List of Local Restaurants and Bars - Download PDF

Restaurants
SoHo
Aqua Grill - 210 Spring St., 212 274 0505
Highly recommended. The perfect pick for seafood. There is outdoor dining or eating at the bar.

Balthazar - 80 Spring St., 212 965 1414
French Braisserie, décor just like being in Paris, hip, crowded, nice bar, own bakery next door. Two to four blocks from our SoHo lofts. Reservations should be made early. Try breakfast from 7:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m., or the bakery for the croissant. You’ll find locals and celebrities at Balthazar.

Bar 89 - 89 Mercer St., 212 274 0989
The cocktails, waffle fries and buffalo wings are all the rave, but what keeps patrons coming back? Bar 89’s spectacular bathroom! However the portions are large, so go with a group and share, but don’t forget to check out the bathroom!

Barolo - 398 W Broadway, 212 226 1102
Authentic Northern Italian cuisine. Choice of being seated in the spacious main room or their beautiful back garden. Highly recommended, reasonably priced.

Blue Ribbon - 97 Sullivan St., 212 274 0404
Happening place, long wait but friendly crowd. Fried chicken with collard greens, beef marrow with oxtail marmalade, sweet and spicy catfish, crème brule.

Corio - 337 W Broadway, 212 966 3901
Sexy SoHo supper club with burlesque dancers gets great reviews. “This is Burlesque Show” Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Reservations recommended, $20 cover. Try the tapas, hangar steak, popcorn shrimp, and pizza with fingerling potatoes.

Diva - 341 W Broadway, 212 941 9024
A small intimate setting with large bar. You’ll catch celebrities enjoying this ultra-hip spot, pricey Italian-Mediterranean menu.

Dos Caminos SoHo - 475 W Broadway, 212 277 4300
Mexican restaurant “From the way the young and the culinary restless squeeze in, you’d think they’d never seen made-to-order guacamole before. Starters impress most, especially a brilliant toss of sautéed and fried calamari with chorizo.” - Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld. Best Margarita 2007 by New York Magazine. Try the marinated skirt steak.

Downtown Cipriani - 376 Broadway, 212 343 0990
A bit more casual with a slightly less formal menu in comparison to its uptown predecessors. It definitely lives up to its famous name. A downtown luxury for sure!

Felix - 340 W Broadway, 212 431 0021
A French-bistro that plays Latin music, moderately priced menu. A fun and friendly environment, great spot for brunch.

Ghenet - 248 Mulberry St., 212 343 1888
Ethiopian restaurant where locals flock; can get crowded.

Giorgione - 307 Spring St., 212 352 2269
Italian owned by Giorgio DeLuca who started Dean and Deluca, a very early upscale “deli” now on Broadway and Prince. Raw bar, pizza oven. Recommended dishes: Carciofi alla giudea (fried artichokes); polipetti (grilled octopus with celery and black olives); polpettine di vitello (Sicilian meatballs with pine nuts and raisins); Insalata Darancia.

Hampton Chutney - 68 Prince St., 212 226 9996
American-Indian, one of the most unique and enjoyable lunches you’ll ever eat; delivery. Try several different dips with your dosa.

Hundred Acres - 38 MacDougal St., 212 475 7500
French. Light and rustic dishes. Very lively, sun-filled restaurant, which also includes a private garden room.

Ideya - 349 W Broadway, 212 625 1441
Caribbean food. “Refreshing” “island” currents tow a “mix of trendy” types to this “vibrant” SoHo Caribbean, home to “inventive” “spicy” food that leaves those who had no idea “happily surprised” best “mojitos in town.”

Kin Khao - 171 Spring St., 212 966 3939
It is billed as a sensational Thai restaurant in the middle of SoHo. Good value, SoHo scene.

