GRAMERCY & UNION SQUARE, MANHATTAN
Union Square Cafe
Danny Meyer's first restaurant, forty years on — a big, warm room, market cooking and service people still measure others by.
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IllustrationThe restaurant that launched Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group in 1985, drawing on the Greenmarket a block away. It moved to Park Avenue South and 19th Street in 2016, and the big, handsome room has become a staple on its own terms — the kind of place that feels familiar on a first visit.
It works for a celebration and for a long weeknight with friends and too much wine: the list is broad and full of good values, the service is a master class, and the cooking follows the market. At lunch, sit at the bar for the burger; after a date nearby, come back just for dessert.
Editor’s tip
Take a bar seat at lunch for the burger, or swing by for dessert at the bar after a night out.
Make an evening of it — beautiful stops nearby
Also in the neighborhood
IllustrationGRAMERCY & UNION SQUARE, MANHATTAN
La Dong
A Bib Gourmand Vietnamese room off Union Square — lotus lamps, turmeric crêpes and pho poured tableside over wagyu.
Vietnamese · Date Night · $$
IllustrationGRAMERCY & UNION SQUARE, MANHATTAN
Narkara
Northern and Isan Thai cooking off Union Square — dry-curry short rib, herb soup and sausage platters.
Thai · Date Night · $$$
Editorial draft — core details last reviewed October 14, 2026. Confirm practical details with the official site before you go.