Where to Find New York's Most Loaded Baked Potato

"There is perhaps no food more humble than a baked potato. But driven by creators like the U.K.'s SpudBros - 4.9 million followers and counting - POV footage of scored, fluffed, and amply topped spuds are all over TikTok. Baked potatoes are just as convenient as Sweetgreen or Chipotle, and should be as prevalent, but only recently has New York caught up to the glories of the quick-potato lunch."

"Spudz Slope, which was opened by the Syko team in Windsor Terrace last year, offers a choice of sweet potato or classic for piling with shawarma, birria, bulgogi, or chopped cheese. There is also the Spud Potato kiosk in Bryant Park's Winter Village, but a potato with butter, beans, and cheese costs $20 there, which makes it hard to recommend - potatoes should be hot, filling, and affordable."

"Lucky, then, that a new cart at Cooper Square called the Potato Bros NYC specializes in kumpir, Turkey's take on a loaded baked potato. A base model with salt, pepper, butter, and cheese starts at a very reasonable $7.90. From there, customization is the point: Toppings are tsatsiki, jalapeños, eggs or sausage cooked to order, mushrooms, chicken, and pretty much anything else you could think to put on top of a potato."

Baked potatoes have surged in popularity through creators like the U.K.'s SpudBros and frequent TikTok footage. New York vendors now offer loaded potatoes as convenient, customizable lunches. Spudz Slope in Windsor Terrace serves sweet or classic potatoes topped with shawarma, birria, bulgogi, or chopped cheese. A Bryant Park kiosk charges $20 for a potato with butter, beans, and cheese, a price that undercuts the ideal of an affordable spud. Potato Bros NYC at Cooper Square specializes in Turkish kumpir with a $7.90 base and dozens of toppings, featuring melted cheese, homemade hot sauce, and crisp potato skin for varied bites.

Read at Grub Street