Where to Eat in NYC on Black Friday

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Robert Sietsema is the former Eater NY senior critic with more than 35 years of experience covering dining in New York City.

Probably no human activity is more hunger-provoking than shopping, and that makes Black Friday the hungriest day of the year. Accordingly, Eater NY will help out with gustatory needs for that delightful or horrific day — depending on your perspective — by recommending restaurants in seven of the city’s busiest shopping areas: Herald Square, Soho, Williamsburg’s Bedford Avenue, 125th Street in Harlem, Steinway Street in Astoria, 86th Street in Bay Ridge, and Bleecker Street in the West Village.

Herald Square

Four plates of food including ma po tofu and tea smoked duck. — A selection of dishes from Cafe China.

This square is the mother of all shopping zones, anchored by Macy’s, ringed with other big-chain stores, including Old Navy, Target, H&M, Uniqlo, Urban Outfitters, and many, many more.

Good for relaxing

Nearby Cafe China occupies three nook-filled levels. While the ostensible focus is Sichuan food in large servings (good for groups), plenty of milder Cantonese dishes are presented with flair. 59 W. 37th Street, near Sixth Avenue

A quick bite with lots of choices

In the heart of nearby Koreatown, Food Gallery 32 is a tri-level food court offering Korean fried chicken, fist-size dumplings, deeply flavored soups, Japanese over-rice bowls, sushi, and desserts like churros washed down with bubble tea. 11 W. 32nd Street, near Fifth Avenue

For a beer or glass of wine and fusion fare

Offshoot of Pig & Khao, Piggyback is Leah Cohen’s second restaurant; she competed on Top Chef and has won numerous awards. The lunch specials here mostly fall below $20, and include a fried chicken sandwich smothered in southern Thai curry, and a Vietnamese caramel salmon bowl. 140 W. 30th Street, near Seventh Avenue

Soho

A sandwich of chicken, tomato, and watercress on focaccia. — The David Bowie sandwich at Olive’s.

Though it was once a center of artists’ lofts and galleries, Soho is now mainly a shopping district with popular multilevel stores on Broadway, and fabulously expensive designer boutiques nearly everywhere else.

For a plate of pasta far removed from the hubbub

Just across Houston Street, Pepe Rosso has been serving inexpensive plates of pasta and glasses of wine since 1997. 168 Sullivan Street, at Houston Street

Just grab a sandwich

Olive’s was a favorite of David Bowie’s, and you can still get the sandwich associated with him (chicken breast, watercress, and tomato on focaccia with chipotle mayo), along with soups and salads to eat at the small counter or in one of the nearby pocket parks. 191 Prince Street, near Sullivan Street

For nouveau luncheonette fare — and cocktails

Revelie Luncheonette, across the street from sibling Raoul’s, is a slip of a spot serving Nicoise salad, great burgers, lobster rolls, and hanger steak. Don’t miss the daily blue plate special. Drinks include a collection of straight-ahead wines by the glass or bottle, beer, and intriguing cocktails. 179 Prince Street, near Sullivan Street

Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg

A pastrami and egg sandwich. — Frankel’s pastram and egg sandwich.

For those who love to shop small, cute, and local, Bedford Avenue and its vicinity is your place. Whether looking for scented soap, secondhand vinyl, small-batch booze, art books, or recycled clothing, you’ll find it here.

Budget-priced Eastern Mediterranean food

Oasis is a delightful falafel spot that has long anchored the cheaper end of the Williamsburg food scene. Located right over the Bedford stop on the L, it couldn’t be more convenient. 168 Bedford Avenue, between North Eighth and Ninth streets

For some genre-bending Thai food

Elmhurst’s Zaab Zaab has been a buzzy Thai restaurant since it opened, and it soon spawned a Williamsburg branch. Some may be relieved to hear this one focuses on seafood rather than organ meats. 208 Grand Street, between Bedford and Driggs avenues

Jewish deli food on the other side of McCarren Park

Frankel’s Deli caused a sensation when it opened a few years back, a traditional deli with very good pastrami, and it happens to be one of the few places that hand-slices it. It also offers an array of cured fish and a repertoire of egg sandwiches. Don’t forget the excellent hot dogs. 631 Manhattan Avenue, at Bedford Avenue

125th Street in Harlem

Three hot dogs in buns sit side by side atop a green and white checker board paper on a blue tray. — Harlem Shake has great hot dogs, too.

During Harlem’s economic revival early this century, 125th became a major center of big-brand shopping — with P.C. Richard, Foot Locker, H&M, Champs Sports, and others — while still retaining independent stores on its fringes.

