Place for one person to have a nice dinner on a weeknight? (New York: how much)

[PDF]

Hey guys, going to be in NYC for a few days next week. One of my nights is completely free right now, and looking for somewhere to eat?

Will be by myself, so nothing extremely fancy or with much of a dress-code. Not looking for a deli/pizza shop, but rather a place I can actually sit down and eat.

Thinking about Market Cafe on 9th Ave. Been doing some Googling. Any suggestions? Anywhere in Manhattan is fine with me. Thanks.

[D_R160]

shake shack. you can grab a burger and a shake and ppl watch in madison square park. its located on 23rd and madison ave. what kind of food are you looking for?

[Cida]

Being very interested in food myself, I always think it's a pity not to take advantage of the opportunity to eat in NYC to the fullest extent.

I haven't been to Market Cafe, though read favorable things about it. I don't know how much not-dressed you want to be, but there are places like Union Square Cafe where people have dinner at the bar. Generally, NYC treats singles quite well. If you want to make an evening of it, you could go some place down in Chinatown, and then stroll up to Little Italy for coffee and dessert. If you're Googling, check out Chowhound; the question of dining alone comes up periodically.

[bmwguydc]

I would add Gotham Bar and Grill, and the Bridge Cafe to the list, since both have a full menu at the bar.

[tpk-nyc]

Market Cafe is fine, but nothing special. Sort of a high-end diner. I eat there if I'm seeing a show, but it's not a destination restaurant. For an even better version of this style of restaurant go to Alias (Alias Restaurant | Fresh Friendly Neighborhood Dining).

The best bar food in town by far is The Spotted Pig (The Spotted Pig - New York). Everything there is delicious. It's ridiculously crowded on weekends though. Lots of celebrities.

Another favorite is Momufuku Noodle Bar (momofuku » Noodle Bar). The have a lot of counter seating so it's perfect for one person.

The most social restaurant I have ever been to in New York is Socarrat Paella Bar (Socarrat Paella Bar). It's a tiny place with two communal tables and everyone talks to everyone else. They have great tapas. Unfortunately you can't get the paella because it only comes for two.

Gotham is great, but it's borderline fine dining, which doesn't seem to be what you're looking for.