A Taste of Culture: Trying Different POC-Owned Restaurants in New York City

Since moving back to New York this summer, I’ve been diving headfirst into the heart of New York City’s culinary tapestry. More specifically, I’ve had lots of fun exploring the many diverse flavors and stories woven into the POC-owned restaurants that grace New York City streets. The New York’s food scene, a mosaic of cultures, became my playground as I indulged in menus from each unique establishment. In this post, I’m excited to share my thoughts on some hidden gems across the boroughs. Can’t travel right now? Well, each restaurant serves as a portal to a different corner of the world and is just one subway ride away.

• Trini-Girl

Stepping into Trini Girl on Nostrand Ave in Crown Heights was like experiencing a taste of home. Being Trinidadian myself, I usually stick to a few roti shops around New York, but the fact that this place is owned by a Trinidadian woman really caught my attention.

The flavors at Trini Girl were some of the boldest I’ve ever tasted in my culture’s food. While I’ve never been to Trinidad, I imagine this was one of the closest things to tasting it aside from my grandmother’s cooking. Each dish was not only tasty but looked delicious too – they really mastered making the food look appealing, which can be a hard thing to do with curries sometimes. What stood out was that there was a decent amount of seating, which is not always common in roti shops/Trinidadian restaurants as they tend to be more of grab-n-go style restaurants. They were also very neat and clean, which came to no surprise to me. What I ended up enjoying the most, that I was initially intimidated by was that, this restaurant had a modern touch to it. Oftentimes, I choose to go to Caribbean restaurants that seem more “lived-in”. As a New Yorker, there’s always something special about eating at food places that seem a bit older and loved than newer spots, but Trini Girl surpassed this expectation.

Now, the only downside were the prices and portions. I willingly pay and tip at roti shops because I know what it takes to prepare this kind of food, but it was priced much higher than what I’m used to paying at other places for a similar meal with a much larger portion. There were even customers who were openly complained about chana, aloo curry, and pumpkin coming as separate meals, when those things usually come together for no extra charge when you order roti. I noticed they give very small portions; they’ll give you one scoop or maybe a scoop and a half if they’re feeling generous when in comparison I’m used to other Caribbean restaurants filling my silver take out container to the brim. The service was decent, nothing exceptional, but the staff were friendly.

Despite the price and portions, the rich flavors, comfy setup, and supporting a Trinidadian woman-owned spot makes Trini Girl a unique find in the world of Caribbean cuisine in New York. I would definitely go back for their food any chance I got.

• Bodhi Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant

Now this is one of my all-time-favorite restaurants in New York. Who knew that vegetarian food could taste just as authentic and dare I say even more delicious than non-vegetarian food. Bodhi is a classic Chinese restaurant located on Mulberry St in Chinatown that feels very “homey”. If you walked into Bodhi unaware that it had a completely vegetarian menu, you would probably leave full, satisfied, and still clueless. Though, the restaurant staff does inform you before they seat you that everything is meatless.

When you enter the restaurant, Bodhi greets you with a warm, sweet, and savory aroma that makes your stomach grumble and sways you into dining there. It’s has very calm, inviting energy and the host and waiters make you feel like they’ve known you even if it’s your first time eating there.

When seated, you have the option to order from an extensive menu of appetizers, soups, noodles & rice, main courses, desserts, and dim-sum that vary in size. A lot of their dishes might say “chicken” or “beef”, but it’s actually their meatless substitute that tastes like the real thing. A nice little touch is that Bodhi accommodates people who are gluten-free and has a pretty detailed menu of different items that are specific to people with food/allergy restrictions. My family and I ordered everything we could. Soups, noodles, rice, and what felt like bottomless dim-sum. It was too good. My mouth is watering right now just thinking about it. The food was served very quick and the service was great. The staff provided amazing recommendations and even had glowing customers who would chip in with their recs as well. After going, I have my own favorites now and highly recommend their pan fried buns and their sautéed rice noodles. Although, there are endless options, and you can never go wrong with getting dim-sum if you have a palette that enjoys variety.

I would say, it’s definitely on the more affordable side as you get a lot of food for the price that you pay. It’s also easy to get full from one dish at the restaurant, so it’s possible to leave there having spent $20.

All in all, Bodhi is a place that I dream of visiting very often and I can’t wait til the next I visit Chinatown again, so that I can recreate the lovely experience I had there.

• Momosan Ramen & Sake

While I do reside in Brooklyn, I will take a trip to Manhattan when I have a strong craving from the ramen from this restaurant. Momosan is a Japanese-style restaurant in the heart of the finance district. I discovered it one day after a long clinic session at school. I was in the mood for ramen and a personal bottle of sake, but was feeling very picky about the type of experience I wanted. I ended up walking almost two miles to get there because I was so indecisive about where I wanted to eat, but I’m glad I stumbled upon this place.

Momosan is a laid-back, but definitely more classy and premier choice for a ramen restaurant. I’m used to going to ramen restaurants in Long Island and Brooklyn that play up an anime theme (which I truly embrace), but it was kind of nice to have the experience of eating in a more professional neighborhood amongst corporate people for a change. When I got the there, the staff were very welcoming and seated me in a comfortable spot at the bar. I ordered right away, and my ramen and sushi were served less than ten minutes after the order was put in. What I can say about Momosan is that it’s excellent service for delicious food with a very reasonable price. Everything I had was very flavorful and fresh. The spicy tonkotsu ramen was arguably some of the best ramen I’ve ever had in my life, and I am a self-proclaimed ramen connoisseur. The pork was so tender and juicy it melted in your mouth. The broth was a great balance of sweet and savory with a pinch of spice that was not overpowering. The sushi was great quality; I could taste every ingredient in it. They also have an extensive sake collection and have creative hand-crafted cocktails. And trust me, the bartenders are not light-handed.

Overall, my experiences at Momosan have been nothing short of great. It’s a great place to grab a drink and meal with friends or you can be like me and enjoy a chill solo date. While it can feel intimidating to be a non-corporate person dining on this side of the city, the hosts and restaurant staff make you feel at ease and like you should be there. I can definitely say it’s one of the restaurants that are on the top of my list when it comes to East-Asian cuisine.