Have you ever wanted to start your day in Rio, make a pitstop in Dakar and end the night in London? Save the jet fuel and time, and just come to New York City instead. Better yet, come during the FIFA World Cup.
New York City earned the “melting pot” accolade for a reason — yes, the city is incredibly diverse in its people, languages, and culture, but where it really shines is its niche cuisine.
Whether you want Moroccan tagine, German pretzels, or French quenelle, New York can transport you to any corner of the world via the dish on your plate. Use this FIFA foodie guide as a tour de New York, featuring the cuisine of every country confirmed to be playing in the New York area, and a few more World Cup favorites.
Germany: Heidelberg Restaurant
Yorkville/Upper East Side: 1648 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10028
Heidelberg Restaurant in Yorkville, Manhattan. (Photo by Kaitlyn Rosati)
Formerly known as “Germantown,” Yorkville was once full of German bakeries and shops. While the area has transformed more than a little since the early 1900s, Heidelberg Restaurant is a longstanding institution that remains. Having been opened over 100 years, Heidelberg offers German sausages such as Weisswurst and Bratwurst, Wiener Schnitzel, and even Jägerspätzle, which, as the name suggests, is spätzle with a homemade Jäger sauce. Even Anthony Bourdain visited Heidelberg, and if you want to live in late Tony’s shoes, order a pork shank and a boot of beer – no pun intended.
Brazil: Berimbau
Midtown: 3 West 36th Street, New York, NY 10018; West Village: 43 Carmine St, New York, NY 10014
Berimbau on 36th St. in Manhattan. (Photo by Kaitlyn Rosati)
With an unsuspecting location on 36th Street (and a second in the West Village), the tableside-sliced picanha is top-notch, but other dishes here are inarguably more memorable. My server, Diego, a Brazilian native, told me eating coxinha, a cone-shaped shredded chicken fried morsel, is “eating a bite from his childhood.” The pão de queijo has a nice stretch thanks to the tapioca and copious amounts of cheese, and the feijoada, a rich stew swimming with pork and black beans, always brings me a sense of nostalgia to my first meal I had when I touched my feet on Rio’s streets. Regardless of what you order, to round out the experience, start with a caipirinha and finish with a brigadeiro.
Norway: KABIN NYC
SoHo: 300 Spring St, New York, NY 10013
KABIN NYC on Spring St. in Manhattan. (Photo by Kaitlyn Rosati)
KABIN NYC has typical Norwegian bites and a coffee game as strong as Oslo’s. Norway has the second highest coffee consumption per capita in the world, and KABIN NYC leans heavily into it. While you can have coffee flights, cortados, and flat-whites alike, Rohith Ram, the cafe director of KABIN NYC, led me through their coffee menu via coffee cocktails. Their espresso martini is simple, with just four ingredients: vodka, rum, sugar, and coffee, using single-origin coffee from Colombia, giving it a fruity-forward taste. Pair that with some waffles and brunost, a Norwegian cheese made with boiled whey, milk, and cream (which creates a caramel color and flavor), for a true taste of Scandinavia.
Senegal: Ponty Bistro
Harlem: 2375 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd, New York, NY 10030
Ponty Bistro in Harlem. (Photo by Kaitlyn Rosati)
Ponty Bistro in Harlem has a signature hot sauce that’s so good it beats any of the 50+ in my worldly collection. Senegalese-born Chef Cisse makes so many flavor-packed dishes that I couldn’t possibly pick a favorite, but the poisson yassa, dibi haoussa, and even French fries dipped in said hot sauce rings bells. However, I suppose if I had to choose, nothing beats their moules Africana, a mussels dish so vibrant, with thinly sliced ginger and herbs throughout, I could drink it like a soup. Safe to say, there’s a reason I’ve been coming back to Ponty Bistro for years, and a reason why I’ll continue to do so for years to come.
England: The Churchill Tavern
NoMad: 45 E 28th St, New York, NY 10016
The Churchill Tavern on 28th St. in Manhattan. (Photo by Kaitlyn Rosati)
If you ever wanted to experience England on this side of the pond, just look for the British guard on 28th Street. There, you’ll find The Churchill Tavern. This local haunt has been one of my favorite watering holes for over a decade through many life phases, from bartender to proper journalist. Churchill has great bar bites like curry fries, sausage rolls, and black pudding croquettes, but also British meals you didn’t know you needed, like a full English breakfast and fish and chips with mushy peas. Though I can’t speak for the men, the women’s restroom here has a speech by Winston Churchill on repeat. During FIFA, Churchill will be playing the games on their TVs, of which there are many.
Morocco: Dar Lbahja
Astoria (Queens): 47-12 30th Ave., Astoria, NY 11103
Dar Lbahja in Astoria, Queens. (Photo by Kaitlyn Rosati)
Dar Lhabja, which translates to “house of joy,” offers a wide variety beyond tagine and couscous, like chicken bastilla, a fried pastry stuffed with shredded chicken in a saffron, cinnamon spice mix, topped with a touch of powdered sugar. But the tagine here is also a favorite, with tender, melt-in-your-mouth lamb, stewed with juicy apricots and adorned with buttery almonds. It doesn’t hurt that the portions here are beyond shareable.
