A Day of Good Eating in Midtown Manhattan

Hand close-up of elegant man having lunch and wine at a restaurant. Ribs, mashed potato, salad and cream.

When you stay at Hotel 48LEX, you’ll be within walking distance of so many critically acclaimed Midtown Manhattan restaurants. For many foodies, this can feel overwhelming. With so much variety, it’s difficult to choose the best places to eat throughout the day. Let us help you plan your vacation meals with this guide to a day of eating in Midtown. 

BREAKFAST OPTIONS


Lexington Brass

You can start your day off right with one of the best brunch restaurants in Midtown Manhattan at Lexington Brass, which happens to be the onsite restaurant at Hotel 48LEX. If you prefer something light, you can choose from a lovely granola parfait or even a French onion soup to start. The menu features a number of fun entrees including cinnamon-roll pancakes, chicken and waffles, and a shakshuka with ground turkey and crispy artichoke. 

Lexington Brass also extends its modern American brasserie options to an all-day menu filled with locally-sourced ingredients and fantastic dishes like a grilled branzino, and the wild mushroom spaghetti. 

Lexington Brass. New York, NY 

Liberty Bagels

For something more casual and on-the-go, it’s worth making the trip over to the simple counter-serve storefront of Liberty Bagels. Serving old-fashioned kettle-boiled bagels, this place represents the city well and offers a fantastic variety of bagels, sandwiches, cream cheeses, and fillings. You can also get a large variety of deli sandwiches, vegetarian sandwiches, salads, and more here. 

Liberty Bagels. New York, NY 

LUNCH FAVORITES


Sophie’s Cuban Cuisine 

With locations in Midtown East and Midtown West, Sophie’s Cuban Cuisine offers some delicious dishes for a great lunch while exploring the city. For an appetizer, you can get housemade empanadas with fillings like beef, guava and cheese, spinach and cheese, and chicken. Some of the more popular entrees include the oxtail stew, fried pork chops, and the Pernil Classico sandwich. 

Sophie’s Cuban Cuisine. New York, NY 

TsuruTonTan

If you can’t wait until dinner to start diving into New York City’s fantastic Japanese food scene, then swing by TsuruTonTan. Known for its creamy specialty bowl of udon, this revered restaurant offers a ton of great lunch combos that feature soup, sushi, rice bowls, and more. Come here for great soups and toppings like pork filets, wagyu beef, and fresh seafood. 

TsuruoTonTan. New York, NY 

DINNER HITS


IL Mulino

New York City has an undeniably famous Italian restaurant scene. For an elegant place to have dinner in Midtown, we recommend IL Mulino, which serves high-end takes on Italian classics in a pristine dining space. From spaghetti carbonara to Caprese salad and chicken piccata, this place sticks to the favorites that we all come to expect when going out to a nice Italian meal. The quality comes through the ingredients. The rigatoni alla bolognese, for example, consists of braised veal, beef, and pork in a rich tomato sauce. 

IL Mulino. New York, NY 

Smith & Wollensky 

A day of dining in Midtown should include a steak at one point or another. There’s no name more associated with high-end steak dining than Smith & Wollensky, which makes its 3rd Avenue location a great option to stop off at to round off your Midtown dining adventure. Dig into dry-aged beef and martinis, and soak up the classic New York atmosphere for this special night out. 

Smith & Wollensky. New York, NY