The East Village is an area that spans east of Bowery from Houston Street to 14th Street, and it represents a multi-cultural and dynamic neighborhood in New York City.  It has been home to numerous immigrant populations creating a diverse area that includes Ukrainian, Polish, Irish, Jewish, Japanese, and Indian cultures.  Additionally, the East Village has been home to artists, writers, and musicians. Currently it has a significant student population due to its proximity to NYU, the New School, and Cooper Union.

To experience the East Village’s cultures and history, you can taste your way through the many different cuisines to be found in this multi-cultural epicenter.  New York Food Tours leads walking culinary tours through this neighborhood, highlighting important architectural sites including St. Mark’s-in-the-Bowery Church (the second oldest church in Manhattan), Cooper Union (a free college established by inventor and philanthropist Peter Cooper), and McSorely’s Ale House (the oldest bar in Manhattan). It also takes you through the vibrant St. Mark’s Place, with its culturally diverse shops, coffee shops, bars, and restaurants.

Known as the East Village Food Tour, this educational and delicious tour includes tastings of many of the neighborhoods delectable treasures: Belgian fries, falafel, Italian pastries, and Japanese takoyaki, and Taiwanese bubble teas. Afterwards you will feel like you went through several different countries in a matter of a few hours!

Photo By: J Blough

The Chinatown, located in downtown Manhattan, has one of the largest populations of Chinese people outside of Asia. With its history rested upon multiple rounds of Chinese immigrants, Chinatown has a strong link to its culture that can be experienced by the delicious authentic cuisines found in restaurants, specialty shops, and food markets. This area has grown and diversified to include other Asian populations such as Vietnamese and Malaysians, as they also have a number of establishments in Chinatown.

One of the best ways to explore the diverse culinary treasures in this area is to go on a food tour! At New York Food Tours, they have a Tastes of Chinatown tour led by an expert who knows all of the premier, authentic eateries. This tour explores Taiwanese, Shanghainese, Pekingese, and Cantonese cuisines.

You will be able to try Cantonese BBQ and jerky, Peking dumplings, Shanghai scallion pancakes, Taiwanese teas, and dim sum. They also feature an Exotic Southeast Asian Tour that explores Malaysian and Vietnamese cuisines.  This eclectic tour includes tastes of Chinese pastries, dumplings, and jerky; Malaysian satay and curry; and Vietnamese sandwiches.

With all the unique and different foods you can taste in Chinatown, it will be a mistake to miss out on visiting and experiencing what this area has to offer.

Photos by J Blough and Derrick Chen

If you walk in the East Village, or at least the area around St. Marks St. around 3rd Avenue, you will see a trend of  Japanese supermarkets, bakeries, restaurants, and hair salons. This provides anyone a sense of how living in Japan is like without traveling having to there! Many college students from NYU, Parsons, and Cooper Union roam this area looking for cheap eats and in Japantown. Therefore, you can find affordable and delicious dishes to eat. At New York Food Tours, we bring you to the best eating establishments to sample and learn about the development of this neighborhood. Some places to highlight include:

• Otafuku – The most authentic eatery serving takoyaki (Japanese octopus balls), okonomiyaki, and yakisoba. It is a small stand and normally people stand outside eating their food.
• Yakitori Taisho – This is known for its yakitori (grilled meat sticks) and numerous other cheap Japanese dishes.
• West Udon – This restaurant specializes in making udon, and has seats at the bar so you can watch them make your bowl of udon.
• Sunrise Mart – A supermarket that has everything one would need, including Japanese snacks and vegetables, along with Japanese drinks, cosmetics, and sauces. You can find rice balls with a variety of fillings and Japanese cookie sticks like Pocky!

This excludes all the sushi restaurants in the area and there are plenty of those that are cheap. This is a really fun area to explore and experience a piece of Japan while being in New York! Check out more details on our site and be sure to book quickly while the nice weather lasts.

New York is not all about eating pizza or burgers, but it also has a wide variety of foods from many cuisines. At New York Food Tours we can help you understand the food you’re eating, and bring you to the tastiest places for eating these unique treats. Since every culture uses different ingredients in their cuisine, it is important to recognize that these “weird” unique foods have been eaten for many years. This is a city full of exciting cuisines and foods to try so by keeping an open mind, you can experience delicious and tasty dishes from all over the world.

Some dishes you can get in New York are:

• Durian – Known as “king of fruit” and shown in the above image, it has a particular odor that has most people reel in fright. However, it has the consistency of a rich, smooth custard and actually tastes like almonds.
• Sweetbreads –  It is the thymus gland or pancreas of a lamb. It is found in Italian restaurants such as Crispo and Landmarc, and listed as an appetizer. It is rich and fatty, particularly good eating it with bread.
• Thousand-year-old Egg – Widely eaten in Chinese cuisine, these are eggs that have been fermented for a week up to a month. It is often paired off with tofu or rice. On the inside the yolk looks dark green and the white is dark brown with a jelly-like texture. These eggs are considered a common ingredient and used often.
• Frog Porridge – A common delicacy to the Chinese, you can find this dish at restaurants that have several different types of rice porridges in Chinatown. According to many people, frogs tastes similar to chicken.
• Live Squid Sashimi – In Korean cuisine they prepare the squid in front of you and eaten on spot.

If you consider yourself an adventurous eater, you should try participating in our Freaky and Funniest Food Tour. Not only will you sample some of these unique foods, but you get to see other peoples’ reactions and perspectives towards the dishes you will try. It is definitely a fun, tasty, and unique experience!