Meet The New York City Food Marathon: 26.2 Dishes in 26 Locations in 24 Hours

Excess can sometimes be delicious.

Thanksgiving is a great example. The NYC Food Marathon, however, takes things to an entirely new level. Think of it as a 24-hour Thanksgiving on steroids: 26.2 iconic dishes in 26 locations, all hit by foot in 24 hours.

It’s one of the most insanely fun ways to spend a Saturday.

Which restaurants (and dishes) would you pick for a food marathon in your own city? Please let us know in the comments. Here are the ones we picked in NYC with the help of top chefs…

[The following is excerpted from The 4-Hour Chef.]

The 4-Hour Chef excerpt

The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with over 500 million downloads. It has been selected for "Best of Apple Podcasts" three times, it is often the #1 interview podcast across all of Apple Podcasts, and it's been ranked #1 out of 400,000+ podcasts on many occasions. To listen to any of the past episodes for free, check out this page.

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26 Replies to “Meet The New York City Food Marathon: 26.2 Dishes in 26 Locations in 24 Hours”

  1. I sincerely hope Carnegie Deli is on the list!

    Awesome idea, wish we would have been so insightful on our trip to New York. We went to a bunch of musicals instead. Of course after the pastrami heartburn (that was so worth it), musicals were probably a good idea anyways.

  2. Tim,

    I’ve been following you since pre-4HWW. I reached out to you a few months before the launch and we exchanged some emails…you sent me a picture of a 50+ year old man “farmer walking” heavy weights. I think you just attended some sports/powerlifting conference.

    Anyways, over the last 5+ years of following your work, reading every blog post you’ve put out, every tweet… I feel like I’ve had an “inside look” into what you’ve done and how you’ve gotten here. I feel grateful to have seen your rise in “stardom” starting from your pre-4hww blog (and it’s unique color palate) 🙂

    Just wanted to say thanks for all you’re doing. Just watching what you’re up to inspires me to take bigger actions, learn new things, and never stop expanding my mind and challenging myself in new ways.

    Much love,

    Aaron

    1. Aaron!

      Thank you so much for the very kind comment. I remember our exchanges! Man, that old blog was hideous. And the farmer’s walk video was from the FIT Expo in Pasadena, back in the day.

      I’m still learning and stumbling (thank god), and I really appreciate you sticking around through it all.

      Wishing you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving!

      Tim

  3. Where am I to be at what time? As for suggestions, Intermezzo has been a reliable/entertaining/delicious brunch spot. West Village is a great place to start anyway.

  4. I’m not sure if it’s all that important, but why aren’t you running the video trailer at the top-right corner of your blog, where the 4-Hour Body trailer still is?

  5. Wow, awesome food tour! i always have to test a lot of restaurants for my business, but i never did it in this xxl-way 🙂 what was your favorite dish?

  6. Sad,

    Amazon.ca delivery time for Canadians 1 to 2 months, whats up? Yes sent a email to customer service, verified.

    Ordered thru Chapters, ebook is great, but can hardly wait for delivery of hard copy,

    Cheers

    Ken

  7. Chicago’s list (ordered by recall only): Alinea, Hot Dougs, Home Bistro, Aviary (drinks), Avec, Lou Malnati’s, Moto, L20, the tamale guy that comes around the bars in Bucktown after midnight, Calumet Fisheries, Frontera Grill, Carnivale, Lula Cafe, Garret’s Popcorn, The Gage, Gold Coast Dogs, Pequods Pizza, Lawry’s Prime Rib… Modernist Cuisine’s favorite US city.

  8. Hard to do here in England as everything shuts down so damn early. Also Tim, and this is not a sales pitch to you in any way but have you looked at optimizing your blog for mobile devices. Hate pinching and zooming it. Cheers Mate.

  9. Hey mate

    Love the new book so far, well done. Has inspired me and a friend to hit London with the same idea (not my hometown, or country for that matter, but have 24 hours in the city next Tues). Currently polling friends for recommendations, will keep you posted with what we come up with!

    Looks like it will be a paltry half marathon though due to time restrictions. Thanks again

  10. If they ever did a food marathon in Santiago de Compostela. I’ve seen you’re an Albariño appreciator, so you should pop around some time. These would be the candidates, in no particular order:

    -Santiso

    -O Dezaseis

    -O Asesino

    -Casa Ana

    -Paris

    -Dakar

    -Abellá

    -Caney

    -Entrerrúas

    -O Coruña

    Those are the ones I can recall.

  11. Brilliant Food Marathon! Reminds me of those races they have in Japan to see how many bentos you can get in a day.

    Pre Ordered the book and Amazon said it has been shipped but arrival Dec.5.

    Enjoying all the excitement in the meantime.

    Keep em guessing Timmy!

  12. Tim! I just bought your book on amazon for my Kindle for only $5! I feel like that’s stealing after all the work you put into it and I know it’s going to be amazing!

    Out of the number of reasons I want to move to NYC is because of the food for sure. After traveling for the last 3 months in Europe it’s just insane the amount culture you can experience and the food is a major plus!

    If you can recommend an awesome Belgium place to eat at in NY of SF let a sister know cause that was for sure some of my favorite dishes!

  13. Hi Tim,

    Excited about getting your actual hardcover book but I have a beef with Amazon. Although I have the Kindle version, I really hoped to share the real deal with my family over the Thanksgiving weekend and found out today that it hadn’t shipped until I called to inquire about it. Now the est. arrival is next Tuesday! I pre-ordered your book back in December 12 ’11 and I am a Prime member. I complained to Amazon but I thought you should know too. I remember when I pre-ordered the Harry Potter books for my kids years ago, they were delivered on the release date! Anyway, I wish you well. I hope Amazon does better for your sake.

