“Where can I find the best bagel in New York?” It was a question I typed into Google several times in the run-up to my summer trip to the Big Apple, swapping out “bagel” for other New York staples, from cookies to slices of pizza.
I also asked around, quizzing friends who had visited and locals I met along the way. In a city as big as New York, it was no surprise to receive an abundance of differing, often conflicting, opinions. So I took the decision out of my hands entirely, booking a food walking tour of Midtown Manhattan that promised some of the city’s most iconic bites, served with a generous side of history from an expert guide.
We were picked up from our hotel by Ben, who asked us a few questions to kick things off – “Is there anything in particular you want to try or see?”; “Are you happy to walk for three hours?”; and, most importantly, “Are you hungry?”.
My husband and I assured him we were indeed very ready to eat, and eagerly set off from The Peninsula New York in search of some of the city’s best food.
Five blocks south, down Fifth Avenue, our tour begins as any classic New York day should: with a bagel. Our first stop is Black Seed Bagels at Rockefeller Centre, where an everything bagel with a generous spread of cream cheese ($2.25) comes with our first taste of the city’s food history – and one of its most enduring debates: what exactly makes a New York bagel a New York bagel?
According to local lore, the answer is in the water. Flowing down from the Catskill Mountains, New York’s water has a mineral composition long credited with giving the city’s bagels – and its pizza – their distinctive texture and taste. Whether you buy the theory or not, it makes for a good story while eating your way through Manhattan.
Rockefeller Centre provided our first history lesson, as Ben pointed out Radio City Music Hall, the complex’s Art Deco architecture and the area’s diplomatic past. But the most intriguing detail was one easily missed on a hurried walk through Midtown: Cartier’s reproduction of the Question Mark, the first plane to fly non-stop from Paris to New York. The scale model, also known as Le Point d’Interrogation, is rendered in sterling silver and was a gift from the French government to Rockefeller Centre, presented in 1933.
From here, we walked through Times Square – an unavoidable rush of lights, screens and tourists – before arriving at John’s Pizzeria of Times Square on West 44th Street.
The restaurant is housed in a former church, and it still has plenty of the building’s character. It is also notable for its coal-fired brick ovens, which have been broadly phased out in New York, but a handful of pizzerias are still permitted to use under grandfathered licences.
Unlike many of the city’s famous pizzerias, there are no slices here: pizzas come as whole pies. Our 16-inch margherita ($29.50) arrived with a smoky crust from the coal-fired oven, topped with an almost sweet tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil. Spectacularly fresh, it was easily large enough for a couple of slices each for my party of three.
Next came a different kind of indulgence: hot or cold chocolate at Angelina Paris on Sixth Avenue. Given the summer heat, I opted for the cold version ($10), made with imported cocoa and served over ice. Rich, thick and almost dessert-like, it is not for the faint-hearted.
If drinking your chocolate isn’t your thing, detour to The Nook on Broadway for one of the city’s famous Levain Bakery cookies. Its chunky chocolate chip walnut ($5) is an essential New York treat, whether eaten on the go or stashed for later.
Our journey then took us through Bryant Park, one of Midtown’s most pleasant pockets of calm. In summer, it hosts free performances; in winter, a popular ice rink. Beneath it lies part of the New York Public Library’s vast underground storage system, home to millions of books.
From there, we followed Library Way along 41st Street, where literary quotations embedded in the pavement lead into Grand Central Terminal. Here, the trusty Ben really came into his own, sharing a wealth of historical insights – he has, he says, enough to fill a three-hour tour of the station alone.
Opened in 1913, Grand Central was modelled in part on European landmarks including the Paris Opera, and its scale is extraordinary.
The Main Concourse has a 33-metre ceiling, which was the largest indoor space in the US when it opened. That very ceiling is, perhaps, its most photographed feature, painted with constellations and signs of the zodiac.
Outside, Ben pointed out the famous clock, often attributed to Tiffany & Co, although the claim has never been definitively confirmed, as well as the statue of Cornelius Vanderbilt. Inside, the food history continued at the Oyster Bar, the only original tenant from 1913 still operating today. With more time, it would have been high on our list.
Our final savoury stop was Joe’s on East 48th Street, where hearty steamed soup dumplings (from $13 for six) rounded out our roving feast.
From there, we wandered back up Fifth Avenue. With 8km under our belts, we were feeling suitably virtuous, so finished with a drink at Pen Top, the Peninsula hotel’s 23rd-floor rooftop bar.
Over sunset views of Fifth Avenue and the Midtown skyline, we reflected on an afternoon of very, very good food – and returned to the question that had started it all: did I find New York’s best bagel or slice of pizza? Who knows. But after an afternoon spent walking, eating and learning our way through Midtown, I’d happily recommend the search.
The private three-hour Iconic New York Bites tour is available through The Peninsula New York and costs $700 for up to four people.
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