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Over the years, I’ve had the chance to visit New York City a number of times thanks to my aunt and sister who live there. To be honest, I couldn’t imagine ever loving the city when I first visited as a child. Even though I had grown up in cities like Seoul and Hong Kong, I found New York City to be too chaotic! After spending a few weekends and finally a whole summer in the city, I fell in love. Although I enjoy trying new restaurants, I often times find myself returning to my favorite spots a little more often than I should be. So without further adieu, here are five of my favorite dining spots in downtown Manhattan. If you’re looking to spice up your Instagram, Buvette has to be your next stop. The staff is lovely and you’ll be seated at one of the following: the main tables, the bar, in the garden or at the large communal table in the back. The tables in the main dining room are small and the mini menu, plates and silverware compliment them perfectly. I like to start with a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice or a mimosa and their mini croissants with butter and jam. Buvette has plenty of excellent dishes, but my favorite is their waffle sandwich: a sunny side up, crispy bacon and shaved cheese tucked in between two halves of the fluffiest waffle. Not only is the presentation here gorgeous, but everything tastes so good! You cannot leave without the nutella crêpes drenched in butter because you’ll be more than satisfied when you’re done with them. Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to find good soba outside of Japan? If you’re ever in the city, you’re in luck because Cocoron is fantastic! Soba noodles are made out of buckwheat flour and thus you don’t have to feel guilty about eating them! At Cocoron you can choose from four categories: cold, warm, vegetable and dip. I’ve tried both the warm soba and the dip soba and much prefer the warm soba because I enjoy sipping on the broth at the end. My favorites are the Warm Kake Soba and the Warm Pork Kimchi Soba. They also offer plenty of appetizers you can choose and the mochi ice cream looks really good. If you go during meal hours and there’s a long line, don’t worry because soba doesn’t take too long to slurp down. Growing up in Los Angeles, I ate a lot of taquitos from Baja Fresh. I was really picky until the age of 20, but I could inhale taquitos like no other. I was ecstatic when my aunt brought me to a taquito joint on the Lower East Side called Taquitoria. At Taquitoria they have a simple menu and awesome prices like three taquitos for $6 and five for $9! Whether you’re in the neighborhood and are in need of a little sustenance or you’ve drank too many margaritas and need to sober up, Taquitoria is the place to go! Depending on where you live, you can get taquitos and awesome sauces deliver to your door. While, planning my 22nd birthday party, I called Taquitoria up to pre-order drunk food: two boxes of taquitos and an array of sauces. Let’s just say, they were gone within seconds. The people who work there are super cool and so no judgement if you take a silly (drunk) selfie of you and your taquito against the graffiti wall. Oh, and don’t forget to leave a dollar bill with something to remember you by so that they can add it to their growing wall of cash. Hashtag chronicstyle! I’m supposed to be writing about my favorite dining spots in Manhattan, but since Pies 'n' Thighs opened up a second location on The Lower East Side I’m allowed to include them on this list! I’ve never been to the south, but I love southern cuisine. Anyone who knows me knows I have a crazy obsession over biscuits and during brunch, nothing gets in between me and my fried chicken. Pies ’n’ Thighs offers an endless number of awesome combinations: Biscuits and Sausage Gravy, Smoked Pork Hash and Eggs and more. My favorite is the Fried Chicken Box; three pieces of fried chicken with a buttermilk biscuit and a choice of a side. I obviously chose mac ’n’ cheese with hot sauce. My friend and I had a very difficult time waiting for food as we gazed as the fresh baked pies and donuts sitting on the counter next to us. So the next time you’re craving a little comfort food, head over to Pies ’n’ Thighs for a mighty fine meal. Photo by Serious Eats Living in Hong Kong, I crave Chinese food when I’m abroad. Economic Chinese noodles and dumplings from China Town are satisfying, but if you’re ever craving something a little more unique then you should head to RedFarm for farm-to-table Chinese food with a modern twist. I’ve only ever been to Red Farm for dinner and love its’ soft lighting and dangling flower pots over the large, rustic, communal tables. As much as I admire the interior, I am an even bigger fan of their food. My favorite dishes include Spicy Crispy Beef, Pork and Crab Soup Dumplings and the Dungeness and Rock Crabmeat Long Life Noodles. RedFarm is quite popular so if you’re asked to wait, don’t worry because there are plenty of interesting bars around the corner and the food is definitely worth the wait! Downtown Manhattan alone offers such an array of good food from all over the world so you can imagine how difficult it was to narrow it down to five! Some of my other favorites include Jack’s Wife Freda and Barrio Chino. If you’re not too full, head on over Big Gay Ice Cream and order a Bea Arthur or an American Glob. Trust me, you won’t regret it. Rachel is a 22-year-old Smith College graduate who spent half her life in Asia and the other half in the States plus a year in Italy. She’s dabbled in luxury wedding planning, experiential marketing and event design, but is currently working for a wedding and party inspiration blog and in her free time writes restaurant reviews for @rkimeats. If you loved this, you won't want to miss Rachel's first post for Girl-ish!
Check it out: My Top 5 Dining in Venice Beach
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