New York

Originally designed by a NY'er for his obsessively geekish Halloween costume, these Buck Rogers-esque faux pistols're soldered/screwed together w/ 1lb of metal and wood, sport a toggle switch that "lets you alternate between 'useless' and 'devastating' modes", and're carbon-scored on the muzzle for that realistic I've-got-a-raygun-and-I'm-not-afraid-to-pretend-to-use-it look.

244 E 51st, between 3rd and 2nd; 212.906.9066

From a veteran bar-staurant GM (The W, Tao), this nook-riddled, two-floor boozer's manse is decked in baroque/hinterland/subcontinent themery (Parisian armchairs, bull horns and deer antlers, Hindu goddesses...), serves pan-everywhere small plates (Portuguese octopus, Szechuan dumplings), and pours infusion-happy cocktails like Pandora's Box (hibiscus-infused aged rum, spiced simple syrup, key lime), Bee's Knees (lavender gin, honey, lemon), and Hello Kitty -- made from green tea vodka, lemongrass, lychee, and the giggles of completely off-limits schoolgirls.

333 Lafayette St, between Houston and Bleecker

A slightly northier outpost from the acclaimed NoLita grub-hole, this surfboard deco'd, SoCal-influenced tacopolis paper plates the same awesome Mexican ($3 tacos al pastor/carnitas/etc, $5 quesadillas, etc), plus Mexican donuts, from 7am-4am. Also new: tequilas and margaritas, leading to curbside exclamations of "pinche me, I'm drinking".

Just co-launched by Robin Williams' son (true), this guide Gmaps restos using intuitive categories, e.g., Occasion (closing dinner, hipster first date, etc), Time of meal (late night 3am, quick snack...), and Feel, e.g., "college flashback", "hipster hangout", and, oddly, "obnoxious". Hungry also grades on an egalitarian, school-friendly A+ to F system, arguing that "there's no reason why the best hot dog in New York should not have the same rating as fancier places like Per Se". A convenient rationale for someone clearly cut off from sweet Patch Adams lucre.

This crowd-sourced graph of Shake Shack wait times will confirm your worst fears about the nature of fancy burger queues (e.g., pre-noon lunch is hit-or-miss; post-3pm's your best shot). Also includes links to Shack-monitoring Twitter users -- God bless those vigilant nerds.