The Best of Bryant Park Winter Village

After a rainy day at the 2024 Bryant Park Winter Village, we’ve compiled the top five food stands and three honorable mentions (all rated out of 10) to spare you the searching time in the endless maze of holiday shops. Prices range from $8 to $20.

Coming in hot at number one, we have Meatball Madness. This wasn’t any ordinary meatball. This was the most mouthwatering, delicious delicacy ever tasted. We got the beef-style meatball with vodka sauce and ricotta cheese on top. The meatball was crisp on the outside but warm and soft on the inside, and the cheese added the perfect touch. Wait time was three minutes. 9.8/10. Unbelievable experience.

Next up, we have Strawberro. Although this line seemed to take hours, it was definitely worth it. Strawberro is famous for their chocolate-covered strawberries in a cup, so we got that in the milk chocolate version as well as the Dubai chocolate version. Although the chocolate hardened fast because it was cold out, it was delectable nonetheless, and the strawberries tasted amazing. The workers were very nice and gave us lids for easy to-go access. 8.5/10–wooden spoon hindered the taste a little bit (sorry Sustainability Club).

Silver medal goes to Palenque Empanadas. Extremely underrated and is a close competitor to the meatballs. We got the Angus beef and potato empanada with chili mayo on the side. 

There was also the choice of chicken and potatoes, pork belly and sweet plantains, queso fresco and guava paste, or the mushroom empanada. The dough was crisp and the meat inside was seasoned perfectly. A solid 9.5/10–no line, would definitely get again. 

In third place, we have Pickle Me Pete. We had their famous fried pickle “stickle” which is kosher dill chips with your choice of ranch, BBQ, hot sauce, or honey mustard served on a stick. We went with the honey mustard and it complimented the stickle perfectly. Comes with ten pieces on the stick, perfect to share. 8.7/10. Very delicious. 

Next up, we have Strawberro. Although this line seemed to take hours, it was definitely worth it. Strawberro is famous for their chocolate-covered strawberries in a cup, so we got that in the milk chocolate version as well as the Dubai chocolate version. Although the chocolate hardened fast because it was cold out, it was delectable nonetheless, and the strawberries tasted amazing. The workers were very nice and gave us lids for easy to-go access. 8.5/10–wooden spoon hindered the taste a little bit (sorry Sustainability Club). 

Finally, we have Destination Dumplings. Destination Dumplings was featured in “The New York Times,” “Zagat,” “Eater,” and “Time Out New York,” and are rated in the top 15 dumplings in NYC! We went with their classic pork and chive dumplings which came in a set of five with soy sauce on the side. While very tasty, there was more dumpling dough than meat inside. We gave it an 8/10. 

Now it’s time for the honorable mentions. We’ll start with Gnocchi on 9th. We got the gnocchi with vodka sauce and added-on burrata (the only way to do it). Burrata made this a 7.8/10. 

Then, we have Cheese Wheel Pastas. Cheese lovers, this is definitely the stop for you. They prep the fettuccine in a cheese wheel and lather it in parmesan cheese. It is definitely big enough to share, but the cheese was overpowering after a few bites. It gets a 7.3/10 because the pasta itself was delicious. 

Last but not least, we have the Baked Cheese Haus. If you can get past the smell, their sandwiches are very good. We went with their jambon cru, a ham and cheese sandwich. All of their options have spring onions, baby gherkins, and dijon mustard and are made with alpine cheese melted and scraped off the wheel. The sandwich tasted amazing, but you would need a nose plug to fully enjoy it. 7/10.