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An open-faced cheeseburger with pickle slices and red onion — The cheeseburger at JG Melon.

The Best Late-Night Food in New York City

Where to find al pastor tacos, dim sum, and Korean barbecue at all hours

by Luke Fortney and Robert Sietsema Updated Sep 8, 2023, 10:33am EDT

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The cheeseburger at JG Melon.

| Eater NY

by Luke Fortney and Robert Sietsema Updated Sep 8, 2023, 10:33am EDT

New York is, in theory, the city that never sleeps. Has the pandemic changed that? Chinatown restaurants that used to cater to late-night crowds now close by 10 p.m., and many 24-hour diners can’t find the staff to stay open around the clock. In general, restaurants in New York City close earlier than they once did, but the city’s late-night dining scene is still full of gems if you know where to look. This guide of mostly 24-hour restaurants includes Upper East Side institutions, after-hours taco shops, and all-night Korean barbecue restaurants.

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Floridita

Hours: 24/7

Open since 1995, this Cuban Dominican restaurant in Washington Heights continues to draw a crowd with its bistec, rotisserie chicken, and many mofongos. Floridita is best known for its Cuban sandwich consisting of a fat stack of ham, pork roast, pickles, and Swiss cheese on crispy bread. There’s a second location in Inwood with the same hours.

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4162 Broadway, New York, NY 10033

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A row of stools on the left, tables on the right. — Floridita’s interior combines a lunch counter and nightclub.

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Roti Roll (Bombay Frankie)

Hours: 11 a.m. to 4 a.m., Thursday to Saturday; 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., Sunday to Monday; 11 a.m. to 3 a.m., Tuesday to Wednesday

The kathi roll — a vegetable or meat filling, sometimes with an egg, with a roti wrapped around it for easy eating on the run — is often attributed to Kolkata, but at this Upper West Side stalwart, Mumbai grabs the spotlight. Have it stuffed with spiced chickpeas or potatoes, creamy chicken malai, or a lamb boti kebab, the roti roll makes a very filling late-night snack.

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994 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10025

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A pair or flatbread rolls, each cut in two and propped up, filled with green vegetables. — A roti roll is a classic northern Indian street snack.

JG Melon

Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 3 a.m., Monday to Saturday; 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m., Sunday

JG Melon is an Upper East Side institution, having opened in 1972. The restaurant, bedecked in watermelon paintings, is known for its burger — a thick patty with pickles and red onion on the side. From Monday to Saturday each week, the bar stays open until 3 a.m. Cash only.

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1291 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10021

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A burger and a cheeseburger at J.G. Melon sit on a green checkered tablecloth, while a plate of fries sits nearby. — JG Melon stays open until 3 a.m. most nights.

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Empanada Mama

Hours: 24/7

If New York City has one restaurant that never sleeps, it’s Empanada Mama. After scaling back its hours during the pandemic, the Hell’s Kitchen favorite is once again serving its nourishing Colombian fare 24 hours a day. Highlights include a classic South American breakfast of beans and rice with eggs, actually spicy arepas, chicken soup studded with cilantro and rice, frozen margaritas, and stellar corn empanadas (try the ones filled with shellfish or beef).

765 9th Ave, New York, NY 10019

Visit Website

The bandeja paisa meat platter sits in the middle of the overhead photo; to the top left lies a corn and beef empanada; a spicy chicken arepa sits at the lower left-hand side of the photo — A platter of meats at Empanada Mama.

Also featured in:

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Tacos El Borrego

Hours: 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily

Like one of Mexico City’s best taquerias, Tacos El Borrego doesn’t open until 9 p.m. each night. The sidewalk taqueria on Roosevelt Avenue sells tacos for around $3 each with an array of meats to choose from: al pastor, carnitas, suadero, and tripe. In 2023, the late-night taco cart landed a spot on the New York Times list of the best 100 restaurants in the city.

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9557 Roosevelt Ave, Queens, NY 11372

Miss Korea BBQ

Hours: 24/7

Miss Korea is the best option for Korean barbecue after bars close at 4 a.m. The restaurant sells a range of meats for tabletop grilling, plus dumplings, ramen, kimchi pancakes, and other snacks. To drink: beer, sake, Korean rice wine, and soju flights.

