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A quick search for restaurants near Washington Square Park resulted in this display. Restaurants in New York Restaurants near Washington Square Park

If you cannot find a place to eat, there is something wrong. I've heard an estimate that there are over 25,000 restaurants in New York City. So just look around and no matter where you are, you will probably find some kind of food establishment nearby.

Of course, there are all the typical fast-food places if you want a quick bite. But if you want a better option for a quick lunch, look for a deli. They are everywhere, and most of them are very good. You can get a sandwich stuffed with meat (or whatever filling you want) for a reasonable price.
Also, look for the 'wich craft shops and pavillions in several places around the city for a good sandwich.

There are also the usual chain restaurants all over the place, but you can go to one of them anywhere.

The following are some of the theme restaurants that I know about in New York City. Be prepared to wait in line to get into most of these places almost any time of day they are open.

  • The Hard Rock Cafe MOVED — now in Times Square
  • Planet Hollywood MOVED — now at 1540 Broadway in Times Square
  • Mars 2012 Restaurant (now Mars 2112) 1633 Broadway, at 51st Street (see more information below)
  • The Harley Davidson Cafe is on 6th Avenue between 55th and 56th Streets
  • The Jekyl & Hyde Club is on 6th Avenue between 57th and 58th Streets
  • Jekyl & Hyde of Greenwich Village is at 91 7th Avenue south
  • ESPNZone is in Times Square, at the corner of 42nd Street and Broadway
  • WWF New York is in Times Square, between 44th and 45th Streets


Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York (ROC-NY)
Initially founded in April 2002, to provide support to restaurant workers displaced from the World Trade Center as a result of the September 11th tragedy, ROC-NY has expanded to advocate for improved working conditions for restaurant workers citywide. To improve working conditions and raise standards in the industry, ROC-NY created a multi-pronged strategy to surround the industry.
The Colors Hospitality Opportunities for Workers (C.H.O.W.) Institute
Run by ROC-NY, the C.H.O.W. Institute provides free training to thousands of workers each year in both front and back of the house restaurant skills.



New York Health Department Restaurant Inspection Information
Selecting a place to dine out is now even easier with the City's new restaurant inspection website. Here you'll find health inspection results for each of New York City's 24,000 restaurants.
The Health Department conducts unannounced inspections of restaurants at least once a year. Inspectors check for compliance in food handling, food temperature, personal hygiene and vermin control. Each violation of a regulation earns a certain number of points. At the end of the inspection, the inspector totals the points, and this number is the restaurant's inspection score—the lower the score, the better.
Starting in July 2010, New York City is requiring restaurants to post letter grades that correspond to scores that it receives from its sanitary inspection. An inspection score of 0-13 is an A, 14-27 points is a B, and 28 or more points is a C. Grade cards must be posted where they can easily be seen by people passing by.
You can search for restaurants and get their scores online, or look for the "grade cards" posted at the restaurant. If you don't see a grade card, go somewhere else!



The following are a few other interesting places to eat (listed in alphabetical order.) Some of them I have tried and some I have not.


Expensive and very hard to get a reservation
Owners: Chef Mario Batali (Molto Mario) and Joe Bastianich

Babbo

110 Waverly Place
Near Washington Square
Telephone: 212.777.0303
Subway:A, C, E, B, D, F, V to West 4th St



Owner: Chef Bobby Flay

Bar Americain

152 West 52nd Street
Between 6th & 7th Avenues
Telephone: 212-265-9700
Subway:
B, D, E to 7th Avenue or
1 train to 50th Street or
N, R, W to 49th Street



We ate here once and the food was great.
Owners: Chef Lydia Bastianich and Joe Bastianich

Becco

355 West 46th Street
Between 8th & 9th Avenues
Telephone: 212.397.7597
Subway: C, E to 50th or 42nd Streets



American Beef/French Style
Head Chef: Chef Anthony Bourdain

Brasserie Les Halles

Two locations:

  • 411 Park Avenue South
    Between 28th & 29th Streets
    Telephone: 212-679-4111
    Subway: 6 train to 28th Street

