NYCGuide
The Best Restaurants In Hudson Yards
photo credit: David A. Lee
Hudson Yards is a massive real estate development that calls itself a neighborhood, if that neighborhood was created for a particularly rich Sim, or Kendall Roy. There’s a big luxury mall with an NFT store, an Equinox, and shiny glass office buildings with sweeping views of the big luxury mall and Equinox.
When the mall opened in 2019, the only reason to go there involved a paycheck. But with a bunch of restaurants worth going to, it's finally lured us in. Here’s where to go in Hudson Yards for everything from elegant temaki and Spanish tapas to live-fire Mediterranean cooking and one of our favorite Italian restaurants in the city.
THE SPOTS
When you can’t get a table at Ci Siamo or Greywind, Casa Dani is right around the corner, and you can pretty much always get in here for reliable tapas. Expect croquetas with jamon, pan con tomate with a slice of very fatty tuna belly, and shredded oxtail sandwiched between two slices of brioche. It’s perfect for a business lunch, especially because of their $61 lunch special that includes one tapa, one entrée, and a dessert. It’s not the world’s greatest deal, but if you’re taking out clients or an employee, the airy restaurant won’t take too big a bite out of your expense account.
At this upscale spot from the team behind Don Angie and Quality Eats, the portions are big and there’s no real distinction between entrées and appetizers. That’s why you should bring a group of friends to share some lamb tartare with merguez spices, smoky lamb chops, and a refreshing fattoush. The high-ceilinged, glitzy dining room has a socialites-in-evening-wear grandness, but you won’t feel out of place at a casual get-together here. Given that Zou Zou’s is perpetually packed every night of the week, we can’t help but think that people who live and work near Hudson Yards have been thirsting for a restaurant they can finally brag about to the rest of the city.
photo credit: Ben Hon
When it comes to suits flexing their corporate cards, high-end sushi restaurants are basically the new steakhouses. In Hudson Yards, you can flex away at the flashy, LA-famous Katsuya, or go for the more understated option, Kamasu. This handroll bar may be too casual for celebrating a big deal, but its calm, baby blue room is great for a business meeting or after-work dinner with co-workers. Kamasu serves temaki—like torched shrimp with yuzu mayo and kanpachi with green apple—that look simple but pop with unique flavors. Order temaki sets or get some supersized futomaki to share.
The wall of sky you see in front of you at Peak is truly something. If you’re looking for one of the city’s best views, this New American restaurant is worth the elevated prices. You’ll get your usual corporate card fare here—foie gras, duck, lobster. The cooking isn’t particularly imaginative, but opulent seafood towers and a signature egg-shaped dessert covered in edible gold match the luxe environment.
photo credit: Kate Previte
Greywind is the understated, elegant neighborhood restaurant you'd expect from the people behind Loring Place—in a neighborhood that is anything but elegant or understated. Everything about Greywind exudes low-key luxury, from the gray color palette to the rich chocolate dessert served with crème fraiche ice cream. The dishes highlighting seasonal produce, like carrot hummus with orange molasses, and seared scallops with a bright fava-based green curry, may motivate you to roll out of bed for that Saturday morning farmers market. Greywind's open for dinner at 5pm, but visit their bakery around the corner from 8am-3pm to try the same quality ingredients in sandwiches, salads, and baked goods.
This food hall in Hudson Yards is like a Spanish version of Eataly, with a bunch of different grab-and-go tapas kiosks specializing in things like empanadas, flatbreads, and cured meats. There are also four solid sit-down restaurants to choose from. While La Barra has an extensive menu of regional tapas in the center of the market, Leña serves a slightly more formal dinner that involves live-fire cooking and big platters of paella. Your third option is Spanish Diner, where you can get a breakfast of rice, eggs, and chorizo starting at 11am, or come by during “Sangria Hour,” the best Happy Hour option in the neighborhood. There’s also Mar, which focuses on seafood—if you like something that you ate, you can buy it whole from the on-site fishmonger.
When you can’t get a table at Ci Siamo or Greywind, Casa Dani is right around the corner and you can pretty much always get in here for reliable tapas. Expect croquetas with jamon, pan con tomate with a slice of very fatty tuna belly, and shredded oxtail sandwiched between two slices of brioche. It’s perfect for a business lunch, especially because of their $61 lunch special that includes one tapa, one entrée, and a dessert. It’s not the world’s greatest deal, but if you’re taking out clients or an employee, the airy restaurant won’t take too big a bite out of your expense account.
photo credit: Team Infatuation
If a restaurant connected to a high-end gym franchise isn’t your first choice for a cool night out, Electric Lemon, the rooftop hotspot perched atop the Equinox Hotel, might make you reconsider. The food here is marketed as healthy-ish, and it sort of is, but it’s also just solid New American fare. Will it blow your mind? Probably not, but this is a Stephen Starr restaurant, so everything is going to taste much better than what you'd get at your average influencer haunt. The outdoor terrace has pleasing features like an infinity pool and a fire pit, making it equally good for taking photos and actually enjoying the space.
Like its other location in Midtown, this Greek spot is very fancy, with most tables occupied by groups in tailored suits eating lobster or jumbo prawns that cost over $100 per pound (fresh fish is flown in daily from around the world). It’s expensive, but if you’re in your high-roller era or just entertaining clients on the company’s dime, you’ll eat some good food here, like perfectly cooked octopus with a rich fava bean puree. The dining room with big round tables and floor-to-ceiling windows works for groups, and there’s also the walk-in-only Milos Wine Bar.
