In the city that supposedly never sleeps, it can be surprisingly hard to get a good meal after 10 or 11 p.m. You get out of a show or work late, only to be greeted with a “kitchen’s closed.” And what’s good at prime dining hours isn’t always so great after-hours. Late-night fare should have flavors that are bold, not delicate; comforting, not challenging. It should have the potential to absorb alcohol, and, ideally, be eaten with few (or no) utensils. Being fried or containing cheese isn’t a requirement, but it helps.
With all this in mind, we rounded up some of the best food available after midnight. Have a bite . . .
Best burger
The Spotted Pig; 314 W. 11th St.; 212-620-0393
After more than a decade, it’s still hard to beat April Bloomfield’s chargrilled burger ($21) topped with Roquefort cheese and nothing else. In a town of over-adorned patties, it stands out for its simplicity: the play of the tangy cheese against the juicy, umami-rich patty. The beef blend is a closely guarded secret but suet is reportedly added to the grind to achieve juicy perfection. Served with a heap of shoestring fries flecked with garlic slivers and rosemary, it’s just about perfect — save for the fact that they’ll bring you ketchup or mustard, but not mayo, for said fries.
Dinner until 2 a.m. nightly
Honorable mention: Chez Sardine (183 W. 10th St., 646-360-3705) serves a mighty fine and very different burger — topped with smoked Cheddar, cucumber, BBQ mayo and crispy potatoes — until 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday and until midnight the rest of the week.
Best tacos
Empellón Al Pastor; 132 St. Mark’s Place; 646-833-7039
Forget searching for some mythical taco truck in the wee hours, and just head to Alex Stupak’s bar-cum-taqueria in the East Village. Bartenders cheerfully take orders for food and drink and the kitchen sends out tacos ($4 each) — from the namesake al pastor with pork and pineapple (below) to a satisfying cactus creation with chil and cheese — with remarkable speed. And that’s especially important for off-hours dining. Tortillas are made fresh daily, and they make for great chips — served with fresh, unfussy guacamole ($4)— as well as tacos.
Food served until 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday, midnight Sunday through Thursday
Honorable mention: Forget those Costco taquitos Mom used to stock the freezer with. Taquitoria (168 Ludlow St.; 212-780-0121) serves up a much improved, but hardly any more authentic, version of the rolled-up taco (three for $6) with various fillings and toppings — including nacho cheese, a foodstuff meant for late night.
Best clam-shack fare
Extra Fancy; 302 Metropolitan Ave., Williamsburg; 347-422-0939
If your late-night hunger requires something from the sea, hop the L train to this welcoming Brooklyn spot, beloved by restaurant industry folk like Betony chef Bryce Shuman and even Daniel Boulud, who had a birthday party there last year. After midnight on weeknights, oysters and clams from the raw bar are half off, and the late-night menu is packed with filling food — from a buttery lobster roll to immaculately sourced mussels, prepared with care. If you prefer something from the land, an entire section of the menu is devoted to patty melts, which aren’t available during regular hours; the griddled cornbread ($5), Szechuan fried chicken ($12) and honey-glazed sweet-potato fries with bacon and scallion cream ($9) are also winners.
Kitchen open until 3:30 a.m. nightly
Best sushi
Sushi Seki, 1143 First Ave.; 212-371-0238
After-midnight eating doesn’t have to involve grease. Raw, healthy-fatty fish can be just as satisfying — and leave you feeling better in the morning. While many Japanese spots close early, this Upper East Side favorite — beloved by top chefs like Eric Ripert and Jean-Georges Vongerichten — keeps late hours, and it walks a nice line between traditional and creative preparations.
Sushi bar open until 2:30 a.m. nightly.
Best brasserie food
Blue Ribbon; 97 Sullivan St., 212-274-0404
Since 1992, this cozy West Village spot has been serving its legendary bone marrow ($19) to night owls and service industry folks, and it’s as good as ever. The much-lauded dish features three marrow bones sitting in a hearty, slightly sweet oxtail marmalade, surrounded by toast points and a well of coarse sea salt. Put them all together for a bite that hits every gustatory pleasure button — from salty to sweet to fatty.
Kitchen open until 3:45 a.m. nightly
Best pizza
Artichoke Basille’s Pizza; 328 E. 14th St. and locations throughout Manhattan; 212-228-2004
It’s not a pizza for daylight hours or stone-cold sobriety but, late and tipsy, the artichoke slice ($4.75, right) is a perfect indulgence. Topped with a thick cream sauce, mozzarella, pecorino, artichoke and spinach, it’s more like the love child of pizza and artichoke dip than mere pizza itself. Served in a generous wedge, it never leaves you wanting more. Try the Sicilian for a (slightly) lighter option.
