Dear tourist: If you are wondering where to eat in Times Square, the answer generally is DON’T. Walk just two blocks west to try these best restaurants in Hell’s Kitchen instead.
Most tourists visiting New York City stay in hotels near Times Square. The central location makes for easy subway transportation to anywhere in the city. But it’s also an area filled with chain restaurants and overpriced tourist traps. New Yorkers generally go out of our way to avoid Times Square, potentially only walking thru it if needed to get to our jobs (you can easily spot commuters with our earbuds, fast paced walk, and ignoring the street hustlers, Elmo’s, and other people trying to get our attention).
If you ask us, New Yorkers will tell you to leave Times Square, especially if you’re looking for good restaurants. Luckily, just a couple blocks west is a more residential neighborhood with lots of bars and restaurants called Hell’s Kitchen.
So, skip the restaurants in Times Square and come try these Hell’s Kitchen restaurants instead.
Table of Contents
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase or booking through one of my links, then I may earn a small commission. But don’t worry, it’s at no extra cost to you!
Best Restaurants in Hell's Kitchen
Kochi
Best Korean Restaurant in Hell's Kitchen
You could say that Korean cuisine is having its moment in the NYC dining scene. I’ve even heard that Korean food is undergoing a renaissance here. Whatever the correct wording is, high-end Korean restaurants like Cote, Atoboy, Atomix, and Jungsik have certainly taken the city by storm and are known as some of the best restaurants in NYC.
And Kochi can now be added to that list of best Korean restaurants in New York City, and thus one of the best restaurants in Hell’s Kitchen.
Owner and chef, Sungchul Shim, was born in South Korea and gained a broad culinary experience working in the acclaimed kitchens of Le Bernardin, Per Se, and Morimoto. He finally opened his first solo project with Kochi in late 2019, survived the pandemic, and has since flourished.
The word kochi means “skewer” in Korean, and most of the $135 nine course tasting menu comes in some sort of skewer form. The menu can change, but a recent menu includes courses of amberjack, crispy shrimp with Korean remoulade, marinated American wagyu flat iron, and a black sesame seed ice cream sandwich for dessert.
Alternative: On the back of Kochi’s success, Chef Shim recently opened his second Hell’s Kitchen restaurant, Mari, focusing on Korean hand rolls.
Reservations recommended for both restaurants.
Becco
Best Pre-Theater Restaurant in Hell's Kitchen
Unlike dell’anima listed above, Becco is certainly not a hidden gem. It’s one of the most popular and best Italian restaurants near Times Square. It is owned by celebrity chef, television host, and restauranteur, Lidia Bastianich and her son Joe. Lidia was owner of Del Posto in NYC (formerly one of the best and high-end Italian Restaurants in NYC) and is also a partner in the Eataly empire.
Becco sits on West 46th St, known as Restaurant Row, right on the outskirts of the theater district in Manhattan. And it’s one of the best restaurants for dinner before a Broadway show. So, if you don’t have a reservation, I recommend waiting until after 7pm when people leave for the Broadway shows.
Becco is also known for their unlimited table side service of the three daily pasta selections of the day for $29.95. These rotating selections are the only pasta on the menu. And honestly, they can be hit or miss. But their meatballs with freshly grated Grana Padano are among the best in New York City.
LumLum
Best Thai Restaurant in Hell's Kitchen
Ninth Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen has a lot of Thai Restaurants. Unfortunately, Talad Wat, which I considered the best Thai restaurant in the neighborhood closed during the pandemic. But fortunately, new arrival LumLum has quickly made a name as one of the best Thai restaurants in New York City.
The menu at LumLum has many of the commonly found Thai noodle dishes, like Pad Thai and Pad See Ew. But they describe themselves as a Thai Seafood Bar, and so you can experience great Thai seafood that is harder to find in NYC. Start with the spicy lemongrass soup with tiger prawns or the squid ink soup. And there are several choices for whole branzino as the main. And I love the appetizers, including the fried toro fritters, grilled cuttlefish, and the pork belly.