For some celebrity chef action

Harlem’s most famous celebrity chef, Marcus Samuelsson, presides over his flagship Red Rooster. The menu boasts Harlem classics like crab cakes, chicken and waffles, and deviled eggs. 310 Lenox Avenue, between 125th and 126th streets

For a sit-down fried fish sandwich

Whiting sandwiches piled high with filets have been a Harlem mainstay for a century, and Taste of Seafood is one of the best places to get them. Other delights include steamer clams and all-day seafood breakfasts. 2 W. 125th Street, at Fifth Avenue

For a great burger and milkshake

What could be better shopping food than burgers and fries, washed down with thick milkshakes? Harlem Shake is the neighborhood’s most celebrated purveyor. 100 W. 124th Street, at Lenox Avenue

Steinway Street in Astoria

A rectangular slice on a white paper place with a spreading splotch of white cheese. — Rizzo’s quirky grandma slice.

Astoria’s Steinway has long been a magnet for bargain shoppers, and we have never needed it more in these inflation-plagued days. The thoroughfare flaunts its factory outlets from Banana Republic, Children’s Place, and the Gap, as well as discount chains like Jimmy Jazz and Easy Pickins, and old standbys like Zales.

Bagels in a comfortable setting

New York City Bagel sports a relaxed dining area, as well as excellent bagels and a full menu of bagel spreads and sandwiches. And it’s the social hub of this bustling neighborhood. 40-05 Broadway, near Steinway Street

Quirky but distinguished pizza

Founded in 1959, Rizzo’s Pizza offers narrow rectangular slices with a super-thin crust — a mash-up of Neapolitan and Sicilian styles with a sweet tomato sauce. 30-13 Steinway Street, near 30th Avenue

Satisfying Moroccan fare

Along a stretch of upper Steinway with lots of Egyptian, Lebanese, and Palestinian restaurants, Little Morocco is a small spot that offers grilled meats and tagines served in the traditional way at bargain prices. 24-39 Steinway Street, at 25th Avenue

86th Street in Bay Ridge

Seven bowls and platters seen from above. — A selection of Syrian dishes from Laila.

Sephora, Dunhill, Claire’s, Foot Locker, a Gap factory outlet, and Pandora’s Jewelry (be careful opening the box!), among other national chains and local stores, pack the blocks of 86th Street between Fourth Avenue and Fort Hamilton Parkway.

Pizza in a venerable setting loaded with atmosphere

The colorful restaurant Pizza Wagon has been open since 1966, a neighborhood pizzeria of the kind common in Brooklyn, but a notch better than most. The exceptionally juicy square Sicilian slice is the thing to get. 8610 Fifth Avenue, near 86th Street

Catch a khachapuri or two

To dine in a place made up to look like a rural village in dark pink tones, try Urbani (which seems to be alternately known as Georgian Cuisine). All the familiar Georgian dishes are available, including dumplings, kebabs, pomegranate-strewn main courses, and the freshly made cheese flatbreads known as khachapuri. 8309 Third Avenue, near 83rd Street

A very ambitious Syrian restaurant

When was the last time you had a freshly rolled grape leaf? Filled with meat and pine nuts that tumble out when you bite through the crunchy wrapper? Kibbe in yogurt sauce, tomato-sauced fava beans with warm pitas, and home-style casseroles of ground lamb are some of the other wonders at Laila, a new Syrian restaurant at the main crossroads of the neighborhood. 8530 Third Avenue, corner of 86th Street

Bleecker Street in the West Village

Two pastries and a cup of coffee. — A pair of custard-filled bomboloni and a cup of cortado may be all you need.

If celebrity-spotting is part of your Black Friday agenda, make sure you hit Bleecker Street, where the designer boutiques are microscopic and the prices astronomical. Expect a line outside Cuts, a California durable-clothing brand where Jay-Z and Beyonce have been known to put in an appearance, but there are also more plebeian housewares stores like Brooklinen, and an establishment where you can formulate your own perfume.

Saddle up!

Got kids in tow? Well, they’ll love Cowgirl for its Wild West decor. You’ll love it to for its Texas and Southwestern cuisine, which runs to chicken fried steaks, barbecued ribs, catfish salads, and cheese enchiladas. Don’t miss the black-eyed pea dip. 519 Hudson Street, at Tenth Street

Pastries and panini

No, you probably can’t get into nearby Via Carota or Buvette — though you should try to walk into either place — but you can usually snag a seat at the smaller related bar and coffee shop Bar Pisellino. In addition to cocktails and coffee, you’ll find delightful small sandwiches and Italian pastries, just what you needed to restart your shopping engines. 52 Grove Street, at Seventh Avenue South

Comfortable fare in a cozy setting

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all available at Fairfax, a quaint spot at the paradoxical corner of West Fourth and West Tenth streets. Comfort food is the order of the day, including a screwball hamburger that is constructed upside down, and some wonderful tater tots with Old Bay seasoning. 234 W. Fourth Street, at Tenth Street