Quick Links
Travelers, especially foodies, love visiting New York City as it offers tourists quite literally something from any part of the world. There is no shortage of food or culture to explore in this stunning city.
However, what happens when Boroughs match up in an Ultimate NYC Food Face-Off? Brooklyn and Manhattan sit on a bridge away and share much history between them. However, if it came down to it, which borough would win this foodie face-off?
Foodie Face-Off Competition
To have a successful borough verse borough New York-style foodie face-off, guidelines for the competition must be set. Because this face-off is taking place in New York, Brooklyn and Manhattan will be judged on the quality of their most iconic New York-style dishes. And, to ensure there is a winning side, an odd number of categories was selected. So, here is the list of categories this face-off will be judged on. It should be noted that there are far more famous foods in New York City than these five. These were simply selected for the Competition.
- New York-Style Pizza
- Bagels
- Cheesecake
- Delis
- General Tso’s Chicken
The Best New York-Style Pizza Is
The history of pizza in New York can be traced back to the city’s origins. In the late 1800s, Neapolitan-immigrant bakers began adapting their own Neapolitan-style of pizza to the coal ovens available to them in New York. The result was a crispier version of their original pizza that would eventually grow larger as selling slices became more popular.
With shops like Williamsburg Pizza in Brooklyn, the borrow has some exceptional pizza. But, with iconic locations like Famous Joe’s Pizza and Pizza Suprema in Manhattan, the win goes to Manhattan.
The Superior Bagel Goes To
Bagels may be found all around the world today, but a lot of that is because of the popularity they earned in New York. Jewish immigrants brought the circular breakfast bread to New York in the 20th century and, with it, the tradition of enjoying the treat for breakfast. New York Bakeries have a special process that involves boiling and baking to give the bagels that perfect shine and texture.
The number one bagel destination on many lists is the Bagel Hole in Brooklyn. However, Manhattan is also home to fantastic locations like Murray’s Bagels and Sadelle’s. This being said, the Bagel Hole is impressive enough to carry this round and to give the win to Brooklyn.
The Most mouthwatering Cheesecake Belongs To
Cheesecake is centuries old, but the signature take New York City has on cheesecake has skyrocketed in the popularity of the desert since cream cheese was invented in 1872. German immigrant Arnold Reuben (also the inventor of a delicious sandwich) claimed to have made the first modern cheesecake and began selling it at two restaurants. Its popularity grew from there.
Comparing cheesecake between Manhattan and Brooklyn really comes down to two places, Juniors in Brooklyn and Eileen’s Special Cheesecake in Manhattan. After close examination, Brooklyn’s Junior gets the nod.
The Tastiest Deli Cold Cuts Are Found
The origins of the Jewish deli trace back to the late 1800s when waves of German immigrants settled mostly on the Lower East Side. The popular delis that are known today were mostly started by the second generation of immigrants as the first generation had opened more traditional delicacy shops or entered other industries. Over time the Delis we know today were influenced by other groups of Eastern European migrants, giving us the delicious shops loved in New York City today.
Manhattan start’s off strong with Katz’s Delicatessen, which has been open since 1888 (though they have since opened a Brooklyn store) and may be the most iconic deli in the world, not just in New York City. Manhattan then backs it up with Carnegie Deli, which has been open since 1937. Brooklyn puts forth Mile End Delicatessen, which is a fantastic deli in itself, but inevitably Manhattan takes this Round.
The Most Good To Eat General Tso’s Chicken
The popular American-style Chinese restaurants of today and the flavors most Americans think of as “Chinese” can be owed to the spread of popularity of dishes like General Tso’s Chicken in the 1960s and 1970s. The West Coast of the US can claim American-Chinese food creations like crab rangoons, but New Yorkers can claim the sticky-sweet, deep-fried General Tso's chicken, which chef Peng Chang-Kuei first concocted a version of the dish back in Taiwan in the 1950s before being reworked for American tastes in 1973.
Brooklyn makes a great attempt at keeping pace in this round with Hunan Delight, which does a delicious General Tso’s Chicken. Unfortunately, Manhattan is home to China Gourmet 887 and Shun Lee Palace, which are two of the highest-rated locations in the entire city, giving Manhattan this win, and the ultimate victory.
Face-Off Wrap-UP
At the end of this competition, it looks like Manhattan is the winner over Brooklyn, winning three out of five categories. But, with so many great foodie locations in the city of New York, narrowing this competition to five categories is really just for fun. This debate can only truly be settled by making a trip to New York for more hands-on research.