Greenwich Village Restaurants

Antoni Porowski’s latest venture sticks to the kitchen but trades Atlanta for Greenwich Village.

You won’t find a speck of gluten on the Hu Kitchen premises. What you will find is genuinely tasty, nutritious food, and lots of it.

Pan-Mediterranean food reinterpreted is one way of summing up Alta. To start, expect boquerones on caramelized tomato toast, crowd-pleasing bacon-wrapped dates, and fried goat cheese paired with fragrant lavender honey. Main dishes include a mix of the raw plates found on every menu, but listed alongside some more exciting options, like venison carpaccio and smoked sunchoke risotto with lemon and pecorino. The post-dinner drinks list is extensive—grappa, amari, Madeira, we could go on. The vibe is warm and inviting, with two fireplaces and all the burnt terra-cotta shades we associate with the Mediterranean woven into the décor.

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.

For Michelin-rated food that is vegetarian and vegan, flavorful and filling, Nix serves up an international-style menu in a clean, bright space. Food-wise, expect smooth, rich hummus and punchy za'atar, marinated cucumbers with creamy labneh, vegetable dumplings, and a particularly indulgent sweet potato and truffle dish. The white-washed space with comfortable booths for crowds and smaller tables for duos feels fresh with its red color accents and pops of greenery, but it's the beautifully plated flavorful food that keeps New Yorkers coming back. (One goop staffer was so enamored she filled-up on Nix's incredible veggies and cocktails two nights in a row—a crowd pleaser for sure.)

Ancolie is a self-described "epicurean canteen"—serving healthy, ready-to-eat meals packed to-go in sustainable glass jars. Founder Chloe Vichot—like most us—grew frustrated not only with the overly salty, often processed ingredients in the ready-made meals she would pick up for lunch, but with the waste they generated. In building Ancolie, Vichot focused on the container first, creating custom-designed mason jars that are truly a joy to eat from—wider than the typical jar with curved edges (to make scooping that last bite of farro a little easier), stackable, and leakproof. For lunch think rainbow salads (cabbage, greens, cauli-rice) or the Ancolie jar (a little heartier with lentils, carrots, goat cheese, chicken, and walnuts), breakfast could be a creamy chia pud, and for those who like something warm, there are hot options daily.

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).

Tucked inside a 19th-century Greenwich Village townhouse, this new Italian spot from Chef Casey Lane—also of LA's modern Italian joint, Tasting Kitchen—serves up seasonal plates and pastas in an opulent-yet-cozy environment. Don't skip the mozzarella menu, which features 3-4 types served with seasonal garnishes or the Bucatini all'Amatriciana, which Chef makes with 'nduja (a spicy, spreadable Italian sausage) instead of traditional guanciale. Upstairs, you'll find their intimate cocktail annex, Bar Fortuna, along with a great private dining option that has a 30-seat room with a working fireplace, oak floors, and floor-to-ceiling windows.

The third outpost from the Mermaid Inn crew, this Greenwich Village oyster bar is arguably the most beloved. They have a solid happy hour, and in addition to the raw bar, you can also get New England seafood staples (there's a lobster roll served on grilled brioche), salads, and grilled fish and steak. We like it for date night.

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.