Off The Menu

Sharp New Yorker commentary on trends, prices, habits, hype, fatigue, and food behavior nobody else wants to say out loud but everyone feels.

Off The Menu

WE “SUPPORT SMALL BIZ” IN NYC IS ACTUALLY BULLSHIT

Jan 13, 2026

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4 min read

WE “SUPPORT SMALL BIZ” IN NYC IS ACTUALLY BULLSHIT

Politicians love talking small business love, but reality screams fines, red tape and rent spikes. Support isn’t press conferences — it’s actual change, and NYC still can’t deliver.

New York Eats Here

Off The Menu

ANOTHER NEIGHBORHOOD SPOT DIED, AND NEW YORK KEPT WALKING

Jan 13, 2026

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5 min read

ANOTHER NEIGHBORHOOD SPOT DIED, AND NEW YORK KEPT WALKING

New York lost beloved local kitchens this year — Café Camellia, Blanca, Sushi Ichimura, Patti Ann’s and Vestry — and most people barely noticed.

New York Eats Here

Off The Menu

HOW TO KNOW YOUR FRIEND IS AN EMBARRASSING TIPPER BEFORE YOU EVEN BOOK THE RESERVATION

Jan 13, 2026

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4 min read

HOW TO KNOW YOUR FRIEND IS AN EMBARRASSING TIPPER BEFORE YOU EVEN BOOK THE RESERVATION

Because bad tippers don’t surprise you at the table. They announce themselves in advance, loudly, and with confidence.

New York Eats Here

Off The Menu

THE RULEBOOK RESTAURANT IS WHY EATING OUT FEELS LIKE DETENTION

Jan 12, 2026

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5 min read

THE RULEBOOK RESTAURANT IS WHY EATING OUT FEELS LIKE DETENTION

If a place greets you with rules before water, it’s already failing you. Eating out shouldn’t feel like a list of demands, it should feel like food.

New York Eats Here

Off The Menu

NYC IS ICONIC ON SCREEN, BUT DEAD ON THE GROUND

Jan 10, 2026

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6 min read

NYC IS ICONIC ON SCREEN, BUT DEAD ON THE GROUND

When the camera lights go on, the city lives forever on screen — yet the places that make New York real are vanishing in plain sight.

New York Eats Here

Off The Menu

Jan 6, 2026

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4 min read

BLAND STREET COFFEE

We traded the gritty charm of local baristas for mint green kiosks and coffee that tastes like a simplified PDF. Convenience is officially killing the bean.

New York Eats Here

Off The Menu

SHE FED THE BRONX, POLITICIANS, AND A REVOLUTION NO ONE EXPECTED.

Jan 6, 2026

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5 min read

SHE FED THE BRONX, POLITICIANS, AND A REVOLUTION NO ONE EXPECTED.

How Carmen E. Arroyo turned a Bronx kitchen into a power center and rewrote who gets heard in New York.

New York Eats Here

Off The Menu

NYC IS JUST FOUR WEED SHOPS IN A TRENCH COAT

Jan 6, 2026

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3 min read

NYC IS JUST FOUR WEED SHOPS IN A TRENCH COAT

We traded our local hardware stores and delis for neon leaf signs and gummies that taste like floor cleaner. Retail Darwinism is officially high as a kite.

leila Molitor, +1

Off The Menu

Jan 1, 2026

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3 min read

THE HUMMUS THAT EXPOSES NEW YORK

A city that rules bagels and pizza somehow panics when chickpeas enter the chat. The shame is real. The salvation lives in a few key kitchens.

New York Eats Here

Off The Menu

Dec 30, 2025

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3 min read

WE'RE DROWNING IN POP-UP GIMMICKS

We are trading the city’s culinary soul for neon signs and overpriced cocktails. It is time to stop rewarding the pop-ups and save real kitchens.

New York Eats Here

Off The Menu

BROOKLYN IS JUST A FASHION SHOW WITH MEDIOCRE SNACKS

Dec 27, 2025

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3 min read

BROOKLYN IS JUST A FASHION SHOW WITH MEDIOCRE SNACKS

A love letter to the borough that prioritizes custom light fixtures and vintage workwear over actually seasoning the food. We’re hungry, guys. Fix it.