L’Ecole - 462 Broadway, 212 219 3300
This is the school of the French Culinary Institute at the International Culinary Center. Five courses at reasonable price-fixed menu; the students do a nice job.  Since it is just across the street from CornerLight, you can watch the student chefs and their famed teachers cook from our windows.

L’Orange Blue - 430 Broome St., 212 226 4999
Mediterranean restaurant.  Very relaxing dishes from Italy, Spain, Corsica, Lebanon, Africa and Marseille. Try the steak, paella, lamb, chicken. $1 oysters during 5-7 p.m. Happy hour. Sidewalk seating, celebrities and locals, has a nice bar. One block from CornerLight, PetiteSite, and SereneSite.

La Esquina - 106 Kenmare St., 646 613 7100
Shrouded in mystery, La Esquina’s Mexican cuisine never fails to satisfy - “It uses discernibly fresher herbs, vegetables and other ingredients than many other Mexican restaurants”. Enter the restaurant, aptly called ‘The Vault,’ through the door marked ‘No Admittance’. Reservations strongly recommended. Half the fun is getting in! -New York Times

Lombardi’s - 32 Spring St., 212 941 7994
This is the place to do pizza, coal oven at its best for generations. Food doesn’t have to be expensive to be sublime. They recently expanded, but there is still a line. Send someone a bit earlier to put your party’s name on the list. Go to Rice to Riches for desert across the street, or get a gelato in Little Italy at Ciao Bella afterwards. Cash only. This is Wendy and family’s favorite... a New York City must!

Mercer Kitchen at the Mercer Hotel - 99 Prince St., 212 966 5454
New American and French. Celebs, models, and the people that want to watch them... go to see the SoHo scene. Food is so-so, go to the bar or for a breakfast meeting.

Mexican Radio - 19 Cleveland Place between Kenmare and Spring streets, 212 343 0140
Mexican that’s not the usual. Funky, fun place. Great margaritas.

Mezzogiorno - 195 Spring St., 212 334 2112
Great service and location, hearty wines list. Beautiful, romantic décor with outdoor seating as well. Try the whole grilled fish or their thin-crust pizzas.

Novocento - 343 W Broadway, 212 925 4706
Argentinean. Fantastic steak, people watching.

Peep - 177 Prince St., 212 245 7337
Thai food. New “it” restaurant with “downtown energy” named for its bathrooms where you can see out into the dining room; affordable, tasty.

Raoul’s - 180 Prince St., 212 966 3518
Longtime SoHo classic spot, packed, French Bistro. Go for steak or duck, service can be iffy, formidable wine list and Palm Reader upstairs.

Savoy - 70 Prince St., 212 219 8570
The restaurant has a room upstairs for large groups. Make reservations well in advance. Fine culinary country cooking, farm fresh ingredients, new menus, nice setting, famed Chef Peter Hoffman. Foodies love this place. Nice wines, relaxing atmosphere; Wendy highly recommends. Near all SoHoSoleil loft locations.

Spring Street Natural - 62 Spring St., 212 966 0290
Organic, healthy breakfast through dinner, great fish.  Good for salads, brunch, no reservations, sidewalk café, SoHo standard, has a bar.

The Cupping Room - 359 W Broadway, 212 925 2898
An older and more classic restaurant first established in 1977 with live music every Wednesday and Friday. All desserts, breads and pastas are made fresh daily.

Woo Lae Oak - 148 Mercer St., 212 925 8200
Korean Barbecue. Modern, fashionable, grill your own or let them do it. This comes highly recommended by locals for out of town guests. Try duck appetizer and black cod! Great for groups.

Zoë - 90 Prince St., 866 260 6796New American contemporary food and prize-winning wine list, well-established in the center of SoHo; Can handle large groups; good service.

Little Italy
The four Italian restaurants below are the highest rated in Little Italy.  It can be fun to stroll there in nice weather.  Little Italy is quickly vanishing; there are only a few streets left. You can have dessert at the well-known Ferrara’s on Grand Street or go to more authentic haunts. The best Italian food is not in Little Italy.

