The Ultimate Food Guide to New York State Road Trips
New York isn’t just skyscrapers and yellow cabs, it’s actually one giant edible road trip waiting to happen.
Drive from Buffalo to the Southern Tier and down into the city, and you’ll hit a completely different regional specialty every single time you stop for gas. Locals argue about these dishes the way other states argue about politics, passionately and often over dinner.
Buckle up, because this list is going to leave you seriously hungry.
Buffalo Wings
Let’s start where it all began. These are chicken wings deep fried until crispy, then tossed in a tangy, buttery hot sauce that somehow manages to be spicy and rich at the same time.
Anchor Bar in Buffalo is where this whole phenomenon started, and it’s still churning out over a thousand pounds of wings a day according to Food Network. Locals will also point you toward Duff’s, a divey sports bar spot that plenty of Western New Yorkers swear serves the crispier, meatier wing of the two.
Beef on Weck
This one flies under the radar outside New York, but it might just be the state’s most underrated sandwich. Thin sliced roast beef gets piled onto a kummelweck roll, a crusty bun topped with pretzel salt and caraway seeds, then finished with horseradish and a splash of au jus.
When Western New Yorkers were asked to name their favorite spots, Schwabl’s in West Seneca kept coming up as one of the top picks again and again. The beef there gets carved right in front of you by a dedicated meat slicer stationed near the bar, which somehow makes the sandwich taste even better.
The Garbage Plate
Don’t let the name scare you off, this Rochester original might just be the ultimate hangover food. It typically layers home fries, creamy macaroni salad and your choice of meat, then drowns the whole thing in a meaty, chili like hot sauce.
Nick Tahou Hots is the undisputed original, having invented the dish generations ago in a converted train depot that still feels stuck in time today. It’s messy, it’s a lot of food, and somehow every bite just works.
Spiedies
Head down to the Southern Tier and you’ll run into spiedies, cubed chunks of marinated meat grilled over charcoal and stuffed into a soft Italian roll. The marinade leans heavily on vinegar, oil, garlic and herbs, giving the meat a bright tang you won’t find in a typical kebab.
Spiedie and Rib Pit in Binghamton has developed a devoted local following, with plenty of longtime residents calling it a clear step above the area’s other spiedie spots. Chicken and pork are the most common orders, though a few old school places still serve the original lamb version for purists.
Pastrami Sandwich
You can’t talk about New York food without landing at Katz’s Delicatessen on the Lower East Side. Thick, hand cut slices of peppery, smoked pastrami get piled impossibly high between two slices of rye, with just a smear of mustard to cut through the richness.
The pastrami here cures for close to a month before it ever hits your plate, and you can genuinely taste that patience in every bite according to reviewers. Don’t lose your paper ticket at the door either, the staff takes that rule very seriously.
Bagel With Lox
New York bagels have a cult following for a reason, dense and chewy on the inside with a golden, slightly crisp shell. Piled with silky, thin sliced smoked salmon and a swipe of cream cheese, it becomes something way more special than your average breakfast sandwich.
Russ & Daughters on the Lower East Side has been slicing that salmon since 1914, and it remains a spot locals swear by more than a century later. The fish is famously sliced so thin you could practically read a newspaper through it.
New York Cheesecake
Dense, rich and just tangy enough to keep it from being overly sweet, this cheesecake style is famous for its thick, creamy texture and simple graham cracker crust. It’s less airy than other cheesecakes, which is exactly the point.
Junior’s in Brooklyn has been serving the definitive version since 1950, baked in a water bath until it jiggles just right according to the bakery itself. Order the plain slice first, then decide if you’re brave enough to try the strawberry.
New York’s food scene proves you don’t need one single identity to have an incredible culinary reputation. Whether you’re deep in wing sauce in Buffalo or elbow deep in pastrami on the Lower East Side, this state basically guarantees you’ll never make it through a road trip without loosening your belt at least once.
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