15 showing · 197 on the list
2nd Ave Deli
The famous kosher deli of the old East Village, transplanted to E 33rd St and still run by the Lebewohl family. Not on Second Avenue anymore; still the real thing.
Order: Pastrami on rye plus the free gribenes they set down; if you're committed, the chicken soup with a kreplach-and-matzo-ball combo.
verified open Aug 2026 (official site + Yelp updated Aug 2026); daily 11am-8pm, kosher — no dairy with your meat
162 E 33rd St (between Lexington & Third Ave) · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Budapest Cafe
The last Hungarian kitchen in what used to be Little Hungary — opened by Andre of Andre's Hungarian Bakery in 2004 and renamed, still doing goulash, crepes, and strudel to folk music on Second Avenue.
Order: Chicken paprikash with nokedli, then a cherry strudel to go — the strudels are the direct line back to Andre's bakery.
verified open 2026 (official site budapestcafenyc.com + Yelp updated May 2026); Mon-Fri 9am-9pm
1631 Second Ave (between E 84th & 85th St) · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Dhaba
Punjabi truck-stop cooking done loud and unapologetically spicy — the Curry Hill pick when you want gravy-heavy North Indian instead of dosas.
Order: Butter chicken and the dal makhani with garlic naan; the weekday lunch buffet is the value play.
verified open 2026 (official site + Yelp updated Jun 2026); open late, lunch buffet weekdays
108 Lexington Ave (between E 27th & 28th St) · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Haandi
Curry Hill's cabbie canteen — steam-table Pakistani food, fluorescent lights, plates that hover around ten bucks. Where the drivers eat is where you eat.
Order: Point at the haleem or nihari at the counter, take a plate of chicken biryani, grab fresh naan from the tandoor.
verified open 2026 (official site + Yelp updated Jul 2026); open daily to 1am — good late option
113 Lexington Ave (between E 27th & 28th St) · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Heidelberg Restaurant
One of the last true German restaurants of old Yorkville, on Second Avenue since 1939 — dirndls, steins, and a menu largely unchanged since 1963. This is the neighborhood the way it was when 86th Street was Sauerkraut Boulevard.
Order: The sauerbraten with red cabbage and spaetzle, plus a two-liter boot of Spaten if you brought friends.
verified open Aug 2026 (official site + Yelp updated Jul 2026); open daily from 11am
1648 Second Ave (between E 85th & 86th St) · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
J.G. Melon
Corner pub at 74th and Third since 1972, green-checked tablecloths and one of the city's canonical burgers. Still run the way it was fifty years ago.
Order: Cheeseburger with the cottage fries, a Bloody Mary if it's daytime. It arrives on a flimsy paper plate; that is part of the deal.
verified open 2026 (2026 press coverage + active Instagram); CASH ONLY, expect a wait at prime times
1291 Third Ave (at E 74th St) · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Le Veau d'Or
The oldest French bistro in New York (1937), revived by the Frenchette team without losing the banquettes or the soul. A $135 prix fixe that actually earns it — this is the neighborhood splurge.
Order: The prix fixe; steer it toward the tournedos or duck and let them bring the oeuf gelée to start. Book on Resy exactly 14 days out at 9am.
verified open Aug 2026 (official site + North America's 50 Best 2026 list); Tue-Sat dinner, lunch Tue-Fri, closed Sun-Mon
129 E 60th St (between Park & Lexington Ave) · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Lexington Candy Shop
A 1925 luncheonette, third-generation family-run, with the original soda fountain still pulling seltzer from the tap. Not cheap for a counter lunch, but nothing else in Manhattan looks or works like this.
Order: Cheeseburger, fries, and a vanilla malted mixed on the 1940s Hamilton Beach machines — or a fresh-squeezed orangeade at the counter.
verified open Aug 2026 (official site + Yelp updated Jul 2026); closes 5:45pm weekdays — it's a daytime move
1226 Lexington Ave (at E 83rd St) · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Molly's Shebeen
Sawdust on the floor, a working fireplace, and arguably the best-poured Guinness in Manhattan. A real Irish pub kitchen in Gramercy, not a theme bar.
Order: The shepherd's pie — it's the house dish — with a properly settled pint of Guinness; the burger is a sleeper too.
verified open 2026 (official site; details verified Jun 2026); kitchen to midnight, bar to 4am
287 Third Ave (between E 22nd & 23rd St) · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Pastrami Queen
Kosher deli lineage going back to 1956 in Queens, now the Upper East Side's pastrami counter of record. Tiny room, most people take it to the park.
Order: Pastrami on rye with mustard, nothing else on it — get it hand-cut and eat it within the hour.
verified open 2026 (official site locations page + Yelp updated Jul 2026); daily 10am-9pm
1125 Lexington Ave (between E 78th & 79th St) · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Pete's Tavern
Open since 1864 — the oldest continuously operating bar-restaurant in the city, where O. Henry supposedly wrote The Gift of the Magi in a booth. The rosewood bar alone is worth the visit.
Order: The 1864 burger and a pint of Pete's house ale at the original bar; sit in the front booths where the history is.
verified open 2026 (official site + Yelp updated Jul 2026); daily 12pm-2am
129 E 18th St (at Irving Pl) · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
San Matteo Pizzeria e Cucina
Salerno-born crew doing real Neapolitan pies and panuozzi — sandwiches on blistered pizza dough — that made uptown pizza worth arguing about. Reopened in a renovated UES space in late 2024.
Order: The panuozzo with mozzarella di bufala and prosciutto — it's the thing nobody else in the neighborhood makes.
verified open Aug 2026 (Yelp updated Jul 2026 + OpenTable active); dinner-focused weekdays, opens 4pm Mon-Thu
1559 Second Ave (at E 81st St) · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Saravanaa Bhavan
NYC outpost of the Chennai vegetarian institution, anchor of Curry Hill. Dosas the size of your arm, and the all-vegetarian menu means everything is fair game.
Order: Onion chilli masala dosa with all the chutneys, plus a filter coffee poured from height. Idli-sambar if you want breakfast done right.
verified open 2026 (official US site + Yelp updated Jul 2026); daily from 9am, all-vegetarian
81 Lexington Ave (at E 26th St) · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Sarge's Delicatessen & Diner
Murray Hill's deli since 1964, founded by a retired NYPD sergeant, survived a three-alarm fire and came back. The neighborhood's late-ish pastrami and matzo ball safety net.
Order: The hot open pastrami or 'The Monster' if you're splitting it; matzo ball soup regardless of weather.
verified open 2026 (official site + Yelp updated Jul 2026); daily 10am-10pm
548 Third Ave (between E 36th & 37th St) · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07
Schaller's Stube Sausage Bar
Standing-room sausage counter run by Schaller & Weber, the 1937 Yorkville butcher next door. Berlin street food made with the best wurst in the city, eaten on the sidewalk.
Order: The bratwurst on a pretzel bun with curry ketchup, or the currywurst outright — the sausages come straight from the shop next door.
verified open Aug 2026 (official site + Yelp updated Jul 2026); Mon-Sat 11am-8pm, Sun 12-6pm
1652 Second Ave (at E 86th St) · map
added 2026-08-07 · verified 2026-08-07