New York

There's Never Been a Better Time to Explore NYC's Delivery-Only Restaurants

Wing Squad
Wing Squad
Wing Squad

There should be a term for the very NYC experience of ordering from a restaurant all the time that you never actually see the inside of. You know, that spot that serves your favorite chicken tikka masala or vegan chili mac, but you couldn’t for the life of you name one detail inside the restaurant itself (beyond the type of takeout container they use)?

While some spots (hi, Midtown East) are designed mostly for takeout business, a perfunctory dining room still exists for the restaurant to feel, well, restaurant-like. Others, however, have cracked the code on high rent, delivery domination and maximum efficiency by opening so-called commissary-style ghost kitchens, that is, restaurants without any type of storefront. Think of your neighborhood Chinese takeout spot, without the requisite two tables in front.

Very much a product of the optimize-everything era, ghost kitchens are likely to become even more common in New York, as popular restaurants opt for satellite spots to prepare takeout orders (startups like Zuul now house restaurants’ satellite delivery kitchens, and more eateries launch without any plans of ever interfacing with customers beyond the delivery bag.

Now that delivery/take-out is the only option for New Yorkers reliant on others’ preparing their food, we’ve rounded up some of the top delivery-only restaurants in NYC that you can order from now.

Wing Squad
Wing Squad
Wing Squad

Wing Squad

Without any sports bar patrons to hold up kitchen orders, Wing Squad can focus on cooking up crispy chicken wings to deliver in multiples of six. The menu is simple: Choose one of six flavors for your wings (honey garlic and Buffalo are highly recommended), a few sides (mac and cheese is gooey and delightful, requisite celery and carrots are a nice add-on too) and a dessert if you so choose, and get ready to a feast of finger foods to be delivered straight to your door. Chicken is all antibiotic-free, and colorful, trendy packaging offers a couch-friendly Instagram opportunity. Available daily from 11am to 11pm via Seamless.

Costata

The beloved Altamarea Group pasta restaurant and steakhouse is long gone from its corner on Spring Street, but some of the menu highlights live on via virtual kitchen. Delivering for dinner only, this fine-dining spot offers excellent handmade pastas, like a fusilli with pork shoulder ragu, plus the signature costata, a 40-ounce, 40-day dry-aged tomahawk ribeye steak, served with bordelaise, creamy horseradish sauce, and truffle butter. At $145, it’s worth breaking out your real silverware and plates for. If you have those. Delivered in Manhattan exclusively via Caviar, from 5pm to 10pm daily.

Zoku Sushi
Zoku Sushi
Zoku Sushi

Zoku Sushi

Daily deliveries of sustainable sushi sourced from Japan, Argentina, Faroe Islands and even Long Island ensure that this delivery-only sushi is as fresh as can be. The ghost kitchen format ensures that minimal waste is created, because smaller quantities of ingredients are purchased than a traditional restaurant with a broader menu, and packaged and served until they sell out. Thanks to lower operating costs, Zoku (which is on St. Mark’s Place in the East Village) can also sell premium sushi at lower prices, which are based on the market, and typically start at $5 for two pieces of nigiri. Sushi boxes are the real deal here, with a three-roll combo starting at $16. An entirely vegetarian menu, starring pieces like enoki mushroom nigiri, is also available. Order via ZokuSushi.com (prices are slightly lower), or Seamless/GrubHub for Manhattan delivery. 

Ghost Burger

There are some people who refuse to eat anything if they don’t know where it came from, while others are intrigued by foods of mysterious origins. This burger delivery service is for the latter, as they keep the kitchen location of their business top secret, though with delivery running from the Upper East Side to down to the Lower East Side, we suspect the hangover-friendly menu is made somewhere near the East River. The menu includes three patty options — a chuck rib patty, Nashville-style fried chicken or Beyond Burger — with specialty accoutrements like kewpie mayo, chili jam and homemade special sauce, served on Balthazar buns or keto-friendly lettuce wraps. Sides include a salad, fries and Buffalo style wings, and service is available from 10am – 10pm/

