The Best Hidden Hole-In-The-Wall Restaurants Across New York City

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It's safe to say that you'll find hidden gem restaurants in just about every neighborhood of New York City, many of which you'll only ever discover by accident or word-of-mouth. But these hole-in-the-wall places are often the most beloved by locals, many offering authentic tastes of cuisines you might not have tried before, and plenty of which are cooking up meals to comfort and satisfy even the pickiest of New Yorkers.

While some New Yorkers might prefer to keep their favorite hole-in-the-wall spots quiet, we're not gatekeeping here. In a city with roughly 23,650 restaurants, NYC is widely considered one of the best food cities in the world, and eating your way across the city is one of the highlights of living here. We combed through local publications, both in-print and online, endless reviews, and took recommendations from friends and neighbors across Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens to put together a list of some of the tastiest hole-in-the-wall restaurants across New York City right now. Some have been around for decades, managing to fly just below the radar, while others have just arrived on the scene and are becoming fast favorites on the dining scene. These are the 11 hole-in-the-wall restaurants to add to your NYC dining plans, whether you're a local in search of something new to try or just visiting and want the lowdown on an unforgettable meal.

Several of the restaurants on this list are located below street level, making the chances of accidentally stumbling across them a lot smaller. But there's something about heading underground to a tucked-away restaurant or bar that instantly makes the experience all the more thrilling. Bangia, located on East 32nd Street in Koreatown (the micro neighborhood just south of Harold Square), keeps the excitement going once you reach the lower-level restaurant and bar.

Serving up authentic Korean comfort and street food, along with imported Korean spirits like Soju and Makgeolli, as well as creative and playful cocktails, the vibe at this hidden gem is a lively as you'd find walking through late-night food stalls at street level. Last call is at 11 PM, Sunday through Thursday, but on Fridays and Saturdays, you have until 2:30 AM to order (and 3:30 AM before you actually have to leave).

There are no wrong choices on Bangia's menu, but the most popular dish is the Budae Jeongol, prepared tableside on a small grill, and described as a Korean army stew made with spam, sausage, bacon, kimchi, bean sprouts, tofu, cheese, and ramen noodles cooked in a homemade gochujang and vegetable broth. Go with friends so you can try as many things on the surprisingly large menu as possible, which has a feast of options including savory pancakes, stir-fry, grilled and fried entrees, impressive soups and stews, rice plates, and platters.

bangianyc.com
(212) 679-6790
11 E 32nd St, New York, NY 10016

Situated under the 7 train in Queens, on a lively stretch of Roosevelt Avenue where the predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods of Jackson Heights, Corona, and Elmhurst meet, you'll find what many New Yorkers consider to be the best tacos in all of NYC. Taco Veloz might not be as trendy or flashy as many of the other taco spots in the city — it doesn't even have an official website or listed phone number, much less a social media account of its own. But with authentic tacos this good, people will keep coming anyway.

The original location at 86-10 Roosevelt Avenue is essentially a brick-and-mortar food truck, serving customers through a walk-up window, with the inside of the tiny restaurant serving as kitchen space. The handwritten menu includes 13 different kinds of tacos, as well as nachos, burritos, tortas, cemitas, sopes, tostadas, and quesadillas. 

Let your heart (and stomach) be your guide when it comes to ordering, but make sure to bring cash, and be prepared to stand while enjoying your tacos, or order them to go. A dozen blocks further, at 96-06 Roosevelt Ave., is a newer (but still small) Taco Veloz location that serves the same menu, but has a very modest amount of indoor seating. It's very welcome when the weather's too harsh.

Taco Veloz on Yelp
86-10 Roosevelt Ave, Jackson Heights, NY 11372
96-06 Roosevelt Ave, Corona, NY 11368

Over in the East Village, you'll find another hidden gem below street level, which has flown just under the radar while also somehow standing the test of time for over 30 years — Sake Bar Decibel. One part Sake speakeasy, one part dingy punk hideaway, and one part izakaya with an impressively underrated food menu, Decibel is everything a downtown hole-in-the-wall should be, for those who are lucky enough to actually find it. Walk east across 9th Street, keeping your eyes peeled for the small red radio station-style "On Air" sign that marks the small staircase leading to the underground restaurant and bar.

Opened in 1993, Decibel claims the title of New York City's first sake bar, which it still specializes in today with a substantial library of sake bottles and a smaller rotating list of weekly sake offerings. But if you come for the drinks, stay for the food. Almost all of the dishes are served in small plate format, giving you the opportunity to order several options to taste and share, regardless of how large your party is. Don't miss the Okonomiyaki and the Aburi Chashu, and if you've got the space, try the Takowasa and Una Don while you're at it.

https://www.sakebardecibel.com/
(212) 979-2733
240 E. 9th Street, New York, NY 10003

After leaving Decibel, keep heading east past Tompkins Square Park and down Avenue C til you reach Casa Adela. There you'll find homestyle Puerto Rican foods, which the restaurant has served for more than 50 years. Highly recommended dishes include carne guisada, arroz con gandules, and mofongo — a popular Puerto Rican dish made with deep-fried green plantains, mashed with garlic, roast pork, and cracklings. It's also available prepared with shrimp or chicken, and served with a side of pernil (slow-roasted pork).