  • 15 John Street
    Between Nassau Street & Broadway
    Telephone: 212-285-8585
    Subway:
    J, M, Z, 4, 5 to Fulton Street or
    A, C to Nassau Street


Owner: Chef Daniel Boulud

Boulud

Several Locations

  • Daniel
  • 60 East 65th Street
  • Telephone: 212.288.0033

  • Bar Boulud
  • 1900 Broadway between 63rd & 64th Streets
  • Telephone: 212.595.0303

  • Cafe Boulud & Bar Pleiades
  • 20 East 76th Street
  • Telephone: 212.772.2600

  • DB Bistro Moderne
  • 55 West 44th Street
  • Telephone: 212.391.2400

  • DBGB Kitchen and Bar
  • 299 Bowery between Houston & 1st Street
  • Telephone: 212.933.5300


Head Chef: Chef Alexandra Guarnaschelli

Butter

415 Lafayette Street
North of 4th Street
Telephone: 212-253-2828
Subway: 6 train to Astor Place then walk south on Lafeyette Street


I heard some people on the train raving about this place. Large portions, reasonable prices, and great food.
In looking at the menu posted outside, they say that they serve Family Style. And the prices for the pasta dishes look reasonable, but some of the other prices seem high.
Comments about Carmines from a visitor from Portland, OR:
We were at Carmine's on a Friday night the end of May this year. We were able to get a reservation because we were a party of 6 (my sister-in-law made the reservation from Portland, OR). Apparently, you can't get reservations if there are less than 6 people. As it ended up, we only had 5 people, but they didn't seem to mind.
We were shown to our table with a minimum of waiting (less than 5 min). We were then briefed by an extraordinarily nice server, and that's when we found out that each dish on the menu was a full platter that would serve all 5 of us (would be enough for 6, actually).
We had salad, pasta, chicken, and some drinks, and some desserts (not all drank, not all ate dessert). The food was very good. Quite a shock when the bill came: less than $100 for 5 people! I was sure there was an error, but no, it was around $96, as I recall. We tipped generously.
Only thing I'd say negative about the place was that it's quite noisy, and I don't think it would be a good choice for just two diners (unless you got several doggie bags). There were a lot of families there that night. A really positive dining experience.

Carmines

Two locations:

  • 200 West 44th Street
    Between Broadway and 8th Avenue
    Telephone: 212.221.3800
    Carmine's is two short blocks north of the Times Square 42nd Street subway station serving the 1, 2, 3, 7, N, R subways.
    The A, C and E subways stop at 42nd Street and Eighth Ave.
    The B, D, F and V subways stop at 42nd Street and 6th Ave.

  • 2450 Broadway
    Between 90th and 91st Streets
    Telephone: 212.362.2200
    Subway: 1,2,3 trains to 96th Street












Full Service restaurant, bakeshop and coffee counter.

Clinton Street Baking Company

4 Clinton Street
Between East Houston Street & Stanton Street
Telephone: 646.602.6263
Subway: F, J, M, Z to Essex St - Delancy



We ate here once when it was Craft Steak and once after he changed it to Colicchio & Sons. The food is good and the prices are more reasonable than his Craft restaurant.
Owner: Chef Tom Colicchio

Colicchio & Sons

85 10th Avenue
At the corner of 15th Street
Telephone: 212.400.6699
Subway: A, C, E, L, 8th Avenue and 14th Street; then walk west 2 blocks to 10th Avenue and north one block



This is a very good Italian restaurant that we have eaten at a couple of times. We have not been to the uptown (79th Street) location, but the 27th Street location has not disappointed us.

