Victor’s Cafe — certainly the grandest Cuban restaurant in town — was founded on the Upper West Side in 1963, when it was still the Latin American neighborhood depicted in West Side Story. Subsequently it moved to 52nd Street, where it boasts a nightclubby ambiance, thanks to a renovation, and still turns out magnificent versions of ropa vieja and lechon asado, plus such smaller snacks to go with a mixed drink as empandas and salt-cod croquettes.

The Prohibition-era steakhouse continues to serve some serious cuts of meats grilled over hickory and solid classic cocktails. Start off with the bacon-studded clams casino, then pair a funky dry-aged rib-eye with fries and a blue cheese wedge salad. Those who seek the excellent prime rib roast should call ahead as it is not offered every night. Finish with key lime pie and expect a serious crowd.

Times Square might not be the first place you’d think of to cop a perfect Naples-style pizza flying from a wood-burning oven with a char-stippled crust and dots of mozzarella made with real water-buffalo milk, but there it is, right near the 50th Street stop on the C and E trains. Lots of other pizzas are available, including the a rare deep-fried montanara topped with porchetta.

This is where first time restaurateur Jasmine Gerald and longtime chef Basil Jones show off the multitudinous flavors of Jamaica — not typically represented in Times Square. Lightly smoked jerk wings, spicy and pungent, are a good place to start. Then move on to tender brown-stew chicken dripping rich sauce. Don’t overlook the jazzy pasta, a creamy rasta pasta flecked with peppers, jerk-style seasonings, and Parmesan.

Urban Hawker Market is a collection of Singapore-style food stalls just east of Times Square that is a tourist attraction onto itself. Best of all, perhaps, is Hainan Jones, which sells mildly spiced Hainanese chicken from far southern China in a set meal with rice, vegetables, dipping sauces, and a cup of the best chicken broth you’ve ever had.

E.A.K. Izakaya is a go-to option for good Japanese noodles in the Theater District, which overlaps with Times Square. The Japanese chain serves excellent lekei ramen — a blend of fatty pork-based tonkotsu and soy-based shoyu ramen, with wonderfully firm noodles.

Playwright is Times Square’s very best Irish bar, a multi-building complex that spills onto the sidewalk and climbs the stairs to a second floor. The neon alone is impressive, but the literary theme of the menu is edifying, and the burgers top notch. Seafood is a focus, too, and you can nearly always get a seat here with no reservation.

Founded in the 1965, Joe Allen is one of those colorful and not too expensive New York City bars that every tourist hopes to stumble on, and then excitedly tell their friends about back home. The brick-lined establishment is sufficiently dark and plain and the walls plastered with poster of bygone Broadway shows — all of them flops, as part of the humorous ethos of the place. A sleeper dish on the menu is the liver and onions.

This corner storefront shop near the north end of Times Square hit the neighborhood like a ton of bricks recently. From the outside it looked like an ornate library. Inside, the cans of sardines were arranged like multi-volume sets of books, some with historical themes, some aimed at partygoing youngsters. You can’t actually eat the sardines there. but you could sit in the nearby TKTS bleachers and eat them with crackers acquired from a deli.

Patzeria is right across the street from the Richard Rodgers Theater, where Hamilton continues its run, and crowds still snake along the sidewalk as you select your slice. The plain Sicilian is particularly cheesy, but then there’s the lasagna slice, the three-cheese slice, the fresh-mozzarella grandma slice, and the multi-veggie slice. But don’t neglect the hot heroes made to order, or the breakfasts. Open until midnight seven days.

Nestled on the third floor of a Diamond Street building, the kosher and Uzbek Taam Tov continues to rank among the city’s top hidden gems. This is where you go for succulent grilled kebabs, especially the chewy and fatty lamb ribs. Also don’t miss the excellent plov with sweet carrots and saffron. Note: Taam Tov closes 2:30 p.m. Friday and is closed on weekends.

The neighborhood east of Times Square along 46th Street is known as Little Brazil, and is the site of an annual festival. Once there were a dozen restaurants, now few remain. The best is Via Brasil, a semi-formal, old-fashioned place where classic Brazilian fritters, the national dish feijoada, and a handful of Afro-Brazilian dishes like shrimp muqueca are served. The cane liquor called cachaca flows freely.

Across the street from the New York Times headquarters southwest of Times Square, this halal burger joint without much seating serves currently stylish smash burgers, plus a plethora of other burger formations, and the delicious smells drift down West 40th Street. Chicken sandwiches and sliders are also available.

The concentration of Sichuan restaurants in the blocks south of Times Square is nothing short of amazing, especially since these places tend not to stint on Sichuan peppercorns. One of the finest is Best Sichuan. Anchoring the menu are standards like dan-dan noodles, spicy tripe, spicy dry pots, and braised fish with soybean paste. The semi-plush interior features high ceilings and a dining balcony at the rear.