Office-lunch territory by day and 32nd Street Korean BBQ by night. The halal cart at 53rd and 6th has been the global benchmark since 1990.
Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi's restoration of the Seagram Pool Room runs mid-century power-lunch food in New York City. Honey-glazed duck, tableside Caesar.
Signature: Prime rib, Tableside Caesar
Order: Honey-glazed duck for two, carved at the table.
Tip: Lunch is the move; the same room without the dinner price ceiling. Dress code is enforced: no jeans, no sneakers.
Eric Ripert's three-Michelin-star seafood room in Midtown New York City has held its stars since 2005. Tasting menu $268, mostly raw and barely-cooked fish.
Signature: Smoked salmon tartine, Black bass with herbed escabeche
Order: The Almost Raw, Barely Touched, Lightly Cooked tasting.
Tip: Lunch prix-fixe at $98 is the entry point; same kitchen, same plate, half the price of dinner.
Shun Lee Palace has served Cantonese and Hunan food on East 55th Street in New York City since 1971. T.T. Wang's General Tso's chicken originated in this room.
Signature: General Tso's chicken, Peking duck
Order: Beggar's chicken, ordered 24 hours ahead.
Tip: Order the General Tso's the first time as a history lesson; on return visits skip it for the Hunan beef.
The Grand Central Oyster Bar has poured oysters and clam chowder beneath the Guastavino tiles of New York City's Grand Central Terminal since 1913.
Signature: Manhattan clam chowder, Oyster pan roast, Raw oyster bar
Order: A cup of Manhattan clam chowder and a half-dozen East Coast oysters at the counter.
Tip: Sit at the counter facing the open kitchen; the pan roast is theatre when made to order.
Eric Ripert's three-Michelin-star seafood room on West 51st has held its stars since 2005 in New York City. Tasting menu mostly raw and barely-cooked fish.
Thomas Keller's three-Michelin-star Time Warner Center room in New York City runs nine courses with a Central Park view. Reservations open 60 days ahead on Tock.
The Modern, on the MoMA sculpture garden in Midtown New York City, holds two Michelin stars under Thomas Allan. Six-course tasting with a Hudson Valley focus.
Chef Kwame Onwuachi's Lincoln Center room holds one Michelin star in New York City. Afro-Caribbean cooking, jollof rice with curry goat, oxtail pepper-pot.
Sungchul Shim's Hell's Kitchen skewer counter holds a Michelin star in New York City. Royal-cuisine-inspired Korean tasting menu, $165, ten courses on skewers.
Ali Baba on East 34th has run Turkish charcoal-grilled lamb in Midtown, New York City since 2000. Iskender on yoghurt, octopus salad, sumac onions.
Signature: Iskender kebab, Lamb adana
Order: Iskender kebab over pita with yoghurt and tomato sauce.
Tip: Lunch buffet at $18 is the value play. Order extra grilled bread; one basket is never enough.
Blue Bottle's Bryant Park counter in Midtown New York City pulls 48-hour-old roasts under the public library steps. Pour-over by the cup, NOLA iced coffee year-round.
Signature drink: New Orleans iced coffee
Tip: Park benches across the street are part of the order. Avoid 08:30 to 09:30 if you want a fast cup.
Ralph Lauren's Madison Avenue cafe pours a custom-roasted house blend in Midtown New York City. Green-and-white striped counter, almond croissants from a Brooklyn bake.
Signature drink: Ralph's blend latte
Tip: Twelve seats inside, six on the sidewalk. The chocolate-chip cookie is the unanticipated standout, not the latte.
Ess-a-Bagel on Third Avenue has hand-rolled bagels in Midtown New York City since 1976. Boiled in barley malt water, baked on burlap, sold dense and seeded.
Tip: The line is 30 minutes at 09:30 weekends. Order over the counter; pre-paid online jumps the line.
Worth the queue: Plain everything bagel with scallion cream cheese
Kashkaval Garden on Ninth Avenue pours Greek and Lebanese wines in Hell's Kitchen, New York City. Mezze platters, three-cheese fondues, a back garden in warm months.
Signature pour: Domaine Sigalas Assyrtiko by the glass
Wine focus: Eastern Mediterranean and Greek
Food: Mezze and fondue
Tip: The mixed mezze platter for four feeds five. Greek wine list runs deeper than the small bar suggests; ask the sommelier.
Ardesia on West 52nd Street has poured French wines in Hell's Kitchen, New York City since 2010. Twenty pours by the glass, charcuterie boards, late-night cheese plates.
Signature pour: Domaine Huet Vouvray Le Mont sec
Wine focus: Old World wines, Loire and Burgundy heavy
Food: Snacks and charcuterie
Tip: Post-theatre walk-ins after 22:30 are easy. The Vouvray Le Mont is the under-$20-by-the-glass standout.
Jimmy's Corner near Times Square has poured cheap beer and bourbon to off-Broadway crowds in New York City since 1971. Boxing photos on the walls, jukebox, no cocktail list.
Signature drink: Cheap beer and bourbon
Food: None
Tip: Cash only. The bar takes Bud, Bass and Bourbon orders. Sing along with the jukebox.
The Halal Guys cart at 53rd and 6th has served halal chicken and rice in Midtown New York City since 1990. The yellow rice, the white sauce and the red chilli set the cart template.
Try: Chicken and rice with white sauce
Tip: The original cart sits on the southwest corner; a second cart on the southeast corner is the same kitchen. The line is shorter at the southeast.
Adel's cart sits across from the Halal Guys at 53rd and 6th in New York City. Adel Aly opened his own cart in 2007 after years cooking inside the Halal Guys kitchen.
Try: Chicken and rice with white sauce
Tip: The line is half as long as the Halal Guys for arguably the better chicken. The white sauce is tangier.
The 53rd and 6th late-night cart corner is a New York City institution: three carts side by side, the Halal Guys and two rivals, feeding bar crowds until 04:00.
Try: Late-night chicken and rice
Tip: Order from whichever cart has the shortest line; the three menus are nearly identical at this hour.
Uncle Gussy's cart at Park and 51st has grilled pork and chicken souvlaki for Midtown office workers in New York City since the 1970s. Tzatziki, lemon potatoes, Greek salad.
Try: Pork souvlaki platter
Tip: Lunch only, weekdays. The line moves fast at 12:30; the platter feeds two if you split.
The Ninth Avenue International Food Festival has filled Hell's Kitchen with street vendors and restaurant stalls in New York City since 1974. 15 blocks, two days, free entry.
Tip: Saturday is the busier day; Sunday is the calmer walk. Restaurants set up stalls outside their storefronts on this stretch.
Taste of Times Square has run as a Times Square Alliance event in New York City since 1994. Around 30 Times Square restaurants put up tasting stalls; tastes capped at $10 each, paid with a registered wristband.
Tip: Pre-purchase a wristband to save on tastings. The event runs from 5pm to 9pm; arrive by 5:30pm for the best stall selection.
Burger Bash is the headline night of NYCWFF every October at the Seaport in New York City. Pat LaFrieda Meats presents; 30 chefs each build a burger and the public votes for the night's winner.
Tip: Tickets ($295) include unlimited burgers and drinks. The line for last year's winner runs 30 minutes; circulate to lesser-known chefs.