On Instagram and TikTok, anything worth eating comes with a line. Whether social-media fame is sparked by an influencer or is the result of a concerted marketing effort to engineer a food’s viral moment, digital popularity does not always correlate to actual quality. With this in mind, our Underground Gourmet columnist will queue up each month to try some of the city’s most-shared, most-liked foods to determine what Instagram bait is actually worth the wait.
Line 1: The Carrot Latte
Dialogue, 188 Allen St., nr. Stanton St.
This café doubles as a flower shop and is attached to a large, cozy room of tables and chairs full of people on their laptops drinking iced einspanners garnished with botanicals and vegan foam in flavors like osmanthus and rose. The carrot-cake latte has been the breakout hit, and with good reason: The lightly spiced carrot-juice cream tastes not unlike a better pumpkin spice latte, naturally sweet, earthy, and fresh.
Worth the wait? Absolutely yes. I might make it a daily routine.
Line 2: The Square Croissantwich
Petit Chou, 229 First Ave., nr. 14th St.
However delicious they may be, croissants are not an optimal sandwich bread. For an improved croissantwich, this East Village bakery rolls its dough into sandwich-size squares to split and stuff with a layer of omelet, a few pieces of bacon, and enough American cheese to create an admirable pull. The price — $12 — is steep for an egg sandwich, but this has the heft to feed two.
Worth the wait? Yes — especially with a hangover.
Line 3: The $2 Cheeseburgers
20 Gram Cafe, 145 West St., nr. India St., Greenpoint
For these shockingly affordable burgers, this corner market’s café uses meat from its own butcher, which shows in a juicy, craggy patty with a salty crust. Mine was cooked to order and radiated heat from within its aluminum-foil wrapping, also containing a heap of sautéed stringy onions in a squishy potato roll. The pickle slice and a mustardy house sauce give it just enough pizzazz.
Worth the wait? What else are you going to eat for $2.55?
Line 4: Alfredo to Go
Pastasole, 192 First Ave., nr. E. 12th St.
Everyone has by now seen the trick where fresh pasta is tossed and sauced inside a giant wheel of parmigiana. This East Village window is taking the show to the streets. Does it belong here? Temperature is one problem: On a chilly day, it’s impossible to keep the pasta and cream sauce hot. My noodles were soft, almost room-temperature, and impressively bland. The small amount of milky sauce repelled off the fettuccine and pooled at the bottom of the bowl.
Worth the wait? If you’re feeding a picky child, maybe.
Line 5: The Hawaiian Plate
L&L, 201 Allen St., nr. Houston St.
Local TikTok rejoiced at the signs that Honolulu-based chain L&L would bring its Spam ramen, garlic shrimp, and barbecue meats back to New York City after closing its lone location here a decade ago. I got a combination plate that included a deboned chicken thigh, a slice of beef, and a thin cross-section of short ribs, all coated with a salty teriyaki sauce and served next to a mound of rice and a scoop of macaroni salad for $19.25. My favorite was the short rib, which was grilled until crisp on the edges, but the other piece of beef was a little tough in its unsliced form.
Worth the wait? Not really. It’s a fine plate of grilled meats but not particularly special.
