Pastrami Queen on Lexington serves kosher pastrami sandwiches on the Upper East Side of New York City. Modest counter, oversized sandwiches since 1956.
Signature: Pastrami on rye, Potato knish
Order: Hand-cut pastrami on rye with mustard.
Tip: Counter is tiny and seats fewer than a dozen; the takeaway line moves faster than the dine-in queue.
Daniel Boulud's Upper East Side flagship has held two Michelin stars in New York City since the early 2000s. Seven-course French tasting, classic dining room.
Chef Nozomu Abe's two-Michelin-star Edomae sushi counter on the Upper East Side runs eight seats in New York City. Cypress counter, 90-minute omakase, no menu.
Lexington Candy Shop at 83rd has poured chocolate egg creams from a 1940s Hamilton Beach mixer on the Upper East Side of New York City since 1925.
Signature drink: Chocolate egg cream
Tip: Egg cream is a $6 single-pour at the counter; the butter burger and the Lexington special sandwich are the lunch orders.
William Greenberg Desserts on Madison Avenue has baked the canonical black-and-white in the Upper East Side, New York City since 1946. Schnecken, hamantaschen, Linzer.
Tip: Order black-and-whites in the bigger six-inch size. Pre-order schnecken at Rosh Hashanah; they sell out a week ahead.
Worth the queue: Black-and-white cookie
Bemelmans Bar at the Carlyle Hotel has poured cocktails under Ludwig Bemelmans's Central Park murals in New York City since 1947. Live piano from 18:00 nightly.
Signature drink: Old Cuban
Food: Hotel-bar snacks
Tip: Walk-ins after 18:00 carry a $35 minimum per person music charge. Earlier visits skip the charge but miss the piano.