Whether you want a celebratory feast, a cheap-and-cheerful brunch, a romantic dinner, or family-friendly comfort food, you’ll find it in Chelsea. While the saying “something for everyone” has become a cliché, when it comes to the Chelsea restaurant scene, it definitely applies.
credit: Louis Hansel/Unsplash
Alba
You might think that Chelsea, and Manhattan in general, doesn’t need another Italian eatery. But Alba, which opened in August 2022, puts a sophisticated spin on Italian classics while still revering what makes the dishes classics to begin with. The zucchini flowers appetizer, for instance, comes with a lemon potato mousse; peach and coconut complement the yellowtail crudo; king salmon is accompanied by roasted figs. Head chef Adam Leonti is perhaps best known for his breads, which are baked on the premises in a traditional Roman oven, so be sure to start your meal with the focaccia.
Alba. credit: Alba
Al Coro
Like Alba, Al Coro is a relatively new Italian restaurant. It takes a more haute approach, however. Five-course and seven-course tasting menus change approximately every six weeks to focus on a different region of Italy; there’s also the option to order à la carte. Recent dishes included culurgiones, a mainstay of Sicily made here with far-from-mainstay razor clams and caviar; octopus carpaccio with hot peppers; and veal involtini with pearà (a rich Veronese sauce), horseradish, and polenta. The Michelin raters were impressed enough to award it two stars within months of its opening.
Al Coro. credit: Al Coro
El Quijote
Technically this Spanish restaurant isn’t new; it debuted in the Hotel Chelsea in 1930. But like the fabled hotel it’s part of, it was shut for renovations in 2018, only reopening in April 2022. The restaurant’s original mural showing Don Quixote riding toward windmills remains, but much of the interior has been updated, as has the menu. Among the newer dishes are canelones de carillera—a house-made pasta stuffed with beef cheeks and topped with manchego and a sherry béchamel—and hake with salsa verde, confit potatoes, and pil-pil, a Basque sauce. Of course, paella and sangria are still on the menu, as is the famed gâteau Basque.
El Quijote. credit: Hotel Chelsea
Hey Yuet
Since November 2021, when Hey Yuet opened, Chelsea residents have been able to savor authentic dim sum and other Cantonese dishes without leaving the neighborhood. Steamed chicken feet, impossibly fluffy and gooey egg-yolk buns, fried durian puffs, turnip cakes, fried taro in the shape of a swan, stir-fried dry squid… And no meal here is complete without the coconut jelly pudding in the shape of a bunny.
Hey Yuet. credit: Delusciousfoods
Empire Diner
Housed in an Art Moderne dining car, Empire Diner was for decades a classic New York diner. It has since been reinvented for those who like their comfort food with a bit of a twist. The breakfast sandwich includes homemade sausage, avocado, and black-pepper aioli; the pastrami sandwich comes with horseradish coleslaw and herbed fries; the fried chicken and buttermilk waffle is served with poached eggs, Nueske’s apple-smoked bacon, and maple hot sauce. Like any other diner, nouveau or traditional, Empire offers desserts that could be a meal in themselves, such as devil’s food cake topped with peanut butter mousse and Oreo crumble.
Empire Diner. credit: Empire Diner
Read on to discover more about Chelsea.