(1) Il Palazzo 151 Mulberry St., 212 343 7000
(2) Il Cortile 125 Mulberry St., 212 226 6060
(3) Pellegrino’s 138 Mulberry St., 212 226 3177
(4) Positano 122 Mulberry St., 212 334 9808

Li Hua - 171 Grand St., 212 343 0090
Nourishing Korean stews, bibimbabs, and charcoal-grilled meats with plenty of heat and spice. Highly rated, moderately priced.

Chinatown
Most places in Chinatown are great, look for other Asian restaurants, too, such as Malaysian, Thai, Vietnamese, etc.

Bahn Mi Sau Voi Cafe - 101-105 Lafayette St., 212 226 8184

Canton - 45 Division St., 212 226 4441
The freshest and best.

Great NY Noodletown - 28 Bowery, 212 349 0923
Go for the flowering chives with your choice of seafood, roasted pork, and pan-fried noodles with black bean sauce.

Kam Chueh - 40 Bowery, 212 966 3939
Wendy’s favorite of the Chinese seafood restaurants, open 11:30 to 4 a.m. daily. Specialties include razor clams or jumbo shrimp in black bean sauce, salt and pepper squid, chunks of medium rare steak with flowering chives, huge crabs with ginger-scallion or black bean sauce, intense hot and sour soup, and winter melon soup.

New Green Bo - 66 Bayard St., 212 625 3656

New Kam Man - 200 Canal St., 212 571 0330
Chinese barbecue at the counter.

New Malaysia Restaurant - China Arcade #28, enter at 46-48 Bowery, 212 964 0284

Nha Tang Centre - 148 Centre St., 212 941 9292
Vietnamese Restaurant. Very good, take out, no delivery.

Oriental Garden - 14 Elizabeth St., 212 619 0085
Zagat’s favorite of the seafood restaurants. This is a great place for Dim Sum from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Thai So’n - 89 Baxter St., 212 732 2822

Vietnamese Restaurant. Very good, pictures on menu.

Tribeca
Arqua - 281 Church St., 212 334 1888
Northern Italian. Beautiful, spacious light feel, elegant, wonderful service, excellent food, good for business clients and special occasions. Highly recommended. Ten minute walk south and west of SoHoSoleil Locations.
Bubby’s - 120 Hudson St. at North Moore Street, 212 219 0666
American comfort, great for brunch, celebs and their kids spotted here, loud.

Chanterelle - 2 Harrison St., 212 966 6960
French, very expensive. It doesn’t get any better or classier downtown than here, and over 25 years in business tells it all. Must make reservations. Our acquaintance Karen Waltuck owns the restaurant with her husband David, so say “hi” from Wendy and daughter Rachel. And if it’s around February 1 (David’s birthday), try to get an invitation to their annual Chinese New Year celebration.

Cleaverhouse - 268 W Broadway, 212 244 6018
Elegant French American Cuisine.  Interior was designed by Albert Angel and Elle Kunnos to evoke a grand old train station, with 20-foot windows, wrought-iron latticework details, and black-and-white tiles and accents.

Dylan Prime - 62 Laight St., 212 334 2276
Steak and Fondue good for groups. “Try the Ten Berry Martini with fresh raspberry puree and a Bellini with white peach puree. The Naked New York, made with Peconika vodka and blue cheese-stuffed olives, is another standout... Not romantic, great food for fair price” – CitySearch.

Fresh - 105 Reade St., 212 406 1900
New elegant seafood restaurant also serves meats; highly rated.

Megu - 62 Thomas St., 212 964 7777
Very expensive Japanese. Distinctive and Magnificent food.

Nam - 110 Reade St., 212 267 1777
Vietnamese, innovative, stylish, trendy.

Nobu - 105 Hudson St., 212 219 0500
Japanese, very expensive. Original décor and matching menu, some consider it the best food in the city. Ranks among top 40 in the city. Must make reservations.

