Where to Eat Near the Met, Central Park, and Other NYC Attractions
We've all been there: You're in an unfamiliar city, exhausted from spending hours on your feet, and you end up settling for some overpriced, overcooked steak at the nearest tourist trap. Or maybe you're the reluctant host with relatives in town, and if you're going to have to live every New Yorker's nightmare (Times Square at rush hour!) you're going to need a reward to get you through it. Whatever it is that's inspired you to jostle alongside the teeming, selfie-stick-bearing masses, we're here to make sure you get a New York–worthy meal after sightseeing. Fortunately, 11 of our favorite restaurants are right next to some of New York's biggest attractions.
1/11Museum-hopping on the Upper East Side? Try Flora Bar.
Don't let a last-minute Google search of "What to do with tourists in New York that isn't extremely lame" happen to you. That's why you need to have an Emergency Tourist Plan™. Here's mine: Go to the Guggenheim when it first opens, look at some art, and work up an appetite. Take a 20-minute stroll down the east side of Central Park. At 75th Street (this is about the time when your tourist friend will comment that they wore the wrong shoes today), cut over a block to Madison Avenue. Go eat lunch at Flora Bar. Order the red shrimp with sea urchin and uni. Order the purple endive salad. Order the egg and cheese sandwich. Order the sticky bun for dessert. Then head upstairs and walk around the Met Breuer (the Whitney's former building), the most perfectly sized museum ever. And be thankful you had a plan in place. —Rachel Karten, senior social media manager
Photo courtesy of Yakitori Totto2/11En route to Central Park? Don't miss Yakitori Totto.
Don't expect to find any sushi at this Japanese restaurant, which specializes in rice bowls packed with brightly colored quadrants of unusual ingredients and tender, grilled skewers of seafood and meat. Hidden away at the top of a two-story staircase, the narrow space feels a million miles away from the midtown hustle and bustle, but in truth, it's perfectly located just a few blocks from Columbus Circle and Central Park South. It's the perfect way to get two cities (Tokyo and New York) for the price of one. —Julia Black, associate web editor
Photo by Alex Delany3/11Browsing the Met? Grab some Pastrami Queen.
You can talk about Picasso and Cezanne and Miró all you want. But if you really know about The Met, you’ll talk about Pastrami Queen. Three blocks and three avenues from one of the greatest art museums in the world lies the best pastrami sandwich in New York City. Yes, I know that’s controversial, but Pastrami Queen serves up my favorite in a little storefront on Lexington Avenue and 78th street. I’d say to go with the classic pastrami on rye for beginners, but if you’re feeling adventurous, the half pastrami, half corned beef is a great move too. And some onion rings never hurt. If you can snag a table, go for it, but the pro move is to get your sandwich to go and walk back to Central Park, find a bench, and dig all the way in. Don’t expect to get much done after eating that sandwich though. It’s a nap enabler. —Alex Delany, assistant web editor
Photo by Emily Eisen4/11Stuck in Times Square? Hit up Ootoya.
After a decade of writing about food, I've developed a Yelp-like ability to channel very specific criteria into restaurant recommendations. Party of ten vegetarians on the Lower East Side? No problem. Anniversary-appropriate-but-not-too-expensive omakase in Brooklyn? Check. But when people ask me where to eat in Times Square, my heart drops as I mentally scan the blocks in the '40s, coming up blank. Well, there's Jimmy's Corner (the dive bar that saved me when the Bon Appétit offices used to be in Midtown) and... oh, right, Ootoya! Tucked between Broadway and Bryant Park on 41st Street, the Times Square location of this Japanese chain of homestyle restaurants is an oasis of calm in a desert of costumed Elmos. I usually torture myself choosing between the epically crispy tonkatsu (breaded and fried pork cutlet) and the delicate grilled mackerel, then remember that my favorite part is the silky egg custard that comes on the side with either one. —Julia Kramer, senior projects editor
Photo by Frank Heuer/laif5/11Heading to a Broadway show? Stop by Jimmy's Corner.
So you've spent your life savings on Hamilton tickets. Now what? Before or after the show, check out Jimmy's Corner, where your order is a freezing cold Bud and shot of Jack (if that combo doesn’t taste like cotton candy to you, we're no longer talking). Rest your (dad’s) weary legs in the boxing photo-covered dive bar that isn’t propped up for a show. A real man’s life is on display on those walls; it’s scotch-tape-covered history. —Alex Beggs, senior web editor
Photo by Nicole Franzen6/11Gawking at the Empire State Building? Eat at Tonchin.
