9 Best Restaurants Near One World Trade Center

The area near The One World Trade Center is full of contradictions. On one side we have New York’s oldest neighborhood, complete with a number of winding cobblestone lanes and historic landmarks. And on the other side it is the hub of the country’s economy.

Here you will find nondescript tall buildings, lined with a huge number of weird delis that have not changed their menu in the last five decades, alongside fine dining restaurants offering a million dishes.

The restaurants mentioned in this list are worth your time, and none of them serve prepackaged sandwiches or overpriced steaks at the time of writing.

1. Augustine

Augustine is the most popular French brasserie in the Financial District, and a must visit for tourists visiting the One World Trade Center. This in fact is the only spot near the OWTC that we suggest you stray out of your usual route for.

Owned by the same restaurateur as Balthazar, Augustine is the perfect location for client meetings, dates, or a quiet drink at the bar. The menu here consists of upscale French food like roasted bone marrow and duck l’orange, while the place is casual enough to be seen around in a pair of sneakers. Augustine is a cooler place to hang around than most other restaurants near the One World Trade Center.

2. The Wooly Public

 

Located at the bottom of the Woolworth building, The Wooly Public is a cocktail bar and restaurant that is among the coolest places to hang out in the area. In fact, the chill vibe has been around for so long now that this place is cool in a historic way!

The general décor includes a big bar with a TV showing vintage footage from the 1989 Macy’s Day parade, a serious dance floor area and an array of tables that that can easily be traded off as a bunch of Scrabble boards from a bygone era.

While the general vibe of the place is Old New York mixed with an early 2000s party destination, it is a great place to hang around with a few friends. The general crowd here is either from the Financial District who are meeting over drinks or tourists that have come to enjoy the food here.

3. Schilling

Locating a nice and cozy restaurant near the One world Trade Center is quite a difficult task to say the least. The only one in our list today is Schilling. The place serves a mix of Mediterranean comfort food like tomatillo and fluke ceviche along with Austrian cameos like spaetzle.

Schilling is run by the same people that are behind Freud and Edi & the Wolf and is quite the place to hang out with a date or a couple of friends. Schilling is that kind of a place where you can actually enjoy a hearty conversation with an old friend or catch up with an old acquaintance over dinner. The portions are a bit on the expensive side of the price band, but the experience more than makes up for the expense.

4. Felice 15 Gold Street

A pleasant and very popular Italian restaurant and wine bar serving salads, pastas and crostini apart from a variety of tasty comfort food. Owned by the same people behind Sant Ambroeus, both the food and vibe of the place are among the best that you will come across near the One World Trade Center.

5. El Luchador

One of the coolest locations near the area around the South Street Seaport, El Luchador is a little Mexican food joint that makes some of the best fish tacos and burritos in the OWTC area. It is perfect for a quick bite if you suddenly get the hunger pangs while exploring the Financial District.

6. The Dead Rabbit

The Dead Rabbit is perhaps the crowd favorite in the Financial District of New York. This part restaurant, art cocktail bar is located on Water street across a few old buildings. The place has a vintage vibe around it and many of the signature cocktails here are served in cute little teacups. The place tends to get crowded during the peak hours, but is a must visit!

7. Fish Market

If you are craving for some Chinese and Malaysian food near the One World Trade Center, head over to the South Street Seaport and locate Fish Market. The $16 lobster specials on Mondays and Tuesdays are a specialty here, and ask around for a bartender named Jeff, who likes to have a shot of Jameson with nearly every guest that walks into the restaurant.

The menu is rather huge and contains portions ranging from Chinese and Malaysian cuisine, Italian pasta plates and an assortment of popular American bar snacks. While the traditional snacks sound like a good option, we recommend trying out the authentic Chinese and Malaysian cuisine, especially their ginger chicken wings, pork belly pot or Mama’s curried chicken.

The best company is people that do not mind loud places or having an alcohol-themed birthday party!

8. Adrienne’s Pizza Bar

The main stretch of Stone Street is lined with fancy bars and restaurants, all of which have an outdoor seating arrangement. If you are hungry at the end of a beer-filled evening and want to try out some authentic pizza, head over the Adrienne’s Pizza Bar for some fresh pie.

The area inside is pretty nice along with the fresh food, with the only downside being you having to order an entire pie, as slices are not served separately.

9. Hudson Eats

If you land up on the western edge of the Financial District, the huge volume of vendors inside the Brookfield Place should be your first line of defense. Inside you get a variety of places to choose from, including a Num Pang, Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar, Black Seed Bagels and Mighty Quinn’s, serving wholesome meals of burgers, tacos and dumplings, apart from a variety of vaguely healthy things, if that interests you!