A century-old hotspot for jazz, frequented by everyone from Charlie Chaplin to Al Capone.

An accidentally hidden library containing the ephemeral history of New York.

Have a steam and some blini at this cafe in a century-old bathhouse.

Once a month, an Indonesian feast appears inside an Elmhurst church hall.

Seriously good slices of Sicilian pizza lurk at the back of the Bronx's oldest enclosed market.

A Ukrainian church canteen doles out hearty fare in an East Village basement.

Amid the clacking of snooker balls, diners tuck into fiery Bhutanese fare.

Enter the deli, walk until you hit the taxidermy, then order some hot, homey guisado.

A Jewish deli run by Yemeni Muslims in an Afro-Caribbean neighborhood is quintessential Brooklyn.

The cuisine at this Sheepshead Bay spot tells the story of a displaced Muslim Chinese community.

Rare moles meet activism at this Oaxacan eatery.

This Russian bar-restaurant lies within a three-story underground bathhouse.

Sip coffee and talk politics at this landmark cafe in Astoria's Little Egypt, a contender for the title of America's first hookah bar.

Deliciousness abounds at a Guatemalan restaurant masquerading as a pizzeria.

Sunset Park's Guatemalan community knows to head to the back of this bodega for a taste of home.

A garment factory hides a small Dominican eatery in the hallway to its freight elevator.

A ruthless Soviet relocation campaign birthed a new cuisine, and this humble restaurant.

Shop while you wait for a table in this tiny Indonesian eatery within a mini-mart.

Head past the aisles of tropical fruit and imported candy at this bodega to discover a hidden, weekends-only taco stand.

These small stands sell Malian snacks to worshippers and passersby after Friday prayers in Harlem.

Behind a grungy bodega facade, a Poblano family serves rich, home-cooked meals.

One of the few Glatt kosher delis in the United States is a cornerstone of its Hasidic neighborhood.

The return of something once considered a basic part of life.

This slender three-story building has also had several famous residents.