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Known to be a bohemian capital in the 19th and 20th centuries, Greenwich Village has become an area that embodies a fully gentrified neighborhood of New York City. Nowadays “The Village” encompasses college kids and upper middle class families, but still has a small performing arts scene that keeps to its artsy roots. The area spans from Broadway to the Hudson River and above Houston and under 14th Street. Along with all its culture and history, the Village also has plenty of worthwhile eats to satiate any hungry person.

Photo Taken By Dennis Tang

Pizza, hot dogs, gelato, hummus are just a few foods that can be found in this area. Many famous pizza parlors such as John’s Pizzeria and Famous Joe’s Pizza where New York style, thin-crust pizza pies and slices are oven baked and topped with fresh mozzarella and tomato sauce. Also, there are many Italian bakeries like Bruno Bakery, which holds many pastry awards, who have established themselves and continue to serve traditional Italian butter cookies and cakes. Cupcakes have also made a mark here with places like Sweet Revenge, where they have wine and beer pairings with these sweet treats.

Photo Taken By Kathylchan

Of course other cultures’ foods have sprouted in this area providing cheap and tasty alternatives for everyone to enjoy. There is Sammy’s Halal that cooks marinated meats chopped on a grill and serves with rice and salad on the side. The Hummus Place features hummus, a spread of mashed chickpeas, with various vegetables and uses pita for dipping into the sauce.

As culturally diverse this area has become, it still rests its roots in American arts and history as seen in its various shops and theaters. The Village will always be a place where any student, young professional, or adult can find something to do and to eat. You can explore this area and all its food and culture while learning about its historical development with the Ultimate New York Food Tour with New York Food Tours.

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!

A crowd stands outside a tiny hole-in-the-wall stand on 9^th Street, between 2^nd and 3^rd Avenue. As you look closer, you see that most of them are eating small balls covered in a dark sauce. Takoyaki, known as Japanese octopus balls, is a street snack that is widely popular in Japan. This dish has made its mark here to Japanese and Americans alike. Otafuku is where you can get one of the most tasty and authentic takoyaki in New York City. On the East Village tour, this destination is one of the highlights where you can experience real Japanese street food!

Served straight off the takoyaki cast iron pan, you can feel the heat emanating from the plate. Take one bite and you find yourself pleasantly surprised, tasting both sweet and savory flavors. The octopus in the middle provides a nice chewiness through the dense batter and katsuobushi (fish shavings) enhances the seafood intensity. The ponzu brings the acidity that cuts the oil and the okonomiyaki sauce adds another layer of sweetness. There is also mayonnaise that brings out fatty flavor to the takoyaki. Immense pleasure overcomes you; your stomach satisfied.

You get to try takoyaki and Otafuku on our East Village Tour! Please check out our website for more details. Be sure to give us your impression on this dish when you participate in our food tour!

Bon Chon, also known as Korean Fried Chicken, is the famous and trendiest wing available in New York City, the center of culinary arts! The New York Food Tours team ventures into Boka, where Bon Chon is served. We cannot wait to taste and experience their popular spicy wings.

Can we say tempting and tantalizing? We quickly munch away at these small crispy pieces of fried chicken. Even though they are not that spicy, they are good enough so you can taste the little kick of heat in your tongue. It is not oily or sticky like Buffalo wings, but it is just as tasty if not more so. We notice that all the other patrons order bon chon with beer just like they would with Buffalo wings. Who can go wrong with that combination? You are guaranteed tasty bar and snack food by ordering both beer and wings.

Boka is one of the restaurants you walk past when you go on our Original East Village Food Tasting and Cultural Tour, so make sure to check it out. You get to experience many other restaurants and different foods in the East Village, so be sure to prepare your stomach for a culinary and historic adventure.

It can be difficult to comprehend the “New York lifestyle” just by standing in Times Square, seeing the Statue of Liberty, and walking down 5^th Avenue. Here at New York Food Tours, we believe that the best way to understand the history and culture of any place is by eating! Known to be a culinary center and melting pot, New York is comprised of numerous cultures that range from American to Vietnamese to Ukrainian. Since there are so many restaurants and food stands to choose from, New York Food Tours is here to show you where to go and what fun, interesting, and tasty things there are to eat around this marvelous city.

There are a number of different tours we provide such as:

• The Ultimate New York Food & Culture Tour
• The Original East Village Food Tasting and Cultural Tour
• Everything Chocolate!
• Exotic Southeast Asian
• The First Multicultural Wine & Beer Tour
• Healthy Asian Food Tasting and Cultural Tour

And many more! Visit and explore our website for more details and listings of the food walking tours we provide: http://foodtoursofny.com. You can also check out our Facebook and Twitter page for updates and current events.

If you want to read more about a particular food or restaurant, feel free to send an email to info@foodtoursofny.com and title your email – Blog Idea.  Also, leave a comment if you have something to say or just want to say hi. We are happy to start conversations and learn more about this food-centric city together.

We hope to hear from our readers and fans in the future. Happy Eating!

Times Square Photo Courtesy of d.dawg