In the city that never sleeps, you can always find a 24-hour diner or fast-food joint. Tribeca offers even more options for hungry night owls. While others are tucking themselves into bed, you can tuck into oysters on the half shell, a Wagyu burger, tandoor-cooked lamb, or just about anything else that strikes your fancy.
82 Reade Street (at Church Street)
Deviled Eggs at 1803. Image: Dennis G/Yelp
Like New York, New Orleans is known for its up-all-night vibe. So it is appropriate that the kitchen of Big Easy-inspired 1803 NYC is open till midnight every day but Sunday. Until 10 p.m. you can order from the dinner menu, which includes Cajun and Southern delights such as gumbo, deviled eggs with bacon and pickled jalapeño, and traditional and vegan jambalayas. The late-night menu, available afterward, is still packed with NOLA specialties: grilled oysters with chili-garlic butter, crawfish-and-rice croquettes, pulled-pork sandwiches. Afterward decamp to the bar, though you can of course order drinks—including beers from Louisiana-based Abita Brewing Company—with your meal.
305 Church Street (at Walker Street)
At Belle Reve the kitchen is open until two every morning and the bar until four a.m. As befits its ambience—think elevated dive bar meets small-town diner, with a tin-tile ceiling, scuffed floors, café curtains, linoleum-top tables, and a long central bar—the menu focuses on comfort food and late-night classics. Starters include nachos, French onion soup, and several salads; among the entrees are fish and chips, grilled cheese with soup, spaghetti and meatballs, a variety of burgers (including a veggie option), and steak frites. Or you could make a meal out of the side dishes, which include healthy (cauliflower, grilled asparagus) and not-so-healthy (mac-and-cheese with bacon, loaded disco-style fries).
25 North Moore Street (between Varick and Hudson Streets)
Bites at The Brandy Library. Image: Julie B./Yelp
This nook specializes, as its name indicates, in all manner of brandies—and whiskies too—till four a.m. on weekends, two a.m. on Thursdays (technically Friday mornings), and one a.m. the rest of the week. The last seating for dinner, however, is 11:30 p.m., and reservations for groups of six or more are required. Brandy Library bestows the same attention to its food offering as it does to its drinks selection, though the latter is far more extensive. The food menu emphasizes small bites, such as cognac-cured foie gras on house-made brioche, Gruyère cheese puffs, prosciutto-wrapped figs served with a port reduction and mint, and Brazil nuts roasted in rye whisky. A few entrees are available as well, including a rack of lamb and filet mignon. Among the desserts, all of which are made in-house, are bread pudding and éclairs topped with dulce de leche.
120 Hudson Street (at North Moore Street)
Lemon meringue pie at Bubby’s. Image: Yelp
Open till midnight on Fridays and Saturdays and 11 p.m. the rest of the week, Bubby’s is where you go when you absolutely must have homemade, not canned, matzo ball soup or a slice of pie made with fresh blueberries before you call it a night. Bubby’s started, in fact, as a purveyor of fresh-made pies, and its selection includes apple, Jersey peach, banoffee, and chocolate peanut butter. You likely would not be the first person to begin your meal here with dessert before venturing to the entrees and appetizers. Should you opt to start with a starter, though, in addition to the aforementioned matzo ball soup, options include pigs in a blanket (wrapped in homemade pie crust), shishito peppers with yuzu and soy sauce, and nachos. Main courses include burgers made with grass-fed beef from upstate’s Autumn’s Harvest Farm, homemade lentil veggie burgers, bacon-wrapped meatloaf, and a grain bowl with greens, millet, heirloom tomatoes, avocado, feta, and pecans topped with a pesto made with roasted red peppers and served with a red-wine vinaigrette.
211 West Broadway (at Franklin Street)
Distilled is a New American interpretation of the classic pub. Instead of fish and chips, you can feast on striped bass with red quinoa, faro, roasted barley, avocado, and heirloom cherry tomatoes served with a yogurt cilantro dressing; in lieu of spaghetti Bolognese there is truffle fettuccine; and while burgers are on the menu, they are made with Wagyu beef and served on a brioche with aged cheddar, chipotle aioli, and crispy shallots alongside house-cut fries. Start things off with oysters from the raw bar, charcuterie or cheese boards, or one of several salads. The more adventurous can opt for Dinner by Distilled, five off-menu dishes chosen by the chef. Like all good pubs, Distilled has a solid selection of ciders, IPAs, and whiskies as well as signature drinks, including a Spiked Pink Lemonade slushie. And perhaps most important for a pub, it is open until two a.m. Thursday through Saturday and till midnight the rest of the week.
185 Duane Street A (between Hudson and Greenwich Streets)
Like Distilled, the Hideaway is a gastropub with its own take on traditional eats. The house burger is made of free-range beef and served with a house chipotle catsup and your choice of hand-cut fries or a salad; other entrees include grilled cheese made with Cabot white cheddar, brie, thyme-roasted tomatoes, and slab maple bacon and a chipotle roasted chicken quesadilla. Those with smaller appetites might opt for starters such as petite house-made fennel sausage hand-rolled in puff pastry, fish tacos, or hot wings marinated in stout. Because the Hideaway is open until one a.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and midnight the rest of the week, you will also have plenty of time to sample the selection of craft beers on tap or the house cocktails such as the Honey Crisp, made with bourbon from Brooklyn’s Widow Jane Distillery, Bärenjäger honey liqueur, and sparkling apple cider.
