The Bangers & Jams City Guides
A bi-coastal dining deep dive
It’s been about six months since I made major updates to the Bangers & Jams City Guides, so we’re due for an overhaul.
For years, before my friends would go on trips, I’d send them a Google Doc link. Here’s where to eat, here’s what to avoid, here’s how to spend a perfect afternoon, that kind of thing. I’ve moved those Google Docs here for Bangers & Jams subscribers. Each city guide leans food centric, but expands into shopping and culture and things to do.
The top fives bangers and jams for each city are listed first, in order, for everyone. Paid subscribers can click through to get the full list of recommendations.
Enjoy <3.
New York
Top five bangers
Penny: Had three meals here in a month recently, each one better than the last. A bangers-only menu of the highest quality seafood you can find. A surprisingly warm room with lovely service. Go, and order both desserts.
Le Veau d’Or: The duck and cherries is maybe the best entree in New York. If I redid these top 25 restaurant rankings right now — based on food, vibes, repeatability and vision — there’s no way it’s not No. 1. Are Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson the top restauranteurs in the city?
Bridges: The hot restaurant of the moment that lives up to the demand. My best comp is that it feels like when Estela first opened in 2013. Original yet simple dishes, with just enough of a twist to wow. I think they’re still just ramping up to how good they’ll get. Plus, big comfortable tables and booths.
Donald Judd’s house at 101 Spring Street: Went deeper on it here.
The Chelsea: There’s no better hotel around. Look at this gym.
Top five jams
Sky Ting for the best yoga studio.
Metrograph for the best movie theater.
The Odeon, always.
Lunch, dinner or a bite at Borgo, Frenchette, Superiority Burger, S&P Lunch, Al Badawi, Via Carota, Lilia, Hart’s, Cosme, Four Horsemen, Chez Ma Tante, Place de Fetes, King, Raf’s, Café Carmellini and Peter Luger.
I love starting or ending a night at Altro Paradiso.
Los Angeles
Top five bangers
Mariscos Jalisco: The shrimp taco here is my favorite bite of food in the world. And if you want to sit down for more of a taco splurge, head to Evil Cooks.
Baby Bistro: The most exciting new LA restaurant opening in years.
Petitgrain Boulangerie: The best bakery in LA. Hands down. I’m relieved it’s all the way in Santa Monica so I can’t line up here all the time.
Anajak Thai, Bavel, Pasjoli, Kato, Baroo and Etra for dinner. The a la carte bar at Kato, in particular, is a gem.
Top five jams
Horses: Having a particularly good salads and dessert moment right now.
Komal: The best tamal I’ve ever had.
Stir Crazy and Sam’s Place: Easy, casual and delicious. Spots that couldn’t exist in New York in the same way.
Bell’s: My most beloved restaurant in California? I think so. Have never not had a memorable night here. Greg and Daisy Ryan have built something wildly special in Los Alamos. No restaurant treats their diners with more love and care. Worth the trip from LA just to eat here and spend a night at the Alamo Motel.
Drinks and fries at Sunset Tower.
Austin
Top five bangers
Birdie’s or Olamaie for a nice dinner. If you only have time for one, go to Birdie’s for simple cooking done flawlessly.
Ellsworth Kelly’s Austin at the Blanton: Detailed nicely here. Go in the early afternoon.
Town Lake: (Don’t call it Lady Bird Lake). My favorite running route in the country.
Distant Relatives: My go-to barbecue spot. Everything here rips, but the sides in particular are special.
Whisler’s over any other bar.
Top five jams
Clark’s: I joke to friends that this little oyster bar is the only place worth eating in Austin anymore. That’s an exaggeration, but barely.
Better Half: The kind of all-day hang you never want to leave.
Veracruz: Everyone will tell you to go here for breakfast tacos. They’re right. The truck posted up at Radio is a fav, but they’re all good. Order ahead or run the risk of waiting way too long for eggs on a tortilla, no matter how well they do it.
Juiceland: It’s amazing to me no one has been able to replicate Juiceland’s smoothie dominance in other cities. There’s nothing like it.
Half Step: If you have to hang on Rainey Street, this is the bar. I also like drinking at Trona and Watertrade.
