Kiki’s is a Greek restaurant in the LES that has incredibly delicious food, unmatched cozy atmosphere, and is home to some of the most enjoyable dinners and conversations I’ve had in NYC. There’s almost always a 30+ minutes wait, so make sure you head there earlier than you intend to eat, so that you can put your name on the list.

Cervo’s is a little gem located on the border of Chinatown and the Lower East Side. It’s great for a small, intimate dinner as the restaurant is quite small. Dining at the bar is a great option, as is sitting right in front of the open kitchen and stove oven.

Freemans is one of those places that have been put on my radar thanks to Instagram. It's at the end of a narrow alley in Nolita, with string lights hung outside it's painted blue doors. It's a very adorable little place, on the inside and out, but the food isn't anything mind-blowing. If you're the type of person who's OK with eating some good (not great) food because of a great atmosphere, then you should definitely check this place out. Make sure you make a reservation before you go because if you're seated in the back, it's really dark, you're out of sight of the waiters, and don't get to really enjoy the adorable setting. 

I tried the grilled trout with sea salt & lemon (make sure you ask them to remove the head if you're like me and can't eat the fish if you see it as a whole), and it was just fine. My friend had the cheeseburger, which looked great, but the fries on the side were really greasy.

I walked into Obica with a friend on a windy Sunday evening because (1) we were really hungry, (2) it said "Pizza" on the windows, (3) it looked cozy, (4) it was right in front of us. In other words, we had no expectations walking in. Let me tell you that this place looks tiny from the outside, but actually extends like 200 blocks inwards when you walk in. It's all black interiors with warm yellow lighting. There were a lot of families with kids dining, and the whole place smelled of truffles. I didn't get to try their pizzas because they don't have gluten-free options, but every table had a pizza on it, and every single one looked great. All the dishes we tried (squash soup, insalate Soncino, parmigiani di melanzane, and branzino) were amazingly tasty too, and the staff are Italian from Italy. Very friendly, warm, and helpful. Overall, great experience. Definitely going back here. 

PS: They have a mozzarella bar so you can try some of the different types of mozarella that they have to offer. 

I'll start by saying that what RedFarm looks like on the outside has nothing to do with what it is on the inside. Staring in from the street, me and my friend were under the impression that it was a farm-to-table restaurant with organic foods and items like avocado toast or scrambled eggs on their brunch menu. Turns out, it's an Asian restaurant known for their dumplings. 

There's a large communal table in the center of the room so you get to sit pretty snugly with the people next you. There are exposed brick walls and small flower pots hanging from the ceiling above the table, so it's a cute little space. 

The mango & arugula salad, BBQ’d duck omelette with tomato rice & mushrooms, steamed lobster dumplings (gluten free), and chicken dumpling with truffle oil are worth trying. That said, the omelette takes some time to make and is HUGE, so I wouldn't suggest placing another order if you're giving that one a try. The couple next to us were trying some other items on the menu and EVERYTHING looked amazing so, by all means, eat as your heart desires:) 

Ruby's is a small, cozy, but bustling Italian restaurant run by Aussies (as are a few other venues in Nolita). The wait can be long on the weekends, and it doesn't look like much from the outside, but every single dish I tried was salivatingly amazing. They are famous for the Whaleys burger, which has pineapples, beets, and a fried egg in it, as well as their Tuscan kale salad (pictured here). 

The mushroom Fusilli is gluten free and I think they change the flavors each season. The Brussel sprouts have a very acidic (in the best way possible) dressing made of balsamic, lemon, and thyme. 

Anyways, these are all the dishes I tried, but do yourself a favor and visit Ruby's. You won't regret it. 

Rosa Mexicano is an amazingly delicious and underrated restaurant. I honestly don't think you can go wrong with anything off the menu, but some dishes are tastier than others. You must try the table-side guacamole and chips because that's what they are famous for. The fish tacos with corn on the cob are delicious as well. I went in on a Sunday evening, and it was still pretty packed, so I would suggest making reservations before going in. 

