Arlo x Mona Creative recommends restaurants that will keep you warm and some to keep you healthy (ish) in 2019.
1. Kiki’s
130 Division St, Manhattan. 646.882.7052
This somewhat hidden treasure in the Lower East Side serves a rather large array of simple, straightforward and affordable Greek food. Kiki’s is very much a neighborhood restaurant with a rustic appeal, brisk service and a local, downtown crowd. All three owners are Greek which explains why the food feels like it’s been cooked by your Yia Yia – from the bright tzaziki to the gigante beans in red sauce to the generous portion of moussaka.
2. Cafe Mogador
101 Saint Marks Pl # 1, Manhattan. 212.677.2226
A diamond in the NYC restaurant scene, the vibrant and chic Cafe Mogador has been open for 35 years and serves flavorful, unfussy and reliable Moroccan food all day long. The crowd is always beautiful and the atmosphere is bustling and feels like you are in a Parisian Cafe. We particularly love the tagines – they are some of the best we’ve had full of flavor and depth and the roti which is warm and buttery.
3. Metta
197 Adelphi Street, Brooklyn. 718.233.9134
A cozy neighborhood restaurant in Fort Greene, Metta is a respite from the cold in more ways than one with its rustic interior, open fire kitchen and elemental cooking from Argentinian chef Norberto Piattoni. Grab a seat at the chef’s counter for a front row seat to the live fire cooking action.
4. Miss Ada
184 Dekalb Ave, Brooklyn. 917.909.1023
We love the Israeli-Mediterranean menu at Miss Ada, another new addition to the Brooklyn restaurant scene that’s become popular with both neighborhood and destination diners alike. The restaurant recently covered and heated its outdoor backyard, so diners can now get outdoor dining vibes without the cold temperatures.
5. Lam Zhou
40 Bowery St, Manhattan. 646.683.0939
This is our favorite dumpling and noodle soup spot in Chinatown for a quick bite. The dumplings are always fresh (get the pork dumplings, they are 8 for $4) and the soup is piping hot (we love the beef brisket noodle soup and it’s only $7). The service is quick and rushed and its cash only – there is nothing more New York than Lam Zhou.
6. Shuka
38 Macdougal Street, Manhattan. 212.475.7500
Middle Eastern/Mediterranean food seems to be having a moment in NYC, and Shuka is one of our new favorite go-tos for this cuisine. The menu is filled with delicious and approachable dishes offering all the flavor, without the guilt. We love starting off with any of the dips and mezzes, and for an entree the Lamb Tagine entree is a new favorite.
7. Ferris
44 W 29th Street, Manhattan. 212.213.4420
A buzzy new restaurant located below the new Made Hotel, Ferris is a hot table to grab in 2018. We recommend going with a small group and sharing the côte de boeuf with all the “fixings,” including whipped buttermilk and shaved brussels sprout salad. We know it’s a more indulgent dish to start off the new year, but after weeks of keeping your resolutions, you won’t regret this cheat day meal.
8. Olmsted
659 Vanderbilt Ave, Brooklyn. 718.552.2610
If you’re going to be outside at all this month, Olmsted is the backyard you’ll want to hang out in, the only place where you can drink hot chocolate while snuggling under Pendleton blankets and heat lamps. Start inside with warming dishes like the bouillabaisse hot pot in the dining room, and then move to the heated backyard garden to roast your own s’mores for dessert.
