'Mr Bing' Founder Brian Goldberg's Guide To NYC

Brian Goldberg has harbored a passion for Chinese culture ever since high school, which eventually led him to pursue Chinese and East Asian studies in college and graduate school respectively. However, it was a semester abroad in Beijing that sparked his love affair with the Northern Chinese street food called jianbing (or “bing” for short). Fast forward to today, and Goldberg is the founder and CEO of Mr Bing, a food cart that specializes in the Beijing-style crepe.

Although he originally launched the business in Hong Kong, Goldberg introduced his jianbing to New York City in 2015, with pop-ups throughout the city, a permanent kiosk at Urbanspace Vanderbilt and recurring appearances at Madison Square Eats and Broadway Bites. In 2016, he was awarded the Rookie of the Year Vendy Award for best new street food in New York.

Goldberg lived and worked in China, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong for 13 years, but the Bronx-born entrepreneur decided to make the move back to NYC three years ago and has since enjoyed the various languages spoken here, as well as the presence of all four seasons each year.

When he's not spreading awareness for one of his favorite Chinese foods (or competitively training for the US and World Masters swimming championships!), Goldberg can be found enjoying a steak at BLT Prime or exploring The Museum of Food and Drink. Check out the rest of his favorite spots around New York City:

How long have you lived in New York City? I moved back three years ago from Hong Kong, but I was born in the Bronx and raised in the suburbs of Rockland County. I also lived here during grad school at Columbia and when I worked at NBC from 1999 to 2002.

What neighborhood do you live in? I live on the Upper East Side.

What’s your occupation? Founder and CEO of Mr Bing

Describe NYC in three words: A compact world.

Best sushi: Nobu

Best Italian food: I actually really like takeaway from Delizia 73, specifically the chicken marsala with extra balsamic reduction.

Best Chinese food: Cafe Evergreen on the Upper East Side, near my apartment. It’s a really nice, clean and tasty local neighborhood restaurant. They also do fast delivery when you need it. Super nice owners, great Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings), great General Tso’s Chicken (still a favorite!), and lots of authentic Chinese dish options.

Best dessert: Pinkberry — I get the peanut butter-flavored frozen yogurt with chocolate balls.

Best pizza: Roberta’s Pizza

Best spot for a quick lunch: Mr Bing!

Best food truck: Our Mr Bing food cart in Flatiron. As far as actual trucks go though, I like Korilla.

Best spot for a romantic date: BLT Prime

Best glass of wine: I’ve been ordering a lot of Montepulciano wines lately.

Best Sunday brunch: A picnic in Central Park.

Best spot for a power business meeting: Rockefeller Center. I like The Sea Grill there.

Best cup of coffee: Hard to say. I like ordering from La Colombe Coffee near Bryant Park. I like the atmosphere there.

Best steak: I do enjoy going to BLT Prime.

Best craft cocktail: I’m not really a craft cocktail guy, but I think Apotheke in Chinatown is pretty cool, next to Nom Wah Tea Parlor. It's a little craft cocktail place with a secret door.

What hotel would you recommend for your out of town guests? I recommended Gramercy Park Hotel for out-of-town guests: a lot of cool history, celebrities like to stay there, there’s a rose bar and it’s fun. Great food in Maialino downstairs. I had my 40th birthday over there and the Diavola chicken dish is fantastic — my favorite chicken dish in the city along with the brick chicken at Marc Forgione’s place in Tribeca.

Favorite shopping venue or boutique: The Container Store. I love all the acrylic boxes in multiple colors.

Best gym or fitness studio: I swim almost every day, so the swimming pool is the most important for me. I swim at the New York Athletic Club or Asphalt Green.

Best spa: Japanese onsen-style spas. I like Premier 57 in Midtown or SoJo Spa Club. There is also a place in The Greenwich Hotel that has a Japanese onsen/hot spring-style spa.

Favorite charity event or organization: Since I am a swimmer, I like to promote cancer swims.

Favorite cultural event: Definitely Chinese New Year. I love Chinese New Year. There are all different kinds of Chinese New Year events, like Lunar New Year parties, food festivals, and lion dances.

Favorite cultural institution: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It’s near my house and I love Central Park. Even though I live here, l like to go to the museum too and sit in a café overlooking Central Park.

What’s the best museum or current exhibit in New York City? The Museum of Chinese in America has a really interesting exhibit on the history of Chinese medicine. Really cool old Chinese pharmacy there. The Museum of Food and Drink has really interesting history on the Chinese restaurants in America.

Best historic or iconic New York City landmark to see or explore: The Statue of Liberty. It’s a super touristy thing to do, but as a local New Yorker, it is also nice sometimes to just get out on the water and remind yourself of American history by visiting the Statue of Liberty.

What’s your all-time favorite spot in New York City? Central Park.

The best aspect of New York City is: All the things you can do here. Just the fact that there are so many languages here, four seasons start a year. There's just a little bit of everything.

More city guides from notable New Yorkers:

• 'Big Mozz' Founder Matt Gallira's Guide to New York City
• 'Brunch Boys' Founder Jeremy Jacobowitz' Guide To New York City
• Chef David Burke's Guide To New York City

Image Credit: Brian Goldberg