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Black awning, entranceway, with tables on the sidewalk on either side.
Fonda is a relaxing Mexican restaurant on a Tribeca side street.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

17 of Tribeca’s Top Places to Eat

French bistros, Moroccan, Cajun-Creole, and Laotian

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Fonda is a relaxing Mexican restaurant on a Tribeca side street.
| Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

What started out as a warehousing and manufacturing neighborhood little known to those who didn’t work there, slid downhill for decades before turning into a district populated with artist’s lofts by the ‘70s and ‘80s. From thence it eventually became the refuge of the wealthy, who took floor-through former studios and factories and turned them into luxury pieds-a-terre by the ‘90s.

But its quiet streets, many still cobbled, have increasingly become one of the city’s best neighborhoods for dining, while still retaining much of their Victorian-era commercial ambiance. In fact, many of the restaurants on this list are newcomers, with a healthy mix of older places that have miraculously remained, as the neighborhood’s complexion changed. There are restaurants on this list to mark each of Tribeca’s three successive eras.

The boundaries of Tribeca — the “Triangle Below Canal” — run from the south side of Canal Street on the north and both sides of Chambers Street on the south, to the Hudson River on the west and Broadway on the east, though the borders are somewhat elastic, especially on the south.

Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; it may pose a risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial COVID transmission.

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Pepolino

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Pepolino opened in 1999 and was almost impossible to get into for months. Every meal should begin with sformato, a pretty spinach flan, then progress to dishes like polenta with shaved black truffles, papparedelle in a wild-boar ragu, and roast lamb shank in red wine. The bilevel decor recalls both a Tuscan farmhouse and the Renaissance-era buildings of Florence.

Wide noodles with crumbly sauce and a bit of grated cheese on top.
Wide noodles with crumbly sauce and a bit of grated cheese on top.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Westside Coffee Shop

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Westside Coffee Shop is a throwback to the days when Tribeca was part of the “West Side” as in “West Side Story,” and its lunch-counter layout betrays its age. It has accumulated cuisines for 60 years and more, and advertises Spanish, American, and Mexican chow on its awning — and does all of them well. Try the Cuban sandwich or the salad-topped chicken enchiladas, which are served with a separate bowl of chile guajillo

A sandwich cut in two with roast pork and boiled ham visible.
The Cuban sandwich at Westside Coffee Shop.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Grandaisy Bakery

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Grandaisy started as an unconnected offshoot from a former partner of Sullivan Street Bakery, and at this showroom and cafe across the street from a very pretty pocket park, the vegetable-topped focaccia squares, Italian butter cookies, tiny tartlets with a shifting roster of fruit ingredients, hand pies, and sandwiches on distinguished breads continue and even extend the tradition.

Grandaisy Bakery
Grandaisy’s epic bread pudding.
Daniela Galarza

Frenchette

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When it opened in Spring 2018 by alums of Balthazar on the nicest square in Tribeca, Frenchette caused a sensation. It was a French bistro that concentrated on natural wine along with dishes a shade richer and more luxuriant than its bistro and brasserie competitors. Blood sausage served on soft scrambled eggs was one example, and others included leg of lamb, cote de boeuf, and saffron-laced fish soup. The duo has also opened its bakery nearby.

Frenchette’s bar with red stools and red booths alongside Photo by Alex Staniloff

Bâtard

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French-focused, Michelin-starred Batard features Daniel Boulud alum Doug Brixton running the kitchen of this Tribeca staple founded by Drew Nieporent. Choose between two courses for $79, three courses for $95, or four courses for $105, with at least five options to select from for each course.

Puffy's Tavern

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Puffy’s is a very plain pub that dates to the 1940s, but in 1977 it was taken over by artists fleeing Soho’s rising rents and growing invasion by art-hungry agents and tourists. At first it was a secret, but by the turn of the century had become a tourist destination unto itself, a vestige of Tribeca’s receding artistic past. Nowadays, it’s a fine place for a draft beer and an Italian pressed sandwich.

Tables and chairs on one side, wooden bar on the other.
Puffy’s plain barroom dates to the 1940s.
Puffy’s Tavern

Filé Gumbo Bar

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Opened last May, File Gumbo Bar is one of two Cajun Creole restaurants in Tribeca (the other is 1803 on Reade Street). It concentrates on gumbo, with any combination of shrimp, andouille, chicken, and crab; as well as po’ boys of shrimp and fried oysters. A few other classics also available, and don’t miss the freshly fried potato chips with a remoulade dip.

