Word of Mouth is a Munchies series that highlights unexpected and surprising restaurants around New York.

Word of Mouth

Almost unnoticeable to those who don’t know it, deep in the Bronx is Nano Billiard Cafe, or Tony’s Billiards, an old-school basement pool hall that serves up some of the best Dominican food in New York City. Anita, the cook, has made Tony’s Billiards famous to residents far and wide who taste her homestyle Dominican food and return for more. Some say that when they can’t get the food their mothers’ make, they visit Anita’s kitchen for a plate of her beans, stews, ribs, fried chicken, and much more.

Dominican Food in a Bronx Billiard Hall


 

The Tulip and the Rose Cafe in Franklin, NY is the type of place you could drive by for years and have no idea of the vivacity until you walk inside. Started by members of the Osmanli Dergah, a Sufi Muslim group that's found a home in the Catskill Mountains of Upstate New York, the restaurant serves international food focusing on Malaysian, Indian, Turkish, Thai, and American recipes.

A Sufi Muslim Group’s Restaurant in the Catskills

 

The Russian & Turkish Bathhouse in NYC's East Village has been around since 1892 - longer than The Empire State Building. But most people don't know that it houses a restaurant with a lengthy menu featuring Russian delicacies.

The Restaurant Inside a Russian Bathhouse

 

Greenane Farms is a small family farm in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York and it's the type of place that you would never know existed unless someone gave you a heads up. Patrick and Thanya Rider's farm raises chicken, pig, cow, goats, sheep, quail, and other livestock.

The Mexican Restaurant in a Barn in Upstate NY

 

Indo Java, an Indonesian market in the Elmhurst neighborhood of Queens, seems like an unassuming shop to passersby. But the smells coming from the tiny makeshift kitchen lure people inside to taste the flavors of Indonesian cuisine.

New York’s Smallest Restaurant Is Tucked Inside an Indonesian Bodega