1
Google
Mediterranean•Flatiron•splurge
Mama Mezze
Mama Mezze is the rare all-day Mediterranean room that earns the line and survives the twelve-top.
Business dinnerbusiness dinnerlunch
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9.8
Based on 2144 reviews
Best lunch Restaurants in New York: 70 Picks for 2026
The best restaurants for lunch in New York, curated by TastyPals editors.
70 restaurantsAvg rating 9.1Updated July 2026
Google
Top picks for lunch in New York
Fast answers for diners searching for lunch restaurants in New York. These first picks make the occasion easier to compare.
2
Vegetarian•New York•value
Quantum Leap
Quantum Leap on First Avenue is one of the few vegetarian restaurants in Manhattan that has figured out how to be genuinely casual without feeling like an afterthought.
Plant-basedlunchdinner
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9.8
Based on 371 reviews
3
Google
Chinese•Flushing•moderate
GAN-HOO BBQ
GAN-HOO BBQ is a dependable chinese option in Flushing that a lot of diners already know and return to.
Flushing feastgroup dinnerlunch
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9.6
Based on 5796 reviews
4
Google
Vegetarian•New York•value
Anixi Mediterranean Vegan Restaurant
Anixi Mediterranean Vegan Restaurant is an easy vegetarian option in New York to suggest without needing a long explanation. Fire Roasted Eggplant and Mushroom Ragù Hummus also give you a decent sense of the menu.
Plant-basedlunchdinner
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9.6
Based on 2169 reviews
5
Google
Chinese•New York•value
Jiang Nan NYC
Jiang Nan NYC is a chinese restaurant in New York that is worth opening when you want a clearer read on the menu and the room.
lunchdinner
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9.6
Based on 1983 reviews
6
American•Flatiron•splurge
Little Maven
Little Maven is Gary Vaynerchuk's VCR Group doing something genuinely ambitious in the Flatiron corridor: not a celebrity vanity project, but a neighborhood-anchored contemporary American room built around chef Josh Capon and Conor Hanlo…
Business dinnerbusiness dinnerlunch
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9.6
Based on 528 reviews
7
Vegetarian•New York•value
Sentir Vegan Mexican Restaurant
Sentir Vegan Mexican is doing something that most plant-forward restaurants in New York are too timid to attempt: cooking within the full grammar of Mexican cuisine rather than gesturing at it.
Plant-basedlunchdinner
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9.6
Based on 487 reviews
8
French•Union Square•moderate
Le Basque French Vegan Restaurant
Chef Guy Vaknin — the founder of City Roots Hospitality and a decade-plus architect of New York's upscale plant-based scene — has done something genuinely unusual at Le Basque: he's built a Basque Country–inflected French restaurant wher…
centraldinnerlunch
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9.6
Based on 483 reviews
9
Chinese•Chinatown•value
Bao Noodle House 包之面
Bao Noodle House sits at the edge of Chinatown on Bowery doing something the neighborhood's newer arrivals rarely attempt: cooking Fujianese-rooted food without softening it for outside audiences.
Chinatown crawllunchgroup dinner
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9.6
Based on 375 reviews
10
Chinese•Chinatown•value
Grandma’s Dumpling House
Grandma's Dumpling House, tucked into 24 Pell Street in the heart of Chinatown, is doing something specific and deliberate: Northern Chinese dumplings made by hand, wrapper by wrapper, without machines and without shortcuts.
Chinatown crawllunchgroup dinner
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9.6
Based on 292 reviews
11
Pizza•Union Square•moderate
Angelina Bakery Union Square
Angelina Bakery Union Square is an easy pizza option in Union Square in New York to suggest without needing a long explanation.
centraldinnerlunch
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9.6
Based on 186 reviews
12
Google
Global•New York•value
OLIO E PIÙ
OLIO E PIÙ keeps showing up in the right conversations when people want a reliable global plan.
lunchdinner
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9.4
Based on 11298 reviews
13
Google
Brunch•New York•value
The Dead Rabbit
The Dead Rabbit keeps showing up in the right conversations when people want a reliable global plan.
lunchdinner
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9.4
Based on 8393 reviews
14
Google
Italian•Flatiron•splurge
La Pecora Bianca NoMad
La Pecora Bianca NoMad is a dependable italian option in Flatiron that a lot of diners already know and return to. Local Burrata and Fritto Misto also give you a decent sense of the menu.
