Tribeca Eats

Estancia 460
The recently renamed Estancia 460 (it used to be Sosa Borella) is the neighborhood’s top spot for Argentine food. Throbbing Latin tunes keep the locals coming back—either that or it’s the buttery grass-fed steak with crisp fries and chimichurri sauce.
460 Greenwich St, 212-431-5093

Upstairs Bouley Bakery and Market
Gawkers might be more impressed by the celebrity-frequented Bouley across the street, but this low-key dining room located above the mainstay bakery, café and market offers gently priced fare that will please the ficklest of folks—it ranges from sushi to gnocchi with bolognese. The policy is no reservations, so if you can, arrive at opening: 5:30 pm.
130 West Broadway, 212-608-5829

Mai House
The latest opening from Nobu restaurateur Drew Nieporent is dedicated to Vietnamese cuisine. The bright space provides a comfortable backdrop for tucking into upscale fare like spring roll stuffed with shiitake, chanterelle and hen-of-the-woods mushrooms, and braised pork belly with pickled cabbage and coconut juice.
186 Franklin St, 212-431-0606

Chanterelle
The handwritten menus and original art charm at this beautifully appointed fine-dining venue, but the food is the clincher. Dishes such as a caulifower flan with fried oysters, curry and red caviar, or hazelnut brittle–crusted goat-cheese cake (served with kumquat sorbet) assure you won’t think far beyond your fork.
2 Harrison St, 212-966-6960

Bubby’s
For a restaurant that specializes in comfort food and is kid-friendly to boot, you can’t beat Bubby’s. The diner-style spot started off as a pie company, then evolved into a destination for down-home favorites such as matzo ball soup and fried chicken. It’s particularly popular at brunch time—be prepared to jostle for your grits.
120 Hudson St, 212-219-0666

Blaue Gans
Chef-restaurateur Kurt Gutenbrunner has made a miniature Austrian empire in New York, and Tribeca is home to his most casual eatery. This convivial spot features a communal table and a lengthy bar. Offerings span from breakfast (weekdays from 9 a.m., weekend brunch from 11 a.m.) through dinner, and include an expert Wiener schnitzel as well as an exemplary Sacher torte.
139 Duane St, 212-571-8880

Kitchenette
Everything about this whitewashed eatery (except its lower Manhattan location) says country kitchen. Famous for baked goods (sour cream coffee cake) and breakfasts (brioche French toast, homemade turkey sausage), Kitchenette also serves a respectable dinner, with options like meatloaf and shepherd’s pie.
156 Chambers St, 212-267-6740

New York City Hot Dog Company
This family-run, highfalutin' hotdogerie sells 15 types of tube steaks, including kobe beef, frank-and-beans, buffalo and veggie varieties. The topping choices are equally exotic—hummus, chopped olives, apricot chipotle sauce—and many of them come gratis.
105 Chambers St, 212-240-9550

The Harrison
It’s among Tribeca’s best seasonal American restaurants, with a menu touting farm-sourced ingredients, a candlelit dining room, a perfect bar for solo dining, and sidewalk seating that (weather permitting) makes an ideal perch for watching chic locals go by. First timers: try the signature parmesan fritters with black forest ham and mozzarella.
355 Greenwich St, 212-274-9310


Union Square Eats

Union Square Café
A table at the Danny Meyer original is still a coveted prize, thanks to a comfortable yet elegant environment, and a lineup of well-executed New American staples. Opt for the seasonal dishes, such as the sliced orange salad with fennel, mint, and ricotta salata.
21 E 16th St, 212-243-4020

Casa Mono
Chef Andy Nusser, a Babbo graduate, gave his reliably packed Spain-by-way-of-Manhattan tapas bar Mario Batali-esque stamps like indulgent plating and lots of offal. Try the duck egg draped over truffle-oil-anointed fingerling potatoes and showered with mojama (dry-cured tuna).
52 Irving Pl, 212-253-2773

Pure Food and Wine
I can’t believe it’s not cooked! That’s what many folks think when they sample the cream-of-the-city’s-raw-food cuisine. A sexy crimson dining room sets the stage for an unusual vegan meal. First-timers might start with the somewhat familiar: lasagna is a creation of layered zucchini, pesto, and cashew “cheese.”
54 Irving Pl, 212-477-1010

