9 Best Hole-In-The-Wall Restaurants In New York City

When you’re hungry and stranded on a planet of chain restaurants and gaudy buffets, stumbling upon a good hole-in-the-wall joint can feel like going to the moon. You’re on a seemingly undiscovered and beautiful world, even if loads of people have made the trek before you. You can sit at the lovingly grubby place in awe that you’re not at the usual haunts.

In a place like New York City, there’s a worldly hole-in-the-wall every few steps if you know where to look. The best ones are quiet in spirit even if they buzz with customers, are out of sight and, if you’re really lucky, difficult to access. The city is crawling with delicious joints found in unexpected places, from decades-old pizza places to a dumpling house found only after a trek through an abandoned shopping mall. Like the best hole-in-the-wall restaurants in your state, these places have no garishness to penetrate through; at their cores are delicious food, awesome prices, and an ambiance that anyone can belong in.

Found in Crown Heights, Brooklyn Suya is the type of small but mighty place you can’t resist stopping at for a quick lunch that packs electric flavor. The intimate fast-casual restaurant is run by two Nigerian chefs, Folusho Adeyemo and Hema Agwu, who have been cooking their country’s food all their lives.

Either at the slim counter or seated on the smattering of picnic tables outside the restaurant, you’ll be treated to a Suya bowl, a customizable offering in a convenient and filling package. This bowl starts with a rice and kale base, two sides, and a red-onion garnish with an array of protein to choose from. Much of the magic comes from the house-made suya spice, a Nigerian peanut-based blend; the tingly heat of which ranges from mild to atomic. You can also get this spice in a jar to-go, meaning this hole-in-the-wall is as portable as it is delicious. Take a cue from this Old Bay trick and season your fries with this spice blend instead of salt. Better yet, nothing on the menu will cost you more than $25.

brooklynsuya.com

(718) 513-0122

717 Franklin Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238

While Brooklyn Suya is warming up Crown Heights with its sizzling, earthy spice, Don Udon is doing so with its rich ramen broth. A ramen house with just 13 seats and no reservations to speak of, Don Udon is the best portal to the streets of Tokyo you can find in New York City. A glossy wooden counter greets you in the intimate space, where you can sit down for a viewing of a culinary spectacle. The star of the show is the udon noodles, which are great hot or cold. Customers love the beef udon, and if you aren’t satiated by then, you can add a side of curry and rice.

Like the best hole-in-the-walls, Don Udon has no Instagram account to speak of, and the menu is difficult to track down online. This ramen house thrives on its excellent word of mouth and, with its Japanese chefs and owners, the authentic dining experience. Stumble on inside and thank the noodle gods later.

donudon.square.site

(347) 365-6388

634 Park Pl, Brooklyn, NY 11238

A decades-old Cuban restaurant hidden within the fervor of Times Square, Margon Restaurant is a hole in the wall that savors its modesty amid bustling extravagance. Specializing in Dominican-Cuban cuisine, Margon is known to have some of the best Cubanos in the city. Melty Cuban sandwiches, which consist of crusty bread sandwiching oozing Swiss cheese, roasted pork, ham, pickles, and mustard, are a delicate sandwich to nail. Margon knocks it out of the park. This place churns out sandwiches at a lightning rate, making it a perfect grab and go lunch spot, or a haven to linger in while you feast.

Also popular are its oxtails and classic breakfast sandwiches; one ingenious diner ordered the oxtail stew to dip their Cuban sandwich into, for a new level of soggy deliciousness. Feel free to wash it down with a creamy banana milkshake. Its cafeteria-style service with plastic trays and piping-hot hotel pans of the food glowing behind a plastic partition only add to the casual magic of the place.

ordermargon.com

(212) 354-5013

136 W 46th St, New York, NY 10036

There aren’t many restaurants in the city where you think you must have taken a grave wrong turn at some point in your journey to get there — or, at least, none as utterly worthwhile as Fu Zhou Wei Zhong. You will arrive at this irresistibly scruffy dumpling house after making your way through the somewhat dystopian East Broadway Mall, a shuttered shopping mall under the Manhattan Bridge with food stalls in the lower floor. If the journey leaves you cold, Fu Zhou Wei Zhong serves steamed bao and dumplings that breathe life back into the abandoned building. On the crispier side of things, there’s also fried pork dumplings and a sesame seed-studded bamboo shoot cake with pork.

