Best Bars & Restaurants in Midtown

Midtown runs from the expense-account calm of Grand Central east to the overstimulated chaos of Times Square west. On the east side, skyscrapers house every major corporation in the world and the steakhouses and sushi bars between Lex and 3rd are quietly some of the best in the city. On the west side, Broadway shows and Restaurant Row's pre-theater classics coexist with the tourist trap two blocks in either direction snapping back into genuinely great Korean food and rooftop bars. It's not one neighborhood so much as two speeds sharing a name.

Midtown is Manhattan's center of gravity, stretching from Grand Central Terminal's Art Deco grandeur east to the neon chaos of Times Square and the Theater District west. The eastern half is corporate Manhattan's living room — legendary steakhouses, Japanese omakase spots, and power-lunch Italian in the shadow of the Chrysler Building; after 7 PM on weekdays the streets empty out fast, but the bars that stay open are quieter and surprisingly pleasant. The western half is the part of Manhattan most visitors see first: Herald Square, Penn Station, Restaurant Row's pre-theater spots on 46th Street, and hotel rooftop lounges with skyline views. It's loud and perpetually congested in spots, but knowing where to look — Midtown's whole draw — turns it from a tourist trap into some of the city's best people-watching and dining.