NYCGuide
Where To Eat When You’re Hungover & Have No One To Blame But Yourself
photo credit: Lucy Ballantyne
There are hangovers, and then there are hangovers—those times when you wake up to discover that the vomit outside your building is indeed yours and you start inexplicably crying to an old Coldplay song. While we can’t do anything about the regret soaking inside of you or the judgment from that neighbor who spent their morning training for the marathon, we can tell you where to go to recover. Here's where to get some real sustenance to make it through the day.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: Lucy Ballantyne
It’s been four hours since the booze finally short-circuited your brain, and your motor skills are now suspect. Get everything you need in one handheld meal. We’re obsessed with the breakfast California burritos at Electric Burrito, which use french fries instead of rice, just like what you’d find at a burrito stand in the (hungover) Craft Beer Bro capital of the USA, San Diego.
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
When you’re hungover, it's hard enough to face the man in the mirror, let alone strangers at a restaurant. So go to Ichiran to get your morning-after noodles. A famous chain from Japan, Ichiran is well-known for its "flavor concentration booths,” which are perfect for when you just need to put your head in your hands and think about how you got here. You fill out a form to place your order, then basically avoid dealing with humanity for 30 minutes.
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
You went a little too hard last night, and now you need carbs accompanied by a side of carbs. Baba’s perogies will do you one better and give you carbs stuffed with carbs boiled or fried and covered in butter. You’ll be satisfied with any of the potato-filled options, but make sure you get an order stuffed with macaroni and cheese. Don’t skip the sauerkraut. It’s got secret hangover-killing powers.
When you feel like you're on death’s door, head to Mockingbird Taco, where they keep the menu simple. They only serve four breakfast tacos with ingredients like chorizo and potato, and they open at 7am, in case you have one of those hangovers you have to fix before you pass out. Order at the takeout window and get back to your bed before things go really wrong.
photo credit: Emily Schindler
We always feel taken care of in Koreatown, thanks to all the 24-hour restaurant options. It’s a place where you can drink until you have the courage to sing Landslide at karaoke, then grab a healing soup after the sun comes up. Gammeeok specializes in a noodle soup with ox-bone broth and brisket, and we recommend getting some fried chicken and kimchi pancakes as well.
A night of heavy drinking not only depletes your soul and serotonin, but also depletes your bank account. When you wake up to see the damage in the sober light of day, skip brunch and visit Taiwanese spot A-Pou’s Taste for excellent potstickers and amazing value. The handmade potstickers are juicy without being greasy, and the best dish in the house involves 10 of them lined up over thin lo mein noodles.
If there were ever an Oscars of hangover foods, phở would win Best Picture. There’s just something about the mix of fragrant broth, various herbs, and rice noodles that instantly brings us back from that next-day brink of death. Get yours at this classic Chinatown spot. The beef is always good, but we’re particular fans of the chicken-based phở ga.
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
Anyone who has ever consumed alcohol in this city knows the 24-hour diner is their last lifeline. If you find yourself in Astoria, head over to Neptune Diner. This classic 24/7 spot underneath the Astoria Boulevard N/W station serves traditional diner food, like pancakes and triple decker sandwiches, along with some Greek options like souvlaki. It’s also a block from Bohemian Beer Garden, so some of you might be returning to the scene of the crime.
Of all the world’s regional hangover cures, we think the English (and Irish) have it down best. The traditional English breakfast speaks to your soul and gets right to the point. At Jones Wood Foundry, you'll receive the requisite eggs, potatoes, bangers, bacon, beans, mushroom, grilled tomato, and fried bread.
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
Dim Sum is a near-perfect hangover food, but if you’re vegetarian, you probably get extra grumpy when someone suggests a meat-heavy dim sum spot and expects you to fill up on several orders of scallion pancakes. Buddha Bodai is here for you with kosher, vegetarian dumplings, spring rolls, and noodle dishes, as well as some pretty solid vegetarian versions of chicken, duck, and lamb.
Congee, and porridge in general, are vastly underrated hangover foods, even though Goldilocks clearly had to be drunk in order to just wander into a stranger’s home, eat porridge, break furniture, and then pass out in a random bed. If you did two of these things last night and aren’t feeling so much like you’re in a fairy tale, get a big bowl of pork and ginger congee at Congee Village.
photo credit: Alex Staniloff
Have hangover, need bagel. If these are the only words you can muster, head to Absolute Bagels on the UWS. There’s no glitz or glamour to this Broadway & 108th Street bagel shop, and it’s cash only. You should almost certainly expect a line of Columbia students who are just as hungover as you out front. Don’t panic. It always moves fast.
