Typical American Food in New York

Typical American food in New York can be found in a lot of restaurants. When you think about American cuisine, you can imagine a variety of dishes, such as burgers, mac & cheese and many more. There is always something new to try because of the country’s rapidly evolving food culture. In this top five, I tried to create a selection of the best American restaurants in New York that embody the American food culture in their own special way.

Try Typical American Food in New York

What is ‘typical American food’? Of course, I’ll start with my good old favourites: burgers and pizza. Another very ‘American’ thing to do is eat ‘Southern soul food’, such as barbecue dishes and pulled pork. But pancakes should not be missed either. Here are my favourite American restaurants in New York that are definitely worth trying.

1. Virgil’s

   Looking for the best American restaurant in Midtown? Go for dinner at Virgil’s Real BBQ Southern-style barbecue restaurant. Order ‘Trainwreck Fries’ as a starter for the table. I know it doesn’t sound too appetising, but trust me. It’s actually a pile of fries, bacon, cheese and other good stuff. I then recommend choosing the pulled pork, truly delicious.

   Other typical specialities on the menu include mac and cheese and crispy hush puppies, for example. They even make their own sauces, and you’ll always have about four of them on your table. The interior is spacious and tidy, it’s a great place to visit with (small) children.

   🇺🇸 I go here for: BBQ dishes, trainwreck fries
   📍 Location: 152 West 44th Street (Times Square) and 2452 Broadway (Upper West Side)

   

   

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   Eric’s Tip: “If you’re in the mood for mac and cheese, go to STK. It’s a steakhouse indeed, but their mac & cheese is very good.”

2. Cowgirl

   This restaurant feels like you just walked into a Spaghetti Western, only they don’t serve spaghetti. The atmospheric Cowgirl is located on a quaint street in the charming West Village neighbourhood. All dishes are served with a ‘Western twist’. Roasted jalapeños stuffed with grilled shrimp and wrapped in bacon, and a Texas chilli, to name a few.

   Make sure you save some space for ‘New York’s best dessert’: baked potato ice cream. It’s like a baked potato, only the taste is quite different. Let them surprise you! You can visit this place for lunch and dinner. It’s all very low-key; you can easily get away with wearing a baseball cap, not a problem at all.

   🇺🇸 I go here for: wild-west spirit
   📍 Location: 519 Hudson Street

3. Fraunces Tavern

   Step into New York history at Fraunces Tavern, which opened here in Downtown Manhattan in 1762! This bar and restaurant is the oldest establishment in the city and an official New York City Landmark. It is where George Washington and Alexander Hamilton frequently visited. Now you can enjoy American cuisine here, including steaks, lobster Mac & Cheese and burgers.

   Make a reservation before you go. Fraunces Tavern is also, as the name indicates, a tavern (bar). So feel free to have a drink at the bar. When you are here, you feel as if you are back in 1762, at the beginning of the New York we know today.

   🇺🇸 I go here for: filet mignon on a stone
   📍 Location: 54 Pearl Street

   

4. Freemans Restaurant

   Freemans Restaurant is a typical New York restaurant. It’s located at the end of an alley in the Lower East Side, making it mysterious and not so easy to find on your own. There’s plenty of atmosphere, and it feels like a small-scale tavern. On the menu, you can find options like steak, mashed potatoes and a burger. I had the latter and thought it was really tasty.

   🇺🇸 I go here for: American brunch, a good burger
   📍 Location: End of Freeman Alley, off Rivington Street

   

5. IHOP

   IHOP makes it into this top 5 as a wildcard. Why? This is a ‘love it or hate it’ kind of chain. It’s not what most would describe as ‘atmospheric’, but it is a prime example of how hundreds of millions of Americans spend their mornings. In this predominantly American breakfast restaurant, there is a wide variety of different pancakes and syrups.

   They also serve a fine brunch (after which they’ll have to roll you out of the restaurant) and a ‘lumberjack breakfast’ – the Canadian version of our English breakfast. Oh, they do love strange combinations. I remember eating a steak-filled omelette for breakfast as if it were a kind of taco.

   Prices are really low. Again: don’t expect any atmosphere whatsoever, but do expect an all-American experience though – including ‘unlimited coffee’ and ‘unlimited pancakes’ once in a while. Be prepared!

   🇺🇸 I go here for: pancakes
   📍 Location: 235 East 14th Street, Manhattan (open 24/7) + several other locations across NYC