Odeon - 145 W Broadway, 212 233 0507
French American. Eclectic mix of people, open late. It’s been around a long time, which says a lot.

The Harrison - 355 Greenwich St., 212 274 9310
Mediterranean-American. The best in all categories - food, atmosphere, service - but very hard to get reservations; book early.

The Little Owl - 90 Bedford St., 212 741 4695
Small intimate setting, rich flavors brunch, and dinner entrées, especially the pancakes at brunch come highly recommended.

Tribeca Grill - 375 Greenwich St., 212 941 3900
We have to mention this haunt because Chef Drew Nieporent actually cooked at our very own MeetingSite along with Gabrielle Hamilton of Prune. Who doesn’t love Robert De Niro, one of the owners, and his Tribeca Film Festival? Wendy’s daughter attended P.S. 234 and passed the restaurant daily on the way to school. You can enjoy salads, seared tuna, steak, pasta and one of the best wine lists around. Hey, we support our friends and local heroes!

Wolfgang’s Steakhouse - 409 Greenwich St., 212 925 0350
Owned by the famed Brooklyn “steak man” Peter Luger; expensive and worth it.

Zutto - 77 Hudson St., 212 233 3287
Japanese, serene décor.

Lower East Side
71 Clinton Fresh Food - 71 Clinton St., 212 614 6960
Wylie Dufresne started as the chef here, Scott Ehrlich is the co-owner. Prices are moderately expensive, gourmet restaurant. 

Azul - 152 Stanton St., 646 602 2004
Mediterranean cuisine.

Katz’s Delicatessen - 205 East Houston Street, 212 254 2246
New York’s oldest delicatessen. Best pastrami and corned beef sandwiches in the city – the deli meat is still carved by hand! The server also gives you a special taste of your sandwich as he’s making it for you. Gourmet also raves that they have “the best hot dog in New York!”

Le Pere Pinard - 175 Ludlow St., 212 777 4917
Reservations are recommended at this restaurant, which boasts authentic French cuisine, a summer garden for dining and, several nights a week, a tarot card reader. The romantic ambience will have you coming back for more as will their fine selection of wines.

Paladar - 161 Ludlow Street, 212 473 3535
A fusion of Mexican and Caribbean cuisine. Enjoy a quiet brunch and try the pan-roasted fish or grilled steak. Maybe you would rather party the night away at Paladar’s bar, which features their specialty house drinks, including their “killer” mojitos!

Rayuela - 165 Allen St., 212 253 8840
Latin cuisine. A stunning two-story restaurant with a lofty lower-level bar featuring a live olive tree that peaks into the swanky upstairs dining room. If you’re looking for a hip but civilized place for an
after-work drinks meeting, the bar is ideal. It has a spacious lounge that highlights single spirits.

WD50 - 50 Clinton St., 212 477 2900
Wylie Dufresne’s new American restaurant, very popular.

East Village
Café Cortadito – 210 E. 3rd St., 212 614 3080
Reminiscent of Old Cuba, New York Times recommends the ropa vieja mixed with plantains followed by the bread pudding. Cortadito allows you to enjoy traditional Cuban dishes, while savoring the home kitchen feel of the café. Moderately priced.

China 1 Antique Restaurant & Lounge – 50 Avenue B, 212 375 0665
This unique gem flaunts authentic antiques brought from China along with a modern and delicious Chinese menu. The lounge is maze-like, where you can get lost among the beautiful décor and its three music-filled rooms. 

Frank - 88 Second Ave., 212 228 0977
Italian grandma cooking, very good, may have to wait, small.

Il Bagatto - 192 E. 2nd St., 212 228 0977
This self-proclaimed “no nonsense Trattoria” boasts healthy and simple, yet creative, dishes cooked up by its two female chefs. A warm and romantic atmosphere, great place to enjoy authentic Italian cuisine.

