One of the most iconic venues in the world, Madison Square Garden (MSG) attracts millions of visitors each year for concerts, sports events, and entertainment spectacles. And as one of New York City’s most dazzling attractions, it’s only fitting that some of the best dining options that the city has to offer are just steps away. From MICHELIN-Starred restaurants to local favorites, the area around Madison Square Garden is home to world-class culinary delights that span various cuisines and cultures.
So, whether you’re looking for a pre-event meal, a post-show celebration, or simply a memorable dining experience, here is the ultimate MICHELIN Guide to dining (and where to stay) around Madison Square Garden.
Bar Primi (Penn District)
Cuisine: Italian
They clearly know what they wanted to do in this kitchen: make excellent Italian (and Italian-American) food with a delicious twist here and surprise ingredient there. The result is a restaurant we would all like to have just around the corner. Great wine, a friendly service team and two floors of comfortable seating make it easy for guests to pile in, night after night.
Inspector notes: "Start with meatballs, a far cry from the generic kind, stuffed with Fontina and braised until tender in a chunky tomato sugo."
Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare
Cuisine: Contemporary
This famed address hidden in the back corner of a Hell’s Kitchen grocery store now enters a new era under Chefs Max Natmessnig and Marco Prins. The team works quickly, sending out a volley of delicate tarts and bites that showcase a refined, Japanese-French style.
Inspector notes: "Recent highlights include langoustine with yuzu and koshihikari rice, a large sea scallop in a lush brown butter sauce, and a slender block of turbot with firefly squid sauce and herb-oil swirled buttermilk."
Ci Siamo
Cuisine: Italian
Efficient, busy from the minute doors open and effortlessly likable, this Italian eatery hiding deep inside the Manhattan West development is everything we’ve come to expect—and enjoy—from restaurateur Danny Meyer. Chef Hillary Sterling's food is equally inviting.
Inspector notes: "The caramelized onion torta is enough to warrant a return, with melting onions packed into a delicate crust, buried under two kinds of pecorino and finished in the wood-burning oven."
Casa Dani
Cuisine: Spanish
There is nothing homey about Chef Dani Garcia’s sprawling new casa, located in the sparkling Citizens food hall in Manhattan West. Big groups like to swing for the pricey paella, but we suggest building a meal around a wide range of small dishes, starting with any one of the fantastic preparations of tuna.
Inspector notes: "A richly satisfying and unexpectedly creamy tortilla española as well as expertly fried buñuelos de mi madre (cod fritters) are wonderful benchmarks from this famed chef."
Peak
Cuisine: Contemporary
Pop quiz time. Where is the highest outdoor observatory deck in the western hemisphere? If you guessed The Edge at Hudson Yards, you win. And your prize? Dinner at Peak, the next-door restaurant with jaw-dropping views over lower Manhattan and New Jersey.
Inspector notes: "Kick things off with dishes like the beef tartare mixed with smoked aioli and hit with bit of soy and ginger, then covered with thin, crispy sunchoke chips."
Hav & Mar
Cuisine: Fusion
How do you share your melting pot heritage without pandering? Just ask Chefs Marcus Samuelsson and Fariyal Abdullahi, the brains behind Hav & Mar. This modern spot pays homage to Samuelsson's Ethiopian and Swedish roots with a seamless and heartfelt approach. The menu pulls from both cultures and their staple ingredients.
Inspector notes: "Few dishes represent this cultural collision better than the Swediopian, a berbere-cured salmon shingled between slices of Granny Smith apple, dressed with mustard seed caviar and buckthorn and finished with injera chips."
aRoqa
Cuisine: Indian
aRoqa shares a selection of contemporary Indian food in a format of shared plates. The ambience here is more romantic than family-friendly, featuring moody tones of black and gold, an arched dark wood ceiling, and a bar with shimmering panels. The menu descriptions showcase the chef's creative flair.
Inspector notes: "The goat keema is deeply savory and saucy and pairs well with the paneer-stuffed jalapeno-flecked naan to sop up all the sauce."