The make-up of the neighborhood is ever-changing. Still, Casa Adela's long-standing tenure in this area of the East Village, skirting the Lower East Side, harkens back to when the neighborhood had a large Puerto Rican residential population after World War II. Since then, Puerto Ricans have settled across all five of the boroughs, but a few traditional places like Casa Adela remain as a reminder of Puerto Rican history in NYC.

casa-adela.foodjoyy.com
(212) 473-1882
66 Loisaida Ave, New York, NY 10009

Pasteur Grill & Noodles opened in Manhattan's Chinatown on Baxter Street in 1987, and it remains the oldest Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown to this day. After immigrating from Vietnam in 1980, Dennis Chung, along with his wife Lily Lien Chung, purchased the restaurant in 1995, and have been cooking rich, flavorful, and authentic Vietnamese dishes ever since. The menu includes a selection of rolls and dumplings to start, vermicelli, pho and noodle soups, banh mi sandwiches, and a variety of beautifully prepared protein and vegetable entrees from the grill. You won't want to miss out on the small selection of Vietnamese-inspired desserts either.

Some of the most popular dishes include the bún bò huế, a noodle soup made with braised beef, cha lua, pork trotter, vermicelli, shrimp paste, lemongrass beef broth, and the bún riêu, a crab and shrimp noodle soup that also has minced pork, tomatoes, fried tofu, vermicelli, fried shallots, and chicken broth in it. It'll take more than one visit to enjoy everything this off-the-beaten-path restaurant has to offer, so plan accordingly.

pasteurgrill.com
(212) 608-3656
85 Baxter Street, New York, NY, 10013

When it comes to hole-in-the-wall restaurants, many New Yorkers would prefer to gatekeep their favorites, to ensure that there's always a seat available when they're ready for a bite to eat. But once the secret's out, it tends to spread like wildfire. Le French Diner is just one such example — a truly tiny restaurant (270 square feet to be exact) which has maybe 20 seats (mostly at the counter of the open kitchen), no website, and takes no reservations.

The restaurant opened on the Lower East Side in 2014 without much fanfare... before word got out. But by 2021, word-of-mouth had lines forming in front of the restaurant and a waitlist that filled up before the first diners of the evening had even finished their meals. 

The wine and beer selection is written in chalk on the side of the hood in the kitchen, and the short but mighty menu is proportional to the size of the space. Impeccable escargots, grilled octopus, hanger steak, steak tartare, Socca de Nice, and seared duck breast are mainstays on the menu. But, don't be afraid to branch out and try any rotating dishes or specials. Come with a small party, and make sure to arrive as early as possible to add your name to the list for your best chance at actually getting a seat.

instagram.com/lefrenchdiner
(212) 777-1366
188 Orchard St, New York, New York 10002

In a city as diverse as New York, where you can find cuisines from every corner of the globe, it's entirely possible to find a meal that tastes like home — no matter where you're from. For the Southerners among us who have bravely ventured into Yankee territory, Peaches Hothouse in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, is a great place to start. 

The small menu offers a quick and satisfying taste of the South, with dishes like fried chicken, shrimp, or catfish, each of which is offered solo or in sandwich format, in regular, hot, or extra hot preparations. Small plates and sides include fried green tomatoes, collard greens, stone-ground grits, and red and white slaw.

Open for both lunch and dinner, the smaller dining room has a few tables inside and outside, and several more seats available at the bar. Peaches Hothouse is one of four Peaches restaurants in Brooklyn, which also includes Peaches Lewis, Peaches Grand, and Peaches Prime. All of the restaurants are deeply inspired by Southern cuisine, but with different menu presentations and service styles.

bcrestaurantgroup.com/location/peaches-hot-house-bed-stuy
(718) 483-9111
415 Tompkins Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11216

Relatively new to town, 1915 Lanzhou Hand Pulled Noodles opened on Mott Street, just off Canal, in February of 2024. While you'll need to walk down a few stairs to the below-street-level restaurant in Chinatown, it's easy enough to find with its large windows, well-lit dining room, and large white and blue signage exclaiming "HAND-PULLED NOODLES & DUMPLINGS" in both English and Chinese, to reassure you that you've made it to the right place.

Once inside, you're treated to a front row seat to watch the hand-pulled noodles take shape in a variety of sizes. The seven noodle options include thin, regular, thick, thicker, wide, extra wide, and prism, and each is available in your choice of noodle soups or dry mix noodle dishes. The noodles alone are with the visit, but get so entranced by the springy, fresh noodles that you miss the richness of the beef broth they're soaking in. Simmered anywhere from six to eight hours to achieve the perfect richness, the broth is the unsung hero of 1915's noodle soups.

