Restaurants near the Statue of Liberty

South Street Seaport booms with outdoor movie screenings, open-air farmers' markets and a beer garden during warmer months, but its year-round appeal gets bolstered with this waterfront 6,000-square-foot restaurant from Financial District empire builder Abraham Merchant (Watermark Bar, Clinton Hall). Boasting floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the East River, the vast dining room is decorated with wood tables made from European truck flatbeds, a 12-seat chef's counter across from the open kitchen and curtain-style doors that open onto the esplanade, complemented by a 1,500-square-foot patio lined with white-oak beer-hall tables and plush couches. Chef Marco Allen's menu plays up the seafront locale (shrimp over grits, cedar-planked salmon in ginger vinaigrette), while also turning out wood-fired plates like a sopressata-pecorino pizza, a sirloin topped with smoked pepper salsa and squash gratin layered with zucchini, eggplant and tomato-basil pistou. From the pewter-topped horseshoe bar, expect both craft (Delirium Tremens, Harpoon IPA) and big-brand drafts (Stella Artois, Coors), and 10 seaside-inspired cocktails such as the Shoes Optional (cachaça, mescal, lime) and the Bourbon Berry (elderflower, blackberry compote).

As if we didn’t put Danny Meyer on a pedestal enough, the successful restaurateur’s latest venture is perched up on the 60th floor of a building in Fidi, overlooking all of southern Manhattan and its waterways. On a recent evening, he could be seen walking around the dining room, welcoming guests and clearly kvelling. Of course he’s bursting with pride—he thought of every detail. Want to appreciate the views? They’ve got binoculars. Have your back toward the window? A mirror over the kitchen allows you to stare at the Hudson and ignore your dining companion. Want to have a party here? Manhatta has a private dining room, but there’s also an event space (the Bay Room) on the same floor for your next wedding or bar mitzvah. The menu in the dining room is made up of a three-course prix fixe, a format that can sometimes leave guests hungry at the end. Out of curiosity, I asked if we could tack on more courses; I was met with a stunningly soigné response from our server: “You can extend the experience however you want.” Though extending the experience isn’t remotely necessary, given ideal portions and the bottomless bread basket. Tender, house-made cavatelli is dressed in a bright tomato sauce, laced with specks of spicy sausage and clams bursting with brine. A fillet of turbot that flaked at the touch of a fork is served under a veil of creamy hollandaise and balanced with a verdant pop from fresh peas (the garnishes have since changed). The expertly seasoned Wagyu bavette (a...

Delmonico’s has had several twists and turns in its 196 years as a hospitality enterprise. Expansion and retraction. Ownership changes and licensing agreements. Fires. Financial battles. And status grabs as the nation’s first fine dining destination, its largest, and as the originator of such august entrées as eggs Benedict.  It has occupied the distinguished tip of a triangle block downtown in one form or another for most of the time since 1837. Its last gap was during the pandemic. Then, another zag last winter, when news of its impending return was announced, then retracted, then proclaimed once more, with new owners and some cosmetic alterations attached. Delmonico’s reopened, replete with a ribbon cutting and a visit from the mayor, in September.  Like centuries, I suppose, 20 minutes can seem subjective, depending on how you spend them. I recently spent what ended up being 20 minutes waiting for my Delmonico’s reservation acquiring knowledge.  First, I learned that the delay had no estimated end because “a couple of tables” were “finishing up.” Second, I learned that I could beat it to the separate bar to wait for an undetermined period, but there might not be space because it was “pretty crowded.” Third, I learned that if you while away on the pretty blue settee near the entrance, instead, you will be walled off by a dense line of vacation-wear or business casual-clad people clamoring to retrieve their items from coat check. And finally, I eventually learned that 20...

Once, TriBeCa and its northern neighbor, SoHo were the untamed frontier for New York’s artists. Repurposing industrial space soon revealed an affinity between these pilgrims’ artistic endeavors and the iron, brick, and wood hulks of downtown Manhattan’s light manufacturing. The rest is history. Since 2022, TriBeCa restaurant/wine bar Chambers has paid lovely homage to its neighborhood’s story and (bluntly co-opted) spirit, marrying art with artisanship; seasonal cookery with a sommelier’s expertise. Chambers is the spiritual successor to (dearly departed) neighborhood favorite, Racines but operates according to its own rhythm. The room is bright and neat without being stark. The layout is tidy: a bar comfy for solo diners and/or wine sippers, a dining area that feels intimate but not cramped, and the open kitchen that welcomes but does not demand attention. It’s polished and cool without being fussy or needy. The staff are warm, keen hosts to wine nerds and novices alike. And, in a neighborhood-serving move that we wish was more common, Chambers reserves seats for walk-ins. The wine program, overseen by Master Sommelier Pascaline Lepeltier, is as deep as it is wide. The list accompanying dinner is only part of the story—ask, and you’ll be guided through off-menu pours and back vintages. The range is global, featuring regions you didn’t even know cultivated grapes. Prices range from accessible to extravagant, allowing you to tailor the experience with ease. Chef Jonathan...

