If New York leads the country in food trends, food halls are no exception. Sure, other cities dabble in the restaurant concept smorgasbord — Houston has POST Market and San Antonio has the Bottling Department Food Hall, and Northeast cities like Baltimore and Boston each have a handful of respectable options — but New York has taken it to a whole new level. In NYC, you could go to a different food hall every day of the month.
Here are the 10 food halls that give you the best opportunity to try all that the Big Apple has to offer in one spot.
Chelsea Market
Chelsea
Opened in 1997 in a building that dates back to the 1890s, Chelsea Market predates other NYC food halls by more than a decade. It’s not only the most well-known but also has some of the best variety, ranging from Israeli street food and currywurst to Korean ramen and Thai food that you’d otherwise have to travel to Elmhurst for.
Thanks to the retail food options, well-known chefs shop here. For example, Keste owner and head pizzaiolo Roberto Caporuscio is a fan of Buon’Italia, while Rachael Ray shops at Dickson’s Farmstand Meats.
The Food Hall at Queens Crossing
Flushing
Located at Queens Crossing, The Food Hall has a mix of East Asian vendors selling classics from Taiwanese popcorn chicken and all-day dim sum to more contemporary sweets like mochi donuts and bubble tea. Look closer at menus from Taipei Hang and you’ll find less mainstream snacks like Taiwanese sausage.
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HK Food Court
Elmhurst
If you really want to feel like a local, HK Food Court is the place to go. It has easy subway access near the Elmhurst Ave. stop and is small, with only a half-dozen vendors. At least one of them sells a style of cuisine that’s equally underrated and hard to find: Burmese Hut has classics like mohingha (fish noodle soup), beef curry, and different desserts that are popular in Myanmar. All meat is halal, and most items are $10 and under — that’s something you’ll find throughout HK Food Court. Just remember to bring cash, as not every vendor accepts credit cards.
Market 57
Chelsea
Market 57 is one of the two NYC food halls that people visit for both the views and the food, and there are plenty of seating options that allow you to enjoy both indoors and on the rooftop.
Here, you can experience foodie havens like Chinatown, Elmhurst and Sunset Park in a climate-controlled atmosphere that’s spread out enough not to aggravate anyone’s claustrophobia. Legendary Brooklyn grocery store Sahadi’s has a kiosk where you can get the zaatar and cheese breads that often sell out hours before the Industry City location closes. Elmhurst-based Zaab Zaab has a stall here where the focus is on larb and papaya salad.
Perhaps the most interesting option at Market 57 is the Good To Go by JBF incubator. Here, you can order prized dishes from up-and-coming chefs whom you may end up reading about in the not-too-distant future.
New World Mall
Flushing
More than 30 food vendors are packed into the lower level New World Mall food court in Downtown Flushing. You can eat well here for under $20. While you can find ramen and pad thai, the real focus is on regional Chinese cuisine from Taiwanese to Uyghur. You’ll be amazed just how many items can be served from the seemingly tiny stalls. For example, A Zhong Taiwanese Cuisine has more than 50 items (not including drinks), from the not-for-everyone stinky tofu to the more entry-level beef stew noodle soup.
Tangram
Flushing
Tangram’s food hall is tucked away on the second floor of an otherwise spread-out modern mall that’s a mix of food and retail. Korean hot dogs and Portuguese-style egg tarts with Asian flavors are just a couple of the items you’ll find.
You may have tried the 2024 James Beard Outstanding Restaurateur nominee Zaab Zaab in Brooklyn, Queens or at Market 57, but the Tangram location has a few items you won’t find on any of their other menus. According to co-nominee Pei Wei, they offer items like boat noodles and khao mun gai (Thai-style Hainan chicken over rice) to appeal to the Flushing patrons. If the hall gets too crowded, there are food vendors in other parts of the mall, including Xi’an Famous Foods and the Hong Kong-inspired Sing Choi Kee.
Tangram is also the place to go for Asian festivals, including the Mid-Autumn Festival and Lunar New Year. During these events, upscale sweets vendors like Lady M and Royce’ have pop-ups on the ground floor.
Time Out Market
DUMBO
Those who visit Market 57 for the views of the Hudson River won’t be disappointed when they look across the East River from Time Out Market’s rooftop. It’s an ideal place to watch the sunset over the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges while enjoying a Fornino margherita pizza or some of the most coveted smoked meats in the Northeast.
The two-level Time Out Market has 20 vendors, most on the ground floor. The longest line you’ll see is for Bark Barbecue on the second, next to a vegan Chinese stall. There’s plenty of international food, and you can experience neighborhoods like Williamsburg and Harlem without having to step outside. In fact, Sugar Hill Creamery and Settepani are Harlem neighbors on Malcolm X Boulevard and also sit opposite each other near the Water Street entrance here.
Turnstyle Underground Market
Columbus Circle
While there’s no scientific proof that Korean hot dogs, Chinese dumplings or Argentine empanadas taste better underground, you certainly can’t beat the convenience you get from Turnstyle Underground Market. The popular macaron spot Woops! has a kiosk near the entrance, and you don’t even have to swipe your MetroCard or tap to enter the 59 Street-Columbus Circle station. Entrance is free, with a dozen food vendors located under 8th Avenue between 57th and 58th Street. The most creative presentation has to go to Chicken Cone, which serves air-fried chicken tenders in a waffle cone.
Urban Hawker
Rockefeller Center
Tangram specializes in East Asian fare, while Urban Hawker does its best to replicate the hawker stalls of Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia and Singapore. Lady Wong stands out the most as it’s close to the entrance and has kuih and other pastries all on display that look almost too good to penetrate with a fork. While Lady Wong and Kopifellas have you covered when it comes to sweets, the rest of the vendors focus on savory items with little or no overlap with other stalls.
If you like spicy noodle dishes, try the laksa at Daisy’s Dream. It’s especially perfect for winter. For something more entry-level, you can’t go wrong with the mee bakso at Padi D’NYC or the roti-stuffed murtabak from Mamak’s Corner. Both of those vendors (along with Lady Wong) are certified halal.
Urbanspace
Union Square
With five indoor locations, Urbanspace covers Downtown to Midtown. Some vendors (like Mysttik Masaala and Bao by Kaya) are at multiple locations.
At Union Square, Lou Yau Kee’s chicken rice is worth getting on a plane for. The breast meat is tender enough to cut with a fork, and while the roasted option looks more appealing through the display glass, it’s the plain-looking poached chicken that packs slightly more flavor. Fortunately, you can mix the two for just $2 extra. You can also double your meat for an extra $3. Other notable items include the Beijing-style crepes from Jian’s, and Casa Toscana’s bombolone. The latter are Italian doughnuts that are best served warm. The Toscana staff will reheat upon request.
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