Ian Elrick, Author at journiest

Ian Elrick

5 New Cuisines to Try Next Time You’re in NYC

Lucali

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Page Six (@pagesix)

Celebs: The spot where Jay-Z and Beyonce ate instead of attending the 2012 Grammy’s. A date night favorite for Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift.

Cuisine: Old school Italian, wood-fired pizzas, gobs of cheese. An intimate place with date night vibes and cozy ambience.

Emilio’s Ballato

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chef Danielle Sepsy (@chefdaniellesepsy)

Celebs: A girls night spot for Blake Lively, Brittany Mahomes, Taylor Swift, and more. A popular joint for Barack Obama and George Clooney. New York athletes and movie stars galore.

Cuisine: Universally loved Italian comfort food in a joint that’s been around since 1956. Italian-American fusion that everyone should partake in once in their lives — at least.

Banzarbar

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BANZARBAR (@banzarbar)

Celebs: Good enough for Taylor Swift’s birthday party and a star-studded guest list with names including Sabrina Carpenter, Gigi Hadid, Zoe Kravitz, and many more.

Cuisine: Eclectic cocktails circa the 19th century. Combining modernism and classics, you’ll never have a drink like these.

Ray’s

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ray’s (@raysbarnyc)

Celebs: A celebrity hotspot. Think Swift, the Hadids, Lana Del Rey, Dua Lipa, Zoe Kravitz, Dave Chappelle. Partly owned by Nicholas Braun and Justin Theroux.

Cuisine: A funky dive bar with bad cell service (which is kind of the point for celebs.)

MAMO

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by MAMO (@mamorestaurant)

Celebs: With a famous sister-restaurant in Paris, MAMO SoHo attracts stars like Rihanna, Samuel L. Jackson, Magic Johnson, and more.

Cuisine: More Italian food. Don’t blame me, the celebs love their Italian.

Central Park

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Central Park (@centralparknyc)

Celebs: All of them. Seriously, just hang out for a while and keep your eyes open. My friend saw Jason Bateman the other day while she was heading home from work.

Cuisine: The hot dog vendor. They’re not there for the food — they’re there to go for a run around the reservoir, take a walk or film something.

Torrisi

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Garrett Singer (@garrettsingerdesign)

Celebs: Where Barry Keoghan and Sabrina Carpenter had a steamy date night that confirmed they had not broken up.

Cuisine: You guessed it…Italian.

The Mercer Hotel

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by HOTEL (THE MERCER) (@mercerhotel)

Celebs: Deep inhale. Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Marc Jacobs, Kanye West, Hailey Bieber, Leonardo DiCaprio, Justin Timberlake, Zendaya, Doja Cat, Jay-Z…are you convinced yet, or should I keep going?

Cuisine: Not really for the food…more for the stay. But, The Mercer Hotel does have terrific cuisine considering it’s a top-notch, high-profile Manhattan hotel with some of the most high-profile clientele. Pro tip: go during NY Fashion Week.