From TIME OUT NYC
When Ninth Avenue stalwart Chelsea Market opened in 1997, the city fell hard for the food hall concept—now, instead of sitting down for a boring old appetizer-entree-dessert, it was possible to graze through your way through a meal, sampling bites from two or three (or six) vendors in one visit. Since then, NYC food halls have multiplied rapidly, and are now found all over town, from Crown Heights’ Berg’n to Penn Station’s the Pennsy. With so many options, the question is: what to eat? We’ve picked our favorite dishes from each of the city’s 15 food halls, so get your wallet ready and prepare to let your belt out a notch.
THE PENNSY
This January addition to the city’s food hall scene sits inauspiciously above every New Yorker’s least favorite place: Penn Station. Luckily, it’s home to a number of quality vendors, from meat masters Pat LaFrieda to vegan junk-food slinger the Cinnamon Snail.
What to order: The Lobster Press from Marc Forgione’s spot of the same name, a gloriously buttery, pressed lobster sandwich. Be sure to do the dip with the hot, spicy broth served alongside. $17