Pearl Oyster Bar closed permanently at the end of October.
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i know people love cafe lux, our last meal there was our last.
My last meal there was in 1987, and I’m good.
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We are talking UWS after all, which stands for Unremarkable Weak Sustenance
There’s a fair amount of decent food up there. You don’t have to settle for a place that was past its prime 30+ years ago. Although you do have to admire its staying power.
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You’re right by the subway, so there really isn’t much reason to limit yourself to a 10 block radius, but still.
Mediterranean - Elea, North Miznon
French - Bar Boulud used to be a favorite, but I was disappointed a few times last year and haven’t been back this year to see if they fixed the kitchen issues. (Another option is to take the subway down to Frenchette or any of the other bistro or other french places people love in the city.) Cafe Luxembourg is almost always full — not one of my favorites, but many people do love it fwiw.
Asian - Momofuku Noodle Bar, Red Farm, Gari, Jing Fong (dim sum - better than a lot of what’s in Chinatown and definitely better than Boston options), Han Dynasty (Sichuan - not sure how your local options stack up)
Other - Charles Fried Chicken, Maison Pickle, Chama Mama, Barney Greengrass
Some more thoughts recs here and here.
Agree that Absolute is better than Zabar’s for a bagel, but I’m not sure it’s an hour or more’s worth better, which is how long it took me in line the last few times. Someone I trust recently told me that Bagel King is much better than reviews suggest. Zabar’s, Fairway, and Citarella are all just fine too, and if you’re stopping at Zabar’s get some rugelach as well
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this is always my spot when i’m up in that area. nice atmosphere. give me the sable, bagel, cream cheese, eggs, latkes and chocolate babka/halvah and coffee and I’m a happy guy.
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The subway is a marvelous tool. Our neighborhood is not known for places to eat. You can eat here and eat ok, but if you’re in from out of town it’s worth getting on the subway. Downtown is 20 minutes away and Williamsburg, cobble hill are 35 minutes away and Astoria maybe 40-45. Up here, Barney Greengrass. The food shopping is better than our restaurants. That said, Fairway is not what is was and Zabars prices have gone up as has everybody’s. Citarella is nice for fresh fish and meat. If you like spicy, go to Peckin Chicken in Brooklyn, maybe 35 minutes by train. And Flushing, the largest Chinatown on the east coast is 30- minutes by subway from Times square. Elmhurst is about 30 minutes as well and there is a nascent That town and well as Chinese and if you walk a bit, not much, a lot of Mexican and other Latin places.
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That’s a bit harsh. Especially to someone asking where to eat in the neighborhood, where most people who live there actually do eat.
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I tend to agree with morekasha.
Whenever I am in the area (generally it’s at Columbia U), only place I stop at is Absolute Bagels, and then I head to Harlem to find good eats.
I’ve lived in 10025 for decades. It’s never been a neighborhood that people travel to for restaurants. That’s just a fact. We have had good food shopping but alas, the competition has stepped up in other neighborhoods. That said, the subway is the great equalizer. You can get to many amazing places to eat & drink and not worry about dwi.
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Been here? I need a report, because I like the look of it.
ETA: NM! It’s closed. Oh, well.
it was good!
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true but mamas too became destination pizza when pete wells called it one of the best restaurants of the year. basically ruined it for those of us who were grabbing a couple of slices, eating at the counter and talking pizza with the owner but happy he has seen success.
has the consistency at szechuan garden improved? we’ve found a couple of decent chinese places on the ues but miss some of their dishes and we’re considering a pilgrammage.
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Dammit! I don’t get up there enough.
Did you go to Grain House much when you lived nearby? I recently went for my first post-pandemic visit and we liked it better than Han, but I haven’t eaten the same dishes at SG so won’t compare (agree with you re lack of consistency there, my friends nearby prefer to order from Han though it’s further and more expensive for that reason). Always well populated by what appear to be Chinese students from Columbia.
Have Thai Market nearby on my list, not sure if it existed when you were in the neighborhood.
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How often are you in the area?
When school is in session, about 2x a semester
Yes, but that’s a different perspective. OP asked where to eat in the neighborhood while living there for a few days, or at least that’s how I read it.
Of all the meals I eat out, I probably eat out a lot more in other neighborhoods, but I eat in the neighborhood plenty even then. Hard not to, unless one wants to get on a subway for every meal ever eaten out.
we’ve been to grain house and ordered takeout during the pandemic. we thought certain dishes like mapo tofu and pork belly were better than sg but do love the cumin lamb and szechuan style kung pao chicken at sg. At some point I thought the problem might come down to what days certain chefs were in the kitchen. Post-pandemic, it got really variable/disappointing.
we had a couple of meals at han, I thought the food faux-szechuan but to be fair, didn’t sample enough of the menu and we were thrilled with sg at the time. However, i trust your palate and if you think it’s good, I’m sure it is. People rave about thai market and it’s always crowded but it didn’t do it for me.
there was certainly enough to keep us interested when we lived on the uws. between sg, manhattan valley, akbar (closed), bahn, absolute, broadway diner, koko wings, malaysian grill, mamas too, sal and carmine, xian (sadly closed), flor, mermaid inn happy hour, etc. To be honest, living on the UES has been a plus as it motivates us to travel outside the area a lot more since we don’t love the food/prices.
best,
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