Coppola's Italian Restaurant

Two locations:

  • 378 3rd Avenue
    Corner of 27th Street and 3rd Avenue
    Telephone: 212.679.0070
    Subway: 6 to 28th Street, then walk east to 3rd Avenue and south to 27th Street

  • 206 West 79th street
    Telephone: 212.877.3840
    Subway: 1 train to 79th Street then walk east


Owner: Chef Tom Colicchio

Craft

43 E 19th Street
Between Park Avenue and Broadway, two blocks north of Union Square
Telephone: 212.780.0880
Nearby subway stations:

  • Union Square & 14th Street: L, N, Q, R, W, 4, 5, 6
  • 23rd Street: R, W, 6
  • 6th Avenue & 14th Street: F, L, V


I sat at the bar and had lunch here once. The food and wine was great and the prices were better than at his Craft restaurant.
Owner: Chef Tom Colicchio

Craft Bar

900 Broadway
Between 19th & 20th Streets
Telephone: 212.461.4300
Subway: R, W, to 23rd Street then walk south on Broadway



Very expensive, but fabulous food and great service!
Owners: Chef Lydia Bastianich, Joe Bastianich and Chef Mario Batali

del Posto

85 Tenth Avenue
At 16th Street
Telephone: 212.497.8090
Subway: A, C, E, L, to 8th Avenue and 14th Street; then walk west 2 blocks to 10th Avenue and north two blocks



I ate here one Sunday and had a great meal.
See A very nice Sunday morning in New York

Grotta Azzurra

177 Mulberry Street
On the corner of Broome Street
Telephone: 212.925.8775
Subway:
J, M to Bowery or
6 train to Spring Street



New York's first American style brewpub
The menu looks to be varied and interesting.
Most of the reviews I have read have been positive.

Heartland Brewery

Several locations in Manhattan
Check the web site for locations and phone numbers



I went here several years ago, so this information is a little dated.
They had the typical beers on tap, plus some Brooklyn brews. I tried the Brooklyn Lager and it was pretty good.
I had the ravioli and a salad. The food was good and not too expensive, except that I had to pay extra for the salad.
The total bill, including the one beer, but not including tip, came to $18.83

J.T.'s Italian American Grille

301 Madison Avenue
Between 41st and 42nd Streets
Telephone: 212.370.5959
Subway:
S, 4, 5, 6 to Grand Central or
7 train to 5th Avenue


A new mind-bender of a restaurant and lounge with Todd English.

Juliet Supper Club

539 West 21st Street
Telephone: 212.929.2400
Subway:
C, E to 23rd Street



America's first pizzeria. Over 100 years and still coveted as one of the Best Pizzeria's in the United States.

Lombardi's Restaurant

32 Spring St.
Corner of Spring and Mott Streets
Telephone: 941.7994
Subway: 6 to Spring Street and walk east on Spring Street



We ate here once and the food was great.
Lupa Osteria Romana opened its doors on October 1, 1999 under the partnership of Jason Denton, Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich, and Mark Ladner.

Lupa

170 Thompson Street
Between Houston & Bleecker Streets
Telephone: 212.982.5089
Subway:
B, D, F, V or A, C, E to West 4th Street then walk east on West 4th Street to Thompson Street, then south on Thompson Street approximately 3 blocks or
6 train to Bleecker Street then walk south on Lafayette to Houston then west on Houston to Thompson Street then north on Thompson Street approximately 1/4 block



It is a Mars themed restauraunt where it looks like you're on Mars with waiters and waitresses dressed like aliens. To get in you go through a simulation of a spaceship ride to Mars.
The food isn't all that great. You're paying mainly for the name and the atmosphere.

Mars 2112 Restaurant (was Mars 2012)

1633 Broadway
At 51st Street
Telephone: 212.582.2112
Subway: 1 train to 50th Street



I've eaten here a couple of times and the food was very good both times.
Owner: Chef Bobby Flay

Mesa Grill

102 5th Avenue
Between 15th & 16th Streets
Telephone: 212-807-7400
Nearby subway stations:

  • Union Square & 14th Street: L, N, Q, R, W, 4, 5, 6
  • 23rd Street: R, W, 6
  • 6th Avenue & 14th Street: F, L, V


Cuisine from Spain & Italy
Very good selection of Tapas.

