New York City is a city which never sleeps, but funnily enough, you can find yourself struggling to get an unforgettable meal after 11pm. The venues that are great at prime dining time are not always packing a punch at the tail end of kitchen hours. There definitely is no reason why late-night food shouldn’t be bold, exciting and packed with fresh produce and made with love. It would help if the food provides comfort and ideally, absorbs alcohol.
We have come up with some of the best top restaurants in New York City which open 24 hours daily. All have stepped up and will change your understanding of what late-night dining in NYC should be.
Empire Biscuit
Empire Biscuit’s motto reads; “Breakfast, lunch, dinner, drunk.” No matter what time of day it is, this 24-hour venue turns out fresh southern-style biscuits. The conventional signature combos are highly recommended, together with Benton’s heritage breed bacon with a runny-yolked egg and cheddar, in house smoked ham and egg and the spicy fried chicken biscuit with pickled carrots and sauce a l’orange.
Where: East Village
Empanada Mama
Empanada Mama is a Colombian-inspired restaurant. This is a great spot for a pre-theatre bite, but 5am works too. It offers more than 40 empanadas, from wheat flour to oven-baked wheat flour to corn flour to dessert. Their filling range from shredded chicken with sofrito sauce and red peppers to Greek sausage pie to rice and beans to hot dog and cheddar cheese. To wash all this down, try the home-made salpicón and a fig and caramel empanada.
Where: Hell’s Kitchen and LES, Manhattan New York
Veselka
Ever since 1954, Veselka has been an institution in the East Village which serves traditional diner fare and Eastern European specialities. This restaurant has been a popular stop on the post-bar circuit, which draws crowds with its sweet-and-savoury dumplings which are topped with sour cream together with applesauce-slaughtered potato pancakes, bowls of goulash and bigos, which is a sausage-packed Ukrainian stew.
Where: East Village
Cafeteria
If you are looking fly and not ready to call it a night yet, then Cafeteria is the place for you. The post-party crowd is just as good looking as the food. The three versions of mac ‘n’ cheese and homemade sausage rolls with ketchup are worth the calories. The tiny basement bar is a great hideout if you decide that you want to extend the evening.
Where: Chelsea
Coppelia
At Coppelia, we are talking about 24-hour Latin-American comfort food. With a vast menu of tortas, nachos heaped with short ribs, lomo saltado topped with fries, tomato, and onion this venue is a perfect balance of well-crafted Latino cuisine and affordable, relaxed-style dining.
Where: West Village
Katzs Delicatessen
Katz’s is so intrinsic to NYC that its inclusion on this list almost needs no explanation at all. But in case you’re visiting New York City for the first time, Katz’s fame comes mainly from their thick-cut pastrami stacked high between slices of rye. It will cost you around $20, but it is definitely worth every cent.
Where: Lower East Side
Great Burrito
You will most likely walk straight by this venue. But do not let the aged fast food shop front fool you.by-pass the display cabinet of soggy, lifeless pizzas and deep-fried empanadas and head to the back counter. You can order a piping al pastor tacos straight from the griddle. Do not hold back on the homemade hot sauce.
Where: Flatiron District
Bowery Diner
Bowery Diner is technically only open 24-hours on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, but let’s be honest, those are the three days that you will be craving a Reuben made with house-smoked corned beef and dripping with melted Swiss and tangy kraut and a Pina Colada with jalapeno at 5am. It is a simple and well-crafted food and cocktail menu pulls away from your typical diner-style experience, but it is very well executed.
Where: Lower East Side
B.A.D. Burger
B.A.D. Burger (Breakfast All Day), is a late-night right of passage for all who move to Williamsburg or anyone bar hopping between the Williamsburg and Manhattan New York. The hours have been changed to 11am to 5am on weekends. Make sure to try the fried macaroni-and-cheese balls or nachos coated with guacamole, sour cream, pico fe gallo, black beans, and bacon, or “facon” substitutes as the entire menu has vegan variations.
Where: Williamsburg and East Village.