Reviews of restaurants and cafes near the United Nations. Excellent choices for lunch and dinner in Midtown East in New York City.
Fusion is the fashion these days, but the concept is fairly fuzzy. It can just mean that an Italian and an Argentine got married and decided to share a stove. But if you’re lucky, it will really mean that some great minds with good cooking skills have pooled ingredients and techniques from different parts of … Read more
If you didn’t know it was there, you could easily walk right by the new Luke’s Lobster, just east of Third Avenue on East 43rd. Scaffolding next door has left the double glass doors at the front of the restaurant in the dark, and there’s only a small blackboard sign to let you know you’re … Read more
Should you go to a health-food restaurant just because the food is good for you? No, you should go there because the cooking is healthy and tastes great. Now, a related question: If you call your place “Kale” and add chopped bits of it to nearly every dish on the menu, will they come? To … Read more
At the Blue Olive Market, a new casual restaurant and carryout service in the United Nations neighborhood, you can be out the door in minutes with a lunch of rack of lamb — four lovely rare-cooked chops — along with two vegetable side dishes, all for the princely sum of $13.95. The market, on East … Read more
At Paname, a new restaurant that bears the French slang name for Paris, it’s not just about what’s cooking but making it good looking too. A bit of a hike from the UN, just north of 56th Street on Second Avenue, Paname offers a $20 prix-fixe lunch. If you can spare the time for a … Read more
New York is a city of contradictions. On the one hand, there is kale. But it takes both hands to raise a big and greasy grilled-cheese sandwich that starts falling apart the moment you try to pick it up. Which brings us to The Pullman Kitchen, on Second Avenue near 51st Street. Capitalizing on a … Read more
Has the United Nations never had a hangout? It does now. Drop by Pennylane Coffee just about any time of day and you’ll see that nearly everyone is sporting the blue UN badge. The storefront bears no name or street number, so take a walk down 45th Street between First and Second Avenues and look … Read more
One of the great things about New York’s restaurant scene is its diversity. You don’t have to look very far to find seductive fare from Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa — not to mention New Orleans, Cape Cod and Texas. So why is it that when you’re looking for lunch in … Read more
At long last, there’s a burlesque hall right down the street from the United Nations. I just go there for the food, of course. “From live music and always plenty of room to dance, to Dinner Theatre featuring Coney Island Side Shows, Burlesque and Soulful Singing, our entertainment is always eclectic and fun!” boasts the venue’s … Read more
Dag Hammarskjold never had it so good — the plaza, that is, and not the late great United Nations secretary-general. After years of putting up with mediocre cafes in one of the city’s most pleasant outdoor spots, a tree-shaded stretch of 47th Street between First and Second Avenues, members of the UN community and other … Read more
Thai fast food in Midtown: Five words that conjure up soggy stir-fries aging on steam tables or bland fusion fodder. But Dee Daa, a perky place that just opened on East 44th Street between Lexington and Third Avenues, is actually turning out tasty dishes cooked largely to order and pretty much in the spirit of … Read more
When I ordered a cup of “natural veggie chili” at Good to Go Organics the other day, the friendly, aim-to-please counterman told me I would never guess it was vegetarian. “Customers are always asking me if I gave them the beef chili by accident,” he said. “It tastes so meaty.” But that wasn’t the first … Read more
They say that an army travels on its stomach. If the same is true of international diplomacy, the United Nations is in big trouble. The main UN cafeteria in New York recently sprang back to life as headquarters staff members started returning to the painstakingly renovated landmark Secretariat tower. But it appears the troops are … Read more
Alcala Restaurant has been dishing out traditional Spanish fare to the United Nations community for decades, and a recent move from East 46th Street to East 44th appears to have done nothing to change it, from the old-fashioned menu to the regulars at the next table. You’ll find the same dishes the last time you … Read more
What are we to think about a place named Amaze Fusion and Lounge? Its Web site says that “Amaze’s atmosphere, which complements and attracts a fashion, music and entertainment clientele, takes you off the busy streets of Manhattan and transcends you to the middle of the Asian culture.” But that doesn’t really seem to be … Read more
It’s not every day that you want to drop $30 or $40 on lunch. But if you have the time to pamper yourself with a nice relaxed meal, check out the new Socarrat Paella Bar. It looks, feels and tastes more New York than Valencia, but Socarrat, located on Second Avenue just above 50th Street, … Read more
A life-changing stint in Philadelphia during my formative years left me with an irrepressible yearning for a truly great sandwich, coupled with enormous sadness over the difficulty of finding one. The hoagie of yore — a generously filled, crusty Italian roll doused with olive oil, vinegar and Italian spices and lined with shreds of raw … Read more
Chinese dumplings, one of the world’s great comfort foods, are steaming into the UN neighborhood. Rickshaw Dumpling Bar, a Manhattan chain with aspirations to go national, opened a branch at Lexington Avenue and 45th Street last fall, offering a slick and somewhat ethnically cleansed version of the plump little delicacies at uptown prices. In April, … Read more
What a tragic missed opportunity. The Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, which runs along East 47th Street between First and Second Avenues, is one of the most pleasant open spaces on Manhattan’s East Side and home to one of the city’s best greenmarket. United Nations employees traverse the plaza throughout the day on the way to work … Read more
BonChon Midtown is an ambitious new Korean Asian fusion restaurant just up the street from the UN campus. Or BonChon Midtown is a lively Midtown sports bar with 27 draft beers, a loud rock soundtrack and four — count ’em! four! — giant TV screens. Take your pick. This is a clearly a restaurant with … Read more
