The 10 Best Restaurants in and Around Times Square, New York City

Dishes from northern, central and southern Thailand come together in a snug space more akin to a hallway than a restaurant. None of which detracts from the pleasure of the place – or its plates. Expect hand-made ribbons of noodles, glossy with oil, morsels of crab, pucks of beef, and crisp green snow peas. Order a couple of noodle dishes for the table – they come sautéed or swimming in bowls of soup – along with vegetable dumplings, plump and juicy with tofu and spinach. For good measure request the (very spicy) green papaya salad tossed with dried shrimp, tomato, peanuts, long beans, thai chili and lime. That should see you through the afternoon and/or evening.

By comparison with the crowds at the original East Village incarnation of this beloved Japanese chain, the scene is a little less intense here, at Ippudo Westside. But the clients are every bit as dedicated to slurping noodles, to downing whole bowls of delicious ramen. Among the best-loved on the menu is one laden with slabs of pork, thin noodles and mushrooms swimming in pork broth. As devotees of the aforementioned downtown ramen shop will be pleased to know, this branch offers the pork, chicken and eggplant tucked into soft buns, and rounds of cucumber doused in sesame oil.

Founded in Hong Kong, the world’s cheapest Michelin-star restaurant now has two NYC locations, the newer of which is smack in the middle of the Theater District. At this low-key dim sum establishment you can get your chops around sugar-coated buns bulging with barbecued pork, translucent pink-shrimp dumplings, silky rice rolls and – if you’re in the mood for authentic – chicken feet. Prices here, as at its other locations, hover around $5 a plate, so don’t be surprised to discover crowds of people waiting to get in when you roll up.

With light and airy branches across Manhattan, The Little Beet has a winning formula in its health-forward, gluten-free formula, which also caters for those avoiding dairy, nuts and soy. Step into this West 50th Street outlet and choose one of the many pre-crafted bowls, or customize yours by selecting grains and greens, a rotating selection of sides (think golden cauliflower and herby white beans), a protein (beet falafel, salmon, braised pork), a sauce and a garnish. That’s lunch and / or dinner sorted. If you stop by for breakfast, you can enjoy a mangoberry parfait or a turkey-bacon, egg and cheese sandwich to go.

Warmly lit and laid-back, Añejo is a Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood hotspot, where the regulars, who know what’s good for them, start with the guacamole trio. Along with the traditional variety, two riffs are served: bacon and habanero as well as spicy pineapple. Scoop them up with tortilla chips, as you sink drinks swooningly laced with tequilas, mezcals and agave spirits. Move on to tacos, blistered shishito peppers and cheeseburger fundido – the establishment’s spin on melted-cheese queso fundido, here containing burger elements. Even if you’re full, you can’t leave without tasting the octopus on a bed of pan negro (black bread), with squash confit, chorizo cream and a showering of cilantro.