The holidays are quite possibly the best time of the year in New York City: everything is lit up and full of festive spirit, and all the fun holiday treats are out in the seasonal markets! The best holiday eats can be found at the Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park, a huge holiday market surrounding Bryant Park’s ice rink. It’s full of amazing small business vendors curated by Urbanspace serving delicious food to warm you up during the cold season. Here’s some of the best eats in Bryant Park’s Winter Village – take a sneak peek on Instagram to see more winter treats to try as well!
The Truffleist
If you’re a fan of truffles, The Truffleist will blow your mind. They have a regular booth in the Winter Village that sells truffle products (think truffle honey and truffle butter!), but they also have a booth called Cheesesteaks by The Truffleist where they sell cheesesteak sandwiches and sides made with their truffle products. You can get cheesesteak sandwiches with toppings like a whole burrata(!) as pictured above, truffle honey, or truffle mustard. They also have mozzarella sticks (truffle mozz = YUM!) and curly fries that are topped with cheese and truffles.
If you’re feeling crazy, go for the Truffleist Burger: it’s a double cheeseburger topped with freshly shaved truffles, truffle mayo, melted mozzarella, caramelized onions and a fried burrata ball…all on a prosciutto bun. This burger isn’t for the faint of heart, but it’s the best truffle-infused burger you’ll ever have.
Eat this: Burrata Cheesesteak, Truffle Mozzarella Sticks, Truffleist Burger
Baked Cheese Haus
Nothing beats a warm cheesy sandwich during the holidays, and Baked Cheese Haus is the best spot for a fresh hot sandwich. They use their own artisanal Raclette cheese, a traditional Alpine cheese that turns golden brown when warm. Each sandwich is made with fresh Raclette scraped right from the cheese wheel that’s heated until the cheese bubbles – can you say yum?!?! They go through about ten wheels of cheese a day, so make sure to get your hands on a fresh sandwich and eat it while the raclette cheese is still warm!
Eat this: Jambon Cru sandwich with all the fixin’s – spring onions, baby gherkin pickles, and dijon mustard
Home Frite
You can never go wrong with French fries, and Home Frite is the perfect Winter Village spot for fries. Home Frite serves their fries in a cone with a little pocket for your sauce, so this is a perfect handheld option if you want to walk around the rest of the market. They have delicious dipping sauces like Curry Ketchup and Lemon Garlic Aioli, and their fries are so deliciously crispy you’ll want to go back for seconds!
Eat this: Classic Fries with Lemon Garlic Aioli, Truffle Fries
Bolivian Llama Party
If you want some more spice during the cold, then Bolivian Llama Party is the way to go. They have delicious Bolivian bites that are full of spices and flavor sure to wow your taste buds. One of their best treats is their salteñas: Bolivian-style empanadas that are deliciously savory with a hint of sweetness from the spicy sauce inside. This spot is perfect if you’re craving some spicy food.
Eat this: Beni (beef) Salteñas, Brisket or Pork Chola Sandwich
Arancini Bros.
Arancini balls are a Sicilian street food: fried rice balls filled with whatever your heart desires. Arancini Bros. takes arancini to the next level with flavors like Bianco Verde (pesto and cheese) and French Onion Soup. Our personal favorite is the Nutella ball – their only sweet arancini ball, full of warm Nutella and covered in cinnamon sugar. It’s the perfect bite of dessert for the holidays.
Eat this: Nutella ball, Bianco Verde ball, French Onion ball – get a six-pack and sample more flavors!
Destination Dumpling
Started by two friends from Flushing, Queens, Destination Dumpling is the best destination for delicious dumplings in the Winter Village (see what I did there?). Aside from classic pork and chive dumplings, they have unique options like jerk chicken (a spicy choice!) and edamame dumplings (a great veggie option). They also have bao buns and rice bowls…you can’t go wrong with any of their bites.
Eat this: Classic Pork & Chive dumplings, Peking Duck dumplings, or any of their Bao!
Enfes NYC
If you like Mediterranean food, Enfes NYC is the perfect spot to curb your craving. They specialize in thin Turkish flatbreads called gozleme, which are full of meat, potatoes, and veggies, and you can get a lunch combo to taste their stuffed grape leaves, falafel, hummus, and salad. If you want something similar to a savory crepe, Enfes is a top-notch choice.
Eat this: Classic Enfes Lunch Combo – sample a bit of everything!
For a full list of vendors at the Bank of America Winter Village, check out their website. Looking for more comfort food this winter? Check out our guide on the best mac and cheese in NYC!
