Nick Tahou Hots has a way of announcing itself long before you read the sign, sitting at 320 W Main St like a neon bookmark wedged firmly into New York food history, unapologetic and still doing the job it was meant to do.
I feel it most around lunch, when the line forms with a calm, almost institutional efficiency, trays sliding, orders called, regulars moving with the confidence of people who know exactly what comes next.
There’s nothing tentative about the room, no easing you in, just the steady understanding that you’re here for something specific and that it will arrive exactly as promised…