Café Boulud
Food + Drink

7 Incredible Hotel Restaurants in NYC We Love

We all know NYC hotels are about more than just the bedrooms. They're about the scene, the design, the bar, and of course, the food. Read on for the seven all-time greatest hotel restaurants in NYC, from the classics to a newbie with a must-try "Midnight Pasta."

See recent posts by Nikki Ridgway

The Osprey, 1 Brooklyn Bridge
The Osprey, 1 Brooklyn Bridge

The Osprey

1

The Osprey at 1 Brooklyn Bridge

The Osprey is already a mainstay of the Dumbo/Brooklyn Bridge waterfront scene. On the ground floor of 1 Brooklyn Bridge, the dining room is a complement to the market-driven New American menu—all chalky woods, cushioned banquettes, plaid accents, and low-slung café-style lights. On the outdoor terrace, you'll find an armada of picnic tables and views that extend from the waterfront park’s lawns and trees to lower Manhattan’s jumble of skyscrapers. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (with short breaks between meal services), each menu has distinct offerings but follow the market-driven theme with specialties like the egg-white frittata with vegetables and herb pesto at breakfast; cauliflower with grapes, mint, and turmeric for lunch; and a lemon herb chicken with ancient grains, currants, and spaghetti squash for dinner. Remedy any overindulgence with a stroll along the waterfront path to the basketball courts and Pier 1, or with a twirl on Jane’s Carousel in nearby Dumbo.

Simon and the Whale
Simon and the Whale
Simon and the Whale

Simon and the Whale

2

Simon and the Whale at the Freehand Hotel

Inside the Freehand Hotel’s funhouse of five bars and restaurants, Simon and the Whale is a book-in-advance hotspot, specializing in mostly Mediterranean classics given a New York accent. The most grown-up of the Freehand’s food outlets, the look is modern clubhouse with dark-wood paneling, green tile work, and a central wraparound bar, but the crowd is an unpretentious mix of first dates, parents-in-town, and after-work group dinners. Order standout dishes for lunch like a fish sandwich on poppyseed challah, or go for a multi-course dinner feast with seafood-heavy entrées like whole fish of the day with madras curry and butter beans for two. Make sure you save room for the almond milk panna cotta with tangerine and cocoa nib, then head up to the tiki-themed rooftop bar, Broken Shaker.

RELATED: NYC's Best Hotel Rooftop Bars 

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Narcissa
Narcissa
Narcissa

Narcissa

3

Narcissa at Standard East Village

Past the crowds that spill from the two streetside bars at the Standard East Village, Narcissa is a romantic, low-lit space set at the back of the buzzy hotel. Chef de Cuisine Max Blachman-Gentile oversees the curated menu that puts Asian ingredients in the spotlight. Case in point: the insanely delicious smoked Japanese sweet potato. And don't miss the Parker House rolls—order two. Seafood lovers are also well looked after with specialties like pan-seared red snapper, Xinjiang white prawns, and a whole-roasted branzino, while carnivores can go all out with the Koji cured steak. 

Augustine
Augustine
Augustine

Augustine

4

Augustine at the Beekman Hotel

Housed in one of New York’s first skyscrapers, the Beekman reopened in 2016 after a loving restoration. The ground-floor restaurants are run by two of the city's best restaurateurs: Tom Colicchio at Temple Court and Temple Court Bar and Keith McNally (of Balthazar fame) at the gorgeous brasserie Augustine. Here, cozy leather booths, surrounded by vintage mirrored walls and globe lighting, are full from the first breakfast pastry to the last post-dinner nightcap throughout the week and weekend. The menu will be familiar to McNally devotees, with French café favorites like steak frites and salad nicoise, plus some popular rotisserie dishes including a vegetarian-friendly option.

Maialino Restaurant
Maialino Restaurant
Maialino Restaurant

Images by Ellen Silverman

5

Maialino at the Gramercy Park Hotel

In a city with a hundred restaurants opening a month, the Gramercy Park Hotel's Maialino from Danny Meyer is an enduring favorite and still one of the best hotel restaurants in NYC since it opened in 2009. The restaurant's rusticated wooden tables, bread station, and open bay windows became an instant hit with the power lunch set who were tired of the early-’00s Midtown joints—but Maialino isn’t just good looks. The classic Roman trattoria menu is so reliably tasty that it has the sort of loyal following you’re more likely to find at a neighborhood diner. There’s a dedicated bar menu for upscale paninis and cured meats, plus options for breakfast, lunch, and brunch. On the dinner menu, the cacio e pepe pasta is so good they recommend you order it “for the table,” and the signature suckling pig (“maialino al forno” in Italian) is the finest you'll taste anywhere. 

6

Primo's at the Frederick Hotel

On Chambers Street and West Broadway in Tribeca, Primos opened with a bang in the Frederick Hotel. Designed by Camilla Deterre, the space mixes elegant wood paneling with colorful bar stools and statement artwork, and has just a cluster of velvet banquettes and matching armchairs. More bar-with-great-snacks than a fully fledged restaurant, Primo's is all about the small plates like the seasonal vegetable platter, meatballs, and crowd-pleasing versions of "Midnight Pasta" that are served all night. The drinks menu is a twirl through all the traditional tipples, with Old Fashioneds, Sazaracs, Rob Roys, and Negronis plus absinthe coolers, coffee cocktails, and vodka highballs with beets, dates, and blood orange. We love the Primo’s Martini—a twist on the classic prepared using Double Dirty Vodka, white anchovy, and pepper.

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Café Boulud
Café Boulud
Café Boulud

Café Boulud

7

Café Boulud at The Surrey

In the Upper East Side, Michelin-starred Cafe Boulud is a neighborhood joint that's perennially packed. Dishing up serious French fare in a low-key atmosphere (to a point, this is 76th Street and Madison Avenue, after all), the restaurant attracts suited bankers, label-loving dot commers, and the odd eccentric fashion designer. The menu is a treat of French classics, farmers market–inspired dishes, and international favorites, found under the section “Le Voyage.”  If there’s a wait for a table, spend it with a cocktail at the Surrey’s glamorous lobby hangout, Bar Pleiades. 

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