311 Church Street (between Walker and Lispenard Streets)
In the 1930s, when it was still a Portuguese colony, the Chinese region of Macau was known for its decadence. While Macao Trading Co. lacks the opium dens and gambling tables of that era, it is decadent in its own way. For one thing, on Thursdays through Saturdays it serves late-night dinner from midnight till 3:30 in the morning, and every night its regular dinner menu is available until 11:45. The Asian influence is apparent in the late-night menu, which includes three types of steamed or fried dumplings (shrimp and scallion, chicken and pork belly, and sweet corn and edamame). Other options include mushroom-and-truffle croquettes served with Gruyère and Parmesan, oysters on the half shell, and baby-back ribs cooked in classic Chinese char siu fashion. The regular dinner menu adds starters such as steamed mussels and kale-and-chicory salad as well as mains including Macanese lobster noodles and Wagyu steak. The drinks menu is decadent in its own right, offering everything from absinthe to champagne to cocktails such as Blind Bet, made with 80-proof bison grass vodka, yuzu liqueur, gin, and Cap Corse aperitif.
145 West Broadway (at Thomas Street)
The Odeon. Image: Billie Grace Ward/Flickr
Having opened in 1980, the Odeon has transformed from a see-and-be-seen hot spot to a Tribeca institution. Open until midnight Wednesday through Saturday and till 11 p.m. Sunday and Monday, the Deco-influenced eatery specializes in modern-day classics. Start with a baby-kale Caesar salad, steak tartare made with Black Angus, spicy chicken dumplings with a blue-cheese dipping sauce, or crisp squash blossoms served with ricotta, roasted tomato, arugula, pine nuts, and a basil puree. Entrees range from ravioli made with local sweet corn to lemon charred salmon from the Faroe Islands served with toasted freekeh to moules frites served with tomato confit, leeks, and saffron cream. Leave room for Odeon’s classic sundae, made with vanilla ice cream, pralines, whipped cream, and your choice of hot fudge or butterscotch sauce.
71 North Moore Street (between Hudson and Greenwich Streets)
Smith & Wills is among the more traditional of Tribeca’s gastropubs, from its plaster walls and button-tufted banquettes to its menu. Dinner is served till one a.m. on weekends and midnight Sunday through Thursday, during which time you can order classics such as steamed mussels, burgers, oysters on the half shell, and meat and cheese plates, along with less-expected options such as salmon crudo and chicken meatballs. The bar offers its share of classics too, including Guinness, Moët & Chandon, and Pimm’s Cup.
99 Hudson Street (at Franklin Street)
Mango cheesecake at Tamarind Tribeca. Image: David Berkowitz/Flickr
Glamorous in a low-key way, Tamarind Tribeca serves Indian favorites such as vegetable samosas, lamb vindaloo, and chicken tikka masala, but its menu offers plenty of less familiar dishes too. Appetizers include bataki kosha, duck hand-rolled in a thin rice pancake with onion, garlic, ginger, and garam masala, and she-crab soup flavored with, among other things, coconut rum. Among the aromatic entrees are masaledar chop, lamb chops marinated in nutmeg, cinnamon, and other herbs before being cooked in a tandoor, and the award-winning malai halibut, flavored with mace, cardamom, coconut, and ginger sauce. Nargisi kofta, dumplings made with chopped lotus root and cheese served in a saffron-onion sauce, is just one of more than a dozen vegetarian main dishes. Though Tamarind Tribeca is open till midnight on Friday and Saturday and through 11:30 the rest of the week, try to arrive early enough so that you have time for dessert: a coconut mousse bombe filled with chocolate ganache, or gulab jamun, pastries made with dried milk, served with ginger ice cream and honey-and-cardamom syrup.
222 West Broadway (at Franklin Street)
An Italian eatery and wine bar, Terra has outdoor seating during warm weather. If you are arriving for a late meal, however (it is open till one a.m. on Friday and Saturday and midnight the rest of the week), you might prefer to dine indoors, amid a wood-beamed ceiling, brick walls, and towering shelves of wine bottles. All of your trattoria favorites—shrimp scampi, minestrone, spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna Bolognese, lobster ravioli, veal scaloppini—are here; they have become classics for a reason. And the staff will ensure that you select the perfect wine to complement your meal.
135 West Broadway (between Duane and Thomas Streets)
Tiny’s, the tiny pink landmark townhouse smooshed between big building. Image: Tiny’s/Yelp
Sandwiched between a pair of taller buildings, this three-story restaurant and bar is indeed tiny in comparison. The slender structure was built in 1810; custom banquettes and paneling made of salvaged wood complement the original tin ceiling, brick walls, and wood-burning fireplace. On weekends the restaurant is open till midnight; the rest of the week it closes at 11. The menu, like the interior, is the result of thoughtful curation. Appetizers include chilled pea soup, ceviche, and a salad of heirloom tomatoes with Humboldt Fog cheese, toasted sunflower seeds, and a balsamic reduction. Wild mushroom risotto with spinach and sheep dried ricotta, seared duck breast with plum agrodolce and roasted turnips, and pepper-crusted hanger steak with crispy potatoes and onion confit crème fraîche are highlights of the entree assortment. If you prefer soft drinks to cocktails, wines, whiskies, and craft beers, opt for a basil lemonade or the mint cucumber soda.
200 Church Street (between Duane and Thomas Streets)
Sometimes nothing beats a diner meal at the end of a long day. Open till midnight daily, Tribeca’s Kitchen has the look of a classic diner, from the booth seating to the maroon-rimmed restaurant-ware plates. Burger options include beef, lamb, turkey, salmon, veggie, grilled chicken, and chipotle black bean; toppings include grilled zucchini, tzatziki, prosciutto, and avocado. Along with classic BLTs and pastrami sandwiches you can order a California turkey panini (grilled chicken, spinach, cheddar cheese, cranberry sauce, and guacamole) or a grilled shrimp wrap. Seafood pasta, chicken Dijon, and grilled long-bone pork chops are heartier mains, while grilled marinated octopus, nachos, or fried mozzarella sticks will do the trick if you need just a nibble before heading home.