Mr. Selfish and I love New York City. We have considered living there but I don’t think I would like the winters too much. We therefore included NYC as our final stop before heading to my parents’ in Virginia. Not only do we have some great friends that live in the city, but we love the cheap, plentiful, and delicious food. Here are some of our favorite eats during this last stop.

Russ & Daughters: Infamous Lox Bagels

Although Mr. Selfish never really cared much for lox bagels, I have enjoyed them in the past. When our friends recommended Russ & Daughters (179 E Houston St NY , NY 10002) for lox bagels, we figured we would give it a try.

We were astonished at the amount of choices you had for a single lox bagel, but we ordered an everything bagel with regular cream cheese, the Irish salmon, and red onions. As the man at the counter was handing us the bagel, he told us, “You’ll love it.” And indeed, we did. It was mind-blowingly delicious!

72nd Street Bagel: Cinnamon Raisin Rampage

Although the lox bagel from Russ & Daughters was mighty delicious, Mr. Selfish still wanted a regular bagel while we were in the city. We tried a cinnamon raisin with regular cream cheese at 72nd Street Bagel (130 W 72nd St, NY, NY 10023).

It didn’t disappoint. Mr. Selfish gobbled up that thing so fast that it was gone in a matter of seconds.

Katz’s Deli: The Best Pastrami Sandwich Ever

Right down the street from Russ & Daughters is Katz’s Deli (205 E Houston St, NY, NY 10002). We had tried their pastrami sandwich years before and recalled it being very good.

Our memories did not fail us. It was the best pastrami sandwich ever!

Motorino: Because No Trip to NYC is Complete without Pizza

Mr. Selfish and I decided to try a new pizza place. We went to Motorino in the East Village (349 E. 12th Street, NY, NY 10003). We both ordered the lunch prixe fix, which is a great deal – $12 for a large mixed green salad and one of four pizzas.

Mr. Selfish ordered the Margherita, and I got the Brussels Sprouts, which has brussels sprouts, garlic, pecorino, pancetta, and olive oil. While the Brussels Sprouts had a distinct and good flavor, the Margherita was the definite winner. We probably could’ve ordered just one lunch special though; we had tons of leftovers!

Wafels and Dinges: A Reminder of Belgium

In 2010, Mr. Selfish and I visited Belgium and discovered the lesser known liege waffle, which is made from a brioche-based dough and pearl sugar. It is denser and, in my opinion, tastier than the more common Belgium waffle, which is known as the “Brussels’” waffle in Belgium. We had seen a Bobby Flay Throwdown episode, which featured Wafels and Dinges in NYC. On this trip, we decided to visit their new brick and mortar store in the East Village (15 Ave B, NY, NY 10009).

We ordered a sweet liege waffle with speculoos and a savory one with cheese, arugula, ham, red onions, and a fig paste. Both were delicious although I thought that the sweet one was a little bit too sweet. I would definitely return though; there were many other types of waffles that I would love to try.

Casa Adela: Craving Puerto Rican Food

Living in Orlando for 8 years, Mr. Selfish and I got spoiled by the local Puerto Rican and Dominican Republic food in the area. We craved it constantly during our selfish year travels. Our friends, who graciously invited us to stay with them, live in the East Village, which used to be a predominantly Puerto Rican neighborhood. We therefore satisfied our mofongo craving at Casa Adela (66 Avenue C #45, NY, NY 10009).

We ordered the mofongo, chicken chicharrón, and rotisserie chicken. I have to admit that outside of Puerto Rico, it was the best PR food I’ve ever had. That mofongo was epic, and the rotisserie chicken was the juiciest and most well-seasoned I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting.

Momofuku Noodle Bar: Ramen Finally!

Mr. Selfish and I never got sick of Japanese food for the forty days that we were there. However, we’ve been apprehensive about trying it again now that we’re back in the States. We had such wonderful Japanese food in Japan that we were afraid we were spoiled for it here. We were wrong.

Momofuku Noodle Bar (171 1st Ave, NY, NY 10003) was delicious and has convinced us that we can once again enjoy Japanese food. We ordered the pork buns, which were perfectly cooked, and the ramen, which had a very tasty broth and yummy accompaniments.

Go!Go! Curry!: For Old Time’s Sake

While in Japan, Mr. Selfish was obsessed with Go!Go! Curry!. We decided to stop by one of the NYC branches (12 John Street, NY, NY 10038) in order to buy some of the curry mix to make at home. Unfortunately, they didn’t sell any, but we weren’t deprived.

We ordered the “Home Run,” which is only available in the U.S. stores. It had a sausage, an egg, a shrimp, and chicken or pork cutlet. It was just as tasty as in Japan – except that the restaurant didn’t have unlimited radish condiments available. You had to buy it at an extra cost. It was still worth visiting though.

If you visit NYC, you should try some of these great eateries. I would recommend all of them!