12 Best Restaurants in SoHo, New York City

One of the first trendy spots in SoHo, this arty French restaurant with closely packed tables and booths has yet to lose its touch, either in the kitchen or with the atmosphere. Expect a chic bar scene and bistro-inspired dishes, with oysters and salads to start and pastas, fish, and meat options for mains. Revelie, Raoul's sister restaurant with a similar menu, is just across the street.

Opened in 1992, Blue Ribbon still has a reputation not just as a top-notch restaurant serving French-influenced standards like escargot, French onion soup, and steak but also as a serious late-night foodie hangout. Literary types, chefs, and designers—generally a good-looking gang—tend to fill this dark box of a room until late (2 am these days though it used to be open 'til 4).

Chef Ignacio Mattos's sequel to his much-lauded Estela, nearby, is an airy, high-ceiling spot that's called a café but is more of a paradise of satisfying Italian fare. Pasta lovers melt over the perfectly prepared cacio e pepe, but the kitchen also turns out expert fish and meat dishes: perhaps a perfectly roasted half chicken, pork Milanese, or hake with cauliflower and capers.

The cronut, a delectable cross between a doughnut and a croissant, was invented by Dominique Ansel in 2013, and the flaky pastries continue to create a hubbub, with just one inventive flavor available each month. There are plenty of other delightful creations here as well, such as decadent hot chocolate, which you can eat in the café or take with you.

George Motz is a well-known historian of the American hamburger and in late 2023, he fulfilled a dream by opening up his own burger joint. Grab a stool at the counter and watch Motz, the burger-flipper-in-chief, go to work. The casual and affordable spot serves up single and double-patty smash burgers, as well as a regional special burger that changes every few months. Crispy fries, grilled cheese sandwiches, and flavored milk round out the menu. 

King is a beloved local spot run by three women who met while working at the famed River Cafe in London. Serving up better-than-average Italian and French fare in a stylish atmosphere, King's short menu changes frequently when new ingredients come into season, but expect dishes like Gorgonzola-spiked risotto, crispy chickpea fritters, and rosemary-accented hanger steak.

Whether you're lucky enough to nab a table at 1 pm or 1 am, this bistro—Keith McNally's original solo foray into the restaurant world, before Balthazar and Pastis—always seems like the place to be. The French-influenced kitchen's offerings are straightforward: croque monsieur, steak frites, and salade niçoise are old standbys, with a turkey burger thrown in to accommodate the palate américain. Bedecked in classic bistro trappings—hammered-copper stools, mirrors with menu items scrawled on them—the restaurant would look just as perfect in the Bastille neighborhood of Paris as it does in this swanky part of the Big Apple.

Part of Alsatian superchef Jean-Georges Vongerichten's culinary empire, the celebrity-laden front room of this SoHo spot in the Mercer Hotel is as much about scene as cuisine, which isn't a bad thing since both are top of the line. Dishes here look toward Italy, using simple ingredients and pairings.

You'll want to check out the menu at this chic SoHo spot that's more than a "pinch" above the average Chinese joint thanks to its perfect dumplings and supertasty versions of mapo tofu, three-cup chicken, seafood fried rice, and many other classics. The wine and cocktail list are thoughtfully chosen to pair with the flavorful food.

Does New York City really need another Italian restaurant? When it's a long-time beloved favorite eatery from Rome, the answer is a resounding sì! Roscioli was a must-stop for tourists to Rome but now New Yorkers can devour suppli (fried Roman rice balls) and dig into bowls of spaghetti alla carbonara and rigatoni all'Amatriciana without the jet lag. The downstairs room is exclusively for diners partaking in the prix-fixe tasting menu while the ground-floor space is for more casual à la carte options.

Brunch staples like smoked fish, bagels, pancakes, and French toast don’t get more refined than they do at this airy, sophisticated spot in the heart of the SoHo action. Come during the week for a more leisurely experience, because who said brunch has to be relegated to weekends?