Mexico City
Top five bangers
Masala Y Maiz: I’m convinced anyone who doesn’t have this as their No. 1 destination just hasn’t eaten here yet. The menu changes, but this restaurant with a blend of Mexican and Indian cuisine usually has a jumbo prawn dish with a vanilla ghee that is truly an all-timer. They do not miss. Like many of the city’s best spots, you want to book an afternoon reservation and make this your primary meal for the day.
Tokyo Music Bar: Whenever I send someone here, I get some version of the same text stating, “This is my new favorite place in the world.” I’ve yet to find a bar with a better combination of playlist, experience, drinks, service, everything. Oof. It’s not an original concept, I guess, but it’s a good concept done at its absolute best. Try to go on a busy Friday or Saturday night.
Contramar: It’s as good as everyone says it is. Some potentially less obvious suggestions: Always order the fig tart. Book a res between like 1-3pm (they’ll open up, don’t worry about it) and make it your main meal for the day. If you show up when they open, you can get a seat. The food at Entramar is just as good, but the vibe is not. So, do with that what you will. I’m obsessed with the carajillo. I’ve ordered it at the start of the meal before and the waiter told me no, which I respected.
Paramo: Mexican classics done incredibly well. A must-go.
Loup: During my Cool World days, we had a chef visit from CDMX who spotted my tote bag from this excellent wine bar and excitedly asked to take a picture. I moved the tote closer to the frame of his camera. He stopped me and said, “What? No, I need the Brooklyn gringo in the shot.” Anyways, this place is a blast. My top dinner spot in the city. A wonderful wine list. Delicious beef skewers. And a top tier dessert that riffs on a McDonald’s apple pie but swaps in pineapple and habanero ice cream.
Top five jams
The whole Rosetta experience: I go to the panadería every morning when I’m in town. The guava roll lives up to the hype. Dinner at the main restaurant, which adds Italian influences in interesting ways, always delivers. And the upstairs salon bar is a stunner.
Anything at Jenni’s Street Quesadillas.
You might not end up doing much else in the neighborhood, but grab an Uber out to Nicos and order as much food as you can handle.
I’m a sucker for a good all day spot, and Cicatriz is my choice here.
La Clandestina: I don’t drink much anymore, but I break that rule at La Clandestina, a prime mezcal destination.
Portland, ME
Top five bangers
Tandem: You’re mostly here for whatever pies Briana Holt has whipped up that morning. Get them before they’re gone. Then move onto the breakfast sandwich, the biscuits with butter and jam, and whatever else you have room for. This is a “go every single morning you’re in town” kind of place.
Palace Diner: The best diner in America, run by the nicest people, who have somehow nailed all of these dishes: banana bread, the breakfast sandwich, french toast, pancakes, the tuna melt, the burger and the fried chicken sandwich. Wait times can get a little nuts so be smart about when you show up. I usually like to drop in early on a weekday during the drive up.
Portland Hunt + Alpine Club: A truly perfect bar.
Duckfat @ Oxbow: The original Duckfat is pretty good, but the experience on a busy day feels a little rushed and messy. Thankfully, this crew has a popup at the best brewery in the area. You can get their unbeatable fries, shakes and snacks in like five minutes. It’s great. Then go blow all of your money on Oxbow merch.
Eventide: Just put your name in and come back a couple hours later. It’s worth it. Or swing by at night and hang at the bar. Anyone who has a bad word to say about this place is out of their mind.
Top five jams
CÔNG TỬ BỘT: There have been so many different iterations of this Vietnamese shop. They’ve all been a delight.
The Shop: No better place to eat oysters.
Crown Jewel: Crown Jewel season — when you can take the ferry out to Diamond Cove and hang at this beautiful island getaway — makes you wonder why’d you spend your life living anywhere else.
The Honey Paw: Sometimes a banger, more often a jam. The spot where you never really plan to go, but you end up having the best meal of your week.
Mr. Tuna: I’m really not a hand roll guy, but the Mr. Tuna crew makes it work. Sometimes they’re posted up on the Eastern Promenade. If you can, find them there.
