Alison Stewart: You're listening to All Of It on WNYC. I'm Alison Stewart. Have you ever heard the expression "good things come to those who wait"? Well, this message can be quite literal when it comes to food. There are thousands of restaurants in New York City, and 72 of them have been recognized with Michelin stars. What about all those places where people wait outside for hours for pizza or bagels, as SNL so perfectly encapsulated with this parody song?

Wait in a big, dumb line

A big, dumb line

Look, girl, there's a crazy line

For a bagel that went viral

For a pizza that went viral

For something called creamy tacos

We're waiting in a fat-ass line

Oh! Isn't New York amazing

Where else can you look up trends on TikTok and then go...

Wait in a big, ol' line?

A big, ol' line

Hey, girl, what are we waiting for?

Gummy bears from a pop-up store

Have you been here long?

Yeah, since 7:00

I've been here since 2011

It's a fat-ass line

Must be worth it

It's a really long line

Alison Stewart: Now, some places with the big, dumb line are in fact great. Others, they're meh. To help us figure out which places are actually worth standing in line or online, whichever you prefer, our next guest created a list. Tammie Teclemariam is a writer for both Grub Street and New York Magazine. She's also responsible for the Underground Gourmet column. She wrote a piece called The Best Lines of 2025. Tammie, welcome back.

Tammie: Thank you so much.

Alison Stewart: Listeners, we'd like to hear your suggestions. Are there any restaurants that are worth standing in line or online for? Is there a place in your hood that has gone viral? Is it any good? What place with a big dumb line is actually worth it? 212-433-9692, 212-433-WNYC. This city is full of so many options, so many restaurants. Why are there even lines at all?

Tammie: That's a great question. I think it always goes to show that the answer, "Where should I eat in New York?" is never complete. Everybody still needs to ask it. I think there's this longing to just be in the right place. What better evidence of that than company?

Alison Stewart: You're New York Magazine's first-ever diner at large. Congratulations.

Tammie: Thank you.

Alison Stewart: Does it come with special privileges, like you don't have to wait in a line, or is that part of it?

Tammie: That's definitely part of it. Unless I've already planned an interview with the chef, I usually just try to go in as civilian as possible because that's also where the story is.

Alison Stewart: Oh, so tell me more about the story.

Tammie: If something happens, that's worth telling everyone else. When there's a line, I'll often just have conversations with the people around me, chit-chat. Sometimes I'll tell them what I'm doing, sometimes I won't, just to get a sense of who's there. If something happens, a hijink, or if something nice happens, if they bring out samples for everyone, for example. That's where the little extra things outside of the food come in.

Alison Stewart: What happens when food or a restaurant goes viral? How long does that usually last? Is there anything that can circumvent it?

Tammie: Yes. I haven't yet figured out the mathematical formula for time from virality because it's also interesting how long the virality takes to set up, because people make TikToks about everything. People make social media content about everything, but I really try to wait until it's got a lot of traction, a thousand likes or so. People in the comments, especially when they start saying, "No, now I'm not going to be able to be in there anymore," because then that's also hearing like, "Okay, we've got the second wave of reference that it's actually worthwhile."

Alison Stewart: The second wave. That's really interesting.

Tammie: Yes. For a lot of places, they're just brand new, so then that's the initial publicity wave. Like, oh, okay, people are curious, or they've just got a brand new thing on the market, following a trend.

Alison Stewart: You had to make this list up, of The Best Lines.

Tammie: Yes.

Alison Stewart: It must be really difficult because you only picked five places, which was hard to do. What was on your criteria?

Tammie: Right. It was narrowed down from my column, which is called Five Lines, where I do a set of five things that have been recently viral, which I do about every month or two. Five Lines is fun to do, but it's not always the most filling or fulfilling assignment just because it's very easy to recognize immediately when something is just all about the cheese pull. For example, I went to get a mozzarella stick from a butcher. I won't reference them now because it wasn't very good. It's like from the video, all of the mozzarella was melty and pulling, and this woman was eating in her car. She was just so delighted and, "That's what we want from a mozzarella stick," but when I bought it, it was completely cold.

Then it's like I had to take it home, heat it up in the toaster oven, and then the experience isn't quite the same thing.

