Top 10 Overrated Dishes In NYC

Well someone finally had to say it. Some of New York’s “best of” places have become outdated and outdone. I don’t fully agree with the Post’s assessment of the top 10 overrated dishes in New York (some of the places have deserved their reputations for their delicious output), but they do make a good point that there are great alternatives. Listed below are the Post’s list and alternative suggestions as well as my own.

1. Magnolia’s Cupcakes (Post alternative: Burgers & Cupcakes)
2. Pinkberry (Post alternative: 40 Carrots in the basement of Bloomingdale’s)
3. Carnegie Deli (Scott Alternative: Katz’s Deli)
4. Corner Bistro Burger (Post alternative: Finnegan’s Wake; Scott’s alternatives: Beer Bar, Resto)
5. Mamoun’s Falafel (Post alternative: Mr. Falafel)
6. Lombardi’s Pizza (Scott alternative: Naples 45)
7. Joe: The Art of Coffee
8. Nobu (Post alternative: Any other place copying their food that’s less expensive and has less of a wait)
9. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que (Post alternative: Pies-n-Thighs, Scott alternative: Daisy May’s, Hill Country)
10. Sylvia’s (Post alternative: Amy Ruth’s, Scott alternative: Mama’s Food Shop)

The Post also offers up the following suggestion for why these myths persist. “Ask someone what the city’s best burger, steak or frozen yogurt is, and you can predict what the responses will be. It’s a foodie version of what psychologist Irving Janis famously called “groupthink,” i.e., making incorrect decisions after peer pressure leads to a deterioration of “mental efficiency and reality testing.””

I will say that many of these places have garnered their reputations from their long histories and have become New York institutions. What's really interesting is that a lot of the alternatives are often derived directly from the originals. For example check out the sordid family trees of popular cupcakeries, steakhouses, and even the pizza places... makes for some excellent reading

UPDATE: Grub street also jumps on the bandwagon with their own list of overrated places including Junior's Cheesecake, The Stage Deli, and steak at The Palm.