Murray Hill is somehow Manhattan’s forgotten neighborhood. Well, maybe not forgotten exactly, but decidedly disrespected. As a long time resident of Murray Hill, I have long since given up trying to understand why this is, exactly. Perhaps part of me does in fact know why. The restaurants in Murray Hill, while outstanding in comparison to most cities in the country, are not near any particular attraction that would allow them to be highlighted the way other restaurants in Manhattan are.
Murray Hill is not a destination neighborhood. It is a residential one. While the theater district, for example, attracts a large number of theater goers ready to spend money out for a night on the town, Murray Hill does not. While midtown, with its throngs of tourists and office workers, has plenty of reason to offer great restaurants, Murray Hill does not. While Harlem, Little Italy and Chinatown all have great ethnic food attributable to the residents who call these areas home, Murray Hill has a very mixed population.
Other areas of Manhattan, such as Chelsea, Clinton and the Lower East side, attracted a young and eclectic group of individuals who eat out a lot and want to try new things as their neighborhoods developed around them, Murray Hill is stable, family oriented and, by Manhattan standards, working class.
The irony is that I believe that the perception of outsiders in Murray Hill is in some ways comforting to its residents, many of whom I believe are happy to let the rest of the world pass by their relatively little and isolated area of Manhattan. There are no restaurants in Murray Hill where anybody feels the need to put on airs. The bars and pubs and family style restaurants of Murray Hill are filled with familiar faces and a comforting feel. It is, if it’s possible, a place in the middle of Manhattan where residents go to ‘escape’. Despite the traffic and noise and central location to the rest of the city, Murray Hill’s people really become familiar to one another and the restaurant scene is no different.
As I’ve lived in Murray Hill for a very long time, I am going to share some of the best places to eat in the area. There are some restaurants in Murray Hill that I’ve never been in, so I offer no comment. There are others I have been in and, well, since I’m not a professional food critic, I think it’s best that I not comment in the interests of fairness. But I would recommend any of these to any of my friends or family looking for a good night out with good food. I have not review any Indian restaurants, even though Indian food is a favorite of mine as I have not actually eaten in one near Murray Hill…for whatever reason we order Indian food in mainly. But Murray Hill is often referred to as “Curry Hill” for all the great Indian food available. I plan to write about that as well in another article.
So here goes. In alphabetical order, My favorite restaurants in Murray Hill.
2nd Avenue Deli is a recently re-opened New York City institution. The 2nd Avenue Deli is located at 162 east 33rd Street. Bring your wallet and prepare to stand in line. And if you don’t, thousands of others will. It is kosher and is open 24 hours a day. Pay attention if you order take out. They don’t like to repeat themselves! It is full of charm and a sense for what New York is all about.
The Barking Dog, which is an American food restaurant affiliated with the connecting Affinia Dumont hotel, is an interesting place as it attracts a local crowd mixed with a those coming through town at the hotel. Simultaneously local and yet glamorous by Murray Hill standards, owing to the fact that the hotel hosts professional sports teams and celebrities on a fairly regular basis that can often be seen at the bar having a drink or ordering dinner. Food is solid and the prices in range.
Benjamin Restaurant and Bar, located at 603 2nd Avenue between 33rd and 34th Street is a casual and somewhat family oriented restaurant. A bit on the crowded side, the staff nevertheless is attentive and the food is a good value. Main focus is on seafood and steak, but also offers plenty of high end bar food and sandwiches. Really, Benjamin offers something for everyone. Not a place for a ‘night out’ really, though it is right across the street from Murray Hill’s Kips Bay movie theater and it’s a great stop off place before or after taking in a movie. The bar has a couple of tv’s, but people don’t go to Benjamin really to watch the game.
Duke’s is recently opened “southern comfort” restaurant. Well, recently opened int the neighborhood anyway as its original location is on East 19th Street. The Murray Hill edition is on 560 3rd Avenue, between 36th and 37th Streets. If you’re a fan of good southern comfort food and barbecue, along with a great beer selection and lively atmosphere with plenty of tv’s for watching sports, it’s a good time. Duke’s attracts a younger Murray Hill crowd to some degree, but a clear couple of cuts above the plethora of bars on Third Avenue.
Hudson Place describes itself as serving “progressive American Cuisine”. Prices are extremely reasonable, with the top entrees topping out around $26. Located at 538 3rd Avenue, on the corner of 36th Street, Hudson Place, it attracts an upscale but non-pretentious Murray Hill crowd and the service is friendly and reliable.
Penelope, located at 159 Lexington Avenue on the corner of Lexington and 30th Street is an American food place known probably best for their outstanding breakfasts, though dinner and lunch are outstanding as well. It is a unique place. You might think you’re in a little restaurant at Cape Cod or Maine and not in Murray Hill. They don’t take cash and there is very often a wait, though the clientele doesn’t mind as it’s all part of the experience. Food is very reasonably priced.
Trio, at 167 east 33rd Street between Lexington Avenue and 3rd Avenue, is a Mediterranean focused restaurant. Cozy, though not at all cramped, it is under new ownership, but hasn’t lost any of the ambience and friendliness. The food is good, the service is great and there is something special about being tucked into what is otherwise a fairly out of the way little block, even by Murray Hill standards. There is a regular bar scene with a loyal following. The entrees are expensive, in the mid $20’s to mid $30’s range, but there is also a bar menu version which is more competitive and still very good.
Vezzo is a cozy (okay, somewhat cramped) gourmet pizza place at 178 Lexington Avenue, on the corner of 31st Street. It offers the thinnest of thin crust pizza. Their pizza is probably the most flavorful in all of Murray Hill. It is dark and somewhat secluded, but in a comfortable way. The prices are not cheap by any standards, though I wouldn’t say overpriced. Just don’t treat it as an easy take out kind of pizza place as you should go on a sit down dinner budget.
Villa Berulia is one of the few places Murray Hill has for formal dining. Located at 107 east 34th street, between Lexington and Park Avenues, Villa Berulia serves northern Italian food in a formal, but very friendly and warm atmosphere. The management and staff unfailingly provide great service and seem to know almost everybody there by name. The food is delicious. According to the restaurant’s website, entrees can run anywhere from $20 to the mid $30 range. This is not the kind of place you order take out from or go even on a regular basis. But for a night out, without going too far, this will provide for a great dining experience.
Rare is a bar and restaurant located in the Shelburne Murray Hill hotel. Excellent cheesburgers if you like that sort of thing. And I do. Excellent beer selection if you like that sort of thing. And I do. Located at 303 Lexington Avenue, between 37th and Lexington, it is a fun, lively crowd, that, similar to the Barking Dog, attracts a fun mixture of Murray Hill locals and out of town tourists and business travelers alike. Rare even offers a roof deck bar, though getting up to it on a nice weather night is a challenge as many vie to drink cocktails far above the city and see the Empire State Building so close as to think you could touch it.
So go enjoy Murray Hill and the excellent sources of great food and fun atmosphere. Just don’t tell too many people . It’s our secret.