Business dinnerbusiness dinnerlunch
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9.4
Based on 6244 reviews
15
Google
French•Union Square•moderate
Boucherie Union Square
Boucherie Union Square is a sensible french call in Union Square in New York when you want something that usually lands well.
centraldinnerlunch
Read restaurant page
9.4
Based on 4888 reviews
16
Google
Chinese•Flushing•moderate
Mountain House Flushing 川山甲
Mountain House Flushing 川山甲 is an easy chinese option in Flushing in New York to suggest without needing a long explanation.
Flushing feastgroup dinnerlunch
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9.4
Based on 2803 reviews
17
Google
Chinese•Flushing•moderate
Jiang Nan Flushing
Jiang Nan Flushing is a sensible chinese call in Flushing in New York when you want something that usually lands well.
Flushing feastgroup dinnerlunch
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9.4
Based on 2484 reviews
18
Google
Peruvian•Union Square•moderate
Mission Ceviche Union Square
Mission Ceviche Union Square is an easy peruvian option in Union Square in New York to suggest without needing a long explanation.
centraldinnerlunch
Read restaurant page
9.4
Based on 2073 reviews
19
Google
Chinese•Flushing•moderate
Shoo Loong Kan
Shoo Loong Kan operates with a specific kind of institutional confidence — the quiet kind that comes from a Chengdu-born chain that knows its audience and doesn't negotiate on the fundamentals.
Flushing feastgroup dinnerlunch
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9.4
Based on 1708 reviews
20
Google
Vegetarian•New York•value
Willow Vegan Bistro
Willow Vegan Bistro is a vegetarian restaurant in New York that is worth opening when you want a clearer read on the menu and the room.
Plant-basedlunchdinner
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9.4
Based on 1680 reviews
21
Google
Chinese•Flushing•moderate
CHELI FLUSHING浙里
CHELI FLUSHING浙里 is an easy chinese option in Flushing in New York to suggest without needing a long explanation.
Flushing feastgroup dinnerlunch
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9.4
Based on 1663 reviews
22
Google
Vegetarian•New York•value
Vegan On The Fly
Vegan On The Fly is a vegetarian restaurant in New York that is worth opening when you want a clearer read on the menu and the room.
Plant-basedlunchdinner
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9.4
Based on 1590 reviews
23
Chinese•Chinatown•value
Jin Mei Dumpling
Jin Mei Dumpling is a chinese restaurant in Chinatown in New York that is worth opening when you want a clearer read on the menu and the room.
Chinatown crawllunchgroup dinner
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9.4
Based on 1159 reviews
24
Vegetarian•SoHo•value
Le Botaniste
Le Botaniste is a vegetarian restaurant in SoHo in New York that is worth opening when you want a clearer read on the menu and the room.
Plant-basedlunchdinner
Read restaurant page
9.4
Based on 1017 reviews
25
American•SoHo•moderate
Blue Ribbon Brasserie
Blue Ribbon Brasserie is a american pick in SoHo in New York when you want dinner to feel a little more planned.
SoHo lunchlunchdinner
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9.4
Based on 1007 reviews
26
Vegetarian•West Village•value
CHLOE'S
Chef Chloe Coscarelli's return to 185 Bleecker Street is more than a homecoming — it's a corrective.
Plant-basedlunchdinner
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9.4
Based on 599 reviews
27
Chinese•Chinatown•value
Fu Zhou Wei Zhong Wei Jia Xiang Feng Wei
Fu Zhou Wei Zhong Wei Jia Xiang Feng Wei is a chinese restaurant in Chinatown in New York that is worth opening when you want a clearer read on the menu and the room.
Chinatown crawllunchgroup dinner
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9.4
Based on 521 reviews
28
Chinese•Chinatown•value
North Dumpling 北方锅贴
North Dumpling 北方锅贴 is a chinese restaurant in Chinatown in New York that is worth opening when you want a clearer read on the menu and the room.
