The 10 Weirdest Foods You Can Eat In NYC

Katherine Ripley • April 6, 2016

You already know the best foods to eat, but have you tried the weirdest foods that this city has to offer? Here are 10 bizarre dishes that you have to try just to say that you did:

1. Kangaroo Burger at Burke and Wills

It looks just like a regular burger, but it’s made of kangaroo, not cow. This Australian joint has brought a meat commonly eaten Down Under to New York City, and put it into one of America’s favorite dishes.

2. Fois Gras Ice Cream at OddFellows

OddFellows is famous for their weird flavors of ice cream, so most of the selections on their menu would qualify for this list. The fois gras peanut butter flavor, though, is particularly bizarre.

3. Live Octopus at Sik Gaek

It’s not technically alive, but it is actually still squiggling when they serve it to you. This can be a difficult dish to stomach for even the fiercest carnivores, but it remains in high demand.

4. Grasshopper Tacos at Toloache

Bugs actually have more protein than beef. But would you really want to eat them? You can give it a try by ordering the grasshopper taco at Toloache. The crunchy bugs are a nice contrast with the guacamole.

5. Curried Lamb Brain at Haandi

This might be the one chance you get to be a zombie and eat brains. Eating them probably won’t make you any smarter, though.

6. Guinea Pig at Urubamba

Guinea pig is actually a pretty common protein in Peru, so it makes sense that it would be served at this Peruvian restaurant.

7. Whole Goat Neck at Ducks Eatery

The motivation behind chef Will Horowitz’s goat neck dish is admirable; he tries to sell the parts of the animal that farmers have difficulty selling, in order to create a more sustainable food system. Horowitz also claims the neck is the tastiest part, but we’ll let you be the judge of that.

8. Squid Guts at Yopparai

The Japanese term for this dish is shiokara, which sounds much more sophisticated than squid guts. They’re served as a bar snack at this sake bar, and you probably need to drink a lot of sake in order to forget how gross what you’re eating is.

9. Pigs Feet Parmesan at Sotto 13

Yes, rather than chicken parm or eggplant parm, Sotto 13 serves pigs feet parmesan. The chef does his best to disguise them in breadcrumbs, cheese, and sauce, so you can pretend they’re not pigs feet. But then, why did you order them?

10. Calf’s Brain Cream at Takashi

This one is by far the weirdest. This cream is made with calf brains, blue cheese, and butter, and it actually comes in a tube. It’s served with little pancakes and caviar, so you get the sense that this is what rich people eat. But brain cream—really?

Cover photo credit: Alpha/Flickr