The Orchard Townhouse
Cuisine: Contemporary
The Orchard Townhouse is an all-day spot that expertly balances trendy looks with an endearing atmosphere. This downtown bistro is the perfect place to catch up with a friend, but it's equally welcoming for solo diners who want to enjoy a leisurely meal. Every bit the neighborhood gem, it's also so much more than that, with earnest cooking and originality coming from this kitchen.
Inspector notes: "Echoing the look and feel, the menu spotlights contemporary bistro fare with snacks and salads, sandwiches at lunch and main dishes served all day, with the likes of spicy crab spaghetti with roasted tomato, pickled chili and breadcrumbs or a delicious rendition of chicken Milanese."
Noz 17
Cuisine: Japanese
Chef Junichi Matsuzaki is highly skilled and talented. The omakase shows off the chef's free-wheeling style with a procession that keeps the palate stimulated. Otsumami, sashimi and nigiri all show off an impressive display of top-notch product that has been expertly treated and handled.
Inspector notes: "A slice of pearlescent white cuttlefish, intricately scored so it practically melts in the mouth, accompanied by a mouth-coating demitasse of snapper bone broth, are just two of the delights presented to diners."
Gabriel Kreuther
Cuisine: Contemporary
Distinctively housed at the base of the Grace building, this modern dining room happens to be perfect for celebrating special occasions. The cocktail list is dedicated to the history of Bryant Park across the street, while as an homage to the eponymous chef’s Alsatian heritage, the wine selection prominently features rieslings, pinot blancs and gewürztraminers.
Inspector notes: "Dishes reflect global sensibilities with a strong creative edge, as in the Montauk red shrimp tartare crowned with a cayenne tuile, surrounded by a creamy jalapeño coulis."
Cote
Cuisine: Korean
Korean-born Simon Kim opened Cote as a joyful celebration of his home country’s love for beef allied with his admiration for the great American steakhouse. Just head downstairs and admire the meats hanging in the aging room.
Inspector notes: "First-timers should go for the “Butcher’s Feast” featuring different cuts of beef, an egg soufflé, and enough banchan to cover your table. Meats are first presented raw for you to admire; your server then oils the grill and expertly cooks them."
Rezdôra
Cuisine: Italian
If you’ve been lucky enough to sample the ethereal cuisine of Emilia-Romagna, you’re in for a treat at Chef Stefano Secchi's cherished osteria. Nestled into a well-designed space in the Flatiron District, this cheerful spot brings the Italian region’s signature cuisine stateside.
Inspector notes: "Rotating specials and pastas top the charts, and the regional pasta tasting is a sleeper hit. It takes guts to serve a handful of penne with pomodoro sauce or two tortellini in chicken brodo, but when pasta is as refined as this, nobody is complaining."
Stay nearby:
Pendry Manhattan West (Two MICHELIN Keys)
For their first hotel in New York, Pendry — the urban luxury-hotel imprint of the Montage Resorts brand — is staking out new territory. Manhattan West is part of the huge Hudson Yards Redevelopment that’s changed the face of Midtown’s west side, and the Pendry Manhattan West, occupying an undulating glass tower by architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, shifts the city’s luxury-hospitality center of gravity a bit further towards the Hudson.
Book Pendry Manhattan West on The MICHELIN Guide →
Equinox Hotel Hudson Yards
The Equinox brand already owns the high end of New York’s fitness-club scene, and with its entry in the West Side’s vast Hudson Yards development, it’s making a play for the hospitality scene as well. Equinox Hotel Hudson Yards New York City is unrelentingly high-end, with architecture by SOM and interiors by Rockwell Group and Joyce Wang. The rooms and suites are ultra-modern and ultra-luxurious, as is the spa and its vast Equinox-branded health club, complete with Soulcycle franchise.
Book Equinox Hotel Hudson Yards on The MICHELIN Guide →
Arlo Midtown
Arlo Midtown’s Garment District location places it between Times Square and the newly redeveloped Hudson Yards, not far from Penn Station and the Lincoln Tunnel. But thanks to its luxe comforts — and elegant contemporary interiors by Meyer Davis — its rooms and suites are something of a refuge from the chaos of the city. The style is contemporary, modernist-influenced but not retro; wood, leather, marble, and tile give the surfaces plenty of texture.
Hero image: valeragf / Adobe Stock | Madison Square Garden