I’ve eaten dozens of tonkatsu broths across the five boroughs, and the one that surprised me the most was hidden near the Empire State Building on 36th St and 5th Avenue. Tonchin, a Tokyo-based import, adds bonito to its pork broth, which helps cut through the richness with a strong punch of flavor. Wavy, toothsome noodles, a jammy soft-boiled egg, and tender, oversized pieces of pork belly accent the bowl, but you might not have room to finish it all. You’ll likely fill up on appetizers with interesting twists—squid gyoza, Szechuan peppercorn-spiced wings, and creamy potato salad with snow crab—grilled meats, and equally-unique cocktails, like a wasabi vodka tonic. Whether you’re reluctantly entertaining tourists or want a solo bowl of ramen after a long work day, stop by the cozy space and pretend you’re in Tokyo instead of Midtown. —Alyse Whitney, associate web editor
7/11Fresh off a train at Penn Station? Eat at Atoboy.
Okay, fine, technically Atoboy is a 14-minute walk from Penn Station, so it's not exactly right down the street. But it's worth the extra avenue for the three-course menu priced only at $39 (splurge the $2 extra on the seasonal rice, especially if there's seaweed involved). This is some of the most creative Korean-inspired food happening in New York City right now. The seafood is all excellent, especially the raw yellowtail and mackerel. It's exactly where I want to go after getting off a long train ride, especially if the granita with burrata is on the menu. —Carey Polis, digital director
Photo by Alex Lau8/11Checking out the Flatiron Building? Go to Cosme.
So Cosme isn't the kind of place that you just stroll into—the guacamole is $17 alone. But it's the kind of place you feel okay about being a little spend-y on, 'cause months later, you're still thinking about the crispy, good-kind-of-fatty duck carnitas. It's definitely a people-watching scene there, ranging from the do-you-even-like-food set to Serious Eaters. As for that corn husk meringue that's become staple Instagram fodder? Not overhyped. —Carey Polis, digital director
Photo by M. Alexander Weber/Courtesy Santina9/11Strolling down the Highline? Visit Santina.
What could be cooler than a glass cube of a restaurant right below the Highline with an Italian seashore vibe? It’s refined but not stuffy, with waiters wearing multicolored neon polos, tropical foliage, and light, delicious food. Order the chickpea crepe and a Santina Spritz, and you'll feel like you're on a beach vacation, even in winter. In the summertime, the place opens up onto the streets of the Meatpacking District with lots of outdoor seating under big beach umbrellas. It’s the perfect escape from a hectic scene in one of the most touristy locations in all of Manhattan and the perfect follow-up to an afternoon at the Whitney or the Highline. —Matt Duckor, executive producer
Photo by Evan Sung10/11Shopping in SoHo? Swing by Uncle Boons.
There’s always a party going on at Uncle Boons, where they serve some of the most flavorful, exciting, and joyful Thai food in the city. Stash your loot under the table and tuck into this bustling space, adorned with greenery and Thai movie posters, for an early dinner (if you want to beat the inevitable 7 p.m. rush). The short rib curry is a constant comfort, while the spicy, chile-laden chicken salad takes your mouth to places beyond comprehension. The fermented pork sausages and fatty fish collar come hot off the grill, as rotisserie chickens spin on the spits above. The cocktails flow endlessly, whether you order them by the glass or the pitcher, and the coconut ice cream sundae sits patiently awaiting your inevitable “Eh, what the hell” moment. You might try some things a little outside your comfort zone, but that's why you came to New York, isn't it? —Alex Delany, assistant web editor
Photo by Brian Shumway/Redux11/11Biking through Red Hook? Get Steve's Key Lime Pie.
It wasn't until my 23rd year in New York that I finally realized that the best way to experience Manhattan is to go to Red Hook, Brooklyn. That's when a friend first took me to the pier across the way from Steve's Key Lime Pie, where you can snack on Steve's signature frozen, chocolate-dipped key-lime-pie-on-a-stick, watch the sun go down, and take in the sweeping views of the downtown skyline. It may not be dinner (for that, try The Good Fork) but it's a hidden New York gem if there ever was one. —Julia Black, associate web editor
