Everyone remembers the horrible East Village building explosion back in March. We're still reeling from that tragedy, and our hearts go out to everyone who was affected.
But now that Pomme Frites owners Omer Shorshi and Suzanne Levinson have announced they're opening their new location of Pommes Frites at 128 MacDougal Street in Greenwich Village, we can start counting down the days until New York City's best fries are back.
But until then, where should we go to have delicious fried potatoes?
Since, you know, we think they're necessary for city survival.
Read on to find out the 7 best spots you can get your fries fix in NYC until Pomme Frites' new location opens.
1. Lafayette (380 Lafayette Street)
foodtographer Freaky Fryday #TGIF #eeeeeats #foodtographer #foodie #foodporn #nom #latergram #yum #yummy #foodgram #lafayette
This place is seriously fancy, so if you're looking for an opportunity to wear that new dress you just bought, you found it.
Lafayette doesn't have the words "French fries" on their menu, but don't get too stressed out. At this top-notch French eatery, they're referred to as "pommes frites," which is about as authentically French as you can get.
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As a side, they're $9, which won't leave you completely broke. But if you're planning to get entrée here with pommes frites on the side, you should be prepared to spend a pretty penny.
Regardless, the French fries here are stick thin and crispy and about as delicious as it gets. Patrons are commonly seen shoving them in their mouths by the handful for perplexing lengths of time.
2. Balthazar (80 Spring Street)
bbq.foodie Fries and a Brooklyn Brown at Balthazar, New York.. Thanks @meatmitch for the heads up! It was on the money! #delicious #usa #instafood #foodporn #foodgasm #foodie #foodgram #food #fries #balthazarnyc #delicious #yum #yummy #nyc #newyork #newyorkcity
Again, reminiscent of this article's impetus, the French fries are referred to as "pommes frites" on Balthazar's menu.
These fries aren't stick thin, but we won't exactly refer to them as thick either. As Goldilocks might say, they're just right. The heavenly burst of potato in the middle, yet the satisfying, salty crunch on the outside.
Many patrons (maybe Drake, maybe not) refer to these French fries as "the best they've ever had". Here's how they do it: the potatoes are cut the night before, soaked in water to deplete the starches, and fried twice in peanut oil.
One patron (maybe Drake, maybe not) even stated these fries made him consider golden a flavor. If you can snap out of your French fry reverie enough, you might even notice that Balthazar is a very beautiful French restaurant.
3. Northern Spy Food Co. (511 East 12th Street)
foodnfest FRYday calls for these duck fat fries from Northern Spy Food Co. #noBSfood @northernspyfood
Did someone say duck fat fries? These fries are potato wedges, so while those of you who love getting lost amidst a soft, potatoey swirl, some of you thin, crispy fry lovers might feel alienated.
Stick with us.
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The exterior of these wedge fries are crispy and fried enough that they'll still provide you with your crisp satisfaction threshold, and the excellence of their mashed-potato-insides is an unparalleled decadence. Bite down on one of these and you'll see what we mean.
They're served with malted-spiced yogurt for even more dynamic flavor, and they're fried in duck fat and seasoned with parsley. They're nearly perfect. Especially if you love remembering that your fries are from an actual potato.
4. Calexico (various NYC locations)
Ever had the Carne Fries at Calexico? These fries are covered completely in guacamole, brisket, onions, cheese, and pico de gallo. Basically, if you could imagine heaven, that's what these fries are topped with.
Discovering the French fries waiting at the bottom of all this gloriousness is almost too much. Imagine all the things you love piled on top of the one thing you love the most, and you'll start to understand.
Maybe you're panicking right now. Maybe you're thinking, "But won't the French fries get soggy?!!" Calm down. It's okay. They won't. They're too crispy to get soggy.
This heavenly eatery has lots of locations; one restaurant location in Manhattan, and several sprinkled throughout Brooklyn. They also have food carts in Flatiron, Soho, and on the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge.
,5. Mile End (various locations)
This sandwich shop/deli has two dope locations: one in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, and one in NoHo, Manhattan. Both carry poutine, which is their remix on French fries.
You have a choice between classic poutine, which are French fries piled with cheese curds and roasted chicken gravy, or smoked meat poutine, which is the same but plus brisket.
Do we even need to explain how divine this combination is?
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The smoked meat poutine is an experience that will breathe life into your tastebuds. You'll dread the end of your smoked meat poutine like you dreaded the end of summer in elementary school. Yet still, you won't be able to stop munching until they're gone.
Exit out of this article (or just keep reading on your phone), put your shoes on, and go to Mile End now. Right now. Buy the smoked meat poutine. You can thank us afterward.
6. Bareburger (various NYC locations)
laurenthomasx3 All you really need in life is a side of sweet potato fries #eeeeeats #newforkcity #nycdining @bareburger
Okay, okay, so we ratted on this place a bit in our most overrated restaurants piece, and we stand by that.
But we said nothing about their sweet potato fries.
Where Bareburger's burgers are pricey and average, the sweet potato fries are $3.75, heaping, plentiful, and that exactly perfect combination of crunch and potato we discussed earlier.
If you have a friend who insists on buying healthy cheeseburgers from Bareburger, go with them. Order the sweet potato fries. They come with little bowl of buttermilk ranch, but dip lightly, New Yorkers. These fries are delicious enough on their own.
7. Potatopia (378 Avenue of the Americas)
Potatopia had us sold already on its name alone (really, I saw it out the window of a cab recently, and I felt a burst of joy and recognition explode in my chest).
When Potatopia was founded, it must have been on the principles of potato love and bliss that are the creators of every good French fry.
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This place has it all. Shoestring fries. Waffle fries. Curly fries. Tater tots. They even have mashed and baked potatoes with over a dozen different toppings.
If you're a potato lover of the most loyal degree, such that when anyone asks you what your favorite food is and you respond, "French fries," without flinching, then go here.
Go here now.
Love fries? Check out 11 Juiciest NYC Burgers You Just Gotta Sink Your Teeth Into ASAP.