Empire-State-Building-Views-09919.jpgEmpire State Building · Midtown South
But here’s the good news. Some of the best food in the city is a short walk away, if you know which direction to go. I’ve tested every option so you don’t have to eat at the Olive Garden on 34th Street. You’re welcome.
Walk Three Blocks South to Koreatown
nyc-1002279.jpgPorto Rico Importing Co. · East Village
The single best piece of advice I can give you is this. Walk south on Fifth Avenue for three blocks until you hit 32nd Street. Turn right. Welcome to Koreatown, and welcome to some of the best food near the Empire State Building by a massive margin.
32nd Street between Fifth Avenue and Broadway is packed with Korean restaurants, many of them open 24 hours, and the quality is shockingly good for a neighborhood that most tourists walk right past.
BCD Tofu House (5 W 32nd St) is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The soft tofu stew (soondubu jjigae) is the move here. It arrives bubbling violently in a stone pot with a raw egg that cooks in the broth while you watch. $16-19 for a stew that comes with rice and an army of banchan (small side dishes) that are included for free. This is one of the best deals in Midtown.
Jongro BBQ (22 W 32nd St) is where you go when you want to grill meat at your table and feel like you’re having an experience, not just a meal. The galbi (short ribs, $34) and bulgogi ($28) are both excellent. They set up the grill, bring the meat, and you cook it yourself. It’s interactive and fun and the food is legitimately great. Expect to spend $35-50 per person with sides.
Her Name is Han (17 E 31st St) is the slightly more upscale Korean option. The bibimbap ($18) comes in a sizzling stone bowl and the army stew (budae jjigae, $22) is perfect for sharing. The space is prettier than most K-town spots, which makes it a good pick if you’re with someone you’re trying to impress. Though honestly, if someone isn’t impressed by BCD Tofu House, that’s a red flag.
Keens Steakhouse. A Genuine New York Classic.
Keens at 72 West 36th Street has been open since 1885. The ceiling is covered in tens of thousands of clay churchwarden pipes that belonged to famous patrons over the decades. Teddy Roosevelt, Babe Ruth, Albert Einstein. It’s the kind of place that feels like a movie set except it’s all real.
The mutton chop ($62) is the signature dish and it’s legendary for good reason. It’s a massive, thick-cut chop that’s been on the menu since the restaurant opened. If you’re not a mutton person, the prime rib ($58) and the porterhouse for two ($135) are also outstanding.
This is a splurge meal. Expect $80-120 per person with a drink and sides. But if you want a steakhouse experience that actually means something, Keens is it. Peter Luger gets more press, but I think Keens is the better overall experience. I said what I said.
Reservations are strongly recommended, especially on weekends.
Shake Shack at Madison Square Park
The original Shake Shack is in Madison Square Park, about a 10-minute walk south from the Empire State Building. Yes, Shake Shack is everywhere now. But the original location in the park, with the Flatiron Building looming in the background, still hits different.
ShackBurger is $7.79. Cheese fries are $5.29. A concrete (frozen custard blended with mix-ins) is $6.59. For $20 you get a solid lunch in one of the prettiest small parks in the city.
The line can be long, especially at lunch on weekdays. Use the Shake Shack app to order ahead and skip it entirely. Spoiler alert. Everyone who waits in that line could also use the app. Most of them just don’t know.
Eataly. The 15-Minute Walk That’s Worth It.
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Eataly at 200 Fifth Avenue (right at 23rd Street) is a 15-minute walk south from the Empire State Building, and it’s a world away from the 34th Street food situation. It’s a massive Italian food hall with multiple restaurants inside, a market, a gelato counter, and a rooftop restaurant.
For a quick lunch, hit the pasta counter. Fresh pasta dishes run $14-22 and they’re made in front of you. The pizza is good (not the best in the city, but miles better than anything on 34th Street). And the gelato ($6-8) is the real thing.
If you want to sit down properly, La Pizza & La Pasta on the main floor does solid renditions of both. No reservations needed for counter seating.
Urbanspace at Vanderbilt
If you’re heading east toward Grand Central after visiting the Empire State Building, Urbanspace Vanderbilt (230 Park Ave) is a food hall right next to the station with about 20 vendors. The Kawa’s red miso ramen ($16) is a standout. Roberta’s does a solid pizza. And Delaney Chicken has a fried chicken sandwich ($14) that I think about more than I should.
It’s a good weekday lunch spot. Weekends it’s quieter since the Midtown office crowd disappears.
The Morgan Library Cafe
This is my sleeper pick. The Morgan Library and Museum at 225 Madison Avenue (at 36th Street, literally a block from the Empire State Building) has a cafe called The Morgan Dining Room that most tourists walk right past.
The food is simple but well-made. Salads, sandwiches, seasonal soups. Entrees run $16-22. The real draw is the setting. You’re eating in a beautiful, quiet space attached to one of the most underrated museums in the city. If you need a break from the Midtown chaos, this is it.
Museum admission is $22, but you can eat at the cafe without buying a ticket.
What to Avoid. The Blunt Truth.
I’m going to be direct because someone should be.
Do not eat at any restaurant on 34th Street between Sixth Avenue and Seventh Avenue that has pictures of the food on its menu displayed outside. Those pictures are doing the heavy lifting because the food cannot. You’ll pay $18 for a sad pasta that tastes like it was microwaved with resentment.
Sbarro is not pizza. The Olive Garden in Herald Square is an insult to the concept of Italian food. The Applebee’s on 34th Street is… I mean, you know what Applebee’s is. You didn’t come to New York to eat at Applebee’s.
Any restaurant that has a person standing outside trying to convince you to come in is a restaurant you should not enter. Good restaurants in New York don’t need to recruit diners off the sidewalk.
Make no mistake. You can eat incredibly well near the Empire State Building. You just have to walk three to fifteen minutes in the right direction. Koreatown south, Keens north, Eataly further south, or toward Times Square if you know where to look. For more Midtown picks, check my Central Park food guide too.