Spending time in the Theater District is not always the vibe. Forever baking under the heat lamp of Times Square, this stretch of Midtown bustles with tourists and traffic, and many a dreaded tourist trap. And yet the cultured and culture-obsessed often find themselves in the area for one big reason: If you’re in town looking to see a marquee production, rather than a smaller something Off-Broadway or at BAM, this is where you’ll be, and you might need to grab a bite before or after your show. To maximize leisure, it’s advisable that wherever you dine be no more than a 15-minute stroll from your theater destination—and with the right information, finding somewhere convenient and worth eating at is, surprisingly, very possible.
Despite the reputation of the neighborhood, there are plenty of solid establishments hiding in plain sight, at which to fill your stomach before filling your ears, heart, and mind. Read on for the best places to eat before a Broadway show in New York City—or after, who’s to say. You just might be moved to stick around.
Read our complete New York City travel guide here, which includes:
The long-awaited arrival of this beloved Taiwanese restaurant in New York City could not have been a buzzier or more consummate success, starring immaculate xiao long bao: delicate soup dumplings that swell with pork and broth. The location is great: this is the perfect place to fill your stomach before or after a show, and the chaos of the neighborhood gets completely shut out by the coolness of the subterranean dining room. You must, of course, place at least one order of the kurobuta pork xiao long bao, which gets you 10 dumplings for $18.50—you can also opt for pork and crab or ground chicken as your filling. Other highlights include the deceptively simple cucumber salad ($9) and the New York-exclusive black sesame espresso martini ($22), which is made all the richer by the addition of an egg yolk. —Charlie Hobbs, associate editor
For not only dinner but also a show before your show, Russian Samovar is the red-soaked room to be in. Located on West 52, just across from the August Wilson Theatre and around the corner from the Gershwin, this super Slavic spot is a drinker’s delight. If you need to loosen or lighten up before whichever piece of theater you’re meant to take in, sample a few of their flavored vodkas (I’m partial to sipping the dill-infused option, which tastes like fresh grass in a refreshing way) or sip your way through any number of martinis and the like. The food isn’t half bad, and while it’s rather pricey it’s also hearty and well-portioned. The beef stroganoff, served with a heavy pile of egg noodles, is particularly fortifying. —Charlie Hobbs, associate editor
If you’re hitting Broadway for a quintessential NYC experience, then ducking into this storied seafood spot in the beast of the belly that is Grand Central station is an iconic starting point—and particularly convenient if your journey to Broadway takes you via Grand Central. When you push through the river of commuters to reach the restaurant, turn right, in the direction of the diner-style counters (not the left, where the seating is sit-down; vibes are just better at the counter). Plop on a stool, and treat yourself to fresh oysters, seafood plates, and chowders made the old-fashioned way (I’m not sure exactly what the old-fashioned way is, but you can see the whole operation unfolding by the shellfish-shucking station). It’s not cheap, in the way that seafood you can safely eat before a three-hour performance in New York City never is, but there are filling bites to be ordered strategically if you aren’t up for a big splurge. If you just want a drink, continue past the counters to the swinging doors even further to the right—the bar, which feels somewhat like being below deck on a big ship, has a personality of its own. —Megan Spurrell, associate articles director
New York City’s only revolving restaurant just so happens to double as prime Theater District dining. Recently reopened under the careful eye of restaurateur Danny Meyer and his trusty Union Square Hospitality Group, The View at the Marriott Marquis is a tourist’s delight that locals with any sense of joie de vivre will get a kick out of, too. The primary draw here, of course, is not the food but rather the ride you and your table take around Times Square (note: it seems that the tables closest to the glass are all two-tops, with four-seaters relegated to the next row in). It helps that the food and beverage ain’t half bad, with some weird martinis and copious seafood alongside more standard burgers. All of this to say, it’s extremely fun without being full-send tacky thanks to some swank, sexy design. —Charlie Hobbs, associate editor
