Restaurants near the Statue of Liberty

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...

According to our contributor Christina Izzo, the Financial District's The Wall Street Hotel "glamorously honors the New York neighborhood around it while feeling like a transportive respite," with staterooms awash in soft blues and seafoam greens, plus fireplaces and soaking tubs. The modern French brasserie on the ground floor completes the escape. Helmed by John Fraser, the all-day restaurant is as stunning as it is delicious, with an excellent raw bar and king crab pastas that draw everyone from the buttoned-up after-work crowd to date-night diners. The vibe: Soho House's former global design lead, Vicky Charles, set the mood at La Marchande, and her touch is evident throughout. Turquoise window wells and golden palm frond sconces frame the bar, while oysters, mussels and clams are displayed behind a striking mother-of-pearl raw bar. The dining room is wrapped in rattan wallpaper depicting a lush landscape of birds and trees, creating an atmosphere that's both glamorous and inviting. The food: Modern takes on French cuisine begin at the raw bar, where oysters are dressed in tomato-verjus mignonette and clams are topped with a fiery mix of Scotch bonnet, culantro and lime. French onion soup is reimagined as delicate dumplings filled with Comté cheese, floating in an impossibly rich mushroom consommé you'll want to savor to the last drop. It is French food, after all, so butter is a generous companion, folded into silky Jonah crab tagliatelle with breadcrumbs and...

Head to Eataly’s market to shop for local produce, hard-to-find regional specialties of salumi and formaggi, fresh pasta and loaves of bread from their massive wood-fired oven. With a handful of counters for a quick bite, like pizza alla pala—a Roman street food—served hot at the Focacceria, or the prime rib sandwich from La Rosticceria, Eataly stands out as a downtown lunch destination.  If you’ve got time to sit and stay for a while, enjoy a full meal at La Pizza & La Pasta or La Piazza, where the market’s stunning ingredients are celebrated in bowls of fresh pasta, vibrant salads and rare wine selections. Grab a nightcap at Bar Firenze, where cocktails like the Firenze Old Fashioned and Tramonto Infuocato come with a tableside experience of torched orange and tequila set aflame.  With live music events, all-inclusive chef-curated tastings with live demonstrations and even pasta- and pizza-making classes, Eataly takes you on a guided tour of all 20 regions of Italy, right in the heart of NYC.

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...

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...

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...

This surf-and-turf spot from Andrew Carmellini is a masterclass in pleasing a crowd. Plush booths, easy-drinking cocktails, mozzarella sticks with caviar (!) and the fun-and-funky aged, Gorgonzola-cured Wagyu striploin all make for a standout high-end chophouse experience in a city increasingly full of them.  The vibe: The wooden paneling, deep yellows and reds, plush curved booths and glowing lamps are giving “first 90 minutes of James Cameron’s Titanic” (complimentary). Expect lots of business associates, finance-meets-marketing Bumble dates and slices of birthday cake coming out of the kitchen.  The food: It is a chophouse, so don’t miss that Gorgonzola striploin. If you’re not a fan of the funk, skip the shareable steaks, too, which are both dry-aged, and go for the boneless rib eye or the center-cut filet mignon. For those who lean more “surf” than “turf,” there are grilled oysters, a classic jumbo Gulf shrimp cocktail and spicy lobster spaghetti.  The drink: House cocktails like the Granita (Campari, grapefruit, limoncello, vermouth, prosecco) and the Verde (Japanese whisky, Lustau Vermut, Genepy, basil) join an extensive list of aperitivi that showcase the breadth of bitters.  Time Out tip: If you’re not ready to splash out for a $155 steak, stop by on weekdays from 4–6pm, when happy hour features $11 “Tiny Mare’tinis” plus $2 oysters.

Chef Daniel Boulud’s last NYC restaurant opening, Le Pavillon in May of 2021, seemed like a huge deal at the time. It was among the hospitality industry’s splashiest early post-vaccine pandemic premieres—it landed a lovely location in a flashy new midtown skyscraper and elected officials attended a ribbon cutting ceremony for the occasion like it was some kind of midwestern supermarket, rather than the latest on a long list of a celebrity restaurateur’s Manhattan—and worldwide—ventures. The spendy spot’s fanfare was kind of quaint. Then, its mere existence launched a smattering of ‘the way we whatever whenever’ internet word casseroles, and the dining public responded by snapping up La Pavillon’s $125 (now $135) three-course tasting reservations.  Boulud’s Le Gratin had a more routine introduction to its Financial District address last month. It’s one of those returns to normalcy that people keep wishstablishing: that an excellent restaurant can open without ever severing a single ribbon must mean that New York is back, baby. Again.  Le Gratin’s sidewalk-level room at The Beekman hotel was previously occupied by Augustine. It feels more like a suite that can accommodate the shy side of 100. Crescent leather booths up front in view of the blushing bar that fit four and feel luxuriously roomy for two, banquettes, and untethered tables all awash in mild amber hues are quick to fill. Slightly fogged mirrors, dainty floral fixtures in handsome dark finishes, more blooms...

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...

If anyone can claim to be an expert on Neapolitan pizza, it’s Keste’s Roberto Caporuscio: As president of the U.S. branch of the Associazione Pizzaiuoli Napoletani, he’s top dog for the training and certification of pizzaioli (a former dairy farmer and mozzarella maker, he’s also intimately familiar with that most essential cheese). In addition to all the hallmarks of the Neapolitan product—San Marzano tomatoes, double zero flour, a scorching-hot wood-burning oven—Caporuscio uses a slow-speed mixer to work his dough. Then, he gently stretches it into a round with his hands, since it’s far too soft for tossing. The resulting crust is tender yet resilient, puffed with warm pockets of steaming airs. All over the golden surface is an even spotting of tiny black blisters, just enough to deliver that brick-oven sear, but not so much that any single bite tastes burnt. Whatever you put on it, from the classic Margherita toppings to butternut squash puree with smoked mozzarella, it’s as close to the platonic ideal as we’ve found.