Sam's Crispy Chicken
Sam’s Crispy Chicken
Sam’s Crispy Chicken

Sam’s Crispy Chicken

New virtual-only restaurant Sam’s Crispy Chicken is run by Sam Nazarian, Founder and CEO of sbe group, which also runs Umami Burger. Inspired by the popularity of Umami’s fried chicken, this ghost kitchen uses antibiotic-free fried chicken in sandwiches, salads and as ready-to-dip tenders. Veg-friendly Quorn and cauliflower options are also available, plus waffle fries and sides like mac & cheese. The entire menu is a stoner’s dream, with direct-to-door options like maple-soaked fried chicken sandwiched between waffles (Buffalo sauce optional), Nashville hot fried chicken with pickles on a brioche bun and a fried chicken Caesar sandwich (yes, sandwich!) with wasabi peas and tempura flakes. Sam’s Crispy Chicken is available for delivery daily from 11am – 11pm through Postmates, UberEats, Doordash, GrubHub, Seamless, and Caviar. 

Mac N Cheese Alley

It’s not as sketchy, but just as gooey as it sounds, this sibling to East Williamsburg’s Grilled Cheese Alley only exists on Seamless dot com (and in your mouth). In many ways, it’s a dream of a delivery restaurant, doling out comfort food like Philly cheesesteak mac and a mac & cheese topped with bacon-wrapped figs. Build-your-own tots are also an option, with over a dozen accoutrements including ranch, pesto, pork belly, truffle oil, roasted jalapenos, apple slices and pretty much everything else your little hungry/hungover/stoned heart desires. Delivery runs from 5pm to midnight in North Brooklyn. 

Cookie Dealer

If any ghost kitchen better represents the New York hustle, we’d like to learn about it. This overly secretive cookie delivery service panders to sweet tooths by offering Supreme-style drops from freshly baked “secret stashes” of half-pound cookies in ridiculous flavors, like S’mores chocolate chip. The cookie dealer kitchen is not open to the public (though bakery scenes are shown on the brand’s Instagram) and delivery is not consistent, which is part of what makes it special.Sign up here for our daily NYC email and be the first to get all the food/drink/fun New York has to offer.

Melissa Kravitz is a Thrillist contributor.

New York

Scavenge for Peeps Cookies and More Fun Treats in NYC This Easter

The best Easter desserts in NYC this spring include Easter Bunny Churros and Carrot Cake Macarons.

Photo courtesy of Funny Face Bakery
Photo courtesy of Funny Face Bakery
Photo courtesy of Funny Face Bakery

As spring makes its way through New York City, not only do we get to enjoy beautiful weather, stunning cherry blossoms, and cool activities priced at $Free.99, but it’s also the perfect time for some limited-edition desserts.

With Easter fast approaching, bakeries are filling their shops with tons of chocolate eggs, carrot cake-flavoured everything and all types of flavours that offer both nostalgia and innovation within the city’s dessert landscape. After you’ve picked up a cake from the city’s best new bakeries, from Easter Bunny Churros to Carrot Cake Macarons, here are 8 Easter desserts to try in NYC right now.

Photo courtesy of Magnolia Bakery
Photo courtesy of Magnolia Bakery
Photo courtesy of Magnolia Bakery

Magnolia Bakery

Throughout April
Various locations
There’s great news for devotees of Magnolia Bakery’s Classic Banana Pudding: For Easter, the spot is mixing up the iconic dessert’s vanilla pudding with some carrot cake. The Carrot Cake Pudding is filled with freshly grated carrots, coconuts, pineapples, raisins, and walnuts. And if both bananas and carrots aren’t your thing, they’ll be offering their Classic Vanilla Cupcakes in pastel colours with a Cadbury chocolate egg hidden inside.

