5 New York City Eats That Went Viral On TikTok And Are Actually Worth The Hype

New York City is one of TikTok's favorite places. Over 16 million posts on the platform are tagged with #nyc, and a quick scroll through the feed shows a menagerie of street interviews, subway mishaps, and oversized pizza slices. Planning a trip to the city with TikTok has its pros and cons, which are especially relevant when it comes to eats. The app might be a good entry point, but carefully edited videos and pretty interiors may mask the overpriced reality of a tourist spot that's not worth the hype (all the more so in a place with so many options).

You might go to a TikTok-recommended place, only to find overly curated backdrops, crowds of people, and prices that are beyond gouged. In NYC, you can expect higher-than-average prices almost everywhere, but there are realistic limits ($10 or more for a bagel, for example, is over the top). Still, TikTok can put some gems on your radar. It can be "a great beginning place," as Netflix travel show host Jo Franco told Time. Still, she points out that "all things come with the caveat of doing your own research."

To get a more nuanced idea of whether a place is more than just dazzling on a phone camera, you need to consider reviews and experiences from beyond TikTok. We looked at some of the food spots in NYC that went TikTok viral and selected five that live up to the virality. There are tons of reviews available for NYC's food scene, thanks to bloggers, online review platforms, and magazines, which we used to assess each spot's quality.

Located in Midtown, Adel's Famous Halal Food is a humble food cart that's made it into several viral TikToks, but not always for the most flattering reasons. Local food guide @herebebarr made a post (now with over 23,000 likes) calling it "NYC's longest street food line." According to the video, people often wait over an hour to order. However, on the sole basis of its food offerings, most agree that there really is no other halal food cart on the same level as Adel's. Even @herebebarr, in the same post, concluded that it's his favorite halal cart in the city.

Reviews from customers match the hype. The food cart has 4.7 stars on Tripadvisor and 4.3 stars on Google Reviews. As for what exactly makes it so good, the constant lines might actually contribute to the cart's food quality. "The wait sucks, but the demand also helps keep everything fresh with so much turnover," one Reddit user (with the apt username thehalalguysguy) surmised. The user also pointed out, "They do their meat and rice with a ton of flavor, and the red sauce is perfect."

Adel's Famous Halal Food is located at 6th Avenue and 49th Street, right near Rockefeller Center, where you can also find the heart-pounding revolving Skylift. The cart is open every day after 6 p.m., so it could make for a good dinner option if you're walking around the area. Many might be put off by the long wait, which makes sense, but those who have the time should consider giving it a try at least once.

In a TikTok that now has over 1 million views, user @mandyeatsny_ highlighted Levain Bakery as having "the best chocolate chip cookie in NYC." Levain is known for its large, gooey cookies, which — as the bakery explains — were created by accident when crafting a high-density cookie to fuel triathlon training in 1995. Since then, Levain has earned citywide renown that long precedes TikTok. In 2012, for example, the West Side Rag named it one of the Upper West Side's "essential eats" and cited praise from a New York Times article, too.

Needless to say, the reputation of Levain Bakery's cookies transcends virality, as it currently enjoys a rating of 4.7 stars on Google Reviews. At the time of this writing, the treats cost around $5 to $6 each, and they come in several flavors. If you want to stick to chocolate chip, there are even some variations on the classic, including chocolate chip walnut and caramel coconut chocolate chip.

The bakery has a few locations around the city, though its original storefront is in the Upper West Side, on 74th Street. Levain has been known to have lines, but I Love the Upper West Side notes that the place's popularity has been somewhat surpassed in recent times by Crumbl. Given that, Levain can be less busy on weekdays. While people often just stop in to try a cookie, the bakery offers a well-rounded selection of baguettes, ciabatta loaves, scones, and other bites.

A TikTok video with over 75,000 likes and 700,000 views spotlights an Australian restaurant called Little Ruby's in the West Village, one of its multiple locations in the city. In the video, city traveler @savedyouaplace said Little Ruby's is "the perfect dinner spot, and it's actually affordable." As it turns out, many people echo this praise. The West Village restaurant has 4.8 stars on Tripadvisor and 4.4 stars on Google. Plus, New York Magazine awarded the SoHo location a "solid" score. In a Reddit thread discussing whether Little Ruby's is truly worth it, the top-voted comment says, "It's consistent and there's something on the menu that everyone will like."

