Where should we eat on a date in New York?

The tables our editors book for a date — read each entry for the dish to order and the best time to go.

How many places to eat on a date does this guide cover in New York?

7 — hand-verified by editors and drawn from our full A-to-Z guide to New York. Each one has a real address, the best time to go, and an editor's note.

Food Date Ideas in New York — 7 Hand-Picked Spots

East Village

East Village, Manhattan

$$
Evening
Food

McSorley's since 1854, Veselka pierogis 24h, the version of NYC that hasn't been gentrified away.

Tip Start at McSorley's Old Ale House (15 E 7th St) — open since 1854, two beer choices (light or dark), sawdust on the floor, the oldest continuously-operating bar in NYC. Then Veselka (144 2nd Ave, 24h) for Ukrainian pierogis. Tompkins Square Park for a wander. End at Death & Co. on E 6th St if you want craft cocktails. The version of NYC that hasn't been gentrified away.

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Greenpoint

Brooklyn (north)

$$
Afternoon
Food

Polish pierogi on Manhattan Ave, then the secret skyline view from Transmitter Park pier.

Tip Manhattan Ave is the Polish spine — Karczma for pierogi and beet soup with a wooden tavern interior, Pyza for grandma-style stewed meats, Polonia for $3 sausage from the deli case, Peter Pan Donuts (since 1953, no website, cash only). End at WNYC Transmitter Park at the foot of Greenpoint Ave — the best Manhattan-skyline pier view nobody knows about. Sunset over the East River.

Full entry →Map ↗

Queens elevated subway train at Queens Plaza station

Jackson Heights

Queens (north)

$
Evening
Food

The Himalayas in Queens — Tibetan momos behind a phone-card shop, Peruvian chicken next door, sari shops in between.

Tip 74th Street is the Himalayan, South Asian, and Tibetan capital of NYC. Lhasa Fast Food (in the back of a phone-card shop on 74th) for momos — you walk through a shop to find the restaurant, this is the point. Pio Pio Peruvian chicken on Northern Blvd. Patel Brothers grocery for sari-shopping ambience. The 7 train runs straight from here to Times Square or out to Citi Field — easy MetLife match-day add-on.

Full entry →Map ↗

Koreatown

Midtown, Manhattan

$$
Late Night
Food

32nd Street, NYC's pojangmacha. BCD Tofu House at 1am, noraebang at 3, shaved ice at 4.

Tip 32nd Street ('K-Town') is the single most NYC street for late-night dating. BCD Tofu House for soondubu (open til 4am). Pocha 32 for soju and pajeon at 2am. Jongro BBQ for the meat. Gem Spa for noraebang (karaoke). Cafe 28 for shaved ice dessert at 3am. K-Town is what midtown Manhattan looks like at its most alive.

Full entry →Map ↗

Little Italy

Lower Manhattan

$$
Evening
Food

Lombardi's coal-oven pies since 1905. Cha Cha Matcha for the photo. Don Corleone's neighborhood.

Tip Mulberry Street between Canal and Houston. Cha Cha Matcha (90 Kenmare) for the photogenic green latte. Lombardi's (32 Spring) — America's first pizzeria since 1905, coal-oven, classic margherita. Caffe Reggio in Greenwich Village (119 MacDougal) for the cappuccino since 1927. Combine with Chinatown one block south for dim sum if you want cultural whiplash.

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Crowded brightly lit night market with food stalls and string lights

Queens Night Market

Flushing Meadows, Queens

$
Evening
Food

Saturdays only. 40+ global cuisines under $6 a plate. The most NYC-feeling night market in the city.

Tip Saturday-only seasonal night market at the Hall of Science. 40+ international cuisines — most under $6 per dish (a deliberate price cap by the organizers). Get there by 6 PM for golden light + minimal crowds. Cash preferred. Free entry. Bubble tea or Singaporean Tiger beer at the booths. The most NYC-feeling food event of the year.

Full entry →Map ↗Book ↗

Classic brownstone building on the Upper West Side of Manhattan

Zabar's

Upper West Side, Manhattan

$$
Morning
Food

Bagel, lox, schmear since 1934. Then a Riverside Park and Central Park West stroll. Pure UWS.

Tip Bagel from Zabar's (since 1934). The appetizing department is the move — order an 'everything bagel with scallion cream cheese and Nova lox.' Then walk west to Riverside Park or east to Central Park. The Central Park West buildings (the Dakota at 72nd, the Eldorado at 91st, the San Remo at 75th) are the spine of UWS pre-war elegance. Beacon Theatre at 74th for evening shows.

Full entry →Map ↗

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See the full A–Z guide to New York — all 26 dates →

New York places to eat on a date — FAQ

Where should we eat on a date in New York?: The tables our editors book for a date — read each entry for the dish to order and the best time to go.
How many places to eat on a date does this guide cover in New York?: 7 — hand-verified by editors and drawn from our full A-to-Z guide to New York. Each one has a real address, the best time to go, and an editor's note.