New York is “the restaurant capital of the world.” But beneath the sheen of white tablecloths, celebrity chefs and expensive wine is a true food capital of the world.

It’s a city whose food culture is more diverse than any other, where a taste of almost anything can be afforded: regional Chinese cuisine, late-night snacks from six Latin American countries, no less than five top-notch ramen houses, some of the country’s only Georgian dining halls, an abundance of full-menu Filipino restaurants, and an entire new school of young cooks looking to make food matter to everybody. It’s a city where the median income wobbles in plain view of Wall Street, but can still afford a feast for the gastronomically inclined.