Mesa Grill
There’s no guarantee that Bobby Flay will cook for you at his flagship Southwestern restaurant, but even without him you’ll enjoy the whiff of celebrity, the mean Fifth Avenue view and the food on the table. Go for the steak dinner with a twist: a dry-rubbed sirloin with a baked potato that packs in horseradish, green onions, and crème fraîche.
102 Fifth Ave, 212-807-7400

City Bakery
A pricey-yet-popular serve-yourself salad bar and copious baked goodies keep the urbanites happy at this industrial-style café and bakery. Scoop up some salmon salad and bean sprouts with smoked tofu, or just dive right into dessert. The individual tarts with seasonal fruit fillings (the passion fruit is king) are meals in themselves.
3 West 18th St, 212-366-1414


East Village Eats

Degustation
Wesley Genovart, the young chef who drives this progressive tapas eatery, has nothing to hide. He’s right behind the bar at the counter-seating-only establishment, constructing small dishes such as wagyu beef flank with white maitake mushrooms, sea beans, and red onion marmalade. Good news for samplers: A five-course tasting menu goes for a reasonable $50.
239 E 5th St, 212-979-1012

Westville East
The West Village original was an insta-classic, and its younger sibling is simply great as well. Textbook mac and cheese (bacon optional) shares menu space with Neiman Ranch beef hot dogs and a giant cobb salad. But the most-ordered dish may be the plate of four market sides—you choose from a list of seasonal veggies, such as beets with toasted walnuts.
173 Ave A, 212-677-2033

Momofuku Noodle Bar
This hip, stick-to-your-ribs Asian-inspired restaurant made chef-owner David Chang a star. He’s significantly expanded his capacity with a move to larger digs (though waits are common). Recommendations for the uninitiated: the Hitachino red rice ale, the pork belly buns, and the cold smoked duck with quince-soaked mustard seeds.
171 First Ave, 212-777-7773

Gnocco Cucina & Tradizione
This casual Italian eatery (with a year-round garden) offers pastas, salads, antipasti, and other options—but the pizzas reign supreme. The Roman-style disks, available with premium toppings including ricotta cheese and translucent ribbons of prosciutto di Parma, are thin crusted beauties.
337 E 10th St, 212-677-1913

Counter
A stylish vegan-organic eatery, Counter is a far cry from your typical meat-free zone. Stainless steel tabletops and colorful walls lend a sleek look to the place, and the food does the rest to impress. One bite of the star dish—cauliflower risotto with haricots verts, shiitake mushrooms and a baby arugula emulsion—and you’ll be assured you’re not missing a thing.
105 First Ave, 212-982-5870

Five Points
Most of the foods you’ll find at this glowing gem of an upscale American-Mediterranean eatery are locally sourced and cooked
very simply, but chef-restaurateur Marc Meyer’s dishes are far from one-note, as dishes like mussels with Montauk squid and paprika butter, or citrus salad with shaved fennel, avocado, and almonds, will attest.
31 Great Jones St, 212-253-5700

Kanoyama
This stellar Japanese restaurant’s many devotees wonder why it doesn’t get way more attention—but the tables in the polished space are mighty packed, anyway, and the place’s fans aren’t above waiting in line. In addition to the excellent raw fish (order the bonito if it’s on the menu), the composed dishes can also steal hearts. The meaty tuna rib special is a real winner.
175 Second Ave, 212-777-5266

Prune
A sensation since the day it opened, this little nine-year-old bistro with tin ceilings and checked tile floors is still overflowing nightly, and possibly even busier at brunch. Chef Gabrielle Hamilton wows with eclectic preparations including a roasted marrow bones parsley salad.
54 E 1st St, 212-677-6221

Chikalicious
Pastry chef Chika Tillman and her husband, front-of-the-house maestro Don, hook up sweet-tooths with a sophisticated three-course tasting menu (wine pairings are $7 extra) in this minimalist dessert bar. Perennial favorites include the floating island–like fromage blanc cheesecake, and warm chocolate tart with pink peppercorn ice cream.
203 E 10th St, 212-995-9511