Tastebuds NYC is an American culinary tourism web series made for TikTok and Instagram. The show was created by Dillon Davis and Nichols Neff, respectively known as "Tall Guy" and "Hat Guy" by fans, who aim to try food from every country in the world while remaining in New York City. Using a virtual spinning wheel to pick a country for each week, Davis and Neff find a local restaurant serving that nation's cuisine and film their experiences there. The series quickly became viral and has gained a dedicated online following. It has been praised by media commentators for highlighting the multicultural diversity of New York City as well as the challenges faced by immigrants and small restaurant owners.
Premise
Each Tastebuds NYC episode begins with Davis and Neff spinning a digital wheel to pick a country before finding a restaurant in New York City that serves that nation's cuisine. After arriving, they typically ask the restaurant owner to bring them the "most authentic" food from their home country before highlighting each dish and describing its flavour. Many episodes feature the duo learning how to say "thank you" in the country's native language, an idea inspired by one of their friends. They often befriend the restaurant owners, who are given the opportunity to tell their life story and share their experience in the restaurant industry. Many episodes conclude with them sharing a drink with the owner(s) or being invited to an event held at the restaurant before an ending card lists them among the duo's "new friend[s]."
At the end of each season, Davis and Neff have hosted meetups of the various restaurant owners facilitated through a sponsor. On the rare occasion where they cannot find a restaurant that serves a particular nation's cuisine, the duo have instead hired a private chef to cook for them in Davis' kitchen.
History
Before starting Tastebuds NYC, Texas native Davis worked for a consulting firm and Neff, originally from Denver, Colorado, was a technology salesman. After moving to New York City to take on work from home jobs, they met through a mutual friend and became roommates. They conceived the series' basic concept after Neff noted that most New York "foodie" content on TikTok tended to feature the same several high-end restaurants. After Davis told him about an idea he had of trying food from every country in the world, the two set out to make a TikTok series together which focused on smaller, family operated "hole-in-the-wall" restaurants.
Davis and Neff had almost no filming or editing experience, which has lent the series what Davis has called a "rough-around-the-edges" production quality. Their first video featuring an Armenian restaurant received over 100,000 likes in two days. The series' seventh episode on Bhutanese cuisine, which saw the pair bond with restaurant owner Kinley Dorji and attend his New Year's Eve party, became particularly popular on TikTok and received over five million views. As Davis and Neff have left their names off their content, fans have endearingly called them "Tall Guy" and "Hat Guy" respectively. Media commentators have highlighted the show's interpersonal warmth and its embrace of New York City as a multicultural mosaic.
List of episodes
Tastebuds NYC episodes are uploaded to TikTok and Instagram every Thursday. The series is set to cover 195 countries which, with a weekly schedule, will take nearly four years to complete. As of yet, Davis and Neff have visited restaurants in every borough of New York City except for Staten Island.
Season 1 (November 2025 – February 2026)
The first season of Tastebuds NYC consists of 12 episodes. For the season one finale, the Brooklyn Nets invited the Tastebuds and the restauranteurs they had met so far to a private suite at Barclays Center for their game against the Chicago Bulls.
Release date Country Restaurant Location Guest(s)1November 20, 2025Little Armenia CafeGreenpoint, BrooklynArarat2November 26, 2025Budapest CafeUpper East Side, ManhattanEric3December 3, 2025IhawanLittle Manila, Woodside, QueensOliver4December 10, 2025Arepas CafeAstoria, QueensRiccardo5December 17, 2025Ssam Tong BBQFlushing, QueensSung-WongVictor6December 24, 2025Çka Ka QëllueKips Bay, ManhattanSylvia7January 1, 2026The WeekenderWoodside, QueensKinley8January 8, 2026Karavan KebabHomecrest, BrooklynBehruz9January 15, 2026I Love Paraguay RestaurantSunnyside, QueensElizabeth10January 22, 2026Dar LbahjaAstoria, QueensMaryam11January 29, 2026Awang KitchenElmhurst, QueensAwang12February 5, 2026SafariHarlem, ManhattanShakib–February 12, 2026 Season finale sponsored by the Brooklyn Nets.
Season 2 (February–June 2026)
The second season of Tastebuds NYC consists of 16 episodes. For the season two finale, DoorDash invited Davis, Neff, and many of the restauranteurs they had met so far to Semma, a Michelin Star Indian restaurant in Greenwich Village, Manhattan.
Release date Country Restaurant(s) Location Guest(s)13February 19, 2026Ariana Afghan KebabHell's Kitchen, ManhattanWali14February 26, 2026Beija FlorLong Island City, QueensGabriel15March 5, 2026Laila BayridgeBay Ridge, BrooklynDavid16March 12, 2026Martine's BistroFlatlands, BrooklynMartine17March 19, 2026Bohemian SpiritUpper East Side, ManhattanKateřina18March 26, 2026WadadliBedford–Stuyvesant, BrooklynBrods19April 2, 2026Seis VecinosSouth BronxOmar20April 9, 2026A-Pou's TasteEast Williamsburg, BrooklynDoris21April 16, 2026YemenatBay Ridge, BrooklynMohannad22April 23, 2026Wok Wok Noodle HouseChinatown, ManhattanErik23April 30, 2026Mongolian Momo KingMidtown ManhattanKhurelbaatar "Kai"24May 7, 2026KafanaAlphabet City, ManhattanSrdjan25May 14, 2026The CanuckTim HortonsChelsea, ManhattanTim26May 21, 2026Sybil's BakeryJamaica, QueensKen27May 28, 2026StolovayaSheepshead Bay, BrooklynEgor28June 4, 2026The Kasbah CaféSunnyside, QueensAminaHalim–June 11, 2026Season finale sponsored by DoorDash.
Season 3 (June 2026 – present)
Release date Country Restaurant(s) Location Guest(s)29June 18, 2026Sabor de ColombiaBay Ridge, BrooklynSandra30June 25, 2026Tong NYCPuran DhakaJackson Heights, QueensNaeemAmin31July 2, 2026Adom African CuisineEast Tremont, BronxPatricia32July 9, 2026KabinHudson Square, ManhattanJordan33July 16, 2026Makina EritreanSunnyside, QueensEden34July 23, 2026AliadaAstoria, QueensLouis35July 30, 2026(None; private chef)Raïssa36August 6, 2026Ador RestaurantBrighton Beach, BrooklynSăndel37August 13, 2026DinastiaWilliamsburg, BrooklynMiriam38August 20, 2026TournesolLong Island City, QueensPatricia39August 27, 2026Burmese BitesAstoria, QueensMyo40September 3, 2026Azara KitchenHarlem, ManhattanOusmane41September 10, 2026Sarajevo GrillAstoria, QueensElvira42September 17, 2026(None; private chef)Zi43September 24, 2026Björk Cafe & BistroMurray Hill, ManhattanUlrika44October 1, 2026PNK Surinamese CuisineSouth Richmond Hill, QueensNeil
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