Tacombi is an extremely adorable, very casual, but cozy and warm restaurant in the heart of Nolita. There's a small Volkswagen food truck right inside the restaurant, and the entire interior is lit with small string lights. The walls and floors are bare cement, which adds to the casual, industrial feel of the place. It actually reminded me a lot of the movie "Chef" :) The food is pretty yummy, and all their tacos are gluten-free, which made me especially happy. Good vibes all around, definitely worth a visit.

This is, as the name suggests, a tiny restaurant in Tribeca. It has a dark and cozy interior, and even though the service was a little slow on a Friday, the food was very delicious. I personally didn't try the burger, but the girl sitting next to me was eating it and I almost drooled all over it because it looked SO amazing. From the dishes I did try, I can recommend the kale salad, burrata, and the gnocchi. 

One of the things that I miss most about home is the food. There are a lot of Turkish restaurants in the city, but none of them come even close to what I'm used to eating when I'm home. That's why I was so happy to find out about Taverna Kyclades in the East Village. Upon walking in, I felt like I was at a seafood restaurant back home with the fish that were displayed on ice, the hospitality of the restaurant staff, and all the items on the menu. One thing you must do is not order everything at once. The great thing about eating mezze is ordering a couple at a time, taking it slow, and enjoying every bite. I would also highly recommend accompanying your food with raki (or Uzo, as it's called in Greek), the traditional Turkish drink. Some items I would certainly vouch for are the vegetarian chips, piperies (roasted peppers), saganaki, Greek salad, beet salad, eggplant salad, and the grilled octopus. 

Rosemary’s is a place that took me a while to try after having heard of it for the first time, due to the long wait times I was faced with each time I attempted to walk in. So, when I saw no one waiting outside at 10pm on a Saturday a few months ago, I decided to give it a try. I'm a sucker for design when it comes to restaurants, and believe that a restaurant with beautiful interiors is also likely to serve beautiful food. This is certainly true for Rosemary's; an Italian eatery with exposed brick walls, string lights, an open kitchen, and a rooftop garden used to grow vegetables and plants--a true urban “farm”-to-table experience. I'll admit that even though the food was delicious, it was not extremely memorable. That said, I would return here just for the experience of dining at such a beautiful and pleasant restaurant. 

Lighthouse isn't the first place you'd think of eating in Williamsburg. It's located slightly awkwardly next to the highway and doesn't have much going on immediately around it. However, the large windows that open up during the summer to let a nice and cool afternoon breeze in, the friendly staff, and the delicious food definitely make it one of the best I've been to in Williamsburg. Their ceviche is one of the most delicious I've had in a while, and most of the dishes are for sharing, which is great if you're indecisive and hungry for e v e r y t h i n g just like me. You won't regret trying the masabacha, grilled octopus, the ceviche (one of the best I've had in the city), cracked potato, and roasted heirloom carrots. 

This Japanese restaurant is pretty tightly packed, but not claustrophobic. Service is great, staff very friendly. The dishes are pretty small (unless you get one of the rice bowls) and everything tastes delicious. I'd especially suggest trying the kabocha to shiitake, shrimp shumai, sake yuan yaki, and the tuna avocado don. 

This is by far the most authentic, adorable restaurant I've been to lately. For a few hours, I felt like I was back home somewhere along the Mediterranean, in my grandmother's backyard (with tens of other people also there), enjoying a delicious, homemade meal. I had the zuppa di pesce and would've licked the bowl if there weren't people around me. The cocktails were also delicious. This is a great place to take your parents, someone on a date, or just a couple of good friends. (PS It's not ideal for large groups)

A few dishes worth trying are the Cavolfiore Palma, Orecchiette alla Checca, and the Zuppa di Pesce. 

Westville as like a healthy fast-food restaurant. It's the kind of place you can just go by yourself, order takeout from, or grab a quick bite with your friend while also sticking to your diet. They have lots of vegetarian options and even though it's the most mind blowingly delicious meal of your life, it's quite tasty, very affordable, and quick. 

I'd been meaning to try Cafe Cluny for a long time now as it's on one of my favorite streets in the city. It's located on a corner and is elegant in the way that it doesn't try to stand out from the crowd. That said, if you're from here, there's no way you haven't heard of it. Inside, it's dimly lit and tables are cozily placed right next to one another. Everything we tried was delicious; our waiter was very helpful and sweet. All in all, great experience.