- Types of food in New York include inexpensive, mid-level and world-class Italian, Chinese, Thai, Scandinavian, Soul Food, Tex-Mex, Vegan and Vegetarian, Japanese, Moroccan, Seafood, Ukrainian and cuisines from hundreds of other countries. Once you have decided what type of food you would like to eat, decide if you'd like an inexpensive restaurant (with dishes ranging between $6 and $15 a plate), mid-level restaurant (with dishes ranging between $15 and $30 a plate) or an world-class restaurant (with dishes higher than $30 a plate.)
- Types of food in New York are sometimes separated by region. For example, if you're interested in Indian food, you might want to check out Curry Row on 6th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues. If you are looking for some decent Italian, head to Lower Manhattan's Little Italy. Usually restaurants near Midtown and the Upper West Side are the most expensive, but you will be able to find a range of restaurants in every neighborhood you visit.
- In order to determine which restaurants in New York are recommended, explore food review websites like Yelp (listed in the Resources section below) or purchase the Zagat Guide at your local bookstore. Another way to tell if a restaurant is popular is to call ahead. If they are open for reservations the night you'd like to go to the restaurant, you may want to try another place. Most good restaurants in New York are very popular and will either have a wait or a packed reservation list. Plan your reservation ahead of time if you are planning a trip to New York, because the restaurant you are heading into the city for might be booked if you wait until the last minute. If you're exploring restaurants in a particular neighborhood, walk around the neighborhood at dinner time to get an idea of where the popular restaurants are. Empty restaurants with no patrons at dinnertime are usually a bad sign, so stick with a well-populated restaurant.
- One great way to choose a restaurant is to pick a few of your favorite chefs and see if they have a restaurant in New York. For example, Chef Tom Colicchio from Bravo's "Top Chef" owns both Witchcraft and Craftsteak in New York. Gordon Ramsey of "Kitchen Nightmares" and "Hell's Kitchen" is the chef at The London, and Babbo in Little Italy is owned by The Food Network's Mario Batali. Usually celebrity chefs have very popular and expensive restaurants, so call ahead and make sure the menu fits your budget.
- Avoid eating at restaurants where you see flies, vermin or poor sanitary conditions. If you are eating in a restaurant and you notice something is wrong, it is not impolite to leave, even if you have already ordered. Call 311 and report the restaurant to the board of health as soon as possible. Tipping for good service in New York is expected, and servers and bartenders are no exception. A standard tip for a bartender is about $1 per drink, and a standard tip for a restaurant server is between 15 and 20 percent of your check.