Photo courtesy of Funny Face Bakery
Photo courtesy of Funny Face Bakery
Photo courtesy of Funny Face Bakery

Funny Face Bakery

Through Easter Sunday
NoHo and Seaport
Known for their celebrity face and meme-worthy decorated cookies, fans of Funny Face Bakery know that a new fun design is always just around the corner. For Easter, they’ve created the adorable Hoppy Easter decorated cookie that resembles a classic box of marshmallow Peeps. Along with that, they also have the return of their fan-favourite Caramel Pretzel Chip cookie flavour, plus a set of three mini-decorated cookies perfect for gifting.

The Doughnut Project

Friday, April 7 through Easter Sunday
West Village
With the ever-changing flavours at The Doughnut Project, it’s super easy to miss out on trying out a new debut. But this Easter weekend, there will be two new flavours available. One is of course, a carrot cake doughnut topped with a cream cheese glaze, and the other is known as the Doughnut Nest-a French cruller “nest” with a cream-filled doughnut hole “egg” in the centre.

Photo by Cole Saladino, courtesy of The Fragile Flour
Photo by Cole Saladino, courtesy of The Fragile Flour
Photo by Cole Saladino, courtesy of The Fragile Flour

The Fragile Flour

Wednesday, April 5 through Easter Sunday
East Village
For stellar vegan desserts this holiday, head to The Fragile Flour, a plant-based bakery and dessert wine bar. They’re known for going all out for each holiday with a variety of new pastry options that you can pair perfectly with a glass of wine. This Easter, they’ll have a whole dessert menu that’s both delicious and gorgeous for posting on IG. The menu includes Stuffed Carrot Cake Cookies, a Lemon Cake (whole or by the slice), some festive cupcakes, and specialty macarons.

Photo courtesy of Kreuther Handcrafted Chocolate
Photo courtesy of Kreuther Handcrafted Chocolate
Photo courtesy of Kreuther Handcrafted Chocolate

Kreuther Handcrafted Chocolate

Through mid April
Midtown
For a luxurious take on Easter chocolates, browse the selections available at Kreuther Handcrafted Chocolate. You can even pick the Easter Signature Chef’s Selection for a special box curated by award-winning chefs. For something other than chocolate, choose between the Carrot Cake Macarons or the cake flavored Easter Marshmallow Trio, both of which are almost too cute to eat.

La Churreria

Throughout April
Nolita
This churro-centric spot is putting the cutest Easter spin on their crispy cinnamon churros by twisting them up into bunnies and bunny ears. At Churreria, choose from a Bunny Churro Lollipop topped with your choice of chocolate or dulce de leche and sprinkles, or the bunny ear churros in the Ube and Matcha ice cream sundae or the Ube Milkshake, both of which are made with ice cream from il laboratorio del gelato.

Photo by Briana Balducci
Photo by Briana Balducci
Photo by Briana Balducci

Lafayette

Throughout April
NoHo
You’ve surely seen this croissant tons of times while scrolling through IG or TikTok, whether it’s the Pain au Chocolat one or the latest of the month. Known as Suprêmes, these filled croissants went viral and continue to live up to the hype each time a new flavour comes out. April’s flavour-sour cherry amaretto with a Luxardo custard and toasted almonds. While you’ll have to be super early and wait in line during one of their three drops of the day to get a taste, we promise you it’ll be worth it.

Photo courtesy of Levain
Photo courtesy of Levain
Photo courtesy of Levain

Levain

Seasonal
Various locations
We all know the iconic cookies from Levain-they’re gigantic, perfectly crispy and chewy, and well worth the long lines. For spring, the shop is launching a new flavour: Caramel Coconut Chocolate Chip. Filled with gooey caramel chips, fresh shredded coconut, and melty dark chocolate, it’s one you’ve got to try while it’s still around. To further celebrate the new season, all of Levain’s storefronts will be decked out in spring floral displays, serving as the perfect backdrop for pictures.

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Alaina Cintron is an Editorial Assistant at Thrillist. Her work can also be found in Westchester Magazine, Girls’ Life, and Spoon University. When she’s not at her desk typing away, you can find her exploring a local coffee shop or baking a new recipe.

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