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10 W 32nd St, New York, NY 10001

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Court Square Diner

Hours: 24/7

Not much has changed at Court Square Diner since brothers Steve and Nick Kanellos started running the joint in 1991, even as Long Island City has welcomed glitzy food halls and developments to the neighborhood. The 24-hour diner serves a standard, multi-page diner menu with Jell-O, over a dozen 15 omelets, and hulking hero sandwiches.

45-30 23rd St, Queens, NY 11101

Visit Website

A stack of three blueberry pancakes besides a pile of turkey sausage. — Breakfast is a 24-hour affair at Court Square.

Also featured in:

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Malibu Diner

Hours: 24/7

What is it about diner fare that makes it so easy to digest late in the evening? You have your burger and fries, your meatloaf with mashed potatoes, Greek spinach pie — and nowadays all sorts of Italian and Latin dishes to choose from. And then there’s that rotating case of lemon meringue pie, Boston creme pie, and plain old apple pie — it’s a virtual pietopia!

163 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10011

Visit Website

A messy looking cheeseburger with french fries behind it. — The burger and fries is a classic at Malibu Diner.

Also featured in:

Diners We Adore in NYC

Coppelia

Hours: 24/7

Coppelia, a lunch counter that serves breakfast around the clock, has been holding down Chelsea’s late-night food scene for over a decade. The menu leans Mexican and Cuban, but also look out for oxtail empanadas, lomo saltado, and other dishes that draw from the Caribbean and Central and South America.

207 W 14th St, New York, NY 10011

Visit Website

Runny eggs exceedingly yellow and bright white broken up on tortillas. — Huevos rancheros from Coppelia.

Also featured in:

Papaya Dog

Hours: 24/7

Papaya Dog is one of those brightly lit corner tube steak places with variable names that used to be much more common. The fare is comically limited to hot dogs, hamburgers, and the stray fish sandwich — no vegetable has ever been known to cross the threshold. And the cheese flows like a molten river of lava 24 hours a day.

333 6th Ave, New York, NY 10014

Visit Website

A hand hold a corn dog with a dab of mustard. — Papaya Dog also sells corn dogs.

Mamoun's Falafel

Hours: 11 a.m. to 4 a.m., Friday to Saturday; 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., Thursday and Sunday; 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., Monday to Wednesday

Some five decades after opening in Greenwich Village, Mamoun’s Falafel continues to serve one of the city’s most iconic late-night meals: an affordable falafel sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and tahini. Lamb shawarma and chicken kebab are also available in sandwiches and platters.

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119 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012

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The exterior of Mamoun’s Macdougal Street shop, with a brown-and-white striped awning. — NYU students hang around the original Mamoun’s on MacDougal.

The Donut Pub

Hours: 24-7

The original Donut Pub closed due to a structural mishap, but its newer location on Astor Place is open 24 hours. Ignore all the newfangled doughnuts with their Day-Glo colors and head for the good old jelly doughnut, which will leave you covered in powdered sugar.

740 Broadway, New York, NY 10003

Visit Website

A donut cut in half with oozing red jelly. — Go for the jelly doughnut at the Donut Pub.

Also featured in:

Dim Sum Palace

Hours: 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. daily

There are more than 50 types of dim sum on the menu at Dim Sum Palace, a small chain whose location in Manhattan Chinatown stays open until 3 a.m. Before the pandemic, the neighborhood was packed with late-night restaurants: Now, it’s one of the few places to serve food past midnight. Pick among barbecue pork buns and roast duck spring rolls, or order larger plates to share, like whole lobster with ginger and scallion or snails with celery and hot peppers.

27 Division St, New York, NY 10002

Visit Website

A table is crowded with various dim sum, including chicken feet, stuffed eggplant, and spring rolls. — Dim Sum Palace stays open until 4 a.m. every day.

Also featured in:

Hadramout Restaurant

Hours: 24/7

Big portions of Yemeni cuisine are the calling card at this 24-hour restaurant, sandwiched between Clinton and Court streets on Atlantic Avenue’s heavily Middle Eastern corridor. Open since 1996, the sparse subterranean space with a few tables turns out solid lamb dishes (in stews, sandwiches, and more), with huge rounds of bread to scoop and dip in everything.

Open in Google Maps

172 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Lahori Chilli

Hours: 24/7

Lahori Chilli, named after Pakistan’s second-largest city, is popular among cab drivers, among others in the city: They dash in at all hours for samosas, plates of haleem, and salads dotted with chickpeas. Past a display case with pastries and steam-table foods, there is a small dining room with a handful of red booths.