Alison Stewart: You mentioned one notable omission was Mary O's because you already nominated it as the best scones in the city. I love scones. I love them. I went to Mario's. I stood in a medium-sized line. I couldn't agree more. There is something about them which is-- they're just good, period. End of story. When you think about that, why did you think Mary O's is special?

Tammie: As far as I know, Mary is still making all of these scones, and she's really the magic. I've made so many recipes of scones, and as a scone lover, I'm sure you had them at every single temperature, every texture, but it's really just her recipe. She got popular for them during the pandemic, and it was sort of a side project. Now it's more famous than the bar.

Alison Stewart: It's interesting that that happened organically, and maybe that's got something to do with it.

Tammie: It's great when it's just an authentic product. It is the thing that she's famous for. I'm sure she makes other things incredibly well, but it's that sort of store that can stand on selling just one thing that's either because it's the best version of it ever, or because they're trying to make something out of it. Yes, the organic version of it is the best possible option.

Alison Stewart: This text says "Olde Brooklyn Bagel Shoppe in Prospect Heights always has a huge line on weekends, but not because of being viral, and that's why it's worth it. It's just a really, really good neighborhood bagel spot, so you're standing with normal people who live in the same area."

Tammie: Yes. That's more like the ritual. There are certain places that are always going to be packed on the weekends. A neighborhood bagel shop, if it doesn't have a line, quite frankly, that's--

Alison Stewart: That's saying something. [laughter] We're talking about foods that are worth waiting in line for with Grub Street and New York Magazine writer Tammie Teclemariam, who recently shared her Best Lines of 2025. Listeners, we'd like to hear your suggestions. Is there any food that is worth standing in lines, or places that have gone viral in your life that made it a little harder to access but are worth it? Our number is 212-433-9692, 212-433-WNYC.

Okay, let's start with the spiciest. You have a recommendation for a particular menu item from Rogers Burgers in Flatbush. First of all, tell us a little bit about Rogers Burgers.

Tammie: Yes. Rogers Burgers, it's on Rogers Avenue. I especially appreciate them for being within walking distance from my apartment because it's an area that just needed a really good burger shop. It fulfills a neighborhood necessity. That's another thing that sort of gives it value to me, best of year, because it's already doing something practical and useful. Their standard burger is great. You don't have to have-- and really like the Pikliz burger. I recommend it--

Alison Stewart: Slow down.

Tammie: Okay.

Alison Stewart: Pikliz burger. Explain this to me.

Tammie: Pikliz is-- it's a Haitian pickle that is like cabbage and very hot pepper. I think it's Scotch Bonnet, but I'm not sure. I've never made it. It is so unabashedly raw and spicy that you just have to respect it. I'm a fire eater. I've eaten spicy food since I was a child. I'm not Haitian, but as a culture that has an authentic level of spice, I can really appreciate the fact that they don't dim it down for this signature product.

Alison Stewart: What else would you recommend at this restaurant?

Tammie: I had had the Pikliz burger over the summer, I think, and then when I was revisiting for this end of year, I tried the jerk burger and added Pikliz. That was an innovation. Because the jerk burger has-- I think it's a jerk aioli. This is another thing that I like about this shop, Rogers Burger, is that they have these specialized burgers but they're not doing too much. It's like it captures the jerk flavor in the aioli, and the flavor just-- It's enough like. Really, to call anything jerk in Flatbush, you have to-- You can't mess around. They did what they needed to do there, but then the Pikliz on top was truly the Pikliz on top.

Alison Stewart: Let's talk to Charlotte, who's calling from Jersey City. Hey, Charlotte. Thanks for calling All Of It.

Charlotte: Hi. I'm just curious. I'm in Midtown a lot. I go to a lot of theater, and there are all these huge lines at Joe's Pizza, which is 40th on Broadway, and at a halal truck on 50th and 6th Avenue. Both places have lots of other pizza places and lots of other halal trucks. I asked somebody in the halal line once, "Why are you waiting so long? I heard it's good." They're mostly tourists. I would say 99% are tourists. Where are they getting the idea that it's worth it to waste 45 minutes to an hour on their three days in New York to wait for really average pizza and really average halal food?

Alison Stewart: Where do you think tourists get their information?

