Where to Eat in NYC: A Neighborhood-by-Neighborhood Guide From a Local Foodie

Where do you eat in a city with over 17,500 restaurants? You could open Instagram, find a place with thousands of likes and a two-hour wait, and hope for the best. Or you could ask Alec Johnson — a New Yorker with no social media, strong opinions, and decades of knowing where the good stuff is before anyone else does. I've been visiting Alec for years, and his unofficial food tours have become my single favorite thing to do in the city. This is that list — every place he's taken me, fed me, or sent me to with very specific instructions about what to order. From $5 carnitas tacos in Alphabet City to omakase in Queens, a hidden cocktail bar inside Grand Central, and what might genuinely be the best pizza in New York — organized by neighborhood so you can actually use it.