West Village brownstones, red-sauce Italian, and the corner of MacDougal where Joe's Pizza has been folding slices since 1975.
Pino Pozzuoli's Carmine Street counter has folded the canonical New York slice in New York City since 1975. Located in Greenwich Village. Priced at $.
Signature: New York slice
Order: Plain cheese slice, fresh out of the oven.
Tip: Order at the counter, eat standing at the window. Pepperoni runs out by 21:00; arrive earlier if it matters.
Jody Williams and Rita Sodi's Grove Street West Village room serves Tuscan-leaning food in New York City. Priced at $$$. Kitchen leans italian.
Signature: Insalata verde, Cacio e pepe
Order: Insalata verde, cacio e pepe, chocolate budino.
Tip: Walk in at 17:00 sharp for the first seating, or join the list around 20:30 for the second wave.
Major Food Group's red-sauce Italian-American room on Thompson Street in New York City turns 1950s tableside service into theatre. Priced at $$$$.
Signature: Spicy rigatoni vodka, Veal parmesan
Order: Spicy rigatoni vodka and the veal parmesan to share.
Tip: Reservations are notorious; the bar runs walk-ins from 17:30 and serves the full menu. Don't skip the Caesar.
The Elk on Charles Street runs a quiet, daylight cafe in the West Village, New York City. Order the maple latte. At 128 Charles Street. Booking recommended.
Signature drink: Maple latte
Tip: Two tables, four counter seats, no laptops at peak weekend hours. Tuesday afternoons are quiet enough to work.
Third Rail on Sullivan Street has poured Stumptown espresso in Greenwich Village, New York City since 2010. Three counter stools, four sidewalk tables.
Signature drink: Stumptown espresso
Tip: Closes 18:00 daily. NYU students fill the seats from 14:00; come early or late for room.
Joe Coffee has roasted in New York City since 2003 from a Red Hook warehouse. Eighteen cafes across the city, espresso pulled to West Coast specifications.
Tip: The Pro Shop on West 13th Street runs barista trainings open to the public Saturdays at 10:00.
Sources from: Colombia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Honduras
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
Employees Only on Hudson Street has poured classic cocktails in the West Village, New York City since 2004. White-jacketed bartenders, late kitchen.
Signature drink: Ginger Smash
Food: Bar bites and full kitchen
Tip: The back dining room runs walk-ins; the front bar fills by 21:00. Order the Ginger Smash and the chicken liver mousse.
White Horse Tavern on Hudson Street has poured Guinness in the West Village, New York City since 1880. Dylan Thomas drank 18 whiskeys here in 1953.
Signature drink: Guinness draught
Food: Burgers and pub food
Tip: Sit in the front room; the back is reserved for diners. The burger is the second order after the first pint.
Thiru Kumar's vegan South Indian dosa cart has run on the south side of Washington Square Park in New York City since 2001. Located in Greenwich Village.
Try: Masala dosa
Tip: Cash only. The Pondicherry special is the cart's signature; the masala dosa is the entry-level order.
Mamoun's on MacDougal has sold falafel sandwiches in Greenwich Village New York City since 1971. Falafel, hummus, baba ghanouj, shawarma, under-$10 plates.
Try: Falafel sandwich
Tip: Open until 04:00; the bar-closing slot is the busiest. Order the falafel sandwich with hot sauce; ask for extra tahini.
Jody Williams's Grove Street gastrotheque has poured espresso and steamed eggs in the West Village New York City since 2011. Open daily 08:00-23:30.
Order: Steamed eggs and tartine au jambon.
Tip: Weekday 09:30 is the fast seat; weekends run 60 minutes by 11:00. The tartine au jambon is the brunch order.
Minetta Tavern on MacDougal has run Keith McNally's French bistro in Greenwich Village New York City since 2009. Order the black label burger or steak frites.
Order: Black Label burger or steak frites.
Tip: Reservations open 28 days ahead at midnight on Resy. The bar serves the full brunch menu for walk-ins.
Minetta Tavern on MacDougal runs the kitchen until 02:00 in Greenwich Village New York City. The Black Label burger is on the late-night menu.
Try: Black Label burger and pommes frites
Tip: The kitchen serves the full menu until 02:00. The bar takes burgers and steak frites past midnight without a wait.
Employees Only has run a tarot reader at the entrance of its Hudson Street room since 2004. Bartenders in white coats build pre-Prohibition cocktails.
Tip: The kitchen serves until 03:30, the latest in the West Village. Free bowl of chicken soup arrives at the end of your tab.
Mace, by Nico de Soto and Cocktail Kingdom's Greg Boehm, builds cocktails around a single hand-picked global spice. The room has stayed on the World's 50.
Tip: No reservations, walk in early. The spice-led menu rotates by ingredient, so ask the bartender for their pick of the season.