New Restaurants Near NYU

As an NYU student, you tend to get tired of eating the same things over and over again, especially when you're under a time crunch and need to stay on campus for a late night class or event. Over the summer and at the beginning of the Fall 2018 semester, quite a few new food hot spots opened up near school! As someone who has tried all of these, I'm here to give my opinion on these restaurants and what to look out for when visiting each one.

1. Pho Bar

Price: $$

Wait Time: 20 - 30 min

Pho Bar is a new pho noodle soup shop rumored to be opened by the owners of the popular Saigon Shack a few blocks away on McDougal St. Their spicy pho is the best cure for the upcoming cold weather!I recommend coming exactly when they open so that you can enjoy their delicious pho while beating out the lunch crowd. The only bad part of my experience was having to share a four person table (I was with my friend) with a complete stranger. Overall, I would rate this place 4.5/5 stars!

2. Peppercorn Kitchen

Price: $

Wait Time: 10 - 15 min

Peppercorn Kitchen is a Sichuan restaurant specializing in ma la tang (麻辣烫), a savory, spicy soup filled with glass noodles, vegetables, and meat. The base soup here comes with just vegetables but Peppercorn Kitchen gives you meat choices like beef, lamb, and spam for an additional cost (usually less than $2). I would recommend getting the mild if you cannot handle spice. I made the mistake of ordering a spicy during my first visit and ended up having to skim off some of the Sichuan peppercorn infused oil to be able to handle eating it. I would rate this place 4/5 stars.

3. GRK

Price: $

Wait Time: 15 - 20 min

GRK is a new gyro chain on campus. Located just a few blocks away on 8th Street, they serve delicious grilled meats either wrapped in pita bread or on a plate with sides. The beef and lamb combination is my favorite, as it is extremely flavorful and juicy. However, if you are in a hurry, I would not expect to stop by just for a quick meal. After ordering, I had to wait quite awhile for my food. I noticed that even people who had ordered for pickup ahead of time on applications such as MealPal were waiting around. Overall, I would rate this place 3.5/5 stars.

4. Lao Ma Spicy

Price: $$

Wait Time: 20 - 30 min

Similar to Peppercorn Kitchen, Lao Ma Spicy also specializes in Sichuan regional cuisine. While this place offers ma la tang as well, they are more well known for their "dry" hotpot, which is more similar to a stir fry. They allow you to pick and choose exactly what will go into your hotpot, with a huge variety of meat, seafood, and vegetables that get tossed with a spicy, aromatic mix of herbs and spices. I would be careful in adding too much, as it is easy to get excited and want to try a little bit of everything. Since they charge by the pound, adding too many things can make your hotpot pricier. Overall, I would rate this place 4/5 stars.