Savouring Solitude

To travel alone is to get to know yourself. To give quality time to the one relationship that is guaranteed for the rest of your life. As I grow older my solo travel focus moves away from the pressure to meet new people, though this is always a bonus, and more towards a focus on spending time with myself, planning exciting days that fulfil my desires to balance exploration with rest, and adventure without the rush, all the while savouring solitude.

I rarely feel the longing for a holiday companion because I am so gosh darn grateful to be here at all! To walk, eat, explore (mostly eat I can’t lie…) all on my own terms, speeding up to cram in more, one minute, and slowing down to take a minute to reflect, the other. Surrounded by bustling city life yet feeling an inner peace that only comes when I take a step away from the day to day!

It is such a joy and a privilege to have time to myself and this is only exacerbated when I’m in a new location. It’s hard to express how transformative solo travel can be, especially when you give yourself permission to plan your trip as you wish and not as others expect.

Just before the recommendations let me take a moment to encourage you all to buy yourself a copy of my cookbook, which some say is the best cookbook in the world***.

So, here’s how I planned my trip! I’ve also left details of the hotel I stayed in, and would book again, at the end!

It’s worth noting that I have been to New York before and have done several of the classically ‘touristy’ things so won’t include those here. Instead my aims for this trip were almost solely to walk around as many neighbourhoods as possible, and to eat as much food as possible! Though I had a couple of ‘fancy’ meals, my main priority was to get food that you don’t really find in the UK, so whilst some of this isn’t gourmet darling, it was a lot of fun exploring New York in relaxed, casual way whilst still embracing the complex food culture of the city. I’m including everywhere I ate but there a couple in here that I probably wouldn’t go back to, just fyi.

This newsletter is just about food, but if you want to see a daily vlog of what I got up to then you can check out my instagram story highlights here.

I was going to structure this newsletter by day but decided instead to structure it by food/meal type instead so you have some sort of comparison. I am also including my food map of New York though!

I do this for every trip I go on and usually end up planning my days around which food spots I want to visit in areas that are near to each other. These are all recommendations from friends, or from you guys on instagram so, whilst I tragically couldn’t make it to all of them, I trust that they are good recommendations.

I’ve added a * to everywhere I think you really should go to.

Bagels

Russ & Daughters*

My first bagel shop and probably my favourite bagel. I have to say I’m not a huge fan of smoked fish so just opted for a simple everything bagel with olive cream cheese. The bagel was perfectly chewy with the right amount of seasoning. There are a few locations around the city too.

Broad Nosh Bagels

This wasn’t on my list before I went, but was on my way to a podcast recording and had good google ratings. I’m not sure I’d give it the 4.9 stars it has if I’m honest, the service was a little slow, the everything bagel seasoning was overly salty and the filling (bacon, egg and cheese) lacked flavour! The bagel itself was decent, and perhaps I chose poorly with the fillings.

Tomkins Square Bagels

Prepare to queue! Potentially just my experience but I queued for at least 20 minutes for this bagel. They have a huuuge array of cream cheese options as well as lots of other fillings too. I went for an everything bagel (always) with jalapeno cheddar cream cheese. Would highly recommend!

Leo’s Bagels

Again, not planned prior to the visit, I was just very hungry in an area where not a lot of options where showing up. The bagel itself wasn’t memorable, so perhaps I’ll leave it at that! Good, but not memorable. I will say that the fillings are very generous though! I had a turkey, cheese and slaw bagel and it was very satisfying.

Bakeries & Sweet Eats

Levain Bakery*

I was sceptical before I went as in general I prefer a chewy cookie to a cakey cookie, however these really were quite spectacular! I tried their famous chocolate chip walnut which was truly excellent, and their dark chocolate peanut butter chip which was also very very good, and I’m saying that as someone who would never choose a chocolate cookie.

ALF Bakery

Another eatery that wasn’t planned, I was in chelsea market and feeling peckish so popped downstairs for a flaky pastry. I’ll usually opt for savoury over sweet and their leek and cheddar pastry was really good! Excellent buttery pastry with a nice filling. My only improvement was that it should have been slightly warm!

Sunday Morning

Cinnamon bun specialists and they do them well! Again prepare to queue but it went down quickly. They only do cinnamon buns but with an array of fillings and toppings, both savoury and sweet. I went for the blueberry lemon bun- super soft, nice amount of blueberries but I couldn’t taste the lemon- still a good cinni bun though.

Magnolia Bakery

Eeek guys I feel bad for saying this but I don’t get the hype?! The ‘world famous banana pudding’ is nice, don’t get me wrong, but it wasn’t as good as I was expecting. Perhaps that’s the problem with going viral! It’s a sweet cream mixed with sliced banana and vanilla wafers (which you don’t really find in the UK but are slightly similar to a lady finger). It just wasn’t as creamy as I wanted and therefore the wafers made it almost dry. I made a one pot one portion version a while ago and can’t lie, I prefer it! Don’t cancel me…

Poppy’s, Brooklyn

I had one two many coffees one morning and was in desperate need of a sugary something to calm my anxious heart (lol when will I learn) whilst strolling around Brooklyn. Walked past Poppy’s and popped in for a salted chocolate chunk cookie. Deliciously chewy, great scatter of salt. Good! They also did sandwiches and other sweet treats which I didn’t try but looked nice.