Tammie: Tourists get their information from the herd mentality. Let's start there. A lot of the Times Square situation, it's pretty self-servicing. Then it's like that guarantee, "Okay. Even if I wait, this is the pizza that I had in New York. This is the halal cart that I had in New York." You can speak about it. It's an accomplishment. It's not just trying to tell you about the random halal cart on the corner of Pell and wherever.

Alison Stewart: This text says, "Grimaldi's made waiting in line. In the late '90s, we waited forever when we were making cool art in an industrial area that would get a makeover known as Dumbo." Let's talk to James, who's calling from Manhattan. Hey, James, thanks for calling All Of It.

James: Hey, how are you? My boys come in around Christmas every year, and it's a family tradition that we go to Little Pie Company and we get their apple sour cream walnut pie. It's always right, it's always perfect. Have you ever had it?

Alison Stewart: I believe I have had it. Oh, I used to actually work in that area.

Tammie: Oh. Do you stand by it?

Alison Stewart: He's right. [laughter] Thanks for calling, James. Tammie, let's go on to something else on your list. Chicharrón at Chorizos Meats in Sunset, you're just like, "Oh, boy. Oh, boy." Sunset Park, Brooklyn. All right. Tell me about this fried pork belly. Why is it worth waking up early to get?

Tammie: Okay. This is a weekend-only food. I think I went on a Sunday, and there's a church right across the street. You can see how the traffic goes from the church to the chicharrón shop on the corner. What's really so amazing about it is you smell the manteca, the lard, as you're approaching the building. It really has just a force field of porkiness surrounding it. Then you go inside, and it's another-- Like the bagel shop, it's another weekend ritual. There are always people lined up. You line up at the butcher separately from the register at the front. While you're waiting, they might hand you just a freshly chopped piece of chicharrón. Just a nice sample to crunch on.

Alison Stewart: Oh. Are the portions big if you go there?

Tammie: You order by the pound. It's something you take home to go make tacos. You can order just-- a pound is pretty sufficient for two people, and it's very crusty. Then you've got the tortillas there, they've got salsas. Pick up all of that. Then in the surrounding shops on the street, it's just full of different Mexican shops with just some of the freshest produce that you could possibly want. These are a lot of specialized Mexican ingredients, so you see epazote and cilantro matcha, which is a bigger variety of cilantro that you'll find on your tacos sometimes, but not always in the regular stores.

Alison Stewart: I'm wondering, do they run out of their chicharrón the way that Mary O's will run out of scones?

Tammie: Yes, it is known to sell out. They have other products. You can pick up some chorizo or something else, but chicharrón is what you want to get.

Alison Stewart: We got a text here that says, "I'll be going to Hello Halloumi in the village soon. All treats, halloumi cheese, viral fried cheese, and rose milk lattes. They're going to be standing in line for that. We're talking to Grub Street and New York Magazine writer Tammie Teclemariam, who recently shared her list of the Best Lines of 2025. All right. This thing that I have in front of me says frozen rainbow whip.

Tammie: Yes.

Alison Stewart: Where can I get it? Why should I get it?

Tammie: This was the frozen dessert of the summer from Happy Zoe Bakery. It's a vegan bakery, and all year they pump out gorgeous cheesecakes, layer cakes, all kinds of desserts. They still make these whips in the winter. They're whips to order, blends of fruit. I think they're all banana-based. Then she adds colors through fruits, through spirulina, which is algae, or through dragon fruit. They layer them into these rainbow concoctions that everybody wants to be photographed with. You'll see just girls, lines of girls, and then a couple boyfriends, a couple dads, but they're just there to either pick up the bill or take pictures.

Alison Stewart: Let's take a call. Orla is calling from Manhattan on line one. Hi, Orla, thanks for calling All Of It.

Orla: Hi. Thanks, folks. I just thought, shouldn't price factor into whether it's worth waiting for some of these food items? Mary O's scones, for instance, they are excellent, but they're almost $7 for one inexpensive and quick item to make — butter, flour, sugar. That includes sales tax, which isn't even supposed to be charged on baked goods that are consumed off premises.

Alison Stewart: Are you considering price when you are deciding about lines?