Kate’s Joint - 58 Avenue B, 212 777 7059
Vegetarian, informal, highly recommended by many. Go for super vegetable hero, hummus, and daily specials.

Lavagna - 545 E. 5th St., 212 979 1005
Italian trattoria offers modern takes on traditional dishes. Reasonably priced, warm atmosphere, friendly service, great date spot during the week.

Lucky Cheng’s - 24 1st Ave., 212 995 5500
Drag Queen Capital of the World! Offers, dinner, cabaret, comedy shows and karaoke and, of course, stunningly dressed drag queens. Their Pan-Asian menu is dressed to impress as well!

West Village
Blue Hill - 75 Washington Place, 212 539 1776
Dan Barber’s delights fresh from the Green Market in Union Square. Tasting menu is five courses, two desserts very reasonably priced. Menu changes daily.

Home Restaurant - 20 Cornelia St., 212 243 9579
“Page and Barbara Shinn didn’t resist. Still fresh and cozy today, Home celebrates the same midwestern-style roasted chicken with amazingly greaseless fried onion rings, mac ‘n’ cheese topped with bread crumbs and cooked in a skillet, and Grandma’s chocolate pudding with the same gentle prices.” - Gael Greene

Mamoun’s - 119 Macdougal St., 212 674 8685
Inexpensive yet ridiculously good. Go for the chicken kebab sandwich and the baklava (open until 5 a.m.).

Mas (Farmhouse) - 39 Downing St., 212 255 1790
“This is one of those mannered, dainty West Village restaurants that seem to send a certain type of discerning female diner into paroxysms of delight. The room is small and beautifully appointed, and the talented Bouley-trained chef, Galen Zamarra, turns out delicious high-organic recipes like steamed-razor-clam chowder, and squab baked in little pots of clay.” - Adam Platt

North Square Restaurant - 103 Waverly Place, 212 254 1200
“If there ever was a drinking hole tailor-made for conducting a tryst, North Square is it. Miraculously undiscovered by both tourists and locals... Conveniently, there’s a hotel upstairs.” - Jenifer Van Vleck

Pó- 31 Cornelia St., 212 645 2189
Chef Mario Batali has his own show on the Food Network: need we say more?

P*ong- 150 W 10th St., 212 929 0898
This James Beard-nominated chef-owner Pichet Ong runs a Thai restaurant next door to the bakery, Batch.

Souen - 210 6th Ave., 212 807 7421
Vegetarian, Japanese macrobiotic food and broiled fish.

Union Square Area
Craft - 43 E. 19th St., 212 780 0880
Expensive, critics choice, American Nouveau, fresh ingredients, Tom Colicchio is chef.

Tabla - 11 Madison Ave., 212 889 0667
Also owned by Danny Meyer owner of Gramercy Tavern, Union Square Café and Eleven Madison Park. Indian fusion. Specialties include goan-spiced crab cake, tuna and seared baby squid, chickpea hummus, eggplant-stuffed braised Vidalia onion, and vanilla bean kulfi.

Union Square Café - 21 East 16th St., 212 243 4020
Roasted lemon-pepper duck, filet mignon, crabmeat and artichoke tortellini, peach potpie recommended; for lunch, try the yellow fin tuna burger and hamburger.

Meatpacking District
Markt - 401 W 14th St., 212 727 3314
An authentic Belgian brasserie featuring dark wood, brass railings, a 60-foot-long zinc and marble bar and a sprawling outdoor terrace. Enjoy steaming pots of mussels with steak frites, grilled lobster, steak-frites, a bountiful raw bar, tempting Belgian chocolate desserts and dozens of famous Belgian ales.

Old Homestead Steakhouse - 56 9th Ave., 212 242 9040
Claiming roots from pre-revolutionary times, Homestead offers one of the best sirloin steaks you’ll find in the city. Although a little pricey, there is also an array of seafood and delicious desserts offered. Also, one of the first restaurants to serve Japan’s ‘fabled’ Kobe beef.

