9 Best Power Lunch Spots
Leave the tie at home
While Midtown's classic power lunch spots like Michael's aren't going anywhere, a new breed of business-friendly NYC restaurant has started to evolve, popping up south of the Flatiron's Silicon Alley, near the Meatpacking District's new tech and design lofts, or adjacent to the publishing outlets that have relocated to Wall Street.
At these newfangled joints, a three-piece won't necessarily draw looks, but a blazer and jeans is de rigueur. Oh, and that mediocre $40 salad? It's been replaced by handmade pastas, pike quenelles and wood-fire oven pizzas.
These nine amazing midday haunts are well worth working into your busy schedule.
① Le Coucou
Famed restaurateur Stephen Starr and chef Daniel Rose's little slice of Paris continues to be one of New York's most difficult dinnertime reservations. Scoring a table at lunch is delightfully easier, but the ambiance is still fancy enough for your boss's boss.
② Union Square Cafe
Union Square Cafe's new location has more tables than the original, but the charm and level of service is still intact, making it a strong choice for lunch meetings.
③ Upland
If your office calls the Flatiron home, you'll be happy to know that chef Justin Smillie's California Italian spot is close enough you won't have to rush through your wood-fire pizza. And though the lunch menu is shorter than the dinner offerings, the house's signature estrella pasta is thankfully still available.
④ Gabriel Kreuther
OK, OK, this one's in Midtown, but if you're searching for a comfortable and more modern power lunch in an accessible neighborhood, Gabriel Kreuther's intriguing dining room is a wise choice. And don't forget to stop by the chocolate shop next door on your way back to the office.
⑤ Untitled
The food at Danny Meyer's Untitled is as refined as architect Renzo Piano's space it's served in. Surrounded by elegant glass walls, lunching here is best enjoyed on a sunlit afternoon or during a dreamy winter snowstorm.
⑥ The NoMad
The NoMad primarily serves as the tech set's power breakfast go-to, but lunch surely won't disappoint. The atrium-like dining room is blissfully quiet midday, so rest assured shouting across the table to seal a deal won't be an issue.
⑦ Beaubourg
Battery Park business folks, ditch the modern food hall mundanity and head to Beaubourg, the French American restaurant inside Le District, which is separate enough from the market to make it just the right fit for a business lunch.
⑧ Le Coq Rico
The heritage bird dishes that helped make Le Coq Rico a dining destination transform into soups and salads at lunch, meaning you won't have to wait for a whole bird to be roasted when that deadline is fast approaching.
⑨ Sunday in Brooklyn
Though a midday order of malted pancakes with hazelnut-maple praline at this Williamsburg newcomer would technically count as a power brunch, Sunday in Brooklyn also offers more work-appropriate options like a kale salad with spicy roast cauliflower and a grain bowl with toasted barley, spicy kale and mustard greens.