I am taking Son to NYC to see Hamilton this coming weekend. We are staying around 49th & 8th…I know, not the best place for good restaurants, but in case we need to eat near the hotel or theatre, do you have any ideas? I looked at Trip Advisor last night and the highest ranked restaurant in the vicinity is Five Guys, lol. There have got to be some nice but not too chic places in Hell’s Kitchen. We’ve been to John’s for pizza and that is good but other ideas? Son is up for just about any category of food.
Also, while I’m at it, let me know about restaurants near the MOMA and lower Manhattan if you have any favorites.
We’d love to eat like a local, but of course, we will be at all the most touristy sites.
There are lots of good restaurants on Ninth Avenue in the 40s. Check the menu at Nizza and see if it appeals. It’s a favorite of my family and not over-the-top expensive.
Three restaurants we enjoy are Pigalle which is literally right there, busy place so you need to make reservations for brunch or pre-theater. Another is Marseille. You can check Open Table as they do also take reservations. One that is more local and doesn’t take reservations is Don Giovanni on 44th & 9th.
@MaterS have you been to this restaurant? I have been there at least six, make seven times…and will be going again at the end of April. I think you get a lot of bang for your buck there…and it’s convenient to where the OP will be. Really convenient!
I agree with others, check out 9th ave and the side streets in the 40’s…if you like Burgers, try Chelsea Grill at 675 9th avenue, between 46th and 47th. I haven’t been there in a number of years now, but they had some of the best I have had.
On the lower west side: High Street on Hudson. I haven’t been there but a close relative works there and the place has been getting mostly good reviews (it opened in December). http://www.highstreetonhudson.com/
It is spring break in NJ , which can make Times Square pretty crowded. I would make a point to go out of that immediate area, . We took visitors there for a matinee last year this time, and you could barely walk on the sidewalks right on Broadway and some of the surrounding streets very close to theaters.
Went to see Hamilton in January and ate at Mario Batali’s Esca. Esca features sea food with an Italian flair and it’s about a mile from Times Square. http://esca-nyc.com
How close? We ate this weekend at Tagine - it’s on 38th Street and we hoofed it back to 49th last week. The crowds slow dowthe speed in the last couple of blocks. Crowd of 7, appetizers and main meal, no dessert, starting at 5:30 was just enough time. More upscale and pricier I really like the theater menu at Oceana. It’s on 48th between 6th and 7th. We’ve also eaten fairly often at Virgil’s BBQ. It’s not the best BBQ in NYC, but it’s very conveniently located at 44th and Broadway.
Another vote for Trattoria Trecolori. Also, Daniela Trattoria. On Restaurant Row, the following are good - Bistecca Fiorentina, Rivista, Meson Sevilla.
I am more of an east side person. If you are interested in lower east side, I like this Australian restaurant, http://www.flinderslane-nyc.com/menus/. They have happy hours from 6-8pm, which is late, if you sit at the bar you could order everything for half price. The food is very good and different.
Pigs and Khao is a great place for brunch, $15 for unlimited mimosa. “Top Chef contestant Leah Cohen is the Chef and owner of Pig and Khao” This is not an easy to get to, ubering it would be the best way. http://pigandkhao.com/?page_id=476
Wine 30 is my personal neighborhood favorite. https://wine30nyc.com/ I only order small plates when I am there. I took few out of town friends there few weeks ago, and they loved the food and atmosphere.
Both Wine 30 and Pigs and Khao have great courtyard to hang out.
http://www.donsbogam.com/menus/ is my favorite Korean restaurant. It has good Korean barbecue, seafood pancake and tofu soup. https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-bao-new-york (The Bao) has the best water dumplings. It is by St Mark’s place just south of 14th St. I have met up with few CC’ers there.
They are not fancy places, but they are hip, fun, with good food. Most New Yorkers wouldn’t go to Time Square for food because it is too touristy and hard to move around.