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The best french fries in NYC

August 22, 2020

Oh yes, we did.

As you know, we deal with the most important part of New York City life – LOVE – and when it comes to things we love, French fries are top of the list!!

We, as a team, are real lovers of life here at Marisa Perry, and we take absolute pleasure in both the simple and the finer things! French fries are up there with things we remember and covet, as who doesn’t like to share a basket “for the table”?!

We have compiled a list of our “top-picks” of what we consider to be the best French Fries in Manhattan – the ones that keep us coming back for more!

1, Avra. The lead on our list are the Truffle Fries at Avra. They are chunky, hand-cut, and crisped to perfection, dashed with a quick shaving of truffled cheese, and served in a very generous basket. The crowd varies, that’s for sure, but we favor the 48th street restaurant, and go there purely for a good glass of wine, and a great basket of fries!

Avra, 48th street, from their outdoor patio

2, Kyma. An underdog of sorts, number two on our list is Kyma, Flatiron. This Greek restaurant, on 18th street between 5th&6th aves, is absolutely beautiful! A high ceilinged, elegantly lit, white, bright, and super sexy space. The Tuna Tartare is exquisite, the large sharer fish plates are fresh, clean, sizable, and excellent, but the Feta fries (ask for an extra side of sauce) are absolutely to die for! The rest of the menu is a win-win, but the fries alone make choosing Kyma an absolute no brainer!

Clean cuisine at Kyma, Flatiron

3, Ilili – If you can’t see what you are looking at there, it is pronounced ill-il-ee, a Lebanese hotspot on 28th and Broadway. Super sexy, the dark tones, high ceilings, decadent paneling, moody lighting, and a buzzy hum make this a popular spot for both after-work dining and dressed up date nights. The mezze side plates – in true Lebanese style – are fab and fun to share but don’t skip out on the fries. Dusted in Sumac, they are the perfect blend of hot, crisp, and a little dusty. Your fingers will be a hot mess, and so will your teeth, but you know what? It’s worth it.

The main dining room at Ilili

4, The Edition, Times Square. Terrace Restaurant.
An unexpected one perhaps, but twice Michelin Starred Chef John Fraser now heads up the kitchen of the latest in the Edition Hotels collection, The Edition Times Square, and he knows what he’s doing. They have created an absolute oasis, a throwback in “feels” to the original Bungalow 8, with a dream summer’s garden party threaded in. The menu caters enough to everyone and the kitchen is exceedingly accepting of allergies and food requirements, but if you go, the two things not to miss are John Frasers ‘Pomme Frites and Cheddar Fondu’, and the ‘Miso Spinach and Hazelnuts’. Even if you hate miso, hate spinach and hate hazelnuts, take a chance on this one.

The Terrace at The Edition Times Square

5, Pomme Frites – I mean, it’s in the name really isn’t it? Pomme Frites does exactly what it says on the tin. This is a late-night classic (who doesn’t want fries at midnight?!) and they serve thick cut chunky fries, fresh and piping hot, in a paper cone. Walk up two blocks with your cone of steaming, crisp perfection, and sit on the edge of the fountain in Washington Square Park. It will be one of the most “New York” New York moments you can have, and you will wonder how it’s taken you this long to do it. Go rogue with some of their weirdo toppings, tantalize your tastebuds and etch a forever memory, all while making your inner fat kid really really happy.

The perfect cone at Pomme Frites

6, All four fry options at Westville.
Oh please, Westville gets an eye-roll, I know, and if there is one near you it will no doubt be one of your “go to’s” on Seamless. But Westville – all seven of them – just get it so right. It’s hard to beat Westville for total crowd-pleasers – breakfast, lunch, and dinner – every day of the week. It feels “sorta healthy”, and it can be, with abundant vegetable sides and salads that never disappoint. And then there are the fries. All four kinds of fries. Normal fries, sweet potato fries, truffle parm fries, and Yuca fries. And if you get a side of the pesto mash to dip them in to, I have nothing but respect for you!

Truffle Parm Fry heaven

7, Yucca Fries at Coppelia
So what is a Yuca fry I hear you ask? Sticky, stodgy, slightly sweet deliciousness. That’s what it is. For your first Yuca fry experience, it has to be Coppelia. This late-night Cuban haunt on 14th street is perfect for feel-good food, and late-night tummy filling. Don’t neglect the Yuca fries. Chunky blocks of crispy exterior and hot, fluffy, gummy interior, served in a deep-fry basket, they will simply make your soul happy, and why would you deprive your soul of that?!

8, Restoration Hardware.
Really? Yes, really, but it’s not just about the fries here. It’s the total package. Restoration Hardware, on 9th and 13th, is a stone throw away from our store (so you might as well pop in for some champagne while you’re here!), and we have to admit, it’s an easy favorite. Enjoy walking into a store that feels like the apartment we should all be living in, and soak in the sense of subdued elegance and easy-going grandeur. Five stories of sophistication, all in muted greys, dark blues, and fluffed up whites. Yes, this is what adulthood wants to feel like. Take the charlie and the chocolate factory elevator, or take your time up the stairs, all the way to the top, where lies a sprawling, chandeliered, glass box, adorned with foliage and tinkling water features, and urban perfect views. Then you add fries. Now admittedly you will have to endure some selfying from the influencer types at other tables, but everything else in the room makes up for it.

RH Restaurant in the Meatpacking District

9, Minetta Tavern – It has to make the list. Wine and Fries, while propped up at one of New Yorks’s most quintessential bars, is a moment that no New Yorker should deprive themself of. The bar usually has a backed-up waitlist as long as the dining rooms, but if you can, choose the bar. It’s beautiful. An old school wooden stretch with a vast array of seductively glowing bottles and eclectic glassware, in front of a large mirror that reflects the goings-on behind you. The barmen are a class act, masters in the cool approach, mildly ignoring you, but then making you feel secretly favored when they do eventually catch your eye. They are graceful and sophisticated, and will deliver your super crispy, hot basket of very french fries with an ironic smirk that makes them that much more delicious!

Where else but Minetta Tavern.

10, Bareburger. Oh yes, we did. If you have walked passed and dismissed a Bareburger, it’s time to fix your wicked ways. Not only does the chain work with local farms and sustainable farmers, but the menu also leans in hard to the healthiest versions of burger perfection. With over 1/3rd of the menu Veg forward and plant-based, and Gluten-Free options taken very seriously, every teammate gets to win. But happy hippy stuff aside, their french fries, sweet-fries, and waffle fries don’t miss a beat, managing to be hot, crispy, and fluffy all at once, and I’m pretty sure they are air baked too! Their take out is great, with compostable garb, so the view you choose can be up to you!

Bareburger half and half fry platter – sweet and regular spuds.

To be continued… why stop at Ten?
We are always in the market for French Fry suggestions, so if there is an NYC sweet spot that you think we have missed, please email us! We would love to expand our french-fry vocabulary!

*All photos have been sourced from the named restaurant’s website and/or Instagram.