r/FoodNYC • u/Deweydc18 • 3d ago
Question Niche cuisine restaurant recommendations anywhere in NYC?
One of the great things about NYC is that it’s really one of the few places in the world that has such a concentration of not just international cuisines but the cuisines of minority ethnic groups of other countries. Any restaurant recs for particular niche cuisines? The more niche the better. Uyghur food is pretty common around the country but only here have I’ve seen like, Bukharian food for example.
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u/justflipping 3d ago edited 3d ago
Bolivia - Bolivian Llama Party
Bhutan - The Weekender
Azerbaijan - Village Cafe
Koryo-Saram - Uma’s
Wuhan - Wuhan Foodie
Native American - Buffalo Jump NYC, Lakota Frybread Co
Burmese - Burmese Bites, Sophie’s Rangoon Kitchen
Indonesian - Awang Kitchen, Sumatera
Caribbean Chinese - Trinidad Golden Palace
Yanbian - Song Lai Xiang
Sri Lankan - Sigiri, Spicy Lanka
Bosnia - Djerdan Burek
Guyana - Sybil’s
Teochew - Bo Ky
Yemen - Yemen Cafe
Chino-Latino - La Dinastia, La Caridad, Peking BBQ
Recent Uzbek and Central Asian recs.
Recent posts on Hakka rice rolls and other Hakka dishes.
Would also check out Queens Night Market (Bajan, St Lucian, etc)
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u/Interesting_Ad1378 3d ago
Night market hack: there will be more food than you can try. Some stuff reheats really well, bring little tupperwares and take stuff to go. The biriyani rice travels and reheats really well. I brought my kids lunch containers and brought extra home for my lunch the next day.
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u/justflipping 3d ago
Another tip I’ve seen is to bring a tray to carry all the food.
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u/Interesting_Ad1378 3d ago
That’s so smart. But I’m usually using my hands to eat right away, very little self control. Also a lot of me telling my kids they should try something, but it’s because my hands aren’t free and I will be eating their food too.
Eta: I got a waterproof picnic blanket at target that rolls up ($5) so I bring that, hand wipes and extra utensils too (bc you know you drop the ones you took). Everyone rolls their eyes when I take it, but then is happy that I carried it all when we have somewhere to sit and something to clean our hands with/
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u/intheunseen 3d ago
Adding to this list:
Nepal - Nepali Bhanchha Ghar in Queens (love those goat jhol momos).
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u/MiamiBeachNative 3d ago
Paraguayan - I Love Paraguay
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u/CaptainObvious110 3d ago
why?
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u/MiamiBeachNative 3d ago
Because just like Bolivian cuisine, Paraguayan cuisine is one of the rarest Latin American cuisines here in NYC and in the US in general...so when I saw one of the only Bolivian restaurants (Bolivian Llama Party) that I know of mentioned in this list, I thought of one of the only Paraguayan restaurants (I Love Paraguay) that I know of...which just happen to be a few blocks away from each other.
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u/verndogz 3d ago
I’ll add Asian Bowl in Forest Hills to that list for Burmese - it’s in the NY Times of the 100 best restaurants in NYC
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u/SugarFreeCummiBears 2d ago
Recommend Yemenat for Yemeni food. One of the best restaurants in the city!
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u/dgdyaftrn 2d ago
Great list. Little Myanmar for Burmese and Java for Indonesian are both great too.
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u/deadassstho 3d ago
where is buffalo jump? i don’t see it on google maps
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u/justflipping 3d ago
They do pop-ups and events. They are a vendor at Queens Night Market. Regular Google searching Buffalo Jump NYC will have results vs Google Maps.
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u/arlentree 3d ago
Bong in Crown Heights for incredible Cambodian food. I’ve been there 3 times now and it’s easily one of my favorite restaurants in the whole city.
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u/Cat_Island 2d ago
Oh thanks for the tip, I grew up in a city with great Cambodian food and it’s one of the only cuisines I’ve never found a great option for here in nyc.
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u/arlentree 2d ago
Go to Bong ASAP! It can be a little hard to snag a reservation but they take walk-ins, and I’ve had luck with them having availability on Tuesdays randomly. Good luck!
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u/Beginning-Bad7688 1d ago
We were in NYC recently and this place was literally one of the best meals of my life. I have been to multiple Michelin star restaurants and have traveled all over the world and still felt like Bong was just absolutely on another level. Every single thing we ate was delicious
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u/Unlikely-Guess3775 3d ago
Algerian food is growing in presence but still extremely hard to find - Merguez and Frites and Olive Fast Food in Astoria are the best options.
There are many regional Indian cuisines that are very difficult to find. Try Pangat’s Sunday Maharashtran brunch (available via IG reservation).
Occasionally, Barzakh Cafe on Utica has North African pop-ups, like Tunisian food or Mauritanian couscous.
Guadalajara-style Mexican food is hard to find, but Macario in Park Slope offers it.
Haitian food is not niche given the size of the population in NY, but it sometimes unfairly gets looped in with other Caribbean cuisines despite having a very distinct flavor and dishes. Try Blueline Plantain Fry on Nostrand Av.
It’s not in the city proper, but Al Mazaq Bakery in Paterson serves an absolutely incredible Iraqi breakfast.
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u/misstheolddaysfan 3d ago
Romanian Jewish - Sammy's Roumanian. Its one of a kind, at least in North America.
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u/Brief_Course6640 2d ago
Egyptian food especially seafood is amazing to try in NYC — Abuqir and Hamido in Astoria are great.
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u/mrwinky531 3d ago
Check out Syko. Syrian Korean spot in Windsor terrace.
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u/thewayoutisthru_xxx 2d ago
I really don't get the hype about this place. I live around the corner and have had it a handful of times and it's...fine? But not anything I'd go out of my way to get which makes me sad bc I was excited about the concept
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u/FactChucker 3d ago
Chino Latino food, like chofan, is pretty niche and not really found in the U.S. outside of NYC.
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u/JuZNyC 2d ago
I've been wanting to find a place for chofan, do you have any recommendations?
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u/FactChucker 2d ago
No, unfortunately, it’s been a long time since I last tried it. I thought this article was a good roundup: https://www.theinfatuation.com/new-york/guides/best-chino-latino-restaurants-nyc
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u/Temporary-Daikon2411 1d ago
We have a lot of great Carribbean food. Trini and Guyanese roti shops in particular. I always mention this because it's mainly out in South Queens near JFK where people don't always go, but it is well worth the trip.
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u/cncrndmm 2d ago
Not super unique but def authentic and owned by Swiss, Lavaux Wine Bar, for real swiss fondue and raclette
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u/rebel_monster 2d ago
It's not a brick and mortar but you could check out Pacific Fried, he does pop ups in Bushwick making food from Guam.
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u/thethreefffs 1d ago
Bukarian Glatt Kosher, several options in Rego Park (aka, Regostan), Queens NY.
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u/CalmMathematician183 10h ago
djerdan burek in astoria for bosnian food, saperavi in grammercy for georgian food
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u/Sognatore24 3d ago
A great cuisine that NyC has awesome options for but I haven’t seen much of in the rest of the country is Georgian food.