Open in Google Maps

1026 Coney Island Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11230

Visit Website

A zingy orange storefront with a lady in a sari walking in front. — Lahori Chilli is open 24 hours.

Also featured in:

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Floridita

4162 Broadway, New York, NY 10033

Hours: 24/7

Open since 1995, this Cuban Dominican restaurant in Washington Heights continues to draw a crowd with its bistec, rotisserie chicken, and many mofongos. Floridita is best known for its Cuban sandwich consisting of a fat stack of ham, pork roast, pickles, and Swiss cheese on crispy bread. There’s a second location in Inwood with the same hours.

Open in Google Maps

4162 Broadway, New York, NY 10033

Visit Website

A row of stools on the left, tables on the right. — Floridita’s interior combines a lunch counter and nightclub.

Roti Roll (Bombay Frankie)

994 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10025

Hours: 11 a.m. to 4 a.m., Thursday to Saturday; 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., Sunday to Monday; 11 a.m. to 3 a.m., Tuesday to Wednesday

The kathi roll — a vegetable or meat filling, sometimes with an egg, with a roti wrapped around it for easy eating on the run — is often attributed to Kolkata, but at this Upper West Side stalwart, Mumbai grabs the spotlight. Have it stuffed with spiced chickpeas or potatoes, creamy chicken malai, or a lamb boti kebab, the roti roll makes a very filling late-night snack.

Open in Google Maps

994 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10025

Visit Website

A pair or flatbread rolls, each cut in two and propped up, filled with green vegetables. — A roti roll is a classic northern Indian street snack.

JG Melon

1291 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10021

Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 3 a.m., Monday to Saturday; 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m., Sunday

JG Melon is an Upper East Side institution, having opened in 1972. The restaurant, bedecked in watermelon paintings, is known for its burger — a thick patty with pickles and red onion on the side. From Monday to Saturday each week, the bar stays open until 3 a.m. Cash only.

Open in Google Maps

1291 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10021

Visit Website

A burger and a cheeseburger at J.G. Melon sit on a green checkered tablecloth, while a plate of fries sits nearby. — JG Melon stays open until 3 a.m. most nights.

Empanada Mama

765 9th Ave, New York, NY 10019

Hours: 24/7

If New York City has one restaurant that never sleeps, it’s Empanada Mama. After scaling back its hours during the pandemic, the Hell’s Kitchen favorite is once again serving its nourishing Colombian fare 24 hours a day. Highlights include a classic South American breakfast of beans and rice with eggs, actually spicy arepas, chicken soup studded with cilantro and rice, frozen margaritas, and stellar corn empanadas (try the ones filled with shellfish or beef).

765 9th Ave, New York, NY 10019

Visit Website

The bandeja paisa meat platter sits in the middle of the overhead photo; to the top left lies a corn and beef empanada; a spicy chicken arepa sits at the lower left-hand side of the photo — A platter of meats at Empanada Mama.

Tacos El Borrego

9557 Roosevelt Ave, Queens, NY 11372

Hours: 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily

Like one of Mexico City’s best taquerias, Tacos El Borrego doesn’t open until 9 p.m. each night. The sidewalk taqueria on Roosevelt Avenue sells tacos for around $3 each with an array of meats to choose from: al pastor, carnitas, suadero, and tripe. In 2023, the late-night taco cart landed a spot on the New York Times list of the best 100 restaurants in the city.

Open in Google Maps

9557 Roosevelt Ave, Queens, NY 11372

Miss Korea BBQ

10 W 32nd St, New York, NY 10001

Hours: 24/7

Miss Korea is the best option for Korean barbecue after bars close at 4 a.m. The restaurant sells a range of meats for tabletop grilling, plus dumplings, ramen, kimchi pancakes, and other snacks. To drink: beer, sake, Korean rice wine, and soju flights.

Open in Google Maps

10 W 32nd St, New York, NY 10001

Visit Website

Court Square Diner

45-30 23rd St, Queens, NY 11101

Hours: 24/7

Not much has changed at Court Square Diner since brothers Steve and Nick Kanellos started running the joint in 1991, even as Long Island City has welcomed glitzy food halls and developments to the neighborhood. The 24-hour diner serves a standard, multi-page diner menu with Jell-O, over a dozen 15 omelets, and hulking hero sandwiches.

45-30 23rd St, Queens, NY 11101

Visit Website

A stack of three blueberry pancakes besides a pile of turkey sausage. — Breakfast is a 24-hour affair at Court Square.