Tammie: Sometimes, but sometimes the price is the point. If it's super expensive, that's also a pretty funny angle for a viral thing. With something like a scone, yes, it's very simple. Sure, you could buy all of the ingredients and try to make them, but are you? I think the line speaks for itself, but also, to receive a warm scone that's from somebody that picked it up, that gesture, that's also such a part of the weekend line, the bakery line.

Alison Stewart: Let's talk to Jennifer from South Orange, New Jersey. Hey, Jennifer, thanks for calling.

Jennifer: Hi. Thank you for taking my call. This weekend we were going to see Alvin Ailey. We live in New Jersey, and I try to pack on a restaurant or bakery every time we go into the city. I get a lot of the recommendations from you. We went to Hani's Bakery, and we pulled up and we saw the line. Of course, once I got in there and I saw everything they had to offer, I got quite a few things. It was so much more about the experience. Just about the experience and staying connected to New York, even though I live in New Jersey. Even though I knew the family wasn't going to be able to eat everything before it started to get stale, it was just like this experience.

Maybe if I lived in the city and I could walk by every day, it would be a different experience, but for us, it's about just staying connected to New York in that way.

Alison Stewart: Jennifer, thanks for calling. We appreciate it. Okay. On your list, the strawberry Fantasia from Bar Primi at 349 W 33rd St. Is this dessert?

Tammie: Yes, it is. It's also only available at the Penn District Bar Primi, not Bowery. [crosstalk]

Alison Stewart: Okay. What is it like?

Tammie: It is just the dreamiest. I think it's truly just strawberry sorbet folded in with vanilla gelato. Then just a little layer of vanilla cake, soaked through, and some crumbs. It just tastes like my ninth birthday cake.

[laughter]

Alison Stewart: That's a perfect example.

Tammie: Yes.

Alison Stewart: I got a question here that says Cafe Maud just opened on the Upper East Side. Should I bother?

Tammie: Haven't been yet, but maybe I'll go for lunch.

Alison Stewart: All right. We're going to go to the top thing on your list, the top place. Chicken tikka-- I'm going to say this.

Tammie: Say it.

Alison Stewart: Naanini.

Tammie: Naanini. Just rolls off the tongue.

Alison Stewart: All right. Naanini is not technically a new term. What's the history of this dish?

Tammie: The late Floyd Cardoz developed a naanini for his restaurant that was called Bombay Bread Bar, which I think opened around 2018. I did go, but I can't remember if I had it. It was a little bit different than this one, which I put on my list anyway. Just to say that the naanini is not trademarked.

Alison Stewart: This is Fonty's Deli Chicken Tikka Naanini?

Tammie: Correct.

Alison Stewart: Named line of the year. Why?

Tammie: This, for me, really had it all. Not only was there the viral appeal, but when I got the product itself, it was just-- it had that weight. You know that burrito weight? Not just like any old burrito, but when you know the burrito's good. You can tell the protein versus the sauce, it's just got it. We opened it up. I went with a colleague and we shared it, and it was just delicious. Just a little bit cheesy. It had this kind of Taco Bell factor, from the soft bread around so much just juicy, cheesy, saucy meat. It was great. It was well-priced. Another thing that I like about it is that there is room to sit there, which is increasingly--

Alison Stewart: It's on Bleecker Street, I should say.

Tammie: It's on Bleecker Street. It's increasingly a rarity to have seating at the same place that you have a viral food item. Anytime that exists, that's another bonus point for me.

Alison Stewart: If you had to pick one more place that you wanted to put on this list-

Tammie: Oh, goodness.

Alison Stewart: -we're going to give you an opportunity to give us a sixth place.

Tammie: Honestly, the Halloumi place that was just mentioned, that's actually on my to-do list.

Alison Stewart: Okay

Tammie: I'm very interested in that. Over the weekend, I went to Izakaya Fuku in Jackson Heights. I had seen somebody, and it was again one of the cases where everybody in the comments was saying, "No, now I'm not going to be able to get a seat." I was able to get a seat, and they had this spicy mayo with mentaiko in it with fries, and it was great. The mayo was very satisfying, and they gave you a lot of it.

Alison Stewart: I have been speaking with Grub Street and New York Magazine writer Tammie Teclemariam about the best food lines. Thanks to all our callers who called in, and thanks, Tammie.

Tammie: Thank you.