One - 1 Little West 12th St., 212 255 6676
This candlelit space features several separate lounge areas where guests can enjoy cocktails, shared dishes from hangar steak to upscale burgers, and highly danceable house music. A great place to spend a night on the town with your favorite crowd.

Pastis - 9 Ninth Ave., 212 929 4844
A classic French bistro much beloved by locals. Chefs Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson serve hearty
Provencal-style dishes in a spacious and upbeat environment that offers a communal table for larger parties and an outdoor café during the summer months. French classics such as onion soup, steak frites and salade niçoise are all expertly and deliciously rendered here.

Pop Burger - 58-60 9th Ave., 212 414 8686
Fun and upbeat vibe, singles scene as well. Order at the counter and you’ll get the feel of a fast food place for cheaper prices than their lounge. Try the lamb chops on the dinner menu! Prompt, friendly service.

Spice Market - 403 W. 13th St., 212 675 2322
One of Kanye West’s favorite hotspot to eat. The beautiful décor and low tables make for an enjoyable environment to savor the spicy and exotic ‘Asian street cart’ dishes. Be daring and try the crackling crisp squid or the spicy chicken samosas that arrive with a cilantro-laced yogurt (to cool you down).

Hell’s Kitchen/West of the Theatre District
5 Napkin Burger - 630 9th Ave., 212 757 2277
Go for the juicy Italian turkey burger with spicy tomato sauce, oozing mozzarella and vinegar peppers on a sesame egg roll.

Piece of Chicken - 362 W 45th St., 212 582 5973
Ready for the city’s best bargain? A piece of chicken for $1, sides such as black-eyed peas and collard greens priced the same.

Upper West Side
Café des Artistes - 1 W 67th St., 212 877 3500
Time Out New York says the food is no match for the décor, others say you cannot match the romance of the place.

Tavern on the Green - Central Park West, 212 873 3200
The trees and their lights!

Upper East Side
Elaine’s - 1703 Second Ave., 212 534 8103
High society still attends.

Four Seasons - 99 E 52nd St., 212 754 9494
Many power deals have been made over lunch in the grill room, and dinner around the illuminated pool is a special occasion treat.

Serendipity 3 - 225 E 60th St., 212 838 3531
This is a brownstone that has delighted children and childlike adults for a half-century. It’s great for lunch and  pre-teenage parties, but why eat lunch when you can have the best sundaes and chocolate cakes? The Frozzzen Hot Chocolate must be ordered and shared; others don’t miss the tartufo.

Sofrito - 400 E 57th St., 212 754 5999
Puerto Rican menu, from casual to sleekly dressed, “knockout Puerto Rican menu which features several dishes dashingly presented and others simply massive. Mofongo al pilon de bistec (savory shredded beef over mashed green plantains), and pernil con arroz y gandules (roasted pork shoulder with pigeon peas and rice) are both big enough to split three ways.” - Sarah Gold Recommended: pernil con arroz y gandules, mofongo al pilon, tostones montaditos, and empanaditas guyabas.

Local Bars

Don Hills - 511 Greenwich St., 212 219 2850

GoldBar - 389 Broome St., 212 274 1568

Kenn & Bob’s Broome Street Bar - 363 W Broadway, 212 925 2086

La Esquina - 114 Kenmare St., 646 613 7100

Lucky Strike - 59 Grand St., 212 941 0772

Moomia - 157 Lafayette, 212 219 4006

Ñ - 33 Crosby St., 212 219 8856

Pegu Club - 77 W Houston St., 212 473 7348

S.O.B's - 204 Varick St., 212 243 4940

Southside - 1 Cleveland Place, 212 680 5601

SubMercer - 147 Mercer St., 212 966 6060

The Beatrice Inn - 285 W12th St., 212 243 4626