The Meat Packing District is full of scenesters, hiperati and revelers from the outer boroughs. Still, in spite of the sceniness of it all, there are a few places worth exploring:
- 202 (Eclectic/Global) A restaurant inside of a high end clothing boutique. The menu is clearly eclectic, to the point that it becomes impossible to categorize (which is a great thing. Who needs labels?). There's a blini next to moroccan spices next to tacos next to yorkshire pudding.
- 5Ninth (American Nouveau) A casual spot with a comfortable outdoor space in the summer. The food at 5Ninth is hearty, and they aren't shy with the flavors - made evident by dishes like the black pepper pork belly with roasted garlic chili jam.
- CraftSteak (Steak House) Taking "slick" up a notch and brandishing it with plenty of New York City style, is CraftSteak - bigger, livelier and a little less special place its older sister.
- Del Posto (Italian Nouveau) With 40 foot plus ceilings, a striking central staircase and opulent columns, Del Posto’s distinctive old-school coolness seems equally at home on the edge of the meat packing district or in Vegas. You might even say it's an Italian restaurant on steroids.
- Fig and Olive (American/Mediterranean) Wall of high end olive oil neatly placed in minimalist shelves? Check. Assorted pots of finely manicured grasses and shrubbery? Check. Edgy and tasty (yet somehow predictable) modern Mediterranean flavor combinations? Check. Fig and Olive is so put together that it almost feels formulaic. Luckily, it isn’t.
- Paradou (American Nouveau) Can’t decide if you want to go to a beanticky hole in the wall or to a casually posh place? At Paradou you can have both. Paradou is very popular for weekend brunch, and the food is perfectly good (especially the quiche and the duck Reuben). However, dinner is where the kitchen really excels.
- STK (American/Steak) If you can ignore the snobnoxious crowd around you, you can't miss with STK. The food is great, and the space is cool.