Happy Friday from the Cocus team!
We hope you’ve had a good week and that this weekend will be filled with good company and good food (and at least some April Foolery).
We are in the midst of a schedule (and seasonal!) shift here at Cocus, so rather than a new issue, we asked our writers and artists for their go-to NYC restaurants, bars, grocers, cafés, and farmers' markets. We hope you give some of these spots a whirl or add them to your Mapstr. Leave us a comment below with your favorite spots as well!
Cheers,
Cocus
💐Best of NYC— Spring 2023💐
🍽RESTAURANTS 🍽
Haile – LES (182 Avenue B #1)
Recommended by Dani
Folks are sleeping on Ethiopian eats! This restaurant is run by two sisters offering traditional dishes. The music and atmosphere are unmatched
Danji – Hell’s Kitchen (346 W 56th St)
Recommended by Emily
Buzzy spot focusing on sustainable, elevated Korean dishes.
King – SoHo (18 King St.)
Recommended by Eve
Relaxed, intimate, simple, yet elegant – carefully curated menu items bringing eaters French and Italian with a stellar wine list to boot.
Evelina – Fort Greene (211 DeKalb Ave.)
Recommended by Rena
Mediterranean-Italian restaurant serving pastas, small plates, wood-fired pizzas, and cocktails.
Chopped Parsley – West Harlem (500 W 146th St.)
Recommended by Lauren
Eatery serving up sushi, noodle soups, smoothies, and other Japanese comfort foods.
Saigon Shack – West Village (114 MacDougal St.)
Recommended by Anja
Small Vietnamese spot nestled on MacDougal St. in Greenwich Village. Get the vegetarian banh mi!!!
French Roast – UWS ( 2340 Broadway)
Recommended by Anna
Relaxed French spot with wonderful servers and a classic menu. Find a corner spot and muse with a pal for hours unbothered.
🍻BARS 🍻
Patent Pending – Chelsea (49 W 27th St.)
Recommended by Lauren
Bordering on speakeasy, this cocktail bar is somehow electricity-themed (!) and doubles as a cafe during the day.
Big Bar – East Village (75 E 7th St.)
Recommended by Anja
A relatively cheap yet hopping spot in an otherwise expensive bar neighborhood.
Gran Torino – Williamsburg (131 Berry St.)
Recommended by Anja
Come for the ambiance, stay for the delicious drinks. This airy spot features picnic and pool tables.
Skin Contact – LES (76 Orchard St.)
Recommended by Eve
Moody, small-scale natural wine bar. The pinnacle of the LES’s Wine Bar destination status
Gold Star Beer Counter – Prospect Heights (176 Underhill Ave)
Recommended by Anna
With sixteen rotating drafts, a wonderful record selection, a patio, and warm lighting galore, this has to be one of the coziest spots to enjoy a beer in NYC
🌱FARMERS MARKET🌱
Columbia Thursday Greenmarket – Broadway & W 114th St.
Recommended by Lauren
Another year-round farmers market in Manhattan, located on Columbia’s campus, every Thursday from 8 am-4 pm.
Union Square Greenmarket – Union Square
Recommended by Rena and Anja
A classic – read Anja’s piece on this pivotal NYC landmark here. Stop by M/W/F/Sa from 8 am-6 pm.
Fort Greene Park Greenmarket – Washington Park & DeKalb Ave., 11201
Recommended by Anna
Yet another year-round green market, located in Brooklyn’s beautiful Fort Greene park. Every Saturday from 8 am-3 pm.
🤤SNACKS🤤
FFUPS – Fun flavored puffs that are open about the fact that they aren’t good for you!! They just taste pretty darn good!!
Recommended by Anna
Señor Mango – Coated dried mango pieces sourced by Sinaloa, Mexico. So good
Recommended by Anja
Bada Bean Bada Boom – Crunchy roasted broad beans – great on avocado toast.
Recommended by Anja
Toto Cookies – Soft-baked gluten-free and vegan chocolate chip cookies that are actually big enough to satisfy a cookie craving.
Recommended by Anja
Raw Rev Bars – My latest find – delicious vegan protein bars made with whole ingredients. The chocolate chip cookie dough is my favorite.
Recommended by Anja (Can you tell she’s very into snacks?)
🛒GROCERS 🛒
Pop Up Grocer – Greenwich Village (205 Bleecker St)
Recommended by Anja
Carefully curated, “better-for-you” food and beverage CPG brands. Their flagship location is posted up right off of Sixth Ave. – great to go wander around.
Columbus Natural Food – UWS (725 Columbus Ave. #1)
Recommended by Anna
To kickstart your day, stop by the juice bar and browse the aisles. Prices are incredibly reasonable, and the juices are as wholesome as can be.
East Village Organic – East Village (124 1st Ave. New York, NY 10009)
Recommended by Anja
A neighborhood classic great selection of natural and organic products accompanied by a great juice bar.
Punjabi Junction – UES (1665 1st Ave.)
Recommended by Anna
A cult-favorite Indian grocer. Phenomenal quick bites and all of your favorite Indian snacks.
Amish Market– Hell’s Kitchen (731 9th Ave.)
Recommended by Lauren
This spot offers the freshest fruits, vegetables, meat, cheese, and prepared meals at amazing prices.
☕️COFFEE SHOPS and BAKERIES☕️
Patisserie Fouet – Union Square (15 E 13th St.)
Recommended by Emily
Woman-owned, gorgeously delicate French-Japanese cakes, and pastries, in a sleek cafe.
Prince Coffee House – Bronx (2306 Arthur Ave.)
Recommended by Anna
Stop in at this ultra-modern coffee shop to work or catch up after a day of cured meats and gelato for the full Little Italy experience.
The Chipped Cup – Harlem (3610 Broadway)
Recommended by Lauren
Equipped with a garden patio and loads of happy hippie vibes, this spot describes itself as “a touch of grandma’s attic, wabi-sabi, and political sass.” Sold.
Nook – Bushwick (45 Irving Ave Unit 1)
Recommended by Dani
Quirky coffee shop that doubles as a bar. Eclectic events from comedy to “co-working hour” every week.
Hungry Betty – UWS (2416 Broadway)
Recommended by Anna
The only cafe in town where a table is usually open, featuring quiet jazz, epic salads, outlets, wifi, and a damn good espresso.
🍯SWEETS🍯
Morgenstern’s Ice Cream — Greenwich Village (88 W Houston St.)
Recommended by Lauren
Contemporary ice cream parlor serving small batch ice cream and 50s-style smash burgers. Order up!
MangoMango Artisan Lab – East Village (23 St. Mark’s Place)
Recommended by Rena
Mango treats and handmade ceramics-- what’s not to love?
Emack and Bolio’s – UES (four spots in NYC, but this location brings the party)
Recommended by Anna
A classic ice cream shop that keeps prices not insanely high. Good, simple vibes, as ice cream should be.
Patisserie Claude – West Village (187 West 4th Street)
Recommended by Anna
Don’t let the lack of fanfare fool you-- this bakery is the real deal. At 40 years old, the authentic french bakery keeps people (me) coming back.
Chip City – Numerous locations
Recommended by Anja
Fun cookie shop – great chocolate chip cookie! Also hyped up by Emma Chamberlain last summer… so the lines may be a tad long.
That’s all for this week! See you on the ‘gram, substack, or the World Wide Web!
Remember to drop your recs for NYC, snacks, and beyond. We love this stuff and we love you, too.
xxx,
Cocus