Chef JJ Johnson opened his FieldTrip Rice Bowl Shop three years ago. He says you can't beat the location, just steps away from the subway stop at 116th Street and Lenox Avenue, Malcolm X Boulevard.

"You can turn on any corner and you will see the neon sign that says rice is culture, and you can come right into Fieldtrip right off the 2 and the 3 train," Johnson said, who is one of the Chefs participating in the MTA's DineAway Program.

What You Need To Know

  • The DineAWAY campaign encourages New Yorkers to explore the city's food scene using mass transit

  • The campaign is a partnership between the MTA and James Beard Foundation

  • It's designed to bring riders back to the MTA while supporting local restaurants

  • The program features neighborhood guides developed by chefs at area eateries which include their favorite spots for dining and shopping

The MTA DineAWAY campaign encourages New Yorkers and visitors to dine around the five boroughs, using trains and buses to get there. The James Beard Foundation, a nonprofit culinary arts organization curated the program and invited chefs like Johnson to give their guide to dining and touring the neighborhoods where their restaurants are located.

"At the James Beard Foundation, we are here to support local independent restaurants, and this is a fantastic partnership that shines a light on some of those neighborhood gems," said Claire Reichenbach, CEO of the James Beard Foundation.

Reichenbach joined Johnson for a tour of the neighborhood, including the Sugar Hill Creamery, where owners Nick Larsen and Petrushka Bazin-Larsen have been serving their handmade ice cream and non-dairy frozen desserts for five years.  

"Our proximity to the 2, 3 train on the 116th stop makes it really very convenient to make this maybe one of the first stops that you experience when you are coming to Harlem," said Bazin-Larsen.

The program also includes other destinations in neighborhoods around the city. Johnson took Reichenbach into the NiLu Gift Shop, a family owned business started in 2015. Owner Katrina Parris says she gets a lot of business from folks using mass transit from all over town.

"Love up on everything that's Harlem, I mean it's easily accessible, if you don't want to get on the train, get on the M11, get on the M7, get on the bus, so, work it out," said Parris.