Thai

A core memory of my first year at NYU is walking three blocks up University Place to Pranakhon on a Thursday night at 10 p.m., where I sat solo at the bar with a mocktail and chowed down on Bamee Moo Dang: egg noodles with crispy pork belly, roasted pork and yu choy. Pranakhon is not only a late-night lifesaver for $20-ish entrees when Downstein isn’t hitting the spot, but is also decorated to look like a Bangkok alleyway, from the Thai movie posters to the servers dressed like delivery motorcyclists. Other Thai standouts include the fan-favorite Soothr, a block away from Third Avenue North — with an impressive list of fun cocktails and punchy dishes like the spicy Panang Duck Lychee Curry — and Nolita’s Thai Diner, with regional classics and fusion items like the Thai Disco Fries and Thai Tea Bakba French Toast.

Ukrainian

When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Dmytro Kovalenko found himself with an influx of customers at his East Village luncheonette, Streecha. He started a volunteer program at the restaurant, where locals looking to support Ukrainian businesses joined Kovalenko in making varenyky, or pierogies. Now under new leadership, Streecha is still a staple for affordable, homestyle Ukrainian cooking — but Ukrainian history in New York dates back over a century, when the first wave of about 500,000 immigrants arrived in the city. Today, the Little Ukraine enclave and its tens of thousands of residents are concentrated around East Sixth Street and East Seventh Street, and iconic restaurants like Veselka play a large role in preserving its spirit. Opened in 1954 on Second Avenue and East Ninth Street and adorned with Ukrainian flags, Veselka often has a line out the door for its Ukrainian borscht and crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside latkes served with sour cream and fresh applesauce.  

Indian

New York’s most iconic destination for South Asian food is Queens’ Jackson Heights, an immensely diverse neighborhood known for its South Asian communities. Still, the NYU area has its fair share of almost everything, including a range of regional Indian cuisines. That long line on the south side of Washington Square Park is for Sri Lanka native Thiru Kumar’s NY Dosas cart, where New Yorkers seek out $3 samosas and $9 South Indian-style dosas served with lentil soup and coconut chutney. Masala Times and Taco Mahal are two go-to lunch spots a couple blocks away from the park, the latter of which serves different curries and vegetables wrapped in roti or naan. Sprinkled further around the area are upscale spots representing different regions of India, all led by Indian immigrant chefs — Ishq, Dhamaka, Bungalow and Semma, the only Michelin-starred Indian restaurant in the city.

Mexican

As a Los Angeles native, I was struck by what I initially saw as a lack of Mexican food when I first came to NYU. But look in the right places and you’ll find restaurants like Carnitas Ramirez in the East Village serves more than 10 different cuts of pork in its $5 street tacos, from juicy ribs to crispy pork belly and tender lengua. Just below Houston Street is TikTok-famous Son Del North, whose “no rice, just beans” burritos range from $8 to $16 and are packed with enough meat for two meals. While not exactly Mexican, Tex-Mex brunch hotspot Yellow Rose on Third Avenue makes its own flour tortillas — the perfect vessel for beef barbacoa and mixtures of potato and egg. In true Village fashion, the NYU area also has some upscale Mexican restaurants, like Quique Crudo, where you can share a few aguachiles and ceviches with friends to keep the price point low.

Chinese

A Chinatown food crawl is a textbook bucket list item for NYU students. But right near campus are some of New York City’s most acclaimed, albeit expensive, Chinese restaurants, best enjoyed on a night out with friends or a family celebration. Take a stroll down St. Marks Place to find CheLi and Szechuan Mountain House — these spots aren’t your typical hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurants, but rather offer upscale Shanghainese and Szechuan cuisine. At CheLi, traditional dim sum is served alongside Shanghainese showstoppers like the Longjing Shrimp in a dish overflowing with dry ice. Szechuan Mountain House’s menu is awash with spicy stews and stir-fries, along with the Swing Pork Belly, its most famous item. Around the corner is Uluh, another modern Chinese hotspot in the East Village, whose sister brunch restaurant-boba shop Little Uluh is located next to Palladium Hall. 

Australian

You might not expect Aussie food to be on this list, but it’s no secret that Australian restaurants have taken over lower Manhattan’s brunch scene. With three locations across NYU’s neighborhoods, Little Ruby’s Cafe is a campus staple. Most entrees are under $20: Australian dishes like the Big Breakfast plate with baked beans, eggs, mushrooms and roasted tomatoes shine alongside California-esque veggie grain bowls and an excellent chicken schnitzel. Two Hands, another popular Australian brunch spot a few blocks east of the Paulson Center, offers quinoa and noodle bowls, avocado toast and a coconut lime pavlova — a meringue dessert popular in Australia and New Zealand. For an upscale night out, share a few small plates with friends at ACRU, the Australian fine dining restaurant just south of Washington Square Park.