UN EATS

Reviews of restaurants and cafes near the United Nations. Excellent choices for lunch and dinner in Midtown East in New York City.

• May 5, 2022

Everything about Montagu’s Gusto is unexpected, from its name and the size and sweep of its menu to its location, on a nondescript stretch of Second Avenue near 35th Street, sandwiched between a reflexology salon and a Chinese takeout bizarrely named Profit. The menu’s breadth aside, this modest spot (14 minutes by foot from …

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Warm Your Hands in Front of the Shawarma

Deborah Baldwin and Irwin Arieff

• December 28, 2021

Once upon a time, self-appointed food critics tasted a dish and gave it thumbs up (or down). These days it has to pass a different test. Is it ready for its close-up? Don’t blame restaurants for tuning in. As a recent email pitch from one restaurant suggested, you really must try its “Instagramable Bottomless …

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Dahlias for Your Darling, and a Lavender Latte While You Wait

Deborah Baldwin and Irwin Arieff

• October 14, 2021

The next time you pass by a florist who is pulling shots, pull over. It’s not often you get to inhale the heady perfume of freshly brewed coffee, hand-tied bouquets and artfully potted flowering plants. Remarkably, you can have this most un-Starbucksian experience — and pastry — at two spots along Second Avenue just …

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A Crozes-Hermitage With That Burger, Please

Irwin Arieff and Deborah Baldwin

• November 21, 2019

Second Avenue near the United Nations is not exactly expense-account row, which makes Château 49 something of an anomaly, in more ways than one. There aren’t many spots in this area where you can order two glasses of red wine at high noon without apology, tuck into slow-cooked coq au vin and relax over …

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Craving Ceviche and Other Delights During the UN General Assembly? A NYC Foodie Guide

Sonah Lee-Lassiter

• September 20, 2019

New Yorkers know full well to avoid East Midtown Manhattan around mid-September. During those few weeks, when the United Nations General Assembly opens its annual session, multiple street blocks go into a major security gridlock in this part of town. Despite the increase in crowds and traffic, the world leaders, diplomats and international policy …

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The UN Headquarters’ Incredibly Shrinking Dining Choices

Irwin Arieff

• July 11, 2019

Six years ago, hungry staff members at the United Nations’ New York headquarters thought big changes were afoot in the cafeteria, and not a moment too soon. Toward the end, the provider, Aramark, a publicly traded firm best known for its catering at prisons and baseball stadiums, replaced silverware with plastic and got rid of all …

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At The Pho 5, Vietnamese-Style Tacos and Slurpy Noodles

Irwin Arieff

• May 24, 2019

Sure, you could check out The Pho 5 for its oversized bowls of beefy pho, its slurpable vermicelli and its tempting summer and spring rolls. But don’t snub the tacos. As slick nouvelle-Vietnamese cooking is trending, The Pho 5 offers simpler, more straightforward fare, in a sliver storefront on Third Avenue near 39th Street. …

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Little Tong Noodle Shop, Packing the Heat and the Crowds

Irwin Arieff

• February 14, 2019

Little Tong wants you to fall in love with its rice noodles, known as mixian in Yunnan province, their place of origin. But don’t ignore the big draw at this diminutive Turtle Bay restaurant — as if you could: incendiary spice blends that make your mouth sting and eyes tear up the moment you …

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Art and Lunch, a Felicitous Blend at Rose Hill

Irwin Arieff and Deborah Baldwin

• April 27, 2018

Some people at the United Nations remain in mourning since Matisse shut down in February after serving as the corner cantine to hungry diplomats and their friends and neighbors for nearly nine years. If you are still feeling a void in your lunchtime routine, there’s good news: a sister restaurant called Rose Hill opened …

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Jasmine: Authentic Chinese Food Now Starring in Midtown Manhattan

Irwin Arieff

• January 18, 2018

Per conventional wisdom, it’s a big mistake to go out for Chinese food in Midtown Manhattan. For great Chinese dishes in New York, make your way to Chinatown; if not the one in Manhattan, then in Brooklyn or Queens. But that may no longer be the case, thanks to an increasingly impressive collection of …

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Peak Thai, a UN Neighborhood Star

Irwin Arieff

• June 2, 2017

Peak Thai is hidden on a side street — East 49th — and easy to miss. It may never win a Michelin star. But there’s a reason lines form around noon: you can count on this quiet, efficiently run restaurant for solid cooking and pocket-friendly prices. These days, that’s no small thing. It is …

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The Danes Shake Up Dining Choices at Grand Central Terminal

Irwin Arieff

• December 15, 2016

During New York’s bad old days, Vanderbilt Hall, the waiting room at Grand Central Terminal, was a vast public space populated by homeless people napping on heavy wooden benches alongside some hardy souls actually waiting for trains. The benches were banished in the 1970s and the space has been at loose ends ever since, …

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Five Places to Eat a Quick, Tasty Lunch Near the UN

Irwin Arieff

• September 18, 2016

Diplomacy is hard work, and you can easily work up a fierce appetite at United Nations headquarters, whether you’re an actual diplomat or just there to watch. Here are five spots — in no particular order — where you can take a break and get a good meal within easy walking distance of the …

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A Tiny Vietnamese Spot Packing Plenty of Flavor

Irwin Arieff

• August 3, 2016

It’s an unforgivable cliché, of course, to say that good things come in small packages. But hey, in this case, it is true. @ The Spot is about as small as a place can get and still count as a restaurant. But it is a potential destination nonetheless. The modishly named spot focuses on …

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Momosan: Ramen Specialties Cooked by an Iron Chef

Irwin Arieff

• June 9, 2016

It started out as fast and filling food for impoverished students. Now ramen is a huge commodity and restaurants are ladling it out all over New York City, often with haute cuisine pretensions and prices to match. So what’s the big deal about a bowl of broth with noodles? Well, how about if the …