It must be written somewhere on stone tablets: Everyone must pass through Penn Station at some point or another. Whether it’s to journey on Amtrak; commute to New Jersey or Long Island; catch an A, C, E, 1, 2, or 3 subway line; rock out to a concert at Madison Square Garden; or simply to visit a relatively clean public restroom — you’ll find yourself in the multi-level, mazelike, partly subterranean, alternately fascinating and terrifying Penn Station. And now that the Moynihan Train Hall, carved out of the old General Post Office, has become part of the multi-block complex, you’re gonna want something to eat. In fact, such is the range of food presented at Penn Station and in the vicinity, it has grown into a food destination unto itself. Here are some great places to grab a bite.
Read MoreWhere to Eat and Drink in and Around Penn Station
Escape for a drink and some dinner nearby NYC’s most notorious transportation hub
Zou Zou's
Zou Zou’s, which comes from the restaurant group behind favorites like Don Angie and Quality Italian, has established itself as a convivial dining room with live-fire cooking on full display. Chef Juliana Latif’s Mediterranean menu — including a spread of mezze, a duck bourek, and a number of other wood-fired dishes — is great for sharing.
Zaro Bake Shop
Zaro’s is a local bakery mainly found in transportation terminals known for its vaguely Jewish baked goods, including oversize bagels stacked in giant heaps, and plastic-wrapped loaves of challah on display. But it also offers a beguiling range of wraps, sandwiches, soups, and pastries; in the latter category find an old fashioned pecan Danish such as one used to find at bakeries all over the city, but now rare. There is plenty of seating at Zaro’s to enjoy breakfast, and the coffee isn’t bad.
Burger Joint
A faltering burger chain famous for its original location behind a curtain in the lobby of Le Parker Meridien hotel has thankfully managed to persist. Its burgers are cooked over flame, giving them a distinctive smoky taste that speaks of backyard barbecues; the toppings are the fundamental raw onions, lettuce, and tomato. Aside from milkshakes and fries — like McDonald’s, only better — the counter doesn’t do much else. Vegetarian version available.
Maman
Maman is a French-leaning breakfast and lunch chain (the Penn Station branch, in the Moynihan Food Hall, closes at 7 p.m.). Sandwiches are made on good croissants, and there are also quiches, cookies, and salads. If you’re tired of the usual BEC for breakfast, check out the curried egg salad on an everything croissant — a real French person might be revolted, but it makes a good breakfast change of pace.
Davey’s Ice Cream
This burgeoning East Village ice cream chain has a counter on the side of the main terminal of the Moynihan Train Hall. It scoops ice cream like the supermarket types you may have enjoyed as a child: not too creamy or dense, but with exotic flavors never dreamed of. For this map, Eater NY checked out the flavor called strong coffee, which the clerk assured us had a full pull of espresso in each scoop, by way of warning. Bring it on!
Pastrami Queen
Since 1956, this kosher deli has been slinging great pastrami sandwiches, and now there’s a branch in the Moynihan Food Hall. The rye is compact, the brisket variations (pastrami, corned beef, roast brisket) moist and thin-sliced. Other deli items available include miniature potato pancakes, pigs in blankets, hot dogs, and knishes.
Rose Pizza
Now known as Rose Pizza, without the apostrophe “s,” this longtime fixture of the Long Island Railroad Concourse is your typical Midtown pizzeria, with dozens of pies, some good, some bad, displayed behind glass. But the real utility of this place — which provides seating where you can linger — is a draft beer selection running to 30 pulls, and bottled beer, too. So, grab a brewsky, make yourself comfortable, and wait for a train that may not ever arrive.
Blue Bottle Coffee
Blue Bottle is a San Francisco chain that takes its coffee a little too seriously, if you ask us, but then the coffee is better than nearly anything else in town, mellow yet assertive, and expertly prepared. This counter is on the edge of the main floor of the Moynihan Train Hall under the towering ceiling and big clock, whatever the map herewith seems to indicate. Espresso beverages preferred, or try the New Orleans-style cold brew with plenty of ice and the milk and sugar already added.
NY Pizza Suprema
If there were a sub-genre of New York City pizza called “train pizza,” this place would be its foremost purveyor. Passengers scrambling on and off trains stop here for a quick bite, or a full pie to take along, to be eaten under the jealous eyes of fellow passengers. The slices are larger than usual, and represent a vast range of toppings, all of which can be examined behind the glass sneeze guard as you enter.
Penn Sushi
Penn Sushi has seemingly been around forever, a small sushi counter with no seating other than a few standing tables in front, a place rushed by but rarely noticed by passengers on the Amtrak level. The sushi is quite good, most of it in a roll vein, but freshly made and not gummy in the least. You should probably stick with the spicy tuna or California roll, but on a revisit for this map we tried the crunchy tiger roll, replete with avocado, surimi, mayo, eel, shrimp tempura, and tempura crunchies, a full meal.
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Salumeria Biellese Delicatessen
Biellese is the metro area’s most famous purveyor of Italian sliced meats, now made in their Jersey curing facilities, including arcane pork products like guanciale, lardo, and some amazing dried salami. This shop now sells red-sauced Neapolitan pastas and some great hot heroes, but you can also stop by for some bread and some mortadella or prosciutto and eat it on the train, picnic style.
Wooga NYC
Wooga is a descendant of a Ft. Lee Korean barbecue that specializes in beef steak, which is dry aged in a glass cabinet on the premises. The steaks include rib-eye, galbi, skirt, and tomahawk, all grilled tableside with sprigs of rosemary and served with banchan, including house-pickled kimchi. Seafood, pork butt, and truffle fries also available, but note the place doesn’t open until 4 p.m., seven days.
Ichiran
Japanese tonkotsu ramen sensation Ichiran has brought its solo dining booths to Midtown, and there’s no better place to zen out alone than in one of those library-style carrels with a bowl of noodle soup done to exact specifications. Options that must be specified as you order include broth richness, noodle texture, and add-ons as desired.
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Piggyback by Pig & Khao
Piggyback opened in early 2020, and has managed to hang on and even swell in popularity in the interim. Chef Leah Cohen, who’s also behind Lower East Side Pig & Khao, uses Piggyback as her place to play with a variety of Southeast Asian fare — fried pho, lemongrass branzino, a wonton mee loaded with noodles and braised pork belly, and a lamb rendang, things often absent from the downtown menu. There’s a comfortable bar handy to the transportation hub, if you just want a mixed drink.