As late-night dining kicks back into high gear and more New Yorkers return to their workplaces, the city’s second favorite off-hours meal, lunch, is making a triumphant comeback, whether enjoyed from an open office in Midtown or a takeout counter in Ridgewood. This lunchtime update includes a cafe sibling from a Michelin-starred restaurant, a pasta cafe, a Hainan chicken spot, and a great biryani option with generous portions that can probably feed two.
Read More13 of the Hottest Lunch Spots in NYC Right Now
A pasta shop with seats, a bakery cafe, a biryani spot, a Hainan chicken option — and more
Hyderabadi Zaiqa
This Midtown walk-down space shows off its specialty in the decor, with a map showing the nearly 30 regional biryanis of India. There are plenty of biryanis to choose from including shrimp, eggs, lamb, paneer, and various vegetables — even a bright orange one that features Andhra mango pickles called avakaya. Goat dum biryani is one of the most popular options and it’s around $20.
Le Rock
Le Rock is our pick for lunch at the revamped Rockefeller Center, where millions of dollars were poured into turning the tired Midtown development into a citywide dining destination. Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson, of Tribeca’s famed French bistro Frenchette, opened at the center last summer in a high-ceilinged space that makes it easy to forget you’re sitting less than a hundred yards from an ice skating rink. A la carte lunch is served Tuesday to Saturday, with prix-fixe menus. The terrace has recently opened with its own abbreviated menu. Open for lunch starting at noon Tuesday through Saturday.
S&P
There may be no better daytime restaurant than S&P, a Flatiron lunch counter that opened in the former home of Eisenberg’s last year. Pull up a seat at the 40-foot counter and order from a menu of sandwiches topped with chopped olives and cream cheese; tuna salad and cranberry sauce; and peanut butter and bacon. (This is a restaurant from Court Street Grocers, after all.) More standard lunch fare, including burgers and matzoh ball soup, is also on offer.
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Burmese Bites
Amid a Burmese restaurant boom in the city, Queens Night Market favorite Burmese Bites now has its own standalone venue located inside the Queens Center Mall food court. Owner Myo Lin Thway is cooking up chicken curry with flaky palata bread (there’s also a vegan version), shan kaukswe (rice noodles with chicken curry and pickled mustard greens), and nan gyi thoke (a rice noodle salad), as well as daily-changing specials — all available for dine-in or takeout.
Lou Yau Kee Chicken Rice
Hainan chicken is the specialty at Lou Yau Kee. The stall, which opened in the Urbanspace food hall near Union Square, sells tender poached chicken over rice for under $20. The restaurant comes from a former chef at Hainan Jones, a popular stall in the Urban Hawker food hall.
Revelie Luncheonette
Revelie Luncheonette is from the team behind Raoul’s, a neighborhood stalwart known for its burgers served in short supply per night. Revelie serves an easier-to-get burger, with the option to add green chile. There’s also a terrific wedge salad, po’boy, patty melt, or crispy chicken sandwich. Bypass fries for the haystack zucchini. And in true luncheonette fashion, wash it down with a pistachio float.
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Raf's
Lunch service has begun at Raf’s, the newish cafe in the former Parisi Bakery space that’s a sibling to the Michelin-starred Musket Room. Consider the eggs in Purgatory Amatriciana (with guanciale and chiles), the Iberico collar Milanese, or the dry-aged beef burger, only on the menu at lunch, Tuesday to Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Prices run from $20 to $32 per dish.
Misipasta
Misipasta is the new restaurant from Missy Robbins and Sean Feeney, the owners of Brooklyn’s popular Italian spots Lilia and Misi. It’s really a pasta shop — fresh noodles, sauces, and cheeses are displayed on shelves to take home — but there are seats at two counters and more tables in the backyard. The short menu has grilled artichoke sandwiches and spaghetti with breadcrumbs, plus cocktails and wine, starting at 11 a.m. daily.
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Scarr's Pizza
Scarr’s is owned by Scarr Pimentel, one of the city’s few Black pizza makers, churning out what has routinely been described as the standard bearer for the perfect slice — now in a new location across from the original. The New York Times recently named the establishment one of 100 top restaurants in New York. It first opened in 2016, known for its New York-style slices, and “low-key milling its own grains.” Even though the new location is bigger than its humble beginnings at 750-square feet, customers can still snake down the block; lunch might be a faster option than dinner.
Super Burrito
Electric Burrito, a popular burrito shop, has a new location in Williamsburg. Its Mission-style burritos name-check the Bay Area and come stuffed with al pastor, carne asada, french fries, and more. Make one “super” by adding avocado and sour cream for two more dollars, or order a side cup of queso for dunking.
AbcV in the Tin Building by Jean-Georges
Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s food hall in the former Fulton Fish Market offers breakfast and lunch options to go or to stay, with stellar views from inside seating or outside facing the water. There’s lots to choose from, though consider the newly opened branch of vegetable-focused Abc-V upstairs.
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Mama Yoshi Mini Mart
Whether you’d prefer katsu made of cauliflower or chicken, spicy or regular, presented in squishy potato buns, or in a rice bowl, Mama Yoshi Mini Mart has it. This counter-service spot in Ridgewood has a few seats indoors, but most people pop in for takeout karaage, served in Greek coffee cups, or onigiri wrapped in plastic. There are drinks, chips, and candies, too.
Bobbi’s Italian Beef
This Cobble Hill sandwich shop is the latest in a string of spots to focus on foods from Chicago. The Chicago dogs are good and true to form — loaded with neon green relish, sport peppers, a pickle spear, and other required toppings — as is the Italian beef, a sandwich that’s dunked in meat juices prior to serving. Sandwiches are available in half or whole portions.
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