8 Best NYC Winter Comfort Foods & Where to Find Them

Winter has officially arrived, New Yorkers! Whether or not you are crying tears of joy or sorrow, they're unbiasedly freezing to your face. 

It's also the perfect time to stop pretending like you actually cared about your bikini body this summer, and give in to the fact that we're at the height of bulky, comfortable, sweater weather. 

Let's just face it: there are so many things that taste better than skinny feels, and most of them are on this list. 

These winter comfort foods are fattening, flavorful, and the best thing to warm up your soul on a chilly, New York City day. 

These are some of our favorite winter foods, and where to get them, this season in NYC. 


1. Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup from Beecher's New York Cafe (900 Broadway) 

mylifeoncraft Continuing my winter 2016 NYC grilled cheese & tomato soup hunt. Beecher's is fantastic! #grilledcheese #tomatosoup


Remember when you were a kid and wore your pajamas inside out to bed in the hopes that your mom or dad would receive that blessed call that would entitle you to a day of snow-laden frivolity? This combination is like the encapsulation of all of those feels. It's a flavorful explosion of naive winter joy. 

If you're hungry, order a bowl of their "Tomato Flagship" soup that is topped with their Beecher's Flagship cheese, and then add a whole order of their grilled cheese with their "Flagship" and "Just Jack" cheeses on whole wheat bread. 

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Better yet, order the half-sandwich, half-soup option from Caviar and you won't even have to leave your warm apartment to battle the cold for this glorious meal. 


2. Hot Chocolate from Max Brenner's (841 Broadway)

ladyanusha Italian thick hot chocolate. Dark. Max Brenner's. #nycdiaries #nyc #maxbrenners #chocolate #food


What's better than a steaming hot mug of rich hot chocolate while walking through the cold, hard, ruthless streets of NYC? Only having the option of eight different hot chocolates in your choice of dark, milk, or white chocolate. Because New Yorkers love options... and hot chocolate. 

We're fans of all eight types of hot chocolate on the menu, but we're specifically attached to the "Marshmallow," or hot chocolate with melting marshmallows. We also absolutely love their "Italian Thick" on days like today, as it's a thick hot chocolate with vanilla cream. 


3.  Blood Orange Margarita from El Vez (259 Vesey Street)

sergmargas Labor day weekend. More like Marg day weekend.


You know how everyone has been getting sick recently due to the onslaught of freezing temperatures? Well, you really need to start taking some vitamin C... or eating it. Did you know that winter is citrus season? It's the perfect time to sink your teeth into some fresh, sweet oranges or grapefruits. 

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Or, drink your vitamin C with some delicious margaritas. Don't think that it's necessarily "winter food?" You'd be wrong. Not only are you getting your fill with this winter fruit, but you're also getting a pretty decent booze blanket. And, it's delicious. 

Seem counterintuitive to drink vitamin C in the form of something that weakens your immune system (alcohol)? Nope. You're drunk.  


4. Tripe Chili from The Brooklyn Star (593 Lorimer Street - Brooklyn)

thebrooklynstar Winter. We've been waiting for you. #bkstarTRIPE #thebrooklynstar #tripechili #fritos #texasstyle


Some people love soup on a cold day, but we're pretty sure that those people would much rather have a big ol' bowl of chili given the opportunity. In case you're wondering what tripe is, it's not for the faint of heart (or stomach)... it's edible portions of the stomach from different animals.

The "Tripe Chili" from The Brooklyn Star will ignite your love of both tripe and chili. It's topped with cilantro, radish, and shallots and served with a bag of Fritos for crunch. 

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5. Mac Attack from Cafeteria (119 7th Street)

cafeterianyc Mac and Cheese Dreams do come true! #macattack #cheesy #truffle #bacon #macandcheese #youareyoueat #yougottaeatthis #foodgasm #eeeeeats #foodporn #feedyoursoull #foodchasers #nyc #2016 #247 #cafeterianyc


Remember what we said about how New Yorkers love options? We also love the ability to taste a bunch of variations at once, especially when it's variations of mac and cheese. And when it's this cold outside, we're pretty sure the "Mac Attack" is the best comfort food in the city. 

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Sure, you could order one of the three options of mac and cheese on the Cafeteria menu, but why not just get the "Mac Attack" that gives you a sampler of all three? You get their truffle oil, smoked gouda and bacon, and cheddar and fontina mac and cheeses. That's three layers of heaven at once. On Earth. 


6. Joey & Jack's Chicken Pot Pie from Penelope (159 Lexington Avenue)

travfed Friday Pot Pie w/ @ljmilman #nyceats #lunch #foodporn #chickenpotpie #nomnomnom #lunchin #newyorkcity #friday #wintereats #cider #idaily #instagramoftheday #comfortfood #foodventures #foodstagram


We get it, you're trying to keep up your New Year's resolutions... but this dish is far too comforting and delicious to strictly follow your diet. Plus, it'd be better to have a healthy layer (or few) of meat on your bones to keep you warm at night. So get yourself on over to Penelope for the chicken pot pie. 

This deliciously creamy dish is filled with carrots, butternut squash, asparagus, and peas topped with a blanket of golden puff pastry. It's absolutely soul warming. 


7. Prime Rib from Smith & Wollensky (797 3rd Avenue)

nicksolares Prime rib forever.


One of our favorite winter meals is a big platter of prime rib dripping in au jus (or juices from the cooking process) and a baked potato loaded with butter, sour cream, bacon, and scallions. 

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If you want some of the best prime rib in the city, you need to get the 26 oz. prime rib from Smith & Wollensky. Along with a side of a baked potato, this meal will not only fill you up and warm you up, but it will star in your dreams for months to come. 


8. Soupe Gratinée á L'Oignon (French Onion Soup) from Bistro Les Amis (180 Spring Street)

beantown_bites French onion soup 🇷🇺🍵😯 @food_coma_nyc


Whether you like French cuisine or not, you'll probably be down to down a cheesy, salty, savory bowl of french onion soup to warm you right up in this chilly weather. If you're going to have some french onion soup, you might as well have the best in the city, so get yourself to Bistro Les Amis

This classic french onion soup, or "Soupe Gratinée á L'Oignon," comes in a crock topped with warm, melted, slightly browned cheese. The best part? When the cheese crisps around the crock. That crunch with the soft salty sweetness of the soup is insanely delicious. 

Check out 8 Best Places to Eat During This Winter's NYC Restaurant Week

[Feature Image Courtesy Instagram] 

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