The menu isn’t the largest thing in the world, so you can be assured that the handful of dishes the restaurant does serve are hits every time. Moreover, each of the seven options on the menu won’t cost you more than $5. Fu Zhou Wei Zhong also has a wholesale operation, so this is the perfect place for those interested in stocking up their freezers with 50 steamed buns and 30 dumplings for under $40.

fu-zhou-wei-zhong-wei.restaurants-world.com

(212) 431-3555 

88 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002

Any hole in the wall with a facade that not only welcomes you in but also confirms beyond any doubt that it is in fact a restaurant is inadequate. El Sabroso, an Ecuadorian restaurant stewing behind an industrial loading dock in the Garment District of Manhattan, is the definition of unassuming. The most expensive lunch special on the menu is $7.50. Chicken stew, roasted pork, or the special tripe (or cow stomach), all come with rice, red beans and a salad. Ask for extra hot sauce and you’ll be treated to a sauce made with three peppers that may warrant a call to the fire department.

The restaurant was founded by Ecuadorian chef Tony Molina and is now run by his son. A small, tucked away space that feels like yours, El Sabroso defies its unwelcoming exterior with delicious and authentic Latin American food and a cozy space. You’ll walk away fully satiated and looking forward to opening the gray freight elevator doors again as soon as possible.

elsabrosony.com

(646) 846-5121

265 W 37th St, New York, NY 10018

Another ostensibly unadorned neighborhood shop that houses unbelievably delicious food is Punjabi Deli, located in the East Village. This grocery and deli has been open for 40 years and is a beloved New York City staple. Like many other holes-in-the-wall on this list, the delectable items on its menu all fall under $10. Appetizers include samosas, pakoras, and aloo tikki, which is a spiced potato patty. What sets Punjabi Deli apart from the other wonderful spots on this list is its entirely vegetarian menu, so those who aren’t meat eaters will still get a complete and completely flavorful meal.

Though the COVID-19 pandemic put the future of the deli in limbo, Punjabi came back stronger than ever. This place has blown up online and is a destination for locals and visitors alike. Punjabi Deli is living proof that hearty (and spicy) food served piping hot is that much more important than flashiness without substance.

instagram.com/punjabidelinyc

(212) 533-3356

114 E 1st St, New York, NY 10009

Unless you strike gold and find a plane ticket to Italy on the ground, going to Lillo Cucina Italiana in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn is the closest you’ll get to a casual, tiny eatery in Florence or Rome, and it’ll only take an afternoon. This joint will not only teleport you across the world but also back in time, as this is a cash-only establishment. With a frequently changing menu featuring Italian classics like cacio e pepe, puttanesca, and eggplant Parmesan, Lillo will be a new experience each time you go; the tiramisu, which comes in a hefty plastic tub, gets rave reviews, as well.

The restaurant has only six tables, an informal setting that feels like a secret, especially as so many online who cherish this place hope to keep it as such. Chef Giampietro Remia has roots as a pastry chef in Rome, and he weaves briny and sweet Roman authenticity into each dish. There are no reservations here, so buckle up for a wait that will replace your next trip to Italy.

lillobrooklyn.com

(347) 763-0899

221 Henry St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

If you ask a Queens native about their favorite seafood in the area, chances are they will say Abuqir, a lovely hole-in-the-wall in Astoria. There aren’t many places where you can look your food in the eye before it is served to you, but Abuqir scratches that itch.

You can pick your fish from its bed of ice, and the cooks will prepare it for you. There’s an Egyptian flair to these dishes, with sides like a spiced rice and an eggplant tahini dip. The grilled shrimp gets especially rave reviews, which comes grilled and spiced in the signature spice mix. Don’t expect a menu here; the team instead lists prices for the seafood by the pound, and you can bravely go from there. Abuqir is located in the Little Egypt section of Astoria, but it more than makes its mark in a crowd of great Middle Eastern and African food.

instagram.com/abuqir

(718) 274-3474

24-19 Steinway St, Astoria, NY 11103

Louie and Ernie’s Pizza has been firing oblong, thin, and crispy crust pizza since 1959, with the same family running the shop all these years later. This is not just your run of the mill humble pizza place, but it is the best hole-in-the-wall restaurant in all of New York City. A giant, half-circle window encased in brick holds their neon sign — pizza oven-shaped, if you will — through which you can see the small eatery. Wooden tables and siding adorn a snug restaurant with a counter that’s always busy.

An institution as persistent and beloved as this one has to be a well-oiled and airy-tight machine, and Louie and Ernie’s closely-guarded recipes are the key. It would be devastating to leave this lovable shack without a slice of the Sicilian Godfather, a thick, rectangular pie with sausage, pepperoni, peppers, onions, and mushrooms. At this point, Louie and Ernie’s is inextricable from the fabric of the Bronx itself.

louieanderniespizza.com

(718) 829-6230

1300 Crosby Ave, Bronx, New York, NY 10461

The compilation of this list entailed consulting numerous restaurant ratings, news articles, and social media reviews to accurately reflect the hole-in-the-wall restaurant scene in NYC.