Ecuador: Rincón Melania
Long Island City (Queens): 35-19 Queens Blvd, Long Island City, NY 11101
Rincón Melania in Long Island City, Queens. (Photo by Kaitlyn Rosati)
Ecuadorian cuisine flies under the radar compared to other parts of Latin America, but there’s a lot to love. They boast easily the best empanadas in South America, the Chinese-Latin blend of chaulafan, and even the good old caldo de pata, or cow’s feet soup. Rincón Melania in Long Island City doesn’t just pay homage to Ecuador, but walking through its doors might as well be a one-way ticket to Quito. Decked with Ecuadorian flags, cow feet statues and religious statuettes, Rincón Melania is discreetly in a parking lot, no bells and whistles needed. I personally love their mixed ceviche, which is served with plump pieces of citrusy seafood, thinly sliced red onions, and a heap of starchy plantains. From my experience, everything they serve – from the seco de chivo to the fritada con mote – is paired best with their house sangria.
France: Le Gratin
Financial District: 5 Beekman St, New York, NY 10038
Le Gratin on Beekman St. in Manhattan. (Photo by Kaitlyn Rosati)
Le Gratin, a Daniel Boulud restaurant, focuses on the cuisine of Lyon. They offer quenelle de brochet au gratin and salad Lyonnaise, but my heart was sold on their Oeuf Mimosa, a creamy deviled egg, and soupe à l’oignon Gratinée, which had so much cheese it nearly gave me a heart attack (I still ate the whole thing). When my server saw how much I loved the stretch of gooey Gruyere, he steered me toward the cheesy Gratin Dauphinois Comme Marie, a potato side dish that’s a Le Gratin favorite for a reason. Yes, I ate all of that, too.
Czech Republic: Bohemian Beer Hall
Astoria (Queens): 29-19 24th Ave, Astoria, NY 11105
Bohemian Beer Hall in Astoria, Queens. (Photo by Kaitlyn Rosati)
If you ever mention wanting to grab a beer outdoors, or even looking for a “German beer garden in New York,” everyone and their mother will tell you to go to Astoria’s Bohemian Beer Hall. But Bohemian Beer Hall is not German, but strictly Czech. WIth ample outdoor seating and a lot of TV screens, Bohemian Beer Hall is bound to be a hotspot for the FIFA games. So much so that the team at Bohemian has added the incentive of a soccer challenge for its patrons. Head there on June 11 by 5 p.m. to learn details, and join the challenge for your chance to win two tickets to see the game live in the flesh.
Argentina: Goat Bakeshop
Nolita: 180 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10012
Goat Bakeshop in Nolita, Manhattan. (Photo by Kaitlyn Rosati)
The general knowledge of Argentinian cuisine seems to stop at chimichurri, Milanese and asado. While these are all incredible dishes, nothing beats a choripan, a spicy sausage sandwich with crusty bread and vibrant chimichurri. So, when searching for a good Argentinian spot, my rule was, if it doesn’t have choripan, it’s out. Insert Goat Bakeshop. This hole-in-the-wall in Nolita humbly consists of just a few chairs and tables, two TVs, and a glass case display full of pastries. You can get all of your Argentinian fixings here: alfajores, medialunas, jars of dulce de leche, and even choripan made of Argentinian sausage. They’ll be playing the FIFA games in hopes of Argentina’s victory — hey, could the country who brought you Messi possibly let you down?
Panama: Arcane Estate Coffee
Greenwich Village: 37 Cornelia St, New York, NY 10014
Arcane Estate Coffee in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. (Photo by Kaitlyn Rosati)
You can get a cup of Joe anywhere in New York, but you can only snag a cup of the world’s best at Arcane Estate Coffee. Having just been awarded the coveted twelfth best coffee shop in the world by The World’s Best 100 Coffee Shops, Arcane Estate Coffee highlights the beans from Panama in a thoughtful and intentional way. Instead of farm to table, think harvest to cup, with Arcane focusing on keeping the bean to mug process as short as possible. Founder Edgar Acosta-Masferrer sources directly from his family’s farm in Panama’s western province of Chiriqui, and due to the region’s volcanic soil and high elevations, the coffee produced here is delicate and light. You can pair your drinks with a rotating selection of La Cabra pastries, like croissants, cookies, and more. Just brace yourself for the line.
Japan: Katana Kitten
Greenwich Village: 531 Hudson St, New York, NY 10014
Katana Kitten in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. (Photo by Kaitlyn Rosati)
New York has been having a real omakase moment in these past few years, but if you want something just as elevated with a more laidback atmosphere, head to Katana Kitten. The chandeliers at the bar are made of dollar bills, and the neon lights throughout are a quick transport to Shinjuku. They’re best known for their mortadella sando, a thick slab of mortadella that’s deep-fried in panko and stuffed between two fluffy pieces of Japanese milk toast, but I’m a much bigger fan of their Osaka street calamari topped with thin strips of nori. For cocktails, try a matcha grasshopper, or keep it classic with a gin and tonic that veers far from rail gin with flat tonic from the soda gun.
