Here at Untapped, we’ve found 10 eateries worth visiting that you may or may not recognize from your favorite HBO original series.
Girls
Café Grumpy on Meserole Avenue in Greenpoint
As if Brooklyn weren’t already trendy enough, HBO’s Girls has romanticized the neighborhood more than any television show in recent years, and there are plenty of filming locations to explore. Our favorite is Café Grumpy, where Ray (Alex Karpovsky) and Hannah (Lena Dunham) make ends meet as Baristas. You’ll find it in Greenpoint, a filming mecca for Lena Dunham’s immensely popular new show.
Sex and the City
Magnolia Bakery, 401 Bleecker Street on the corner of West 11th Street
Ever since an episode of Sex and the City featured Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) sitting on a bench eating Magnolia Bakery’s retro, pink-frosted cupcakes, this iconic neighborhood bakery has never been the same. Now a sugary staple with locations across New York, as well as Chicago and Dubai, tourists still flock to the original Magnolia on Bleecker Street, often waiting in queues stretching around the corner. But Magnolia has impacted more than just taste buds. It is credited with starting the modern day cupcake craze and bringing a more upscale flavor to Bleeker Street.
Pastis on 9th Avenue
Sex and the City deserves to be listed more than once when it comes to fine dining locations in New York City. Thanks to this hit TV show, the Meatpacking District became one of the trendiest neighborhoods in Manhattan. As its name suggests, its warehouses were once full of cow carcasses before Samantha Jones’ purchased her loft there (the silent witness of her onscreen debauchery), characterizing the Meatpacking Packing district as a chic destination now famous for its designer boutiques and exclusive clubs. Pastis is a trendy French restaurant frequented by fashionistas, the occasional celebrity, and Carrie-wannabes. Needless to say, it’s a great place to grab a drink and a bite when you want to see and be seen.
Entourage
Eddie’s Pizza in New Hyde Park
Home of the “bar pie,” Eddie’s Pizza is a famous bar and restaurant just outside of Queens, New York, the hometown of the main characters on Entourage. Open since 1931, it is a historical relic in the area and is continually recognized for its outstanding pizza. When Vince (Adrian Grenier) and his friends have trouble finding quality pizza in LA, Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) has genuine New York bagles, knishes and pizza delivered to their Beverly Hills Mansion. While seemingly extravagant, this must not be all that rare of an occurrence since Eddie’s boasts that it ships its homemade pizzas anywhere in the United States, and its Pizza Truck crawls around Manhattan daily.
How to Make It in America
El Castillo de Jagua at 113 Rivington Street
The cast of How to Make it in America began eating there while on breaks from shooting, and due to its popularity among the show’s stars the restaurant evolved into a set location for the now defunct drama. Still, Dominican actor Victor Rasuk (Cameron) claims it’s the best place in New York to get habichuelas con dulce.
Bored To Death (RIP)
Milon 93 First Ave., 2nd fl., at 6th St
Perhaps the most fantastically excessive restaurant in the East Village, Milon’s collection of thousands (and possibly millions) of lights hanging from its ceiling and cramped quarters were unmistakable in an episode of HBO’s Bored to Death, which has since been cancelled. With dishes ranging from $7-$12, an unabashed BYOB policy, and Bollywood-style birthday dance music that plays whether there’s a birthday or not, there’s no reason not to follow Jason Schwartzmann’s footsteps into this infectious Indian restaurant.
Flight of the Conchords
Finest Dumpling Restaurant at 25B Henry St
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ozSSseCh3U]
The opening to the ‘Sugalumps’ song sequence was filmed at this tiny dumpling eatery on East Broadway (a fitting dish for the song’s subject), though parts of the video were also filmed at Wing Shoon Seafood Restaurant.
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Veniero’s Pasticceria on E. 11th
Veniero’s in the East Village has always been known as one of the oldest pastry shops in the city. Only recently, however, has it been famous for something far, far more important — Larry David. In an infamous scene in HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry stops in Veniero’s to buy a French baguette that he would eventually use to beat a man attacking Ricky Gervais in the NY subway. Disregarding the location discrepencies in the show, this is one of our favorite spots in New York to get a slice of cake, moccachino, or a pound or two of rainbow cookies.
Boardwalk Empire
Delmonicos Steakhouse on Beaver Street
Since it opened in 1837, Delmonico’s has enjoyed a reputation for being the best fine dining restaurant in New York. Located in the Financial District, it is famous for a multitude of innovative dishes (it calls itself the birthplace of Delmonico Steak, Delmonico Potatoes, Eggs Benedict, Lobster Newburg, and Baked Alaska). With its private dining rooms, original Pompeian pillars, and rich history, it’s no wonder the interior and exterior of the restaurant have been used for filming Chicago scenes in Boardwalk Empire.
The Sopranos
Holsten’s in Bloomfield, NJ
It’s not in New York, but we think the drive over the bridge is worth visiting the restaurant where the final scene of the Sopranos was filmed. Holsten’s is a old-timey American diner in Bloomfield, NJ replete with retro menu items (read: ice cream sundaes and cheeseburgers). Director David Chase chose this particular location for the intentionally (cruelly) underwhelming finale, as a place that embodies classic Americana: “Opened in 1939, going there is literally like being sent back in a time machine to observe the social habits of pre-WWII and 1950’s American youth.” Frankly, we’re still trying to satisfy the hunger that the Sopranos left in us, and if that means eating a whole basket of onion rings from this New Jersey diner, then so be it.
