Best Bars, Restaurants Near Penn Station & Madison Square Garden
Whether you're heading to or from the train at Penn Station or waiting for a game or concert at Madison Square Garden, people can grab a quick meal and drink at one of these nearby restaurants. By John Friia
The Pennsy
2 Penn Plaza
New York, NY 10121
917-475-1830
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The Pennsy, located next to Madison Square Garden, is home to various restaurants and an outdoor patio. The Cinnamon Snail is among the handful of eateries in the space, and has become known for their vegan sandwiches, bowls and delicious doughnuts. For people looking for seafood, they can stop at Lobster Press for their signature panini. The namesake sandwich is filled with fresh lobster and served with a side of chili lobster dipping sauce. On days when train service is delayed or suspended, commuters can head to The Pennsy Bar, which serves an array of beers, wines and cocktails, including the "Burro of Manhattan," made with mezcal, jalapeno, lemon and ginger beer.
Delmonico's Kitchen
207 East 36th Street
New York, NY 10001
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One of America's oldest fine dining restaurants has expanded to Midtown with Delmonico's Kitchen. The Midtown outpost creates their own specialties, including the mouthwatering DK Double Burger and slow-roasted BBQ short ribs with whipped potatoes, baby spinach and natural jus. The menu is not the only noticeable change to the restaurant -- diners will be dazzled with its chic, modern interior and casual vibe. From the red leather banquettes, to a wine wall and sleek marble bar, Delmonico's Kitchen offers the ideal respite from a hectic Midtown.
Lugo Cucina Italiana
1 Penn Plaza
New York, NY 10119
212-629-7070
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Instead of heading to one of the numerous bars surrounding Madison Square Garden and Penn Station, people can grab a table at Lugo Cucina for an Italian feast. Before people enter the restaurant, they will notice two bright red Vespas that lead the way to an Italian oasis. From pasta to seafood and pizzas, the eatery serves traditional Italian dishes with a little Manhattan touch -- including the Il Giardino pizza, topped with zucchini, squash, eggplant, onion and lemon ricotta.
Teremok
358 Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10001
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Originally opened in Moscow, Teremok's first New York location brings traditional Russian dishes to the Big Apple. Favorites include the Pot Pie Bliny, stuffed with slow-cooked chicken, cremini mushrooms, Swiss cheese and apple cream and their borsch, a beetroot soup made with carrots, cabbage, garlic, tomatoes, bacon and topped with sour cream and herbs.
Rock & Reilly's NYC
218 West 35th Street
New York, NY 10001
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The spirit of the Irish can be found high atop the Renaissance Hotel at Rock & Reilly's. The rooftop boasts a large terrace with a retractable roof to enjoy the Midtown skyline anytime of the year. This gastropub blends together dark wood, distressed metal and three mahogany bars for a Prohibition-era vibe. Patrons can chow down on the Irish Nacho made with kettle chips, peppered bacon and cheddar cheese while sipping on one of the 20 types of beers or their signature cocktails, including the Rock and Rye Smash with rye, ginger, mint and yuzu.
The Breslin Bar and Dining Room
Ace Hotel
20 W 29th St.
New York, NY
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If the butcher-papered tables and stag-headed walls don't clue you in, The Breslin focuses on meat, in quality and quantity. Crispy berkshire pork belly with carolina gold, pumpkin, fermented cabbage & mutsu apples shares menu space with the likes of head cheese, terrine boards, and blood sausage with fried duck's eggs and vinaigrette. A full bar and excellent wine list complete the package.
Pennsylvania 6
132 West 31st Street
New York, NY
(212) 727-3666
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This upscale gastropub pleases sports fans and foodies alike. Its proximity to the Garden, along with walls lined with flat screen televisions, make the dining destination a sports bar. But as Penn 6's manager told the Wall Street Journal, "you can still have a nice, sophisticated meal with oysters and Champagne." The ambiance and stepped-up menu take the atmosphere up a notch.
Co.
230 9th Ave. at 24th St.
New York, NY
Co. has been lauded as one of NYC's top pizzerias -- no mean feat for a designer pizzeria with communal tables, a dandy among hard-knuckled cousins like Grimaldi's. Baker/owner Jim Lahey focuses on thin-crusted, Neapolitan style pizza topped with iconoclastic, borderline experimental toppings like roasted cauliflower, veal meatballs and roasted chestnuts. This adventurousness, along with a fastidious devotion to fresh, toothsome breads, sets Co. apart from the pack.
Blarney Rock Pub
137 W 33rd St.
New York, NY
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This old-school Irish bar still has the requisite pinch of grit lacking in so many of its midtown neighbors. The Blarney Rock has grounded 33rd Street from 1969 on, with the accumulated sports memorabilia to prove it. The crowd is largely blue collar – New York Magazine notes that "the Blarney Rock is not the place to discuss your plans to build or renovate with nonunion labor," and construction workers, elevator repairmen, and MTA employees still rub shoulders with commuters and, often as not, hordes of Rangers or Knicks fans yelling at the bar's numerous TVs.
Go! Go! Curry
273 W 38th St.
New York, NY
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With this Japanese curry shack, it's hard to decide which quirk to focus on first – the cartoon-bedecked walls, occasional staff member in a gorilla suit, or almost kabbalistic obsession with the number five (Go means five in Japanese). Originally named for Hideki Matsui's number, the restaurant still ends its phone number with all fives and opens and closes at five minutes to the hour. In between, they serve up white rice and deep-fried toppings like pork katsu, all doused with the star attraction – the curry sauce, a thick, brown, slightly sweet gloop that looks fairly suspect but tends to inspire fanatical devotion among the clientele.
Tír Na Nóg
5 Penn Plaza near 34th St.
New York, NY
Named for the Gaelic land of eternal youth, this genteel Irish pub offers a cozy, casual atmosphere amid lace-curtain relics and architectural bric-a-brac salvaged from churches and castles of the old country. Huge picture windows open onto the church-pipe-organ turned bar and illuminate a civil place to enjoy a pint or whiskey. The Celtic-influenced American pub food offers excellent seafood dishes, as well as a memorable shepherd's pie.
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John Friia is a freelance journalist and native New Yorker writing about food, drinks and lifestyle. You can follow his adventures on Instagram