  14. What’s the sizzle in Tbizzle (Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada)

    Start strong with the heart of any city, the Country Market…

    – Farmer’s Market Breakfast: omelette

    – Eddie Lee’s: special noodle soup

    – Madhouse: tuscan chicken wrap

    – Lot 66: the salmon

    – Thai Chicken: red coconut curry soup

    – The Great Northwest Coffee Company: ethiopian coffee

    – Bean Fiend: roasted garlic & killer tomato

    – Ruby Moon: lamb stew for two

    – The Prospector: prime rib

    – The Java Hut: coconut cream pie

    – The Growing Season: harvest salad

    – Kangas Sauna’s: finnish pancakes

    – The Sovereign Room: chorizo & sweet potato latkas

    – Gargoyles: portobello bruschetta

    – Wasabi: soft shelled crab

    – Ted’s Kitchen: jerk’d pattie

    – The Hoito: karelian hot pot

    – Caribou: Banana Foster

  15. Tim,

    I was introduced by a friend to your work through the book The 4HWW and was just blown away with how many elements I was able to apply in my own life. I have a tried a few projects, one being a game on mobile which still have not taken off, but these have been fun ventures with which I took on to test the waters and just finish something new I had started. I have been a fan ever since and your words have been an inspiration to me.

    When I heard you had a book on cooking, which is one of my personal passions, I had to look more into it. First off, I LOVED your video trailer for the book which you had put together. I must say I was a little sad when I saw there was no video I could purchase so I went with the next best thing and got your book. After ordering, it wasn’t a week after when I saw your appearance on the Dr. Oz show and I was dieing to receive it in the mail from Amazon. On the show, you mentioned that it wasn’t a book necessarily to read from cover to cover, but I have to disagree. What an amazing read and project you have created with the 4 Hour Chef. I love the way it is laid out, the way you managed to tie so many things together in such a simple yet artistic way and I find it incredibly exciting to read.

    This has truly been the most exciting read I have had in a while. I am always looking for ways to improve not only myself, but my knowledge as well and this book delivers. This book is more on how to learn anything and you are using food as a medium to teach it. I have started taking a little time each day to apply some of your other principles, such as learning Italian (which languages have never been a strong suit) and I seem to actually be SLOWLY getting somewhere.

    I had a business trip out to SF a few months back and I was hoping that my wife and I may have run into you by chance down near the market just so I could thank you in person and perhaps get a pic :p However, I just wanted to thank you for your incredible work and I truly look forward to seeing what you have in store for us in the years to come.

    Much Respect

    Daniel

  16. Hey Tim,

    I know you hear it all the time, but let me tell you again: “The 4-Hour Workweek” was a life-changing book for me.

    I used to run around like a chicken with its head cut off, always feeling like there wasn’t enough time in the day. Not only was my hair falling out (literally, and I am only 25 years old), but I couldn’t focus on the big-picture, high-impact work that actually grew my business in the first place.

    Now I can. Thank you.

    I have one addition to Laura Turner’s suggestion to set up a PO Box and forward all your mail there (page 117).

    Don’t set up a physical PO Box. Get a virtual one.

    I haven’t opened a single piece of mail in 3 years. The front & back of every piece of mail addressed to me is scanned & emailed to me. Once a week (batching of course), I’ll check my “mail” – just a folder in my inbox titled “PO Box”. If I want to view the contents of the envelope, I’ll click “open”, and the service will open the envelope, scan it, & send it to me. Now I’ll always have a PDF copy, too. 95% of the mail that comes in I will discard and never even open.

    The service I use for this is earthclassmail.com, though I’m sure there are others. By batching this activity into a once-a-week, I guarantee readers will save at least 2 hours/week not opening mail, and have everything perfectly PDF-ed and organized. You’ll also save about $6.38 on a pack of 80 BAND-AIDs, because you’ll never get a paper cut again, and you’ll probably save dozens of trees, too.

    Your book has been truly life-altering. I have never been more productive & less stressed.

    Thank you.

    I hope this little tip helps others too.

    PD

  17. Hi there. I just watched your episode on hulu, devoted to your day. I couldn’t help but notice that the plants in/near your living space are mostly not edible. There are a wide variety of flowers and herbs that you could grow indoors, that may even add to your 4-hour-chef experience. Warm Regards, Kim Sadowski

  18. Dear Tim,

    I wanted to say thank you for being inside my head and validating my lifestyle design. I negotiated a virtual job before I had even heard of your book, and I was twisting myself in knots to justify to myself the few hours of work and great hours of productivity. I somehow felt that more time in the office meant being worthy of my salary, and that W4W was intrinsic to a sense of serenity and feeling of belonging. I am now proud to say that I am proud of my lifestyle design, which has enabled me to address a critical health issue that being in a 9-to-5 environment would have made very hard to diagnose and receive proper treatment for. I’m now starting my second business by carefully using the principles in your updated 4HWW to plan an escape strategy before I commit to a business model. I don’t want my “baby” to need me to run successfully! Thank you Tim for enabling me to truly live my best life one day at a time. For the past two years I have spent the “rush-hour” enjoying a greek yogurt and biscuit on the couch, sometimes reading Thoreau, sometimes watching Rachel Maddow, and enjoying the purr of my little cat on my lap. I could go on and on with my gratitude, but somehow I am afraid that if I keep on writing this post, the world of W4W will discover me and strike away my job and force me to beg for a W4W existence. I am writing this to thank you, but also to help others to know that lifestyle design doesn’t have to be flashy or noteworthy, but can be used to do something as simple and life-saving as diagnose, address and assemble a treatment plan for an illness.

    Love (seriously, I mean it),

    Stephanie and Mimi (little cat)–NYC