The 11 best restaurants near Bryant Park

Keens is one of NYC’s oldest and most famous steakhouses, known by carnivores worldwide for its dry-aged steaks, mighty chops, “legendary” mutton chop and throwback decor. Tobacco pipes are among Keens’ most notable nostalgic design elements, including those purportedly puffed by Babe Ruth and Teddy Roosevelt. 

Venture five blocks south of the park to find Sushi 35 West–if you can! The fantastic new sushi spot is beyond what appears to be a service entrance and up a staircase. There are only two tables inside, so hope to get lucky, or prepare to take excellently sourced à la carte items like sea urchin, Spanish mackerel,  striped jack, lunch sets and a $100, 35-piece omakase to go. 

This rooftop spot opened two blocks south of the park at the end of summer, 2021. It has a 180 seats inside, a sweeping terrace with postcard skyline views, a dedicated martini menu and complimentary chicken salt seaweed popcorn. The particularly picturesque destination’s menu includes raw bar bites, steak katsu sandos and lobster rolls. 

To borrow from oft-exaggerated real estate parlance, L’Adresse is but steps from the park’s south west corner. It’s an easy choice due to its proximity, but also its large interior and crowd-pleasing, seasonal menus at breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. It also has “social hour” from 3-5pm, when select wines and nine cocktails, including some classics and a cold brew martini, are $10. 

Gather your work friend faves, grab a roomy round table and prepare to share rounds of wontons and dumplings, plus plentiful plates of mapo tofu, spicy braised rabbit, whole fish and all manner of noodle dishes. The sparsely appointed place inspires even the most dedicated social media food documentarians to focus on the flavors. 

A few blocks north, Valerie is awash in honeyed hues and golden light across its ground floor dining room, long bar and stylish lounge up a grand staircase. Its a multi-duty choose-your-own adventure, equally suited to sit-down lunch, après-work cocktails, something for everyone dinner and, recently, brunch, for when you just can’t get enough of midtown. 

Take a scenic stroll past Times Square and into Jasmine’s Caribbean Cuisine. Its warm, vibrant interior, eponymous cuisine and mojitos, margaritas and rum punch are the finest way to warm up after a few turns around the ice rink, or even just the fifteen minute stroll from the park. 

For light speakeasy themes, a lot of space and seasonal menus that aim to spotlight local makers, head to the Andaz Hotel’s lower level. The recently reopened restaurant down a staircase and through the requisite unmarked door also has hot cocktails for the season. 

First opened in 1913 with some ups and downs along the way, Grand Central Oyster Bar is back in action on 42nd Street. Sidle up and reel in dozens of oyster varieties, even more wines by the glass and mains from land and sea. 

The NYC food hall trio Urbanspace reopened each of its locations last spring. Vanderbilt has 200 seats across its 12,000 square feet and boasts vendors like La Palapa, Roberta’s and Red Hook Lobster Pound. It's more of a hike from Bryant Park, at a little under a mile away, but, with this many options under one roof, what you spend in travel time you’ll save in circuitous where-to-eat conversations. 

Is going to Bryant Park’s titular restaurant like wearing a band T-shirt to that band’s concert? I don’t know, maybe! Why would that even be a problem? I don’t know, I think it was a set-up for a joke in an old movie? Is Bryant Park Grill literally in the park? Yes, and it’s pretty roomy with a long enough menu for your visiting family to all find something to order. Would it be easier to go here than ferry like a dozen in-laws even a few blocks away? Again, yes. And don’t worry: There’s booze.