tomatoes and toast on the side has the right balance of creamy and crunchy textures. Don’t forget to order some coffee and croissants so you can officially ring in authentic Italian cafe vibes.
Ras Plant Based
170 Bleecker St.
Ethiopian $$
With the arrival of Ras Plant Based, you can add a new vegan restaurant near campus to your rotation. Serving plant-based Ethiopian cuisine, Ras offers a unique brunch, lunch and dinner that nurtures both the body and soul. This spot’s eccentric interior design is easy on the eyes with exposed red brick walls, hanging green leaves and Ethiopian-inspired graffiti.
If you’re a fan of hearty food, Ras’ tibs platters make the perfect meals. Tibs — Ethiopian stir-fried protein — comes vegan at this restaurant, ranging from melty button mushrooms, royal trumpet mushrooms, soft tofu and pea crumble, and served with your choice of injera or rice. I go for the injera every time — the thin, fluffy flatbread that effortlessly soaks up any last bits of the tibs or lentil stew you may have on the side.
Butter Smashburgers
106 MacDougal St.
American $
Who doesn’t love a quick and easy burger? The walls at Butter Smashburgers are completely white, allowing you to focus on nothing else other than just burger. Imagine… beef, onions and cheese, grilling away.
The menu is also kind of bare with three options: a house cheeseburger, fried chicken sandwich and veggie burger. Made with super soft buns, American cheese, caramelized onions, pickles and a special house sauce, the house cheeseburger packs a rich bite. It isn’t too greasy either thanks to the crispiness of the thinly smashed beef patty, which can be ordered single or double. Butter is also cooking up an October burger special with bacon, pepper jack cheese and fig jam, so I’d be on the lookout once it drops!
Cha Cha Tang
257 Sixth Ave.
Cantonese $$
Although Cha Cha Tang looks a bit too uppity to be an authentic “cha chaan teng” — a Hong Kong diner — it still plays homage to Cantonese comfort food. Founded by Wilson Tang of Nom Wah Tea Parlor and John McDonald of Mercer Street Hospitality, this new Greenwich Village institution serves both traditional staples and Western reconstructions of Hong Kong cuisine, all in a trendy, white tablecloth atmosphere.
The dish most representative of cha chaan tengs is the Macaroni Soup with pork-chicken-spam wontons and English peas. Although traditional macaroni soup typically contains macaroni, slivers of ham and chicken broth, Cha Cha Tang’s has a lot more umami with the runny juices of the tri-meat wonton filling. If you want a showstopper, get the Cantonese roast duck sandwich on a sesame hero — as a Cantonese woman who grew up eating roast duck almost every week, this sandwich is undeniably good. The fattiness of the duck and hoisin mayo seeps into the bread and is offset by the freshness of the julienned cucumbers, scallion and Thai basil, forming a bite that brings Cantonese and American culture together.
Honorable mention: Realmuto Alta Pasticceria Italiana
117 Seventh Ave. S
Italian $$
Another Italian cafe, but this one specializes in pastries and desserts. With both the owner and master pastry chef originally from Sicily, Realmuto Alta Pasticceria Italiana wants to share the true Sicilian palate with New Yorkers. At the pasticceria, you will find croissants, fruit tarts, meringues, gelatos, zeppoles and pretty much any other sweet Italian delicacies — cheers!
Contact Andrea Lui at [email protected].
