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Hell’s Kitchen, NYC neighborhood guide

Our guide to Hell's Kitchen, NYC includes the best restaurants, bars, shops and hotels and things to do in the nabe

Written by
Jennifer Picht
&
Time Out New York contributors
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The precise origins of Hell’s Kitchen, NYC are unclear, but they undoubtedly arose from its emergence as an Irish-mob-dominated neighborhood in the 19th century. Today, the area is a LGBT hot spot—it’s home to about a dozen gay bars—and it the site of one of the best flea markets in town. In terms of Hell’s Kitchen restaurants, Ninth Avenue offers various multi-ethnic eateries which draw theatergoers who want to escape the crowds in Times Square. Read on below to find more things to do and where to go in the area.

RECOMMENDED: Full guide of Manhattan, NY

Things to do in Hell's Kitchen, NYC

Restaurants in Hell's Kitchen, NYC

Don Antonio by Starita

Don Antonio by Starita

  • price 2 of 4

While tourists bumble into Sbarro looking for a New York slice, pizza aficionados have been busy colonizing this pedigreed pizzeria

Esca

Esca

  • price 3 of 4

Esca is the area’s slickest and most creative choice

Kashkaval Garden

Kashkaval Garden

  • price 2 of 4

Warm woods and soft lighting evoke a turn-of-the-century general store at this midtown eatery

Pure Thai Cookhouse

Pure Thai Cookhouse

  • price 1 of 4

This small Hell’s Kitchen canteen by husband-and-wife team David and Vanida Bank of Land Thai Kitchen is a gem 

Bars in Hell's Kitchen, NYC

Réunion

Réunion

  • price 2 of 4

From after-work drinks to killing time around Times Square, this subterranean surf shack is a solid card to play 

Bar Gonzo

Bar Gonzo

  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • price 2 of 4

When you go to a place named for Hunter S. Thompson’s signature style of strange, the bizarre will happen

Hotels in Hell's Kitchen, NYC

Hudson Hotel

Hudson Hotel

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • price 2 of 4

What's that they say? Location, location, location. The Hudson Hotel has that going for it in spades

Yotel New York

Yotel New York

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • price 2 of 4

Located in the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen, YOTEL is a quirky, one-of-a-kind find for the tech-savvy traveler

The OUT NYC

The OUT NYC

  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • price 2 of 4

Built in the husk of a 1960s motel, the OUT NYC offers more than mere accommodation

Shops in Hell's Kitchen, NYC

Hell's Kitchen Flea Market

Hell's Kitchen Flea Market

  • price 1 of 4

Vendors tend to compensate for the out-of-the-way location by offering lower prices than found in the Chelsea lots, which makes it worth the trek. 

Delphinium Home

Delphinium Home

  • price 2 of 4

This popular neighborhood boutique is a treasure trove for kitschy housewares 

Fine and Dandy

Fine and Dandy

  • price 2 of 4

Following the success of several pop-ups around the city, owner Matt Fox opened his first brick-and-mortar shop for the sharp e-commerce menswear brand