A bowl of dark red stew with a giant shrimp perched on top.
Gumbo from File Gumbo Bar.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Square Diner

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This tiny Finn Square diner, manufactured by the Kullman company of New Jersey to resemble a railroad dining car and dropped here in the 1940s, is a reminder of Tribeca’s manufacturing past. Now it’s a relaxing hang with a specialty in omelets and other all-day breakfasts, plus the usual evolved Greek diner fare of burgers, fish tacos, pot pies, lamb gyros, and Cuban sandwiches.

Square Diner
Square Diner in Tribeca is actually shaped like a triangle.
Square Diner

Zutto Japanese American Pub

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Zutto is one of those places you spot on the way to the Holland Tunnel and make a mental note to stop there sometime. Well, we did and this long-running izakaya remains a pleasant place to have a drink or eat a meal, with a Japanese American menu that includes sushi, ramen, steamed buns and other small dishes. As of late it’s offering DIY handrolls.

A black bowl with both noodles and wontons.
The unexpected wonton ramen at Zutto.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Tara Kitchen

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This small chain began with three branches upstate and one on the Jersey Shore, then came here recently. It brings with it a menu vaster than our previous (and sadly paltry) collection of Moroccan restaurants. One memorable dish is rfissa, a comforting stew of spiced chicken in lentils and currents deposited on a bed of torn flatbreads, turning them pudding-like.

Big chunks of chicken amid lentils and caramelized onions.
Big chunks of chicken amid lentils and caramelized onions.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

The Odeon

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When the Odeon opened in 1980, it was one of the first upscale restaurants in the neighborhood, and a harbinger of the sort of elegant French restaurant that was to become a Tribeca staple — including the now-defunct Chanterelle, Batard, and current fave, Frenchette. When Odeon appeared, the neighborhood was still pretty dead at night, and it became a notorious late-night hang for the SNL cast and other artsy bohemian types. Then, as now, the menu ran to steak tartare, raw oysters, french onion soup, sandwiches, and a burger.

A bard with red stools, mirrors, and tables.
The bar at The Odeon.
Daniel Krieger/Eater NY

Khe-Yo occupies a dark and almost-Gothic dining room with bare brick walls, making a pretty romantic date spot. But the menu comes as something of a surprise, with its emphasis on Southeast Asian food, especially the hard-to-find Laotian. Choices run to spring rolls of Berkshire pork, crunchy rice balls, pork curry noodles, and a bowl of pho, Laotian style. Banh mi sandwiches available at lunch.

A bowl of soup with noodles being held above with chopsticks.
Laotian-style pho at Khe-Yo.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Fonda is located on a quiet side street, part of a mini-chainlet of great Mexican restaurants that trace their lineage to Austin’s Fonda San Miguel. Recipes come from all corners of Mexico, with a particularly rich tortilla soup, a watermelon salad with bouncy Oaxacan cheese, and large pork carnitas served with shredded onions and charro beans.

Shredded duck peaks out from under tortillas in a bright orange sauce. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Fresh Curry

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The strip of Church running north from Chambers has long been an inexpensive eats refuge, a couple of gritty blocks that stand in contrast to the rest of Tribeca. In their midst find Fresh Curry, a Pakistani steam table joint enveloping the patron in delicious smells. The goat curry is particularly notable, richly meaty with even a marrow bone or two, whether served over white rice or biryani, for which there’s an extra charge.

Savory pastries on a top shelf and tubs of curries underneath. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Nish Nush

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This decade-old Israeli spot is to be recommended for its scintillatingly fresh salads, fried-to-order falafels, multiple hummus variations, and such homestyle delicacies as shakshuka and masabacha. The dining room is open and airy with views of the bustling commercial neighborhood and the service is fast casual.

Nish Nush Nish Nush

Smyth Tavern

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There’s a renewed trend of ambitious restaurants opening just off fancy hotel lobbies, as a quasi-amenity that guarantees you’ll be able to go for breakfast and lunch. Smyth Tavern also channels the city’s earliest taverns, not only in its woody decor and pub-like darkness, but in its menu of parker house rolls, deviled eggs, uni lobster malfadine, roast chicken, and steaks. Don’t miss the hidden next-door bar and lounge with a fireplace, Galerie.

