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Chef, television personality and bestselling cookbook author Sohla El-Waylly calls New York City’s East Village home. She lives with her husband Ham El-Waylly, their 10-month-old baby girl, two dogs, and one cat — and they adore the spot.
“A big reason we love this neighborhood is because it’s the best food neighborhood ever,” El-Waylly says. “There are just so many kinds of food,” she says. “There are so many established places alongside new places popping up.”
Becoming parents raised the bar on the couple’s dining standards. “We used to love to try new things, but these days, a little less so because it’s more of an occasion and we don’t want to take the risk,” El-Waylly explains. “We used to eat out three times a week, and now we’ve had two leaving-the-house dates since the baby was born.”
Ordering in from tried-and-true favorites has been a buoy on busy days — which are pretty much all days in the El-Waylly home. These are the East Village restaurants El-Waylly returns to again and again.
Simple Broiled Fish from Taverna East Village
“I really like seafood but don’t feel like cooking it very often these days because you just have to scrub the pots and pans so well,” El-Waylly explains. In this scenario, she turns to Taverna East Village, a Greek restaurant on First Avenue. “They broil some fish; it’s very fresh,” El-Waylly says. “When you cook a lot, it’s nice to feel like someone’s cooking for you, and this feels like a Greek grandmother is in the kitchen doing her thing.”
Crab Curry from Fish Cheeks
Fish Cheeks is El-Waylly’s neighborhood Thai pick for their bright, fresh flavors. Her standby dish is crab curry. “A lot of curries are full of random vegetables,” according to El-Waylly, “but this one sticks to eggplant and crab, plus just the amount of spice. I love it a lot.”
The Steak Feast from COTE
Pre-baby, Korean barbecue was one of the El-Wayllys’ favorite date night destinations. Since then, an extravagant order from the Michelin-starred COTE Steakhouse is their key to an excellent date at home. “The steak feast for two is incredible,” says El-Waylly. “It comes with all the banchan, rice, lettuce to make wraps, and four kinds of meat, and it feels like you’re getting that real Korean barbecue experience at home.”
Miso Black Cod from DOMODOMO
El-Waylly says sushi spot DOMODOMO’s miso black cod is “really good, fresh, a generous portion, and surprisingly affordable.” Plus, it comes with rice, organic edamame, crispy-yet-tender potato croquettes, and “cabbage slaw that looks like some throwaway thing, but is easily my favorite thing in the container,” she explains.
Movie Night Burritos from Electric Burrito
“I’m from southern California, so I have a high standard for burritos,” says El-Waylly. Electric Burrito is the first NYC outpost that lives up to her sky-high bar. “An Electric Burrito is the perfect choice for movie night because you can eat it on the couch,” she adds. El-Waylly also recommends their nachos, made with silky queso and plenty of zingy pico de gallo.
Bodega Ice Cream
El-Waylly believes “ice cream is the ultimate dessert.” She and her husband will “pick up Häagen-Dazs pints from the bodega, or go to an ice cream shop for a scoop for a special treat.”
Chocolate Babka from Breads Bakery
“I don’t actually like babka, I just like Breads Chocolate babka,” El-Waylly explains. The iconic New York City treat is baked with cultured butter from France, Nutella, and an abundance of Belgian dark chocolate chips. El-Waylly enjoys hers for Sunday brunch. “We’ll cook eggs, get a babka, and call it a day,” she says.
PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of Sohla El-Waylly