Little Ruby's has daytime (brunch) and dinner menus. A scan through online reviews shows many people specifically hyping up the brunch. Some highlights on the daytime menu include ricotta hotcakes and a grains bowl made with freekeh and farro. The viral TikTok from @savedyouaplace favors the dinner menu, particularly the steak frites and chicken schnitzel. As for the affordability factor, most dishes are $20 or less, at the time of this writing (meat-based options cost more).

One complaint that Little Ruby's sometimes gets is that the space is quite cramped and can get busy. Given the spot's online buzz, that may come as no surprise. However, you might feel a little less overcrowded and avoid waits if you come in on a Sunday night or for a weekday brunch, which can be less busy.

The appeal of S&P Lunch is a bit different from other viral places. It's far from having pink-hued backdrops or nooks seemingly curated for photoshoots. Instead, it's a humble lunch counter with traditional Jewish deli options. In one TikTok video, which now has over 25,000 likes, @kaitlyneats says that inside S&P, "You definitely feel like you've been transported back in time." This user goes on to praise the luncheonette's pastrami sandwich as "the best I have ever had."

Outside of TikTok, S&P Lunch has solidified its reputation with industry recognition. A 2022 New York Times piece named it one of the "top inexpensive New York restaurants." It also has 4.5 stars on Tripadvisor and 4.6 stars on Google. The menu leans into a standard roster of American diner staples with a kosher through line — potato latkes, pastrami on rye, and lox are a given — and the portion sizes don't skimp. There's even an option to "make it a BIGGER one" for the pastrami sandwich, if you really want a hearty stack of deli meat.

While the luncheonette has gotten some buzz in recent years, its roots go back much further. It started in 1929 as Eisenberg's. When Eisenberg's faced shuttering in 2021, it was bought by Court Street Grocers and rebranded as S&P Lunch. The sandwich recipes and space have largely remained the same, though. You'll find the charming New York City diner with vintage vibes on 5th Avenue, right across from the Flatiron Building.

Like S&P Lunch, Joe's Pizza is classic New York City and long pre-dates online trends. However, it has adapted to the modern age with flying colors, capturing renewed attention in a flurry of viral TikToks. One video from @unoandindy, for example, shows a dog holding a slice of the place's pizza in its mouth. Another post features TikTok user @itss.juanita trying the pizza after identifying it from the "Spider-Man" franchise. It's true — Joe's Pizza made a cameo in 2004's "Spider-Man 2," when Peter Parker had to deliver pizza from the shop.

Before TikTok and "Spider-Man 2," Joe's Pizza was already a city staple. The place began in 1976 as a single shop by an Italian immigrant in Greenwich Village, one of New York's liveliest neighborhoods, now recognized as a foodie paradise. The pizza parlor only became more successful as the years passed. Eventually, it expanded to have five locations around NYC, plus a couple of spots outside of New York. Joe's has also made it on GQ Magazine's list of the 25 best pizzas across the country, and New York Magazine gave the place a score of 89 out of 100.

Part of what makes Joe's Pizza so enduring is the value. At the time of this writing, you can get a plain cheese slice for $4.50, and the slices are large, spilling over the edge of the paper plates they're served on. Joe's locations get busy, and there might be a line when you arrive. However, one Google reviewer writes, "The staff are no nonsense and quick to get you your slices and pies."

Social media virality might hinge on eye-catching backdrops or influencer fame, but we sought out popular NYC places with real-world credibility. To start, we scanned for food spots that often appear in high-engagement TikTok videos. From there, we evaluated each location based on feedback and accolades outside of the app. We focused only on places with 4-star or higher ratings on Google Reviews and Tripadvisor, and we limited our search to those within New York City limits. Then, we researched options with endorsements from independent food bloggers and established publications, such as New York Magazine and The New York Times. The candidates that received the most consistent praise across reviews, blogs, and publications made it onto our list.