Last night at this time I was at Saga, I thought, 24 hours after riding the elevator to the 63rd floor of the Art Deco building at 70 Pine Street, ordering cocktails at its small, theatrically lit bar and stepping out onto the terrace into an unending skyline all before shattering my first course with the back of a spoon. New York  has more than its fair share of fine dining restaurants, and some are even good, but few inspire new measures of time like Saga. Chef James Kent’s follow-up to Crown Shy, located about 1,000 feet below, bookends the original.  Crown Shy opened in early 2019 to critical acclaim and topped local and national ‘best of’ lists by the end of the year. (This wasn’t unexpected considering that Kent’s previous tenure at Eleven Madison Park helped it earn its Michelin stars and a spot on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.) Saga was going to open the following year, which turned out to be 2020.  Many months later, it’s finally here. Saga works unlike most other restaurants. You will be charged $553.49 for a party of two before you get anywhere near the place. Its multi-course seasonal tasting menu, one welcome cocktail and an engaging, orchestrated experience cost $245 per person before additional drinks, tax and tip. The average dinner here lasts about three-and-a-half hours and spans a few spaces. First you’re introduced to a bartender, who makes drinks with subtle variations on the classics like martinis with special vermouth blends and Manhattans with...

The Seaport District was once the hub for all things seafood at the Fulton Fish Market in business. With the opening of Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s The Fulton on Pier 17, seafood once again takes center stage. Much of the oysters, fish and other seafood featured on the modern menu comes from the East Coast. This is also one of the best waterfront dining destinations to open this year.

Nestled inside 70 Pine Street is a maître d' desk auspiciously stationed in the lobby of a highly sought-after Art Deco building. You might not know that hidden behind the stand is one of New York’s hottest new restaurants: Crown Shy. I was happily surprised that at 6pm on a recent Friday, the space, located steps from Wall Street, was packed with a non-douchey crowd—not one conversation about ROIs was overheard. Crown Shy gives the illusion that it’s more chill than the address would infer: Servers wear white T-shirts and light-wash jeans with black high-top Converse, while Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot” hums through the speakers.  For a moment, you might forget it’s all orchestrated by New York fine-dining elite: Crown Shy is the first collaboration between James Kent, longtime Chef de Cuisine at Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park and Executive Chef at NoMad, alongside Jeff Katz, Managing Partner of Del Posto. First off, I love nothing more than a complimentary bread basket. Few restaurants offer it today, but Crown Shy’s pull-apart loaf with lemon zest and olive tapenade makes a strong case for a carb comeback. We also feasted on gruyère fritters ($13) with chili and lime, essentially savory churros with a coating similar to the powdered cheese on junk food popcorn; an early signal that we were allowed to have fun in a fine-dining environment. Still, it seemed odd that the fritters were more expensive than the much more elevated roasted sunchokes with cheddar...

11 Hanover Greek is the first modern fine dining and vibrant Greek restaurant in Downtown New York, and more accurately, in the prestigious and esteemed Financial District.The freshest, most flavorful fish, vegetables and fruits, prepared in the subtlest way and served in an elegant, spacious setting..

They make quite the glamorous pair: Augustine and Fowler & Wells, glowing and genteel on opposite ends of the grand atrium at the Financial District’s new Beekman hotel, a ritzy restoration of the late-19th-century landmark building known as Temple Court. Fowler & Wells—Tom Colicchio’s first new Manhattan restaurant since opening Colicchio & Sons six years ago—is less fanciful and luminous than Augustine but visually impressive nonetheless: The handsome brick-walled room is fitted with mohair-velvet banquettes, stained-glass wall panels and its own set of large custom chandeliers, which successfully distract from the industrial piping that also hangs from the restaurant’s lofty ceilings. With such classically good looks, it’s not a surprise that neither Augustine nor Fowler & Wells employ any highfalutin kitchen theatrics, and you won’t find any of the ingredients du jour—no black walnuts, Calabrian chilies or beer whey—on either menu. This may be the new Financial District, but it’s FiDi all the same, and hotel dining in FiDi at that. In place of gastro nerdiness, Colicchio and executive chef Bryan Hunt offer polished, straightforward American food at Fowler & Wells, the kind of plates on which a smattering of shaved truffle is considered spicing up the relationship. You’re here for seasonal, dependable cooking that’s informed by the past but without any schmaltzy kitsch: sautéed foie gras ($27), hot-smoked monkfish ($39) and a Wellington, made here out of venison and...