The Hottest Food Trend in NYC Caters to Fanatics

What's This?

Manhattan's Eataly marketplace has a Nutella bar that serves all kinds of chocolate hazelnut goodness.

Image: Mashable Niki Walker

By Yohana Desta2014-06-04 11:04:01 UTC

Imagine loving chicken nuggets so much that you open an entire restaurant devoted to them. In Manhattan, someone actually did that.

Most restaurants in the New York City borough pride themselves on variety, but others are obsessed with a singular item. A restaurant dedicated to mac and cheese? Check. A restaurant that worships fries? Check. How about a cafe that only serves items with Nutella? As of May 12, that's a real thing, too, with the grand opening of a Nutella bar in the Italian marketplace Eataly.

How is it that a restaurant that mainly serves one type of product can get customers through the door? Well, people enjoy the niche corner. There's an added curiosity and entertainment factor in eating at a place that only sells fries or oatmeal.

Then there's the trust factor — if a place is really only going to serve grilled cheese sandwiches, those had better be fantastic grilled cheese sandwiches.

The Village Voice noted the widespread conquering of mini-menu restaurants in the city earlier this year (though it isn't a fans because it plays down a chef's true skills). It said these kinds of spots cater perfectly to the Instagram- and Twitter-loving crowds. And after all, this is New York City — a boxing ring for attention-grabbing publicity stunts.

We went around the city to check out some of these hyper-specific spots and chatted with owners and employees alike. Indulge your inner foodie with photos from this restaurant romp, and start planning your future trip to these eateries accordingly.

Fact: You will be 10 times hungrier after reading this article.