Open until 5 a.m. daily
Best Chinese
Decoy; downstairs, 529 ½ Hudson St.; 212-691-9700
Get a little dim-sum something-something after hours at Decoy, the bar beneath RedFarm in the West Village. Enjoy chef Joe Ng’s delicate, flavorful snacks, like shrimp and snow pea-leaf dumplings ($14) or foie gras and strawberry tarts. ($16) If you’re lucky, they might have an extra one of their fabulous Peking ducks leftover from dinner — just ask the bartender. The duck (below) costs $78, but it serves two to four people and includes shots of duck consommé, pancakes and various sauces and accouterments for making wraps.
Bar menu served until 1:45 a.m. nightly
Honorable mention: For more casual Chinese, try Great NY Noodletown (28 Bowery); open til 4 a.m. nightly.
Best fried cheese
Fifty Paces; 413 East 12th St.; no phone
Admit it. You secretly long for the mozzarella sticks of your bygone youth. Thankfully, at his new wine bar Fifty Paces, Hearth chef Marco Canora has improved the classic diner fare, breading and frying small balls of mozzarella and serving them in a rich, slowly simmered pool of tomato sauce ($6). Other standouts include beet and Gorgonzola risotto balls ($9, above) and the Sloppy Giuseppe ($12) — an Italian take on a Sloppy Joe with pork ragù.
Food served until 1 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday; 11 p.m. Monday and Tuesday
Best ramen
Takashi; 456 Hudson St.; 212-414-2929
If you have the foresight to plan your late-night eating in advance, make a reservation for Takashi’s late-night-only ramen ($16, below). The Japanese joint eschews the pork-based broths common in the city for a flavor-packed beef broth that takes 24 hours to make. It’s topped with braised beef belly that nearly melts before it hits your mouth, a soft-boiled egg and bits of deep-fried intestines that could turn even the least-adventurous eater into an organ lover. Order it spicy ($1 extra to get an added flavor punch from Takashi’s grandma’s secret recipe spice paste). Feeling fancy? Add foie gras for $14.
Friday and Saturday nights at midnight to 2 a.m. only; reservations required; email ramen@takashinyc.com after 5 p.m. the Monday prior to book
Best bar food
The Long Island Bar; 110 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn; 718-625-8908
Your neighborhood probably has a place like the Long Island Bar — a cozy local watering hole serving burgers, fries and various snacks and sandwiches. But it’s probably not as delicious — nor will it have chef Gabriel Martinez in the kitchen. Before coming to the landmark bar, which reopened in Cobble Hill in 2013, Martinez spent two years at the three-Michelin-starred Alinea in Chicago, and his attention to detail and technique elevates regular pub grub to something sublime.
The double-pattied burger ($18 with fries, pictured on cover) is topped with American cheese made in-house using a domestic raclette, yellow Cheddar from Murray’s and a bit of gelatin. The fries are some of the city’s best — coated in a secret batter that adds another layer of crunch and flavor.
“They are inspired by fast food fries, namely the ones at Arby’s,” Martinez explains. “I wanted to recreate that style of fries without any chemicals or preservatives, and after countless hours of R & D, I think we made something pretty tasty.”
Smoked beets elevate a reuben sandwich ($16, above), and even a potentially lame salad of raw, shaved Brussels sprouts ($11) manages to be delicious and suitably hearty for late night munching, thanks to charred radicchio, house-cured bacon and a dressing made with bacon drippings and Vermont maple syrup.
Kitchen open until 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday
Best chicken and biscuit
Jacob’s Pickles; 509 Amsterdam Ave.; 212-470-5566
Need a bite that’s a literal sponge for alcohol? Head to the Upper West Side for the heavy, heavenly homemade biscuits at Jacob’s Pickles. They’re great on their own (four for $9), but even better in a sandwich. Try the honey-chicken and pickle ($15) — a perfect marriage of sweet fried chicken and sour pickle slivers — or the southern BLT ($16, left).
Kitchen open until 12:30 a.m. Sunday to Tuesday, 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday and 2 a.m. Thursday to Saturday
Honorable mention: For biscuits 24/7, head downtown to Empire Biscuit (198 Avenue A).