Malibu Diner

163 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10011

Hours: 24/7

What is it about diner fare that makes it so easy to digest late in the evening? You have your burger and fries, your meatloaf with mashed potatoes, Greek spinach pie — and nowadays all sorts of Italian and Latin dishes to choose from. And then there’s that rotating case of lemon meringue pie, Boston creme pie, and plain old apple pie — it’s a virtual pietopia!

163 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10011

Visit Website

A messy looking cheeseburger with french fries behind it. — The burger and fries is a classic at Malibu Diner.

Coppelia

207 W 14th St, New York, NY 10011

Hours: 24/7

Coppelia, a lunch counter that serves breakfast around the clock, has been holding down Chelsea’s late-night food scene for over a decade. The menu leans Mexican and Cuban, but also look out for oxtail empanadas, lomo saltado, and other dishes that draw from the Caribbean and Central and South America.

207 W 14th St, New York, NY 10011

Visit Website

Runny eggs exceedingly yellow and bright white broken up on tortillas. — Huevos rancheros from Coppelia.

Papaya Dog

333 6th Ave, New York, NY 10014

Hours: 24/7

Papaya Dog is one of those brightly lit corner tube steak places with variable names that used to be much more common. The fare is comically limited to hot dogs, hamburgers, and the stray fish sandwich — no vegetable has ever been known to cross the threshold. And the cheese flows like a molten river of lava 24 hours a day.

333 6th Ave, New York, NY 10014

Visit Website

A hand hold a corn dog with a dab of mustard. — Papaya Dog also sells corn dogs.

Mamoun's Falafel

119 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012

Hours: 11 a.m. to 4 a.m., Friday to Saturday; 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., Thursday and Sunday; 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., Monday to Wednesday

Some five decades after opening in Greenwich Village, Mamoun’s Falafel continues to serve one of the city’s most iconic late-night meals: an affordable falafel sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and tahini. Lamb shawarma and chicken kebab are also available in sandwiches and platters.

Open in Google Maps

119 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012

Visit Website

The exterior of Mamoun’s Macdougal Street shop, with a brown-and-white striped awning. — NYU students hang around the original Mamoun’s on MacDougal.

The Donut Pub

740 Broadway, New York, NY 10003

Hours: 24-7

The original Donut Pub closed due to a structural mishap, but its newer location on Astor Place is open 24 hours. Ignore all the newfangled doughnuts with their Day-Glo colors and head for the good old jelly doughnut, which will leave you covered in powdered sugar.

740 Broadway, New York, NY 10003

Visit Website

A donut cut in half with oozing red jelly. — Go for the jelly doughnut at the Donut Pub.

Dim Sum Palace

27 Division St, New York, NY 10002

Hours: 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. daily

There are more than 50 types of dim sum on the menu at Dim Sum Palace, a small chain whose location in Manhattan Chinatown stays open until 3 a.m. Before the pandemic, the neighborhood was packed with late-night restaurants: Now, it’s one of the few places to serve food past midnight. Pick among barbecue pork buns and roast duck spring rolls, or order larger plates to share, like whole lobster with ginger and scallion or snails with celery and hot peppers.

27 Division St, New York, NY 10002

Visit Website

A table is crowded with various dim sum, including chicken feet, stuffed eggplant, and spring rolls. — Dim Sum Palace stays open until 4 a.m. every day.

Hadramout Restaurant

172 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Hours: 24/7

Big portions of Yemeni cuisine are the calling card at this 24-hour restaurant, sandwiched between Clinton and Court streets on Atlantic Avenue’s heavily Middle Eastern corridor. Open since 1996, the sparse subterranean space with a few tables turns out solid lamb dishes (in stews, sandwiches, and more), with huge rounds of bread to scoop and dip in everything.

Open in Google Maps

172 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Visit Website

Lahori Chilli

1026 Coney Island Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11230

Hours: 24/7

Lahori Chilli, named after Pakistan’s second-largest city, is popular among cab drivers, among others in the city: They dash in at all hours for samosas, plates of haleem, and salads dotted with chickpeas. Past a display case with pastries and steam-table foods, there is a small dining room with a handful of red booths.

Open in Google Maps

1026 Coney Island Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11230

Visit Website

A zingy orange storefront with a lady in a sari walking in front. — Lahori Chilli is open 24 hours.

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