8 Must-Eat Pumpkin Dishes in NYC
It’s in your pantry, your coffee cup, billboards, grocery store aisles, even your dog’s treat jar. Pumpkin season has arrived and your favorite food brands are all pushing something infused with the unofficial flavor of Fall. But how about your favorite NYC restaurants? Many of them are veterans of the ever-present autumnal pumpkin trend and drop seasonal specials for the Fall. A few even keep pumpkin dishes on the menu all year round. Not just to captivate an audience of folks who yearn for a permanent Fall aesthetic, but because it’s a versatile ingredient that actually tastes really good. We’ve compiled a list of the top pumpkin dishes in NYC to serve as your guide to pumpkin pandemonium.
This article is just a small taste of the 🔥 dishes on 8it. Hit the green button at the bottom of this article to explore all NYC’s top dish recos, new dish drops and food pop-ups on the 8it app.
Pumpkin Bun
Golden Steamer // Little Italy, Sunset Park
📸: Robyn Lee
Imagine taking the best parts of a bao bun and a pumpkin pie and condensing them into a warm pocket of Fall bliss. Golden Steamer’s highly portable bun of joy is deserving of the greatest compliment in the Asian dessert world- not too sweet. It’s so perfectly balanced that it will make you reject Pumpkin Spice Oreos indefinitely. Pick up one of these and stroll through Little Italy with a flannel tied over your shoulders to experience peak Fall vibes.
This dish is recommended by: Serious Eats, The Infatuation
Pumpkin Salad
Ruby’s Cafe // SoHo, East Village, Murray Hill
📸: @rubyscafe
When you’re brunching this Fall you don’t need to effectively end your day with overwhelmingly filling pumpkin pancakes or waffles. Everyone knows Australian cafes murder brunch and at Ruby’s they killed the game again with this pumpkin salad that has roasted pumpkin, baby spinach and chevre, dressed in balsamic. This is your pick for a Fall brunch item that won’t leave you feeling like a pumpkin.
This dish is recommended by: New York Magazine
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Doughnut
The Doughnut Project // West Village
📸: @thedoughnutproject
The Doughnut Project dropped a gluten free pumpkin chocolate chip doughnut for the Fall and it will have us drooling through November. The pumpkin cake is dotted with chocolate chips and coated in a cinnamon glaze. It’s like your pumpkin spice latte walked into a doughnut and brought along its old pal chocolate for a pilgrimage to confectionary paradise.
This dish is recommended by: 8it NY
Dumplings
A-Pou’s Taste // Bushwick
📸: A-Pou’s Taste
Let’s face it, pumpkin is better known for its sweeter applications as Trader Joe’s proves time and time again. But do yourself a favor and never overlook the potential for pumpkin to deliver savory delights. The curry-spiced pumpkin dumplings at A-Pou’s Taste are a prime example of why you shouldn’t. It’s not your typical dumpling filling either, and that’s part of what makes these vegan envelopes of comfort so special.
This dish is recommended by: Righteous Eats
Pumpkin Pie
Little Pie Company // Midtown West
📸: Little Pie Company
Pumpkin pie evokes memories of Fall and you might have even made it with your family around Thanksgiving. The Little Pie Company makes the typical thick, creamy, classic version that’s probably a lot like the ones you had growing up. So going to midtown to pick up one of these might feel like a trip to grandma’s house. They’re available in five or ten-inch diameter depending on how much nostalgia you can take before getting too emotional.
This dish is recommended by: Thrillist
Pumpkin Spice Pudding
Magnolia Bakery // West Village, Midtown, UWS, UES, Williamsburg
📸: @magnoliabakery
Magnolia’s puddings are so worth the hype it’s ridiculous. You probably haven’t been able to avoid them since social media’s inception, but trust us, the kitchen staffs concocting these treats make the marketing team’s job a hay ride. Through October 15 you can get this special-edition pudding. Freeze a few and save them for later to be the most popular person at the Halloween party.
This dish is recommended by: 8it NY
Pumpkin Patty
Natural Blend Cafe // Bed-Stuy, Flatbush, Prospect Heights
📸: @seanan
Bite into the golden, flakey crust of this Jamaican patty and it gives way to a filling that tastes of pumpkin pie. So is it sweet, or savory? Is it breakfast, or a late night bite? There’s really no need to categorize this one. It’s a delicious snack regardless of what you’re craving or when you’re craving it. And with locations all over Brooklyn, we couldn’t imagine the folks at Natural Blend are losing any sleep over Frosted Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts coming to steal their market share.
This dish is recommended by: Eater
Bechuk
King David Bakery // Rego Park
📸: @kingdavidbakery
While pumpkin everything is everywhere during the Fall, places making bechuk in America are few and far between. These “pumpkin… delicious things,” as described by Action Bronson are sesame seed-speckled capsules of delicate pastry dough filled with pumpkins and caraway seeds straight outta Uzbekistan. But of course one of the only places you can find it on this side of the Atlantic is in Queens. It’s an edible portal of flavor that brings you to Central Asia and doubles as a cultural experience.
This dish is recommended by: F*ck That’s Delicious
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