Beyond noodles, the menu also includes a selection of appetizers and cold dishes, non-Western "hamburgers," and handmade dumplings to round out your meal. There is also a second 1915 Lanzhou Hand Pulled Noodles location up on East 26th Street in the Kips Bay area.

https://www.1915lanzhounoodles.com/
(646) 858-0050
76 Mott Street, New York, NY, 10013
(917) 828-7384
207 E. 26th Street, New York, NY, 10010

However fantastic you might think Mombar looks from the outside, the inside of this small Egyptian restaurant is even more curious. Practically overflowing with Egyptian artwork, tapestries, collectibles, and keepsakes, both the eclectic facade and cozy interior were designed by Moustafa El Sayed, who is also the restaurant's chef and owner. 

Take the N or W train to Astoria in Queens, hop off at the Astoria Boulevard station, and walk east til you reach Steinway Street. While Astoria is commonly known for its Greek and Cypriot populations, the small stretch of Steinway from Astoria Boulevard to 28th Avenue and south is what many refer to as Astoria's Little Egypt — home to many Egyptians, Moroccans, and Middle Eastern residents. Even among the enclave's many restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops, and grocery stores, Mombar isn't hard to find.

With an emphasis on clay pot cooking, the menu includes the restaurant's namesake dish: Mom-Bar, which is described as a dish of sausages, hand-stuffed with rice, beef, lamb, herbs, and spices, sauteed with garlic, chick peas, and tomato. Main course options primarily include dishes made with lamb, chicken, rabbit, shrimp, and vegetables. If you're not quite sure what to order, you also have the option of ordering a tasting menu for the incredibly reasonable price of $30 per person. Don't skip the couscous, which arrives in the shape of a delicate pyramid. B.Y.O.B. is encouraged for those who want to enjoy beer or wine with their meal.

https://mombar.bartgrocerybbq.com/
(718) 726-2356
25-22 Steinway Street, Astoria, NY 11103

The Flatbush area of Brooklyn is steeped in Caribbean culture, with plenty of restaurants and shops offering a taste of the islands. Take the B or Q to the Prospect Park station to get to De Hot Pot, a predominantly Trinidadian walk-up quick-service restaurant. There isn't any seating, but most of the options are handheld and easy to enjoy on the go.

The Doubles, a popular Trinidadian street food made with two soft, fried, hand-sized flatbreads called "baras" which are topped with curried chickpeas and a variety of sauces made with peppers, mangoes, and tamarind, is one of the most popular options. If you're especially hungry, you can add a protein to your doubles for a few extra dollars. There's also a handful of roti options, which include chicken, goat, oxtail, beef, shrimp, potato & channa, and veggie fillings. Make sure to bring cash, or hit up the ATM in the doorway. With food in hand, take a walk down Flatbush Avenue for a taste of what the rest of the neighborhood has to offer, or head over to Prospect Park for a Caribbean-style picnic in the park.

de-hot-pot.foodjoyy.com
(347) 240-1180
1127 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225

There's something about the clean linen white walls, classic penny floor tiles, pressed white tablecloths adorning the small two-top tables, and slightly mismatched wooden chairs in the equally intimate space that makes Cafe Kestrel feel like you've stumbled into a 1990s Meg Ryan rom-com. Cozy and romantic, the dining room has only a handful of tables inside, with a few extra seats at the marble-top bar, and an even smaller two-seat cafe table out front. Located in the already out-of-the-way neighborhood of Red Hook in Brooklyn, Cafe Kestrel serves an unfussy pan-European menu that's easy to love.

The menu reads like an eclectic dinner party at a friend's house: Hors d'Oeuvres that include Fried Halloumi, Humboldt Fog cheese with Rose Jam, and Chilled Shrimp with Relish and Mayonnaise. Appetizers offer up more vegetable options, while the fish-heavy entree section keeps things mostly light. Save room for dessert, or make a reservation just to try the Schwedenbecher Sundae—a playful East German ice cream sundae made with vanilla ice cream, apple sauce, and whipped cream, that you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else in the city.

https://www.kesnewyork.com/
293 Van Brunt St., Brooklyn, 11231

Hober Malloy/Shutterstock

There are plenty of listicles that sing the praises of the most famous restaurants in NYC. Notable chefs and iconic restaurants are part of the fabric of the city and are absolutely worth the trip and experience. But those aren't the restaurants we wanted to include on this list. To make the cut for this particular list, we looked for restaurants that are neighborhood-famous (not world-famous) and cater primarily to a local audience. True to the hole-in-the-wall theme, the restaurants needed to be small, with limited seating—around 20 seats or less. And while there are plenty of famous restaurants in NYC that also have limited seating, these restaurants needed to be ones that anyone and everyone can actually get into at some point, with or without a reservation.

From there, we dove into different cuisines, popular and "upcoming" dining neighborhoods, and dug through recommendations from friends and locals across the city. While this is undoubtedly a small sample of the best hole-in-the-wall restaurants in NYC, the final list reflects our suggestions that have something to offer for everyone, from native New Yorkers who want to try something new to first-time visitors looking for a little direction in a city with an overwhelming amount of dining options.