Meson Sevilla

344 West 46th Street
Between 8th & 9th Avenues
Telephone: 212.262.5890
Subway:
A, C, E to 42nd Street & 8th Avenue or
1, 2, 3 to 42nd Street & 7th Avenue or
N, R to 49th Street & Broadway



A southwestern/tex-mex restaurant with one of the largest selections of premium tequilas in the United States.

Mustang Grille & Tequila Bar

1633 2nd Avenue
Corner of 2nd Avenue and 85th Street
Telephone: 212.744.9194
Subway: 4, 5, 6 to 86th Street then walk east to 2nd Avenue and south to 85th Street



Located near Fort Tryon Park along the Hudson River in northern Manhattan, this cafe is owned by Bette Midler. The cafe is run by her New York Restoration Project, created in 1995 to clean up neglected urban spaces. Proceeds support the restoration and maintenance of New York City parks, community gardens and open spaces.
Since its opening, Midler and NYRP have transformed the restaurant into a groundbreaking venture from which all net proceeds support the organization's cleaning and greening efforts — making a dining experience at the New Leaf charitable and environmentally responsible, as well as enjoyable!
The reviews I have seen so far are very good.
Owner: Bette Midler

New Leaf Restaurant

1 Margaret Corbin Dr
Located in Fort Tryon Park on the upper west side of Manhattan.
Telephone: 212.568.5323
Subway: A train to 190th Street, exit via the elevator to Fort Washington Avenue, walk north on Margaret Corbin Drive, The New Leaf Restaurant & Bar will be on the left.









Modeled to look like an Italian train station, OTTO, meaning "eight" in Italian, is located on the corner of 8th Street and Fifth Avenue, in the historic One Fifth Avenue building, just steps away from Washington Square Park. Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich opened OTTO in 2003 and it quickly became the buzzing neighborhood hotspot for everyone ranging from foodies to local college students and families to everyone in between. OTTO has combined the elegance of an Italian enoteca with the fun bustle of a crowded Italian train station. Open daily from 11am to midnight, OTTO is perfect for a quick snack, a lingering meal, a big group, a family night out or even a large social gathering.
Owners: Chef Mario Batali (Molto Mario) and Joe Bastianich

Otto Enoteca Pizzeria

1 Fifth Avenue
At 8th Street
Telephone: 212.995.9559
Subway:

  • Take the A, C, E, B, D, F, or V to West 4th Street, go to the north end of the subway station, walk one block north to 8th Street, walk east towards 5th Avenue.
  • Take the 1 to Christopher Street, walk northeast on Christopher Street to Waverly Place, make a right and continue straight, all the way to 5th Avenue, take a left, walk up one block and take a right on 8th Street.
  • Take the 6 to Astor Place, or R, W to Eighth Street, walk west on 8th street towards 5th Avenue.


This is a pretty good Italian restaurant, although the drinks seemed to be somewhat expensive. This restaurant appeared once on Law and Order.

Pasta d'Oro

846 7th Avenue
Between 54th & 55th Streets
Telephone: 212.586.8096
Subway:
take the B, D, E to 7th Avenue and walk north or
take the N, Q, R, W to 57th Street and walk south on 7th Avenue



...a pub with old-world charm and warmth near the heart of the big city...

P.J. Moran's Pub & Restaurant

3 East 48th Street
Between Madison and 5th Avenues
Telephone: 212.753.6440
Subway:
take the B, D, F, V to Rockefeller Center (47-50), exit the 48th St Exit, walk one block to 5th Avenue or
take the E train to 5th Avenue and 53rd Street and walk south to 48th street.



The following information is from Simon Kahn:
A hidden East Village restaurant
Bright red floor tiles with gray metallic wall mixed with frosted windows definitely made this restaurant a discrete, and yet a fine place to taste global cuisines that are not common in New York. Main dining area downstairs fits the name of the restaurant — plain canvas — where I enjoyed the food while appreciating the art works that are done by the local artists. This hidden restaurant is a definite place to experience global cuisine and impress your friends.

