Started pinning every meal I eat with a photo because I kept losing track of great spots and going back to the same 5 places. After a year, some clear patterns jumped out from my map:

Chinatown for Malaysian food is the one nobody’s paying attention to. Malaysia has a large Chinese community going back generations, so the cuisine blends both traditions in its own way — and Chinatown is a natural home for it. Nyonya’s roti canai is paper-thin and you dip it into this rich umami curry that has no business being that good. If you’ve never had chendol, go fix that.

Manhattan Valley is quietly stacked for price-to-quality. Max Soha does a NY strip steak that would cost 2x in the Village, and Arco Cafe is a hidden gem for freshly made pasta — their carbonara gnocchi is ridiculous. Nobody talks about this neighborhood.

Jackson Heights gets all its love for Indian and Bengali food (deserved), but I’ve been going for the Thai spots. Khao Nom’s boat noodles are absurdly good for the price, and they have the most extensive Thai dessert selection (12+ options) I’ve seen anywhere in NYC.

What’s a neighborhood spot you think is insanely underrated? I’ll go try it and add it to my map.

Edit: Sorry for the delay! I was driving out of state and didn’t expect this to blow up. Here are all the spots from my photos with Google Maps links:

Malaysian (Chinatown):
Roti Canai – Nyonya (https://maps.app.goo.gl/TMCzNXAr5S23sYk8A)
Chendol Shaved Ice – New West Malaysia (https://maps.app.goo.gl/xVfaCuktRzAoKajc9)
Japanese (Turtle Bay):
Uni Sashimi Bowl – Kaoru (https://maps.app.goo.gl/7sHQmhty5RK5tHxRA)
Manhattan Valley/Morningside:
NY Strip Steak – Max Soha (https://maps.app.goo.gl/R9rA2geAUUGGFEJZA)
Jackson Heights:
Thai Dessert counter – Khao Nom (https://maps.app.goo.gl/pjugWs3hx66EiENe9)

A few people asked to see the full map. I’ve been pinning every meal with photos and locations, so I made it browsable here: spicypunk-tastory.vercel.app/share

(Note: some spots I revisited several times – the map includes photos from earlier visits, not just this past year)