Chinatown crawllunchgroup dinner
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9.4
Based on 371 reviews
29
Chinese•Chinatown•value
Phoenix Palace
Phoenix Palace landed at 85 Bowery as a sister concept to Potluck Club, and by most accounts it arrived without the usual hedging of a new opening.
Chinatown crawllunchgroup dinner
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9.4
Based on 244 reviews
30
Google
Steakhouse•New York•splurge
MICHELIN ★
COTE Flatiron
COTE Flatiron is an easy steakhouse option in New York to suggest without needing a long explanation.
Business dinnerbusiness dinnerlunch
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9.2
Based on 4086 reviews
31
Google
Chinese•Chinatown•value
Shu Jiao Fu Zhou
Shu Jiao Fu Zhou is a chinese restaurant in Chinatown in New York that is worth opening when you want a clearer read on the menu and the room.
Chinatown crawllunchgroup dinner
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9.2
Based on 3060 reviews
32
Google
Chinese•Flushing•moderate
JUQI
JUQI is a sensible chinese call in Flushing in New York when you want something that usually lands well.
Flushing feastgroup dinnerlunch
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9.2
Based on 2538 reviews
33
Google
Italian•SoHo•moderate
Piccola Cucina Osteria Siciliana
Piccola Cucina Osteria Siciliana is the kind of italian room in SoHo you reach for when the evening is meant to matter a little more.
SoHo lunchlunchdinner
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9.2
Based on 2529 reviews
34
Google
American•Union Square•moderate
Union Square Cafe
Union Square Cafe occupies a particular psychic space in New York dining that very few rooms manage: it is the restaurant people return to not because they're chasing something new, but because they trust it completely.
centraldinnerlunch
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9.2
Based on 2470 reviews
35
Google
Italian•SoHo•moderate
Piccola Cucina Estiatorio
Piccola Cucina Estiatorio is a italian pick in SoHo in New York when you want dinner to feel a little more planned.
SoHo lunchlunchdinner
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9.2
Based on 1960 reviews
36
Google
Chinese•Chinatown•value
1915 Lanzhou Hand Pulled Noodles & Dumplings
1915 Lanzhou Hand Pulled Noodles & Dumplings is a chinese restaurant in Chinatown in New York that is worth opening when you want a clearer read on the menu and the room.
Chinatown crawllunchgroup dinner
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9.2
Based on 1575 reviews
37
Google
Japanese•SoHo•moderate
Momoya SoHo
Momoya SoHo suits a night out in SoHo when you want japanese that feels grown-up without getting stiff.
SoHo lunchlunchdinner
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9.2
Based on 1439 reviews
38
Vegetarian•New York•value
Avant Garden
Avant Garden is making a quiet, principled argument that vegetarian dining in New York doesn't require sacrifice.
Plant-basedlunchdinner
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9.2
Based on 909 reviews
39
Chinese•Flushing•moderate
Alley 41 蜀巷
Alley 41 sits on a side street off Flushing's Main Street by design — the owner modeled the space on the narrow lanes of his Sichuan hometown, and that intention carries through into the architecture.
Flushing feastgroup dinnerlunch
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9.2
Based on 832 reviews
40
Vegetarian•New York•value
Le Botaniste
Le Botaniste operates on a philosophy that most plant-forward restaurants pay lip-service to and then quietly abandon: that a vegetarian menu should feel like an act of abundance rather than concession.
Plant-basedlunchdinner
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9.2
Based on 489 reviews
41
American•New York•value
The Mary Lane
The Mary Lane is running a quiet experiment in whether a globally-inflected menu can hold its own in New York without a high-concept pitch deck to justify itself — and by most accounts, it's working.
lunchdinner
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9.2
Based on 456 reviews
42
Chinese•Flushing•moderate
Chuan Bistro 三杯叙
Chuan Bistro 三杯叙 is a sensible chinese call in Flushing in New York when you want something that usually lands well.
Flushing feastgroup dinnerlunch
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9.2
Based on 340 reviews
43
Google
Deli•New York•value
BIB GOURMAND
Katz's Delicatessen
Katz's Delicatessen is one of the better-known deli spots in New York, which makes it a practical place to start.
lunchdinnerbib gourmand
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9.0
Based on 53252 reviews
44
Google
Chinese•Flushing•moderate
Nan Xiang Soup Dumplings - Flushing
Nan Xiang Soup Dumplings - Flushing is a dependable chinese option in Flushing that a lot of diners already know and return to.
