New York Chains the Rest of the Country Desperately Needs

While the idiomatic expression “ chain restaurant ” may fetch to mind images of jelled solid food serve in a dark , pungent shopping center cellar , in New York City , our local chain are in reality great – and sure enough worthy of national aid . From meatball done a million path , to BBQ brisket with inventive side , to Kampuchean sandwiches , there are tons of mini - chains in NYC that have broken down boundaries of what it mean to be a chain – and they ’d do just as well on a internal degree . To the rest of the country : this is what you ’re missing .

Xi’an Famous Foods

act of Locations:10Why it ’s great : In a urban center full of excellent Formosan food , Xi’an Famous Foods still negociate to stomach out . With dishes that get close to its Northwest Chinese antecedent , Xi’an offer an uncommon ( in these percentage , anyway ) blend of Chinese and mediate Eastern flavors , notable for the consumption of Cuminum cyminum , chili , and Sichuan peppercorns – think cup of tea like lamb offal soup , stewed pork Warren Burger , and hand - ripped noodles in stew oxtail . From its humble beginning in a Queens food for thought shopping mall to its current position as arguably the best option for cheap late - night dining in several neighborhoods across the metropolis , it ’s not only an NYC success story , but a clear contender for national chain acknowledgement . That ’s look in the fact that it remains totally undefiled by pretence or high-pitched prices , even in the wake of visits from his sanctitude Anthony Bourdain .

Mighty Quinn’s

Number of placement : Seven ( plus one in New Jersey)Why it ’s great : For a metropolis as far from the Mason - Dixon as New York , the food market for qualitybarbecueis crowded indeed . Mini - chemical chain Mighty Quinn ’s holds its place admirably , though , with heap trays of slow - cooked brisket , take out porc , and the terrifyingly large Brontosaurus rib , which , if not from an actual dinosaur , is at least large enough to act as a weapon if you ’re ever attack by one . Unlike place find in North Carolina or Texas , Mighty Quinn ’s adopt from the BBQ tradition of multiple regions , all coming together to make its own style . In addition to the meats , it ’s also known for its inventive face , which are well worth mustering the room for : the sweet edible corn fritters with honey chile douse sauce , and the “ dirty frites ” – fries smother with burnt - conclusion bonce and chile - basswood sauce – are several cutting above the standard , unimaginative coleslaw and mac & Malva sylvestris .

Peter Luger

Number of position : TwoWhy it ’s great : You make love Peter Luger by its original , profoundly erstwhile - school Williamsburg location , but did you lie with that there ’s also a baby outpost in Great Neck , Long Island ? Before you huff and puff about Great Neck not being in NYC , experience that the town is literally a street away from northeast Queens , so it ’s not excessive that you could hop-skip across the border for some of the best beef around . Both locations volunteer classical Teutonic interiors ; surly , sharply get dressed waiters ; and , of course of study , that USDA Prime , in - menage dry - aged porterhouse . You ’re grant to have your steak cooked any way you want , so long as the way you desire is medium rare , or better yet , rare . The rest of the country deserves to get it on what it ’s like to watch a charmingly techy waiter load perfectly cooked , melt - in - your - mouth meat onto your plate .

The Meatball Shop

Number of locations : SixWhy it ’s great : As a seasoned New Yorker , you probably do n’t even commemorate the day when your best pick for a meatball sub was Subway . This urban center specify in the lineament capital punishment of philistine foods , and The Meatball Shop place the standard . From its simple yet ingenious bill of fare – which commence with “ Naked Balls ” and offers a variety of sauce option ( did you require those balls cover up with Parmesan pick or mushroom cloud gravy ? ) , as well as several way to consume enunciate egg ( on a hero ? Over green ? As a luger ? pass with a deep-fried egg ? ) , The Shop consume your favorite Sunday night dinner at Grandma ’s and crap it approachable , garish , and sport . And because this is New York , side let in such decidedly un - down - house options as daily roasted veggies and nettled Spinacia oleracea . The residuum of the country deserves meatball done every way you could possibly want them .

Court Street Grocers

Number of locations : ThreeWhy it ’s great : When God invented sandwiches ( on the seventh Clarence Day , when he was supposed to be sleeping ) , they calculate identical in shape and manakin to those offered at Court Street Grocers . From its original location on , you guessed it , Court St , two other outposts have reverberate : A closet - like Hero Shop in Red Hook , and a much roomy restaurant in Greenwich Village . But fluctuations in the interior ’s size have no effect on the quality of the food , which rest phenomenal thanks to square , timbre ingredient assembled in unique and innovative combinations . shoot for professional eater can relish a “ Macho Man or Woman , ” made of pork shoulder , Armerican cheddar , coleslaw , pickled jalapeño , and duck’s egg sauce on garlic lettuce . But vegetarians and those with lighter appetence wo n’t feel out of stead either , with options like the Uncle Chucky ( roasted Brassica rapa , pumpkin seed romesco , pickled common fennel , red onion , and arugula ) or the Broccoli Reuben , which switch corned beef cattle for roasted Brassica oleracea italica .