A New York Slice

L’industrie Pizzeria

It seems like everyone and their mum are talking about L’industrie pizza at the moment and in my pre-trip research this place probably came up the most. I queued up for around 20 minutes I think. The vibe inside is cool and upbeat and it’s great getting to watch the pizza production line in action! I chose the ‘New Yorker Pie’ which had pepperoni, sausage, mozzarella and ricotta. Though it was one of the better slices I had in New York, I personally found the crust a little too crisp, and the toppings could have done with slightly more seasoning!

Pizza Loves Sauce*

Hands down the best slice I had in New York!! I hadn’t heard a single person talk about Pizza Loves Sauce in my research until a friend told me that it was popular with locals- a recommendation you can always trust. This slice was everything I wanted it to be. The crust was the perfect balance of crispy and chewy, the sauce was perfectly seasoned, the toppings were generous and the whole thing was just divine. I only got 1 slice and I’m telling you now, don’t make the same mistake- order at least 2! But definitely include the chicken vodka slice and would 10/10 recommend.

Upside Pizza

I was actually quite impressed with this! More of a casual chain than somewhere like L’industrie but the slice was really tasty! Well seasoned, good toppings, crust not too crunchy. I had a cheese pie slice and a Sicilian pepperoni- I’d say stick with the New York style slice and skip the Sicilian-style slice.

Joe’s Pizza

Yes this is a tourist trap. Yes it’s cool to see the pizza place that has been in films and frequented by many a celeb. Yes I think the pizza itself is overrated. The sauce was under-seasoned and the crust had no chew to it. The queue wasn’t too bad at the time I went but there’s still minimal space inside to eat your slice so you might be eating on the street like me. I’d skip this next time in favour of any of the other 3.

Fast (ish) and casual

Katz’s Deli*

I wasn’t sure whether to go because, as a solo diner, the size of the sandwiches looked somewhat intimidating (and that’s to someone with a seemingly endless appetite). Until I saw they offered half a pastrami sandwich + matzo ball soup combo. Perfect! Again, classically touristy but the food is really really great. The pastrami is well flavoured and exceptionally tender and moist. The soup was packed with chickeny goodness and the whole plate of pickles you get on the side is a great palate cleanser. My one recommendation would be to go off-peak. I only had to queue for about 5 minutes outside but walked past it on a Saturday lunch time and the queue was down the block! Also, if you take cash for a tip, they give you tasters of all the meats!

Raku*

Deliciously chewy udon noodles that I’d highly recommend. I got this as a takeaway to slurp up in the comfort of my hotel room and it was really great. I got the curry beef udon and the chicken tatsuta-age, fried chicken with a spicy sauce. Both were really delicious and I’d love to go again and eat in the restaurant!

Los Tacos No1*

This was actually one of my favourite meals of the trip. The epitome of fast and casual, you’ll eat standing up with taco juice running down your hands but it’s really worth it. I got a couple of tacos and a quesadilla with a mixture of pollo asado, carne asado and adobada fillings- the quesadilla was especially good because you’re essentially getting a taco with cheese. And cheese makes everything better. 10/10. I also got the horchata which is a sweet, cinnamon-spiced milk- delicious!

Luke’s Lobster

I’d seen a few recommendations for this and I thought the US would be good at a lobster roll but I was disappointed. The lobster itself was juicy and meaty, but the roll as a whole was underwhelming. The lobster was fridge cold which inhibits flavour, and the whole thing could have done with extra oomph. Probably wouldn’t go back.

Slow (ish) and special

Agi’s Counter

The only reason I’m not adding a * to this is because there isn’t a whole lot else in the area and I don’t know that I’d plan a day around visiting agi’s, but if you’re in the area then definitely go! Brunch is their specialty and I’d definitely recommend the pogacsa (house-made biscuit) with a fried egg, cheddar, mayo and hot sauce, and the devilled eggs with anchovies and hot sauce.

Empellón

A American-Mexican hybrid, this restaurant is a little bit fancier but I had a lovely pre-theatre meal. The guacamole with seven salsas is one of their most well-known dishes and is an absolute must order! The chopped cabbage salad with fava bean dressing was also delicious (though I just wanted a little hit of lime juice, but added some salsa and it was great), as were the aromatic beef short ribs. I’d probably skip the grilled shrimp tacos but the fish tempura tacos looked good. The avocado dessert was also a bit of a showstopping! Zingy, fresh and unexpected- if I just ate the guacamole and this then I’d be happy. The service was also just lovely!! Especially as a solo diner.

Rezdora*

A sexy, dimly lit Italian restaurant I’d recommend. The gnocco fritto with mortadella, prosciutto and bacon was salty and delicious, the radicchio salad with orange and pistachio was really really great and the white sausage ragu was delicious (though small portions of pasta will always upset me). Lovely atmosphere and great service again!

Soothr*

Really exceptionally meal! You have have have to order the khao soi which was absolutely the standout dish of the meal. The yum kaw moo, fragrant pork salad, was another absolute winner and a total flavour bomb. The dumplings were juicy and the crab fried rice was great and came with a fragrant spicy sauce I wanted more of! Would rush back here next time I’m in the city.

Hotel

Arlo Hotel, Midtown*

The perfect hotel for a solo stay and I think fairly reasonably priced given it’s location and the vibe of the hotel. I’m a sucker for a big window and waking up in bed every day with a view of the skyline was really special. I’d say the room would be snug for more than one person, but definitely manageable. I would 100% book again!

Feel free to leave any questions down below, and if you’re heading to the big apple any time soon then have the BEST time!

Big love,

Eleanor

***I am some x