NYCGuide
Where To Eat Near Penn Station
Penn Station can be a painful experience. The least we can do is help you find a good place to eat.
Congratulations, you’ve found yourself at Penn Station. Whether you’re catching an Amtrak train, a Knicks game, or the New Year’s Eve Phish show at Madison Square Garden, the 34th-Street experience can be a painful one, especially when looking for a meal. We’re here to help with that. All of these restaurants are a short walk from Penn Station, and they're ideal for when you need to grab a quick meal or eat with some folks who just came in from Jersey.
THE SPOTS
Koloman serves decadent, inventive Viennese food with a French twist. The open kitchen gives major Ratatouille vibes, the service is tight, and every dish has a surprising element, from starters like a celery root tartare to a duck egg creme brulee for dessert. Come hungry, and order at least two things from every section of the menu. Don’t skip the whole roasted chicken, which is dry aged for over 90 days and served with the lightest, fluffiest, butteriest spätzle we’ve ever had.
About a five-minute walk from Penn Station in the Hudson Yards-adjacent development known as Manhattan West, you'll find Ci Siamo. When you walk inside this big, glitzy Italian spot, you'll feel like you're checking into a nice hotel in Milan. The menu centers around live-fire cooking, although your focus should be on the breads and pastas. Despite the massive space, it can still be tough to get a table—so make a reservation a few weeks advance.
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This Thai spot is from the people behind Korean restaurants Her Name Is Han and Little Mad, and it serves fun Thai and diner food mashups like crab curry mac and cheese and Thai chili chicken and waffles. Their beef noodle soup is a satisfying one-bowl meal, and they have a good whole branzino topped with a mango-cashew salad.
L’Amico doesn't get a lot of attention, and we don't think about it very often, but it's a useful place for when you want to enjoy some pasta or roast chicken in an attractive room near Penn Station. It’s located next to the Eventi Hotel, you can easily get a reservation, and the menu consists of pizzas, crudos, salads, and other things you'll want to eat.
Navigating the Penn Station labyrinth will leave anyone wanting to escape the rest of humanity, and you can do that at Ichiran on 31st St. This Japanese ramen chain is filled with "flavor concentration booths,” meaning there are partitions put up in between each seat so you can avoid everyone. You won't even see your server, because you order via a form that you slip through a small window. Just be warned there might be a line to get in, because there is no true peace in Midtown.
Located a block off the main stretch of Koreatown, this homestyle Korean restaurant looks like a cross between a library, an East Village apartment, and a movie studio. The food happens to be fantastic as well. Don’t miss the spicy seafood stew.
You just got off the LIRR. The guy next to you was drinking Four Loko (yes, they still exist). What are you going to do now? Get in the soul-crushing taxi line? Wander around and maybe see what’s happening at the Port Authority? No, you’re going to grab a friend, walk over to Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong and have Koreatown’s best BBQ experience.
A full-on steakhouse dinner may not be the first thing you think of as you emerge from the armpit of New York City. But if you want to impress out-of-towners by pretending you’re a member of a 1920s supper club, take them to Keens. You may be tempted by the comically large king’s cut, a 32-ounce prime rib straight out of a Ron Swanson fever dream, but you should focus your attention on the porterhouse and the mutton chop.
Piggyback is an “Asian inspired” restaurant from the people behind Pig and Khao, and it’s one of the best dining options within walking distance of Penn Station. They serve things like lumpia, lamb rendang, and flaky, crispy curry puffs. Grab some dinner here before or after a show at the Garden, or stop by for a drink and a snack with a friend. The space has mural-covered walls and a big bar up front, and the soundtrack includes everything from hip hop to disco.
Tengri Tagh is one of the few restaurants in Midtown that’s both exciting and relatively affordable—and it’s also one of the only Uyghur restaurants in NYC. Pair one of their noodle dishes with a lamb and cumin bun, and you’ll have a filling meal for under $20. This is a lunch spot that stands out in a sea of chain restaurants and forgettable delis, so if you work in Midtown, you should start memorizing the menu.
At this upscale Mediterranean spot from the team behind Don Angie and Quality Eats, the food is creative and portions are big. Bring a group of friends for a fun night out and share some lamb tartare, tender lamb chops, and duck borek. The dining room is high-ceilinged and glitzy, but you won't feel out of place having a casual get-together here. This place does get packed, however, so be sure to make a reservation.
This small counter-service shop on 37th St. makes breakfast piadine, which means you can get your scrambled eggs and prosciutto neatly folded inside a flaky flatbread. It's a great spot for a quick breakfast, but they also have a long all-day menu with piadine, cossoni, and piadizze stuffed with everything from speck to gyro meat. If you want one of their pastas instead, try the solid farfalle alla boscaiola. There’s no indoor seating, but they do have a heated outdoor structure.
At this Korean-owned Japanese curry spot, there are three steps you need to follow. Step one: choose between rice, noodles, and creamy curry pasta. Then choose your spice level, and lastly, add toppings like crispy cutlets and croquettes, raw egg, and cheese. Whichever route you go, you’ll get a generous serving of rich, deeply spiced curry that tastes even better on a rainy day.
Turntable Chicken Jazz is a great place to eat fried chicken and drink beer from neon vats as you look at vinyl records all over the walls. It's one of the most fun restaurants in Koreatown, and it's great for big groups. The best dishes are the boneless and bone-in wings, but they also have an awesome bulgogi burger and sword made of thinly fried potatoes on a stick.
This Midtown salumeria hangs its many cured meats in the window to beckon people in. You’ll probably assume that something off the long menu of sandwiches is the way to go, but look around the shop for other specials written on stray sections of the chalkboard. This Italian deli serves spaghetti bolognese and slabs of lasagne that are so divine you’ll start praying directly to the salami hanging over your head.
NY Pizza Suprema has been around since before the city erected MSG in front of it. They serve about 20 varieties of pizza at any given time, including breaded chicken bacon ranch slices, a few vegan options, and a white spinach dip slice that’s just creamy enough without being over-the-top. There’s always a line, but if you aren’t coming directly after an event at MSG, you’ll move through it pretty quickly.
