The Restaurant Serving New York's Best Cheesecake Is A Total Tourist Trap That's Worth Visiting

New York City has one of the best and most varied dining scenes in the world. You could eat at one of the city's 72 Michelin-starred restaurants, have a delicious BLT at a bodega, or try food from pretty much anywhere in the world at small family-owned restaurants. Whatever your heart desires, the Big Apple delivers. If that happens to be cheesecake, there's one place that has reigned in the hearts of New Yorkers and tourists since 1950: Junior's. 

The classic diner opened its first location in Brooklyn, luring in customers with innovative (at the time) neon signs and a long menu filled with American classics. But the one thing that set it apart was its cheesecakes. According to the restaurant, owner Harry Rosen and master baker Eigel Petersen spent a long time experimenting and perfecting the cheesecake recipe that is still used today. Fame has allowed the brand to expand to two other NYC locations, as well as spots in Connecticut's Foxwoods area and Las Vegas. Burlington, New Jersey, also has a Junior's bakery outlet for anyone craving cheesecake and other goodies.

Some naysayers turn up their noses at Junior's while visiting New York City, claiming that it's become a tourist trap. We won't deny this claim, especially for the 45th street location, right on Times Square, but we wouldn't say this is an NYC tourist trap to avoid. On the contrary, Junior's proves some things are touristy for good reason.

Junior's definitely has a classic 1950s diner vibe. Its locations usually have a large glass dessert case that proudly displays beautiful cheesecakes. Many people swear by the simplicity of the classic cheesecake, but if you want something a bit more complex, you'll find over 40 dessert choices. We're partial to the strawberry, Brooklyn crumb, and Devil's food cheesecakes. Diners with a serious sweet tooth can try to take on the New Yorker Cake Shake, a strawberry milkshake with a rim of graham crackers and vanilla, topped with an entire piece of strawberry cheesecake. 

The diner also offers savory foods like soups, sandwiches, and steak. However, we'd recommend people only go for dessert. It's not that the food is bad; it's just that you can get equal or better food elsewhere in New York. Junior's always has a long line filled with people willing to try the city's best-known cheesecake. Our trick is to skip the dine-in line and do the one reserved for people getting a cheesecake to go. You can eat it in the street while waiting for a Broadway show to start, or try navigating New York's complex and chaotic subway system to go to Central Park (which happens to be the world's most filmed location). Few NYC moments can beat eating a slice of New York's best cheesecake while enjoying the sun in Central Park's Great Lawn.