Dos Toros

Number of locations:11Why it ’s great : There are very few solid food section in which NYC is lack . But burritos are , to the horror of so many California transplants , one of those things . Take heart , West Coasters : Dos Toros is here for you . Started back in 2009 by two homesick Bay Area native , the minichain is found on the much - revere Gordo , a Berkeley taqueria whose key signature power move is melting a slice of cheese directly onto the tortilla . This technically makes Dos Toros a spinoff of a California chain , but no affair : juicy carnitas rolled into a burrito ( or a taco , or deck in a plato ) are a revelation that everyone – East Coasters , West Coasters , and residents of all the blank space in between – deserves to savour regularly .

Doughnut Plant

telephone number of location : FourWhy it ’s great : Doughnut Plant first open up on the Lower East Side in 2000 , but its story goes back much further . Mark Israel , who come from a family unit of baker , first start out catapult donuts in the basement of a converted tenement in 1994 , and things have only skyrocketed from there . After inventing the jelly - meet square ring and the inimitable memory loss doughnut ( a chocolate cake anchor ring filled with chocolate pudding , dipped in chocolate glaze , and sprinkled with chocolate cake crumbs ) , Israel spread out a second location in the historical Chelsea Hotel in 2011 , then a third , then a fourth . In a nation blanketed by Dunkin ’ donut , Doughnut Plant draw a bead on to the ethos of the city itself : why eat on something mass - produced and just OK when you may eat somethinggreat ?

Papaya King

Number of locating : Five in / near New York , one stand , one location in Portland , MEWhy it ’s great : In the thirties , a New York City food shop worker named Constantine “ Gus ” Poulos went on holiday in Havana , Cuba , where he discovered the deception of tropical fruit drinks . Intent on bringing his find back to NYC , Poulos fit on to open up a juice bar . Then he opened another juice bar , then another . At some tip , he decide to throw hot dogs on the fare – because what better eatable to lap down a sticky yield drink than a objet d’art of processed heart and soul compact into a tube and wedged in a roll ? With that , Papaya King was born .

Together , the juice - dog jazz band mould one of the most iconic repast an draw a bead on New Yorker can ordinate – locally sourced bounder made with a undercover spice , washed down with something gratifying . Papaya King’sOriginal Combo– two frank with ‘ kraut , onion , or relish , and a drink – is still the ultimate tardy - night meal in New York .

live dogs became crowing business in the metropolis , and in the 1970s , a rival named Nicholas Gray went on to open his own slightly alter version of the wildly popular stall , call Gray ’s Papaya . Though these two have long been the chief contenders , other offshoots were born , including Papaya Dog and Mike ’s Papaya . While Gray ’s and Papaya King in particular have enjoyed a condemnable competition over the years , it seems King has the throne , after all : the city is down to just one Gray ’s . Papaya King , on the other helping hand , is still going strong , with its fifth location having just open in Brooklyn .

Xi’an Famous Foods

Xi’an Famous Foods|Cole Saladino/Thrillist

Num Pang

Number of locations : EightWhy it ’s great : It ’s pretty obvious why the rest of the country needs Num Pang : how many Kampuchean sandwich shops do you have , Cleveland ? Num Pang distinguishes itself by throw location in areas of Ithiel Town largely consider culinarily bare : FiDi , NoMad , Times Square , Union Square . If you ascertain yourself thirsty in one of these neighborhoods , you do n’t have to fall back to a food shop steam table or an overpriced tourist burger . Num Pang offers reasonably priced dish made interesting by complementary relish , like a pork belly sandwich with shredded pear and hoisin meatballs , go past with jasmine rice , basil , and brood Lycopersicon esculentum . you could enjoy it with a side of naughty organic tofu salad ( in the summer ) or a curry red lentil soup ( in the winter ) . For authority workers , there ’s no sound option for a filling meal that wo n’t put you to sleep as soon as you revert to your desk .

Taïm

issue of locating : TwoWhy it ’s great : Taïm may have just two locations – one in Nolita , one in the West Village – but it ’s high Taïm ( sorry not grim ) it blow up elsewhere . Falafel shop are a dime a dozen in New York , but almost none fulfil the feat of electrocute chickpeas with the timbre of Taïm , which has been torture up honour from food for thought critic since 2006 for its moist , perfectly deep-fried falafels . While those , of course , will always be the main attraction , they ’re well eat up with warm and downy pocket bread bread ; a fresh , springy salad ; and a refreshing date , lime , and banana smoothie .

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Mighty Quinn’s BBQ