A bartender stands behind the counter of a large, dark bar with backless stools lined up against it. Gary He/Eater NY

Chambers

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Chambers is an exemplar of the new breed of French wine bars, with food that’s unusually creative for a wine bar — replacing the usual charcuterie and tartines with seasonal vegetable melanges and main courses featuring steak and beans, both cooked to perfection. It’s one of the chillest spots in the neighborhood, with the kind of sign seen in old railroad stations next to the bar rolling out the specials of the evening.

A yellow sauce with peaches and corn kernels in it. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

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Pepolino

Pepolino opened in 1999 and was almost impossible to get into for months. Every meal should begin with sformato, a pretty spinach flan, then progress to dishes like polenta with shaved black truffles, papparedelle in a wild-boar ragu, and roast lamb shank in red wine. The bilevel decor recalls both a Tuscan farmhouse and the Renaissance-era buildings of Florence.

Wide noodles with crumbly sauce and a bit of grated cheese on top.
Wide noodles with crumbly sauce and a bit of grated cheese on top.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Westside Coffee Shop

Westside Coffee Shop is a throwback to the days when Tribeca was part of the “West Side” as in “West Side Story,” and its lunch-counter layout betrays its age. It has accumulated cuisines for 60 years and more, and advertises Spanish, American, and Mexican chow on its awning — and does all of them well. Try the Cuban sandwich or the salad-topped chicken enchiladas, which are served with a separate bowl of chile guajillo

A sandwich cut in two with roast pork and boiled ham visible.
The Cuban sandwich at Westside Coffee Shop.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Grandaisy Bakery

Grandaisy started as an unconnected offshoot from a former partner of Sullivan Street Bakery, and at this showroom and cafe across the street from a very pretty pocket park, the vegetable-topped focaccia squares, Italian butter cookies, tiny tartlets with a shifting roster of fruit ingredients, hand pies, and sandwiches on distinguished breads continue and even extend the tradition.

Grandaisy Bakery
Grandaisy’s epic bread pudding.
Daniela Galarza

Frenchette

When it opened in Spring 2018 by alums of Balthazar on the nicest square in Tribeca, Frenchette caused a sensation. It was a French bistro that concentrated on natural wine along with dishes a shade richer and more luxuriant than its bistro and brasserie competitors. Blood sausage served on soft scrambled eggs was one example, and others included leg of lamb, cote de boeuf, and saffron-laced fish soup. The duo has also opened its bakery nearby.

Frenchette’s bar with red stools and red booths alongside Photo by Alex Staniloff

Bâtard

French-focused, Michelin-starred Batard features Daniel Boulud alum Doug Brixton running the kitchen of this Tribeca staple founded by Drew Nieporent. Choose between two courses for $79, three courses for $95, or four courses for $105, with at least five options to select from for each course.

Puffy's Tavern

Puffy’s is a very plain pub that dates to the 1940s, but in 1977 it was taken over by artists fleeing Soho’s rising rents and growing invasion by art-hungry agents and tourists. At first it was a secret, but by the turn of the century had become a tourist destination unto itself, a vestige of Tribeca’s receding artistic past. Nowadays, it’s a fine place for a draft beer and an Italian pressed sandwich.

Tables and chairs on one side, wooden bar on the other.
Puffy’s plain barroom dates to the 1940s.
Puffy’s Tavern

Filé Gumbo Bar

Opened last May, File Gumbo Bar is one of two Cajun Creole restaurants in Tribeca (the other is 1803 on Reade Street). It concentrates on gumbo, with any combination of shrimp, andouille, chicken, and crab; as well as po’ boys of shrimp and fried oysters. A few other classics also available, and don’t miss the freshly fried potato chips with a remoulade dip.

A bowl of dark red stew with a giant shrimp perched on top.
Gumbo from File Gumbo Bar.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Square Diner

This tiny Finn Square diner, manufactured by the Kullman company of New Jersey to resemble a railroad dining car and dropped here in the 1940s, is a reminder of Tribeca’s manufacturing past. Now it’s a relaxing hang with a specialty in omelets and other all-day breakfasts, plus the usual evolved Greek diner fare of burgers, fish tacos, pot pies, lamb gyros, and Cuban sandwiches.