New York Eats Here

Off The Menu

A CITY OF EMPTY STOREFRONTS AND $30 SALADS

Dec 23, 2025

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3 min read

A CITY OF EMPTY STOREFRONTS AND $30 SALADS

Commercial rent is insane. Tiny spaces, broken kitchens, and absurd pricing push out the people actually keeping New York alive. Chains move in, neighborhoods suffer.

leila Molitor, +1

Off The Menu

WELLNESS MENU MADNESS IS HITTING NYC HARD

Dec 19, 2025

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3 min read

WELLNESS MENU MADNESS IS HITTING NYC HARD

Restaurants are stacking “functional” ingredients into dishes nobody asked for. Mushrooms, adaptogens, collagen — trendy, overpriced, and rarely tasty. Flavor should come before hype, always.

leila Molitor, +1

Off The Menu

BISTROS ARE BACK — AND THEY MEAN BUSINESS

Dec 16, 2025

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3 min read

BISTROS ARE BACK — AND THEY MEAN BUSINESS

French bistros are the only NYC trend that didn’t need hype cycles to work. Real butter. Real flavor. No theatrics. Just cooking that respects itself.

New York Eats Here

Off The Menu

WE'RE DONE PAYING FOR SH*T FOOD & SERVICE

Dec 11, 2025

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3 min read

WE'RE DONE PAYING FOR SH*T FOOD & SERVICE

Everything costs more, from toast to cocktails. Restaurants adjusted, but the city’s diners are still counting pennies—and judging every bite they order.

leila Molitor, +1

Off The Menu

NEW YORK’S MOCKTAIL CRISIS IS OUT OF CONTROL, SERIOUSLY

Dec 9, 2025

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3 min read

NEW YORK’S MOCKTAIL CRISIS IS OUT OF CONTROL, SERIOUSLY

NYC turned non-alcoholic cocktails into overpriced fruit sugar with branding. Some spots still care, but most are serving melted gummies at full Manhattan prices.

leila Molitor, +1

Off The Menu

STOP MURDERING THE MEAT IN NYC STEAKHOUSES

Dec 6, 2025

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3 min read

STOP MURDERING THE MEAT IN NYC STEAKHOUSES

New York has world-class butchers and cuts. So why are so many steaks arriving as tough as drywall? Tenderness shouldn’t be seasonal or hype-driven.

New York Eats Here

Off The Menu

NYC IS ONLY 'OKAY' FOR FUN? WALLETHUB - KINDLY FUCKOUTTAHERE..

Dec 5, 2025

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3 min read

NYC IS ONLY 'OKAY' FOR FUN? WALLETHUB - KINDLY FUCKOUTTAHERE..

They ranked us #14 using 65 spreadsheet-approved metrics. But real fun — the kind that hits at 3 a.m. on subway fumes, doesn’t fit into Excel cells.

New York Eats Here

Off The Menu

WE “SUPPORT SMALL BIZ” IN NYC IS ACTUALLY BULLSHIT

ANOTHER NEIGHBORHOOD SPOT DIED, AND NEW YORK KEPT WALKING

HOW TO KNOW YOUR FRIEND IS AN EMBARRASSING TIPPER BEFORE YOU EVEN BOOK THE RESERVATION

THE RULEBOOK RESTAURANT IS WHY EATING OUT FEELS LIKE DETENTION

NYC IS ICONIC ON SCREEN, BUT DEAD ON THE GROUND

BLAND STREET COFFEE

SHE FED THE BRONX, POLITICIANS, AND A REVOLUTION NO ONE EXPECTED.

NYC IS JUST FOUR WEED SHOPS IN A TRENCH COAT

THE HUMMUS THAT EXPOSES NEW YORK

WE'RE DROWNING IN POP-UP GIMMICKS

BROOKLYN IS JUST A FASHION SHOW WITH MEDIOCRE SNACKS

A CITY OF EMPTY STOREFRONTS AND $30 SALADS

WELLNESS MENU MADNESS IS HITTING NYC HARD

BISTROS ARE BACK — AND THEY MEAN BUSINESS

WE'RE DONE PAYING FOR SH*T FOOD & SERVICE

NEW YORK’S MOCKTAIL CRISIS IS OUT OF CONTROL, SERIOUSLY

STOP MURDERING THE MEAT IN NYC STEAKHOUSES

NYC IS ONLY 'OKAY' FOR FUN? WALLETHUB - KINDLY FUCKOUTTAHERE..

Born Hungry™