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 at 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 great options. This guide of mostly 24-hour restaurants includes Upper East Side institutions, outdoor taquerias, and all-night Korean barbecue restaurants.
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Floridita
Hours: 24/7
Open since 1995, this Cuban Dominican restaurant in Washington Heights draws a crowd with its bistec, rotisserie chicken, and many versions of mofongo. 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 that has same hours.
Roti Roll (Bombay Frankie)
Hours: Thursday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 a.m.; Sunday to Monday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.; Tuesday to Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 3 a.m.
Kathi rolls, roti wrapped around fillings like egg, chickpeas, and marinated lamb, are the specialty of this late-night shop on the Upper West Side. They come in several preparations for about $5 to $10 each, like creamy chicken malai, pickled paneer, and curried shrimp.
JG Melon
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 3 a.m., Monday to Saturday; 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m., Sunday
Open since 1972, J.G. Melon is an Upper East Side institution. The restaurant is known for its burger, a thick patty that comes with pickles and red onion on the side. From Monday to Saturday, the bar stays open until 3 a.m. Cash only.
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, this crowded Hell’s Kitchen restaurant 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, spicy arepas, chicken soup with cilantro and rice, frozen margaritas, and stellar corn empanadas.
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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.
Tosokchon
Hours: 24/7
Sure, there are probably a dozen 24-hour restaurants in Koreatown, so why pick this one? Well, there’s hangover soup on the menu, so you can inoculate yourself against a headache-y aftermath by ordering the soup and eating it while you’re drinking the soju, sake, or boutique Korean beer provided. Lots of homestyle comfort foods on the menu, too, including giant bowls of noodle soup, organ meat buffets, and the stir fried rice cakes called tteokbokki.
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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 hero sandwiches, over a dozen omelets, and Jell-O.
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Coppelia
Hours: 24/7
Coppelia, a Cuban diner, has been open round-the-clock in Chelsea for more than a decade. The menu has Mexican and Cuban dishes, like chilaquiles and Cubanos, plus diner staples. The food is affordable with most dishes priced around $15.
The Donut Pub
Hours: 24/7
The original location of Donut Pub is back open after a structural mishap shut it down. There are new flavors on the menu, like tiramisu and apple caramel, but the classics are best. Try the affordable jelly doughnut, which comes covered in powdered sugar. There’s a second location in Noho with the same hours.
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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.
Mamoun’s Falafel
Hours: Monday to Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 3 a.m.; Friday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 a.m.; Sunday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Decades after opening in Greenwich Village, Mamoun’s Falafel still serves one of the city’s most popular late-night meals: affordable falafel sandwiches with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and tahini. Lamb shawarma and chicken kebab are also available in sandwiches and platters.
Hen House
Hours: Tuesday to Wednesday, noon to 10 p.m.; Thursday, noon to midnight; Friday and Saturday, from noon to 3 a.m.; Sunday, noon to 8 p.m.
Hen House, a Lebanese restaurant, is known for its pita filled with lamb shawarma, chicken, and french fries. After hours, the restaurant serves a separate late-night menu with Lebanese poutine and fried chicken sandwiches.
Dim Sum Palace
Hours: 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. daily
There are more than 50 kinds of dim sum on the menu at Dim Sum Palace, a small chain whose location in Manhattan Chinatown stays open until 3 a.m. every night. 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.
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Hadramout Restaurant
Hours: 24/7
Big portions of Yemeni cuisine are the draw at this 24-hour restaurant, sandwiched between Clinton and Court streets on Atlantic Avenue’s heavily Middle Eastern corridor. Open since 1996, the small subterranean space with a few tables turns out solid lamb dishes (in stews, sandwiches, and more), with huge rounds of bread to scoop up and dip into everything.
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Lahori Chilli
Hours: 24/7
Lahori Chilli, named after Pakistan’s second-largest city, is popular among cab drivers, who dash in at all hours for samosas, plates of haleem, and salads dotted with chickpeas. The pastry case and steam table are both full of pre-made foods, and there’s a small dining room in the back with a few red booths.