Greenwich Village Restaurants

Nothing gimmicky here, just well-executed steakhouse classics. The West Village’s 4 Charles is a lamb-chop, brick-chicken, little-gem place. (It’s the signature of Brendan Sodikoff, the guy responsible for Chicago’s steakhouse renaissance.) Like its predecessors Au Cheval and Gilt Bar, 4 Charles is old-school, complete with wood-paneled walls and tufted-leather booths. Get the burger, and you’ll be chasing that high forever.

Nami Nori get the takeout experience right. Each handroll is wrapped carefully for maximum crispiness when you finally dive in at home. (The website even has a how-to-unwrap-your-temaki animation.) And it’s affordable. Temaki runs $6 or $7 a roll, while a signature meal will set you back $28 (the spicy sea bass is incredible, as is the thoughtful vegan set). This is definitely the spot to indulge in a few apps—the clam and miso soup, crispy calamari, and Japanese potato salad are all stellar.

232 Bleecker isn’t married to any particular cuisine. Instead, the menu is a mashup of all the flavors and dishes that taste just as good at home. The pork meatball sandwich, squash hummus with crunchy veggies, and chopped kale salad are easy, portable winners for lunch. When it comes to dinner, shrimp tempura, gnocchi with smoked ricotta, and a glass (or bottle to share) from the impressive list never disappoints.

Broth really is one of the great culinary elixirs—how can something so simple and pure be so incredibly flavorful and essential? While bone broth is nothing new—many cultures from the Japanese to the Irish have been consuming it for centuries—the best broth is simmered for a good eighteen hours to release the collagen, glutamine, and minerals from the bones. Brodo (Italian for broth) offers the full spectrum of broths from spicy to almost sweet—try chicken, beef, or vegetable-based (seaweed and mushroom) broth and then spike the soup with add-ins like roasted-garlic purée, chili, turmeric, pickles, even butter. We're especially partial to the Tom Yum (chicken, chili oil, lime, curry, and coconut milk) when feeling under the weather. For even the laziest home cooks, a pro-tip is to buy a jar, throw in some shredded chicken, and some vegetables for a hearty soup, or add a ladle or three to pasta or grains for a delicious and truly nourishing meal.

In addition to his famous Mexico City restaurant, Pujol, Enrique Olvera is known for (finally) bringing good Mexican food to New York City, in the form of his much-acclaimed Cosme in Flatiron. Atla is his take on light, casual Mexican, with a menu of healthy-ish dishes like flax seed chilaquiles, café con leche with coconut milk, and an arctic-char-stuffed avocado. It's an airy place for breakfast or lunch with a friend, but it's also nice for drinks and snacks in the evening (try the Michelada or the Overproof Margarita).

There's a pretty large group of people who contest that J.G. Melon has the best burgers in the city. They first set up shop on the corner of 3rd Avenue and 74th Street back in 1972, and it retains its original charm thanks to the persevering green-checked tablecloths and well-worn wooden bar. The newer Greenwich Village location is, of course, a popular haunt for NYU kids—just keep in mind that it's under different ownership than the original.

Indochine's opening back in 1984 was actually a dinner in honor of Juilan Schnabel—and the entire art crowd showed up to celebrate. Blessedly, the place hasn't changed much since then; the wallpaper is iconic, and the Chilean sea bass has garnered a cult-like following. They know what they're doing, so you can trust them to handle private events of any size.

This is the sort of kid and group-friendly spot that every neighborhood needs. The focus is on hearty pizzas, pastas, and veggie-driven sides. No big surprise since these are the people behind Five Points (RIP) and Cookshop.

Chef Seamus Mullen does amazing things with Spanish cuisine at one of our favorite spots in the city. The focus here is on ingredients, which are fresh, exquisite and presented in ways that honor Spanish tradition while giving it all a fresh twist at the same time.

We frequently dream of a slow, savor-every-minute dinner at Shuko, where incredible hand rolls and sushi sets make for a great omakase.