Flushing feastgroup dinnerlunch
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9.0
Based on 7117 reviews
45
Google
Chinese•Chinatown•value
Shanghai 21
Shanghai 21 is a sensible chinese call in Chinatown in New York when you want something that usually lands well.
Chinatown crawllunchgroup dinner
Read restaurant page
9.0
Based on 3463 reviews
46
Google
Vegetarian•New York•value
PLANTA New York
PLANTA New York is making a quiet but unmistakable argument: plant-based dining does not require you to sacrifice the thrill of the meal.
Plant-basedlunchdinner
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9.0
Based on 3111 reviews
47
Google
Chinese•Chinatown•value
Uncle Lou 快樂人
Uncle Lou 快樂人 is an easy chinese option in Chinatown in New York to suggest without needing a long explanation.
Chinatown crawllunchgroup dinner
Read restaurant page
9.0
Based on 2621 reviews
48
Google
Japanese•Union Square•moderate
Kyuramen - Union Square
Kyuramen - Union Square is an easy japanese option in Union Square in New York to suggest without needing a long explanation.
centraldinnerlunch
Read restaurant page
9.0
Based on 2268 reviews
49
Google
French•New York•moderate
MICHELIN ★
Le Coucou
Le Coucou on Howard Street operates on a logic that most contemporary New York dining rooms have largely abandoned: genuine French classicism, executed without irony or concession to the novelty market.
SoHo lunchlunchdinner
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9.0
Based on 2113 reviews
50
Google
Japanese•Flatiron•splurge
The Flatiron Room NoMad
The Flatiron Room NoMad is an easy japanese option in Flatiron in New York to suggest without needing a long explanation.
Business dinnerbusiness dinnerlunch
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9.0
Based on 1986 reviews
51
Google
Chinese•Chinatown•value
King Dumplings
King Dumplings is a sensible chinese call in Chinatown in New York when you want something that usually lands well.
Chinatown crawllunchgroup dinner
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9.0
Based on 1149 reviews
52
Brunch•Upper East Side•value
Café Maud
Café Maud is a sensible global call in Upper East Side in New York when you want something that usually lands well.
lunchdinner
Read restaurant page
9.0
Based on 558 reviews
53
Chinese•Flushing•moderate
Nong Geng Ji 农耕记 · 湖南菜
Nong Geng Ji 农耕记 · 湖南菜 is a sensible chinese call in Flushing in New York when you want something that usually lands well.
Flushing feastgroup dinnerlunch
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9.0
Based on 265 reviews
54
Google
Contemporary•Flatiron•splurge
Eataly - Flatiron
Eataly - Flatiron is one of the better-known contemporary spots in Flatiron in New York, which makes it a practical place to start.
Business dinnerbusiness dinnerlunch
Read restaurant page
8.8
Based on 10379 reviews
55
Google
American•Flatiron•splurge
The Smith
The Smith is one of the better-known american spots in Flatiron in New York, which makes it a practical place to start.
Business dinnerbusiness dinnerlunch
Read restaurant page
8.8
Based on 6299 reviews
56
Google
Chinese•Chinatown•value
Wo Hop
Wo Hop is a sensible chinese call in Chinatown in New York when you want something that usually lands well.
Chinatown crawllunchgroup dinner
Read restaurant page
8.8
Based on 4474 reviews
57
Google
Fine Dining•New York•splurge
MICHELIN ★★★
Eleven Madison Park
Eleven Madison Park is a sensible fine dining restaurant call in New York when you want something that usually lands well.
Business dinnerbusiness dinnerlunch
Read restaurant page
8.8
Based on 3283 reviews
58
American•Flatiron•splurge
BLACKBARN
BLACKBARN is a american restaurant in Flatiron in New York that is worth opening when you want a clearer read on the menu and the room.
Business dinnerbusiness dinnerlunch
Read restaurant page
8.8
Based on 1394 reviews
59
Google
Chinese•Flushing•moderate
Zhou Yu
Zhou Yu is a chinese restaurant in Flushing in New York that is worth opening when you want a clearer read on the menu and the room.
