Girls Gotta Eat - Manhattan Edition

Breaky, Brunch & Cafes ($$)

that are worth tones of insta pics

(I mean, why else would you eat THAT much?)

Breakfast, the most important meal of the day, should be served in style. And that is why you should head for a cup of coffee (or a cold brew, if you like) at Ralph's Coffee, located on the second floor at Ralph Lauren's flagship store on Madison Avenue. Kick start your morning before heading to your shopping spree downstairs!

P.S.: Check out their adjacent teeny tiny merchandise store, that's the sort of souvenir your friends will keep. 

 

If you are not a morning person, then brunch is certainly your thing; and if you've been in Manhattan for a while, you know that best insta-meals are Downtown. 

Vegan lovers have By Chloe on the ever trendy Bleecker St, serving juices, baked goodies and cocktails in funky digs. You know I ain't no veggie but everything on their menu is so yummt! My personal fave were the sweet potato fries and the veggie burger.

Jacks Wife Freda, on Lafayette St, serves a meal for champions. Curated with cutesie-healthy drinks like watermelon tea, this bistro is an american fare share mixed with Middle Eastern cuisine, my old time favourite.

Lupe’s LA East Kitchen on 6th with Broome St, certainly takes me back to LA style. Great for those who love proper mexican and a good selection of drinks. 

Egg Shop serves everything with EGGS, of course. Their service is amazingly friendly, and despite being quite a small spot, it is definitely worth the wait. Their classic B.E.C. is the perfect hangover cure.

 

Like a good spaniard, italian or french, coffee is needed after a meal, or anytime, really. So if you want to take some snaps while enjoying one of those little cups (or rather large one), then you should try:

  • Cafe Henrie for all things pink, or Cha Cha Matcha for the same reason, though Matcha is all you'll find here, or all you should try, at least!

  • Spreadhouse has amazingly great coffee, and their "Turn Me On" logan on the toilets is definitely a must.

  • Least, but not last, The Doughnut Project or Clinton St Baking Co., for a great afternoon snack (that is doughnuts or waffles) before dinner. Make sure you've got space on that belly!

Dinner ($$$)

 If you are one of those people who love people watching, the first three restaurants are definitely ticking your box. 

•    Dirty French is FABULOUS. From stylish people at reception to the barman everything is cared to detail. Not only that, the food is also delicious. WATCH OUT: Oysters on the menu. 

•    Budakkan, aka that dinner place on SATC, yes! The Pan-Asian restaurant is defo a must visit. Specially if you love japanese/chinese/thai and all those cuisines.

•    Polo Bar is certainly where you want to be seen, regardless of eating or not.

Lombardi’s Pizza is one of the classic pizza spots in the city. Not for people watching, or for being glam, but because their pizzas are pretty damn good. And you gotta have pizza, right?

After-party treats ($)

Living in NYC makes it quite difficult to actually indulge dinner sometimes. Not because there aren't enough options to dine, but because a liquid meal usually falls more into place. Afterwork rooftop drinks, tinder dates, working til late followed by that party on that hotel, and last thing you know its 1AM and you are no longer hungry but drunk. 

Do not worry! The answer to all your queries is called Artichoke Pizza. There's no way around it!  

Parisienne Foodie

 
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One thing is for sure: if I lived in Paris I would definetely be in trouble. There are so many great options to wine and dine EVERYWHERE! At every single corner, wherever you are and whatever the time, you’ll always find a café, bar, or restaurant open. A place with those cute seats outside, people watching, smoking, enjoying life passing by…

Bloody hell, what’s not to like about it? 

I was very lucky to be in Paris with my boyfriend recently. We decided that the best way to get to know the city was by trying as much french food as possible. After all, isn’t Paris meant to be one of the greatest cities for it?

So, with a bit of help from my Parisien friends, I got to know where we should head to. Question is now, what are you looking for?

Looking for fashion?

Then Café Kitsuné is a must for you. Located in the gardens of the Palais Royal, this stand-up coffe bar is the best way to start your morning. Here, fashion, music and design reunite for you to have an incredible experience. Not the mention how excellent the coffee is!

Looking for trendy?

You are talking about le Kong bar. Does that ring a bell? Well it probably does if you are a Sex and the City fan, cause this is the place where Carrie meets Mr Petrovsky ex-wife. Yes, I am geek like that! But that image clicked the moment I walked into this rooftop bar.

Known by its famous interior design (and the transparent 3D chairs) and its beautiful view of central Paris, this place is the perfect fuel-stop for brunch loverss or for having drinks afterwork.

Looking for sweetness? O-M-G. We might have a problem here! The options are literally endless. Macarons, Éclairs, Chocolates, Cakes, … it was so tough to decide where to go and what to try.

But I guess my choice today will go to Galeries Lafayette. Just head to their Gourmet building (yes, you heard right, building) and you’ll find a bit of all the delicacies from Paris. Here you’ll find Éclair de Génie, where I tried THE best éclairs ever; Sadaharu Aoki and his incredibly beautiful edible creations; or macarons from Pierre Hermé, among others.

However, if you want something more peculiar and not so massified, then I would probably suggest you to go to Saint Germain des Près. You’ll find the cutest Ladurée shop (and less crowded than the one on Champs Elysées) or alternatively you can have macarons from Le Maison Richart. The latter is not so known but they have the yummiest macarons I’ve tried so far.

Looking for BOBO? Then stick around Saint Germain des Près. The neighborhood is known for its Bourgeois and Bohème (so called BO-BO) atmosphere and it is just charming to wander around the area.

In here you’ll find the infamous Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots, both known as the rendezvouz of the literary and intellectual élite of the city (like Sartre, or Beauvoir) during the post-war years.

Looking for edgy?

Listen to me, you need to go to Miznon. Located at Le Marais (one of my fav neighborhoods), this local restaurant will make you feel you are rather in Tel Aviv than Paris. Filled with the cacophony of Hebrew voices and Israeli music, Miznon serves fusión dishes of Israeli and french cuisine in a pitta.

Looking for views?

And you don’t mind splashing the cash for once? Then head to Monsier Bleu at Palais de Tokyo. This bankers spot is perfect to impress whoever you are going with. Brilliant food (and desserts) and the most amazing view of the Tour Eiffel while having your meal.

So I guess you are in for a treat?

Happy travels,

TCB

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