Plain Canvas

406 East 9th Street
Between 1st Avenue and Avenue A.
Telephone: 212.777.2120
Subway: L to 1st Avenue then walk south on 1st Avenue to 9th Street







This place has a dining room upstairs as well as down, and has great food, with large portions but is a bit expensive. They also have a nice selection of baked goods.

Roxy Delicatessen

1565 Broadway
Between 46th and 47th Streets
In Times Square
Telephone: 212.921.3333



Salumeria Rosi is a small, neighborhood salumi shop and restaurant. The Salumeria is located in New York City's Upper West Side, but is much like one you would find on any street corner in Italy.

Salumeria Rosi Parmacotto

283 Amsterdam Avenue
Between 73rd & 74th Streets
Telephone: 212.877.4800
Subway: 1, 2, 3 to 72nd Street




In a Greek revival townhouse on the edge of the Meatpacking District, chef Scott Conant brings his deft touch and unwavering passion to creating food that is unexpected and soulful. An Italian expression that means "little shoe" — or the shape bread takes when used to soak up a dish — Scarpetta represents the pure pleasure of savoring a meal down to its very last taste.

Scarpetta

355 W 14th Street
Near 9th Avenue
Telephone: 212.691.0555
Subway: A, C, E, L to 8th Avenue & 14th Street



Head Chef: Susur Lee
The menu is rooted in traditional Chinese that I have adapted for today's sophisticated palate. Guests will experience a globally-inspired menu with vibrant colors, unique presentation and bold flavors in a communal dining setting.
— Chef Susur Lee

Shang

187 Orchard Street
Between Houston Street and Stanton Street
Telephone: 212.260.7900
Subway: F,V to 2nd Avenue Lower East Side




Seasonal British & Italian using local ingredients when possible.
Head Chef: Chef April Bloomfield

The Spotted Pig

314 West 11th Street
Near Greenwich Street
Telephone: 212.620.0393
Subway: 1 train to Christopher St - Sheridan Sq



Tavern on the Green

Central Park

  1. I have heard that this place was overrated. The food was just OK and you are mostly paying for the fact that it is in Central Park. There are many restaurants in New York that are better with the same or lower prices.
  2. They have gone bankrupt, the city is in litigation about who owns what and who knows what will happen.
  3. It is currently closed.

My recommendation is to find somewhere else to eat.



According to some of the reviews I have read, the beer is OK but the food is not great.

Times Square Brewery

210 West 42nd Street
Between Broadway and 7th Avenue
In Times Square
Telephone: 212.398.1234



Menu emphasizes grilled and sautéed selections with cross-cultural creative influences of many different cuisines.
The restaurant is owned by Oscar-winning actor Robert DeNiro in partnership with restaurateur Drew Nieporent.

Tribeca Grill

375 Greenwich Street
At Franklin Street
Telephone: 212.941.3900
Subway: 1 train to Franklin Street, then walk west to Greenwich Street


I have noticed several interesting looking Irish pubs when I have been in New York. I have not checked most of these out yet, but I will add information here when I do.

Click here for a guide to New York City Irish Bars


Tour de France
Visit them at www.tourdefrancenyc.com
French Roast

Downtown (Parisian Cuisine)
78 W 11th Street at 6th Avenue
212.533.2233

French Roast

Uptown (Parisian Cuisine)
2340 Broadway at 85th Street
212.799.1533

Le Monde

(Cuisine of the Loire Valley)
2885 Broadway at 112th/113th Streets
212.531.3939

l'Express

(Lyonnaise Cuisine)
249 Park Avenue South at 20th Street
212.254.5858

Maison

(Cuisine of Brittany)
1700 Broadway at 53rd Street
212.757.2233

Marseille

(Marseillaise Cuisine)
630 9th Avenue at 44th Street
212.333.2323

Nice Matin

(Nicoise Cuisine)
201 W 79th Street at Amsterdam Avenue
212.873.6423

Pigalle

(Cuisine of the Southwest)
790 8th Avenue at 48th Street
212.489.2233

Cafe d'Alsace

(Cuisine d'Alsacaise)
1695 88th Street at 2nd Avenue
212.489.2233









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