Hell’s Kitchen Food New York Food Tour

As we (the NHSMUN delegates) arrived in Hell’s Kitchen (no not Gordan Ramsey’s famous restaurant), I was surprised by how lively yet old the neighborhood looked. The old buildings, the run down restaurants, and the sky-rises in the distance, it didn’t feel as if I was in Manhattan. 

Once we met our tour guide, Jake (rock on), I knew this tour would be one long food tour. It was more of a history tour with a side of food. He had so much to say, really. We sat down at our first restaurant, Giu Kaku. We were sat in the back room at a low table with two rusty grills in the middle. Just when I had gotten comfortable Jake started to talk. He mentioned the history of the name Hell’s Kitchen, which is a pretty gruesome story that he adds onto throughout the tour. The area used to be full of violence and Irish gangs, which comes to explain the old, run-down look. As Jake talked, I stared down at my legs, while everyone stared at their phones. 

Saved by the raw meet. 

A small, young woman came over to our table and gave us all sorts of raw foods. Chicken, chuck, New York strip steak, I was a bit disgusted by it all. Three sauces were given to each of us, a ponzu sauce, a spicy ponzu, and a sweeter ponzu (personally my favorite). I grilled all the meats, and it was delicious. When you get a good, interactive experience at restaurant, everything tastes that much better. I enjoyed the suspense of debating (something all MUN kids have to be good at) when to take the food off the grill, as each meet had a different cooking time. Noodles were served on the side, and the buttery texture just melted in my mouth. All the food was spectacular. Soon it was time to leave, and we headed to our second course, dessert, even though we had three more courses after that.

Schmackery’s was a hidden gem within the Hell’s Kitchen area. The bakery smelled like heaven, filled with cinnamon, sugar, and paradise (Aspen pun). The small bakery had the most amazing and fresh cookies. I enjoyed the confetti cookie, topped with cream cheese icing, and Sloane enjoyed a cookies and cream cookie, which was absolutely one of the best cookies I’ve ever had. I kept the cookie in my pocket until we arrived back at the hotel. The cookie was so rich yet so light, I can’t put a name to the texture.

God, that was so good.

We headed to our next spot, which was farther away, which meant for more history from Jake. He mentioned the story of how a man, who goes by the name of Jimmy Coonan, used to cut up people in the back of a bar, gross. The specific story he told was when he cut the head off a man and threw it around with his friends like a ball, when his daughter walked in. 

“Ooh, dad, what are you doing? That looks fun.”

“Just throwing around a mans head…now get the fuck out.”

Thats what I imagined Coonan would say. Sometimes it’s ok to humourize crime from the 1900’s, I think. I hoped you laughed, cause otherwise, that would be super awk (please don’t come for me). 

Anyways, after some bloody stories and some laughs (don’t know how those mix), we arrived at Taco Mahal. I was stuffed, but this meal was too good to resist. The idea of making a taco out of roti and chicken tikka masala was mad genius. It was a bit messy, but it made for a good meal. This was a quick stop, so not much to say other than I’m stuffed.

I swear to god if I eat one more bite of food I’ll be the new horror story of Hell’s Kitchen.

The next stop was the worst, the Meatball Shop. Yuck. I found that the meatball were worse than airplane food. They had no flavor, and the tomato sauce did not add anything. They served some buffalo sauce meatballs, which I did not try, but I have a review by a friend. Sloane found the buffalo ones were better, with a solid 7/10. They were tossed in a creamy buffalo sauce, but it wasn’t too thick. If you happen to be in HK do not come here. 

Our final stop was at an amazing Mediterranean restaurant. The place was super skinny, and the walls were made of old brick, the ceilings made with patterned metal. There was a small bard on one side, and a narrow passage to get to the backroom. The backroom has a few large tables, and open windows surrounded by plants. The two rooms didn’t not feel the same. The first plate brought out was a spread plate with delicious hummus and Baba ghanoush and some other spreads made with olives and beets. I loved the creamy, yet think hummus. It had amazing flavor, and it wasn’t plain like some hummus’s I’ve tried. The perfect hummus has garlic, paprika, and drizziled with olive oil. The pita was nice and warm, and had a nice whole wheat flavor. 

The final eat of the day were these delicious chicken kebab samples. Cooked in paprika, these were some of the best chicken kebabs I have ever had. Each bite had a crispy exterior, with a perfectly cooked piece of chicken on the inside. It had a nice kick. Yum.

The day was filled of laughter, nerves, and full stomachs. The food itself did not disappoint. Hell’s Kitchen is the place to be to find some good and quick food while enjoying the liveliness of the neighborhoodl