London
Top five bangers
Mountain: A humming room with big, bold flavors. I was blown away at first by how dialed in and considered every dish was here, while maintaining so much levity and fun, and that continued at meals throughout the city. I’ll be recreating the soft, lemony cheese on toast with a nice salty anchovy as soon as I’m home.
Rochelle Canteen: For deeply satisfying food in an inviting space. Rochelle Canteen is as pristine of an afternoon restaurant as I can ever remember visiting. After 10 days, I’m convinced I’d rather eat out in this city than in New York.
The menswear at the Saville Row Drake’s, Clutch Cafe and Duke’s Cupboard.
The kitchen shop at Labour and Wait.
Climax Books’ gorgeous collection in SoHo.
Top five jams
The River Cafe: Probably not for everyone, but very much for me. A special occasion meal where the food is good enough and the space does the rest.
Bar Termini: A small, charming Italian bar with knockout negronis. And one of the best encapsulations of how great the service was in London across the board. This isn’t the kind of thing I typically care too much about, but the warmth and generosity make you feel at home. It’s the anti-San Francisco.
The coffee scene: Hjem, Compane and a number of other places just know how to quickly make you a good latte for no more than £3.50 while bringing delightful chat and staying stocked with good pastries. I might miss this the most.
Yoga and the free sauna at Mission.
Darjeeling Express: Asma Khan’s new location is stunning, and so is the food.
Seoul
Top five bangers
Anjumaeul: On a good trip, I leave with one obsession. A restaurant that rewires my brain a bit. One I know I’ll return to every time I visit. In Seoul that was Anjumauel, a souped up Found Oyster of sorts. They move and update small whiteboards around about 10 tables, highlighting the day’s seafood that quickly sells out. The sweet shrimp sashimi, clam pancake and herring roe bibimbap were among my favorite things I ate all week. It’s a tiny spot with a lovely owner. Most tables linger for up to three hours drinking the day away, making the queue situation … more than a little insane. (I did find a bit of a hack for getting in. If you’re a paid subscriber visiting, HMU). After ending the year a bit frustrated with the state of dining out, Anjumaeul was invigorating.
Wildduck Canteen: I’m a sucker for any city’s Wildair — a place that does the great wine, great small plates, great vibe thing correctly — and Seoul’s didn’t disappoint. Wildduck hosted Lori and Lauren from London’s Towpath on Friday night. Enjoying their simple English cooking before heading upstairs to throw back old fashioned’s at sister bar Hills & Europa made for all I could want in an evening.
Sancheong Sootbul Garden: I got lots of barbecue recs but landed here for black pork. I can’t imagine there being anything better. I mean, it’s just pork, salt and scallions. But wow. They also do a deceptive kimchi fried rice and let you grab free sweet cream soft serve on your way out. 10/10.
Press Bakery: Seoul has an overwhelming amount of bakeries. This one — a stop on the way out to the airport, featuring french toast, garlic cream cheese croissants, that sausage thing pictured above and an 8am opening time — was my No. 1.
Cafe Onion: A close second in the bakery rankings, with an Anguk branch located inside a converted Hanok. Get the pistachio croissant with white chocolate.
Top five jams
Cafe Sinola is the one place I wish I could transport to New York or LA immediately. A coffee shop with a great vinyl collection and more care put into every detail than I’ve ever seen. The best coffee, but also a special apple cider.
A fake Pyeongchang-dong hike: There were plenty of great hikes and walks around Seoul, but none better than roaming around this Hollywood Hills-esque area. Whenever I travel somewhere new, I like to find a rich neighborhood with dope homes and just wander around. Even better if it’s hilly and masquerades as a pseudo workout. There are plenty of boutique museums throughout Pyeongchang-dong, which makes for a fun game of art gallery or mansion.
Coor & Meclads: My two favorite menswear stores in town. Coor for affordable basics, Meclads for a bit of a Korean Colbo.
Buchon Yukhoe: I was warned that Gwangjang Market is a scammy tourist trap. That mostly holds up. But the hyped beef tartare with egg, sesame oil, Asian pear and optional garnishes of live octopus fully delivers.
Zest: The only place where I felt surrounded by Americans, but a good bar nonetheless.
Loved seeing Portland Maine on this list. Great restaurants there