I like everything on the menu. It’s that good.
Alternative: A second great Thai restaurant has just opened in Hell’s Kitchen. Chalong is a seafood-focused southern Thai restaurant. 749 9th Ave
Chi
Best Chinese Restaurant in Hell's Kitchen
Another new restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen has raised the bar for Chinese cuisine. Chi serves Chinese dishes mainly from Szechuan regions, but also features Cantonese, Hunan and Beijing seasonal menus.
Chi is priced on the higher end, but items like the spicy cumin lamb or braised beef in chili sauce (both $26) are priced slightly better and are fantastic. Of course, you can stick with the smaller Asian tapas or dim sum. Or you can go all out and get one of the several lobster or whole fish dishes. Whatever you order, you’ll find that Chi is one of the best restaurants in Hell’s Kitchen.
Steak Frites
Best French Bistro in Hell's Kitchen
Another newcomer to the area on 9th Ave, south of 42nd St is the new French style bistro named Steak Frites.
Try the escargot, onion soup, or moules frites. And then the hangar steak might be the best deal, but if you’re ok with sharing then the Cote de Boeuf or Chateaubriand for two are certainly the stars here. Tack on the fantastic French wine list, and Steak Frites is one of the best new restaurants to open in Hells’ Kitchen.
Alternatives: Marseille has a great oyster happy hour, and Chez Josephine has an ambiance second to none with a live pianist or singer each night.
Other Great Hell's Kitchen Restaurants
- Empanada Mama: An outpost of the original location in the East Village. Choose from over 30 empanada varieties
- 44th & X: The best brunch in Hell’s Kitchen.
- Chef’s Counter at Brooklyn Fare: I always forget that this Michelin 3-star restaurant is technically located within Hell’s Kitchen. It’s one of the best restaurants in NYC, and the world.
- Norma: Italian restaurant with great pizza and pasta
Best Bars in Hell's Kitchen
Rudy's Bar & Grill
Best Dive Bar in Hell's Kitchen
Rudy’s Bar & Grill isn’t just the best dive bar in Hell’s Kitchen. It’s one of the best dive bars in New York City. When Prohibition ended in 1933, Rudy’s got one of New York’s first liquor licenses. And the original door with the last name of the original owners, Rudy, carved into it still remains.
There are two things in particular, that are unique to Rudy’s. First, is the giant pig standing outside on the sidewalk. He is dubbed Baron Von Swine, and has been there since the late 80’s (or ealry 90’s as the manager doenst exaclty recall). And the 2nd thing is that every drink comes with a free hot dog – if you ask. The beers are priced as low as $3 for a Rudy’s Blonde ale or $4 for a Rudy’s Red, Bud, or Bud Light, making this one of the best cheap eats in NYC.
Author Brad Thomas Parsons set out to write a book about dive bars throughout the U.S. and interviewed the manager at Rudy’s.
If Rudy’s turns into a Walgreens, the neighborhood is gone.
-Danny DePamphilis, Manager at Rudy’s
I agree.
On The Rocks
Best Whisky Bar in Hell's Kitchen
In direct terms, On the Rocks is the best whiskey bar in Hell’s Kitchen. Ii” even say it’s one of the best whiskey bars in New York City. But much like their online presence, you’ll have to put in effort to find their physical location. It’s over on a relatively low foot traffic area of 10th Ave. It doesn’t have a prominent sign. And since it is open only at night, you might not even notice it walking by in the daytime.
They maintain around 400 bottles of whiskey from the United States and around the world. There is no menu. So, the bartender will help guide you based on your preference and budget. Whether you are looking to try Bourbon, Rye, Scotch or maybe a great Japanese Whisky, the staff will be helpful in sharing their knowledge with you. Pours currently start at $25 and up, so don’t expect to find any inexpensive whiskey here.
Alternative Recommendation: It’s not in Hell’s Kitchen, but if you love Scotch, Keen’s Steak House near Penn Stations has one of the best Scotch menus in the entire country.