Flushing feastgroup dinnerlunch
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8.8
Based on 73 reviews
60
Google
Mexican•Union Square•moderate
Rosa Mexicano
Rosa Mexicano at Union Square is doing something the neighborhood's dining landscape genuinely needs: contemporary Mexican cooking that respects the cuisine's architecture without flattening it into queso-blanketed familiarity.
centraldinnerlunch
Read restaurant page
8.6
Based on 4740 reviews
61
Google
Contemporary•SoHo•moderate
Ladurée Soho
Ladurée Soho is a sensible contemporary call in SoHo in New York when you want something that usually lands well.
SoHo lunchlunchdinner
Read restaurant page
8.6
Based on 3787 reviews
62
Google
Chinese•Flushing•moderate
Shanghai You Garden
Flushing doesn't hand out loyalty cheaply, and Shanghai You Garden has spent enough time on the Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue circuit to become what regulars around here recognize as the real thing: a Shanghainese room that plays the…
Flushing feastgroup dinnerlunch
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8.6
Based on 2491 reviews
63
Google
American•SoHo•moderate
The Dutch
The Dutch has developed a clear identity in a neighborhood full of rooms still auditioning for one — and that commitment alone puts it ahead.
SoHo lunchlunchdinner
Read restaurant page
8.6
Based on 2426 reviews
64
Google
Chinese•Chinatown•value
Dim Sum Palace
Dim Sum Palace occupies a corner of the Chinatown grid where the clientele skews local and the prices stay honest without apology.
Chinatown crawllunchgroup dinner
Read restaurant page
8.6
Based on 872 reviews
65
Google
Chinese•Chinatown•value
Joe's Shanghai
Joe's Shanghai keeps showing up in the right conversations in Chinatown when people want a reliable chinese plan.
Chinatown crawllunchgroup dinner
Read restaurant page
8.4
Based on 6183 reviews
66
Google
Chinese•Flushing•moderate
Asian Jewels
Asian Jewels is a chinese restaurant in Flushing in New York that is worth opening when you want a clearer read on the menu and the room.
Flushing feastgroup dinnerlunch
Read restaurant page
8.4
Based on 3071 reviews
67
Chinese•Flushing•moderate
Lao Ke Le Shanghai Cuisine Restaurant - Soup Dumplings Dim Sum Wonton
Lao Ke Le Shanghai Cuisine Restaurant - Soup Dumplings Dim Sum Wonton is a chinese restaurant in Flushing in New York that is worth opening when you want a clearer read on the menu and the room.
Flushing feastgroup dinnerlunch
Read restaurant page
8.4
Based on 248 reviews
68
Google
Italian•Flatiron•splurge
AMALFI Rooftop by Birreria
What AMALFI Rooftop by Birreria is arguing, architecturally and culinarily, is that the most persuasive table in Manhattan sits above the Flatiron District with a Campanian menu that has actual convictions.
Business dinnerbusiness dinnerlunch
Read restaurant page
8.0
Based on 3217 reviews
69
Mediterranean•SoHo•moderate
Pera Soho
Pera Soho suits a night out in SoHo when you want mediterranean that feels grown-up without getting stiff.
SoHo lunchlunchdinner
Read restaurant page
8.0
Based on 1085 reviews
70
Google
Chinese•Flushing•moderate
Golden Lake Pavilion
Golden Lake Pavilion is a sensible chinese call in Flushing in New York when you want something that usually lands well.
Flushing feastgroup dinnerlunch
Read restaurant page
7.8
Based on 2250 reviews
Common questions about lunch in New York
What are the best restaurants for lunch in New York?
The top restaurants for lunch in New York include Mama Mezze, Quantum Leap, GAN-HOO BBQ. TastyPals curates these picks based on occasion tags, Google ratings, and editorial judgment.
What is the best lunch restaurant in New York?
Mama Mezze is among the top-rated options for lunch in New York, with a 9.8 Google rating and 2,144 reviews.
TastyPals curates picks based on Google ratings, community reviews, and editorial judgment. Learn how we choose →
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