City Chefs' Favorite Bodega Snacks View Full Caption

NOLITA — They whip up the city's most delectable and trendsetting meals on a nightly basis, but even top chefs admit to indulging in the simple charms of the city's ubiquitous bodegas.

From a greasy bacon, egg and cheese on a roll, to the sometimes-dicey produce selection, creative chefs say they're not above noshing at their corner store.

Here's what the city's foodies recommend from bodega counters and shelves:

Chef: Jesse Schenker

Restaurant: Recette

Neighborhood: West Village

Known for: Grilled Cobia cucumber “kimchi” crema, chili and mizuna

Bodega Eats: “A Ham & Cheese Lunchable. It's an all-in-one meal, protein, a cracker for crunch, and a little dessert. If you are lucky, you'll find the ones that come with a juice box. Satisfies my inner kid.”

Chef: Chris Santos

Restaurants: Beauty & Essex, The Stanton Social

Neighborhood: Lower East Side

Known for: Nicoise-style tuna au poivre with wax bean and tomato salad, hearts of fire, black olive salt, sweet pea aioli

Bodega Eats: "I'd wipe them out of peanut butter and crackers. Peanut butter is one of the greatest things you can ever put in your mouth, it has lots of protein, and the crackers are a nice delivery system —typically low-fat and add that crunch to PB's creaminess and they are like, to paraphrase a comic, 'little edible plates.'"

Chef: Bryce Shuman

Restaurant: Betony

Neighborhood: Midtown

Known for: Seared foie gras served in a ham-hock consommé

Bodega Eats: "I go straight for a bag of honey-roasted peanuts and a banana."

Chef: Joey Campanaro

Restaurant: The Little Owl

Neighborhood: West Village

Known for: Herbed swordfish, parsnip, sweet and spicy escarole

Bodega Eats: "Lipton noodle soup. It reminds me of my mother taking care of me when I was sick as a child."



Chef: Rob Newton

Restaurant: Seersucker, Nightingale 9

Neighborhood: Carroll Gardens

Known for: Duck breast with pork jowl perloo, morel mushrooms and burnt sorghum

Bodega Eats: "We're lucky that our corner bodega, Las Americas on Court and Nelson, is great. I would get an avocado — they almost always have a ripe avocado or two on the counter for sale — flour tortillas, lime, pepper-Jack cheese, and then I would go deeper in where I know they have jalapeños. I'd also pick up some Sam Smith British lager and maybe a Mexican Coke. Once I got home, I'd make a sexy little quesadilla. The only downside about Las Americas is they close at 11 and I'm usually starving around midnight."

Chef: John Stage

Restaurant: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

Neighborhood: West Harlem, Gowanus

Known for: Giant spice-rubbed and pit-smoked chicken wings

Bodega Eats: “The bodegas near me always have good deli sandwiches. My go-to is turkey, ham and Swiss cheese. The meat is usually Boar’s Head, the roll is serviceable and the $2.50 is outstanding! It’s my late night go-to.”

Chef: Danny Brown

Restaurant: Danny Brown Wine Bar and Kitchen

Neighborhood: Forest Hills

Known for: Short rib agnolotti with truffled beef stock, foie gras mousse and celery root purée

Bodega Eats: "Bologna and American cheese on Wonder Bread with French's mustard. Guilty pleasure. My dad was into health food growing up and I wasn't allowed to eat that stuff."

Chef: Hung Huynh

Restaurant: CATCH, The General

Neighborhood: Meatpacking District, Lower East Side

Known for: Grilled octopus with chorizo, crispy potatoes and sofrito

Bodega Eats: "I would eat eggs and a protein shake, and beef jerky. All are great sources of protein."

Chef: Akhtar Nawab

Restaurant: La Cenita

Neighborhood: Chelsea

Known for: Chile relleno with picadillo, apple, epazote-tomato broth and goat cheese

Bodega Eats: "I'm assuming this is my only option because an apocalypse is imminent and my last meal would have to be from a bodega. If that were the case, I guess I would get all the ingredients for a Frito pie: chips, pickled jalapeños, cheese, salsa, beans for protein and chili. If the world didn't end as scheduled, it would for me after that."

Chef: Ralph Scamardella

Restaurant: TAO Downtown

Neighborhood: Chelsea

Known for: Wagyu rib-eye teppanyaki with a selection of dips and sauces

Bodega Eats: “There is a great bodega near my house that makes the best authentic Mexican tortas. It’s a typical Mexican torta on a floury roll — light and crispy, toasted with a little butter — it’s made with pernil, oaxaca cheese, poblanos, sliced avocado and a little grilled tomatillo salsa.”

The Bacon Egg and Cheese Club

These chefs agree that the allure of a greasy breakfast sandwich never fades.

Chef: Laurent Tourondel

Restaurant: Arlington Club

Neighborhood: Upper East Side

Known for: Dover sole "modern meunière" with preserved lemon, capers and fresh herbs

Bodega Eats: “I love bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches from my bodega. Sure, oatmeal or a granola bar would be a healthier option, but there’s nothing like a hot breakfast sandwich. The combination of textures with just the right amount of butter on the hard roll makes them irresistible. They’re so simple, yet so delicious.”

Chef: Richard Kuo

Restaurant: Pearl & Ash

Neighborhood: Nolita

Known for: House-made bread with chicken butter (fresh-churned butter and chicken fat), served with maple syrup

Bodega Eats: "My go-to is the bacon, egg and cheese. I am a creature of habit and I will eat the same thing day and night when it is consistent."

Chef: Michael Ferraro

Restaurant: Delicatessen, MacBar

Neighborhood: Hell’s Kitchen, SoHo

Known for: Pan roasted chicken thigh sandwich with cerignola olive pesto, sweet pepper aioli, burrata cheese

Bodega Eats: “I would have to go with a bacon egg and cheese on a hard roll from my local bodega. The mornings I get them, the aroma of bacon gets me as soon as I walk in the door."