Hidden Restaurants in New York City

Posted by By Marc Hurwitz on: 2005-06-18 02:29:33

New York has a restaurant for every taste. In fact, Manhattan and the other boroughs probably have hundreds of restaurants for every taste.

In Part One of a special national restaurant feature, Boston's Hidden Restaurants gives a selected list of some of the best hidden restaurants in the Big Apple.

HIDDEN NEW YORK RESTAURANTS

Chinese/Cuban Restaurant

La Caridad 78 Restaurant
2199 Broadway (Upper West Side), Manhattan, NY 10024 (212) 874-2780
Like red beans and rice with your chow mein? If so, La Caridad 78 will satisfy your need for Cuban and Chinese cuisine. Don't expect friendly service at this homely little restaurant, but the food is tough to beat.

Delis and Diners

Manhattan Diner
2180 Broadway (Upper West Side), Manhattan, NY 10024 (212) 877-7252
The Manhattan Diner is a popular place with the Upper West Side locals, but no one else seems to know about it. This bustling little Greek diner is a great place for a quick, satisfying breakfast or lunch.

Old John's Luncheonette
148 W 67th Street (Lincoln Center), Manhattan, NY 10023 (212) 874-2700
"Lincoln Center's best-kept secret" is just that; Old John's Luncheonette is little-known, but serves outstanding meals all day long. It is worth coming to this friendly hole in the wall just for the Brooklyn-style french toast.

Red Flame Coffee Shop
67 W 44th Street (Times Square/Theater District), Manhattan, NY 10036 (212) 869-3965
Tucked away in a quiet neighborhood, yet a stone's throw from Times Square, the Red Flame serves up some very reasonable breakfast dishes. It is tiny, and often packed with locals, but worth any short wait you might encounter.

Eastern European Restaurants

Veselka
144 Second Avenue (East Village), Manhattan, NY 10003 (212) 228-9682
Veselka is a friendly East Village restaurant that serves terrific Ukrainian comfort food, including borscht, pirogis, and potato pancakes.

Hamburgers

Burger Joint (in Le Parker Meridien)
118 W 57th Street (Midtown), Manhattan, NY 10019 (212) 245-5000
Literally a hidden dining spot, this hole in the wall is buried inside the upscale Parker Meridien hotel. Imagine getting a juicy burger, fries, and a milkshake in Midtown for about $10. That's what you get at Burger Joint.

Italian Restaurants

Focacceria
87 Macdougal Street (Greenwich Village), Manhattan, NY 10012 (212) 253-8049
A favorite of Boston's Hidden Restaurants, Focacceria is a tiny, romantic trattoria that serves some tremendous Italian food to the Greenwich Village locals.

Marinella Restaurant
49 Carmine Street (West Village), Manhattan, NY 10014 (212) 807-7472
Cozy, intimate, and low-key, Marinella is one Italian restaurant in New York that should not be overlooked. Marinella is a hidden gem that may not be hidden for long.

Japanese Restaurants

Sekku Restaurant
343 Lexington Avenue (East Side/Grand Central), Manhattan, NY 10016
(212) 697-9020 A calm, quiet, peaceful place, Sekku is a great restaurant for those who want a respite from the hustle and bustle of New York. The sushi is terrific, as are the dinners such as the steak and chicken entrees.

Pizza

Vinnie's Pizza
285 Amsterdam Avenue (Upper West Side), Manhattan, NY 10023 (212) 874-4382
Vinnie's makes thick, gooey New York pizzas for the Upper West side locals who live near this terrific pizzeria. Tourists haven't caught on to this place, so enjoy the true New York experience here.

Pub Food

Chumley's
86 Bedford Street (West Village), Manhattan, NY 10014 (212) 675-4449
Chumley's may be well-known to West Village residents, but this former speakeasy is literally a hidden gem. Between the fireplace, the old wooden decor, and the comfort food, Chumley's is a winner.

Vietnamese Restaurants

Doyers Vietnamese Restaurant
11 Doyers Street (Chinatown), Manhattan, NY 10013 (212) 693-0725
Formerly called Vietnam, Doyers Vietnamese Restaurant is located in the basement of an old building on a narrow street in Chinatown. If you can find it, the restaurant is well worth going to for its soups and other entrees.

Boston's Hidden Restaurants is a restaurant guide that features top little-known dining spots in Boston and New England. This page is an excerpt of the original New York restaurant page that can be found on our site.