Square Diner
Square Diner in Tribeca is actually shaped like a triangle.
Square Diner

Zutto Japanese American Pub

Zutto is one of those places you spot on the way to the Holland Tunnel and make a mental note to stop there sometime. Well, we did and this long-running izakaya remains a pleasant place to have a drink or eat a meal, with a Japanese American menu that includes sushi, ramen, steamed buns and other small dishes. As of late it’s offering DIY handrolls.

A black bowl with both noodles and wontons.
The unexpected wonton ramen at Zutto.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Tara Kitchen

This small chain began with three branches upstate and one on the Jersey Shore, then came here recently. It brings with it a menu vaster than our previous (and sadly paltry) collection of Moroccan restaurants. One memorable dish is rfissa, a comforting stew of spiced chicken in lentils and currents deposited on a bed of torn flatbreads, turning them pudding-like.

Big chunks of chicken amid lentils and caramelized onions.
Big chunks of chicken amid lentils and caramelized onions.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

The Odeon

When the Odeon opened in 1980, it was one of the first upscale restaurants in the neighborhood, and a harbinger of the sort of elegant French restaurant that was to become a Tribeca staple — including the now-defunct Chanterelle, Batard, and current fave, Frenchette. When Odeon appeared, the neighborhood was still pretty dead at night, and it became a notorious late-night hang for the SNL cast and other artsy bohemian types. Then, as now, the menu ran to steak tartare, raw oysters, french onion soup, sandwiches, and a burger.

A bard with red stools, mirrors, and tables.
The bar at The Odeon.
Daniel Krieger/Eater NY

Khe-Yo

Khe-Yo occupies a dark and almost-Gothic dining room with bare brick walls, making a pretty romantic date spot. But the menu comes as something of a surprise, with its emphasis on Southeast Asian food, especially the hard-to-find Laotian. Choices run to spring rolls of Berkshire pork, crunchy rice balls, pork curry noodles, and a bowl of pho, Laotian style. Banh mi sandwiches available at lunch.

A bowl of soup with noodles being held above with chopsticks.
Laotian-style pho at Khe-Yo.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Fonda

Fonda is located on a quiet side street, part of a mini-chainlet of great Mexican restaurants that trace their lineage to Austin’s Fonda San Miguel. Recipes come from all corners of Mexico, with a particularly rich tortilla soup, a watermelon salad with bouncy Oaxacan cheese, and large pork carnitas served with shredded onions and charro beans.

Shredded duck peaks out from under tortillas in a bright orange sauce. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Fresh Curry

The strip of Church running north from Chambers has long been an inexpensive eats refuge, a couple of gritty blocks that stand in contrast to the rest of Tribeca. In their midst find Fresh Curry, a Pakistani steam table joint enveloping the patron in delicious smells. The goat curry is particularly notable, richly meaty with even a marrow bone or two, whether served over white rice or biryani, for which there’s an extra charge.

Savory pastries on a top shelf and tubs of curries underneath. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Nish Nush

This decade-old Israeli spot is to be recommended for its scintillatingly fresh salads, fried-to-order falafels, multiple hummus variations, and such homestyle delicacies as shakshuka and masabacha. The dining room is open and airy with views of the bustling commercial neighborhood and the service is fast casual.

Nish Nush Nish Nush

Related Maps

Smyth Tavern

There’s a renewed trend of ambitious restaurants opening just off fancy hotel lobbies, as a quasi-amenity that guarantees you’ll be able to go for breakfast and lunch. Smyth Tavern also channels the city’s earliest taverns, not only in its woody decor and pub-like darkness, but in its menu of parker house rolls, deviled eggs, uni lobster malfadine, roast chicken, and steaks. Don’t miss the hidden next-door bar and lounge with a fireplace, Galerie.

A bartender stands behind the counter of a large, dark bar with backless stools lined up against it. Gary He/Eater NY

Chambers

Chambers is an exemplar of the new breed of French wine bars, with food that’s unusually creative for a wine bar — replacing the usual charcuterie and tartines with seasonal vegetable melanges and main courses featuring steak and beans, both cooked to perfection. It’s one of the chillest spots in the neighborhood, with the kind of sign seen in old railroad stations next to the bar rolling out the specials of the evening.

A yellow sauce with peaches and corn kernels in it. Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Related Maps