The 16 best restaurants in Soho

Sushi. Uni-covered pasta. And a retro yacht interior to tie it all together? No wonder this seafaring restaurant still gets travelers from far and wide. Still luring in big fish like Taylor Swift and LeBron James, this 20-year-old restaurant is still on a course to greatness thanks to captain, I mean, chef Preston Clarke. Always innovating, chef Clarke keeps the menu fresh, most evident in the aforementioned pasta dish: the Sea Urchin Bucatini.

This ye olde (1997) celebrity magnet is still a place to be thanks to proprietor Keith McNally or "The Restaurateur Who Invented Downtown." Make a reservation in the sprawling, symphonic dining room or slink up to the distinguished bar for Benedicts for breakfast, wine lunch for one or lobster spaghetti, steak frites or duck confit for dinner at one of the most hospitable operations in town. 

The predecessor to Shukette, one of the best new restaurants of 2021, Shuka's worth booking in its own right—particularly when you can't get in at its still-sizzling sister spot. Start with terrific dips and add on a few kebabs or commit to the house feast with a wide variety of Shuka's Mediterranean preparations. 

Operating in the same space as a beloved dive bar by the same name, this Milady's also serves an excellent burger, plus great housemade salt and vinegar chips and some of the city's best drinks. It's no dive by any means, but the new iteration is certainly a hang. 

This charming restaurant has been Prince Street royalty since 1975. Its sultry assembled art, pressed-tin ceilings, intimate seating arrangement (try for the booths in the back) and tasteful throwback flair combine to make it cinematic, romantic, and inimitably NYC. It's menu features moules frites, steaks crepes and one of the best burgers in NYC.  

Technically a few steps beyond Soho and into Nolita, Ochi and Cédric Vongerichten’s Wayan is worth traveling the extra minute for. The ornately designed Indonesian/French restaurant serves several satay varieties along with excellent lobster noodles, crispy baby back pork ribs and fan favorite corn fritters. 

While Alidoro has spawned shiny digs at Penn Station and most recently Long Island City, the original takes us back to a simpler time in NYC. Quaint as this old-school Italian sub shop may be, the menu houses over 40 different sandwich combos. Know your order when you arrive at the counter to get your sandwich on-the-go. But if you are lucky enough to grab one of the very few spots by the window, take a seat and breathe in all the memorabilia.

Another area French favorite, Le Coucou's vaulted ceilings and chic chandeliers add to a great setting for stylish special occasions. The prices match those circumstances, with spendy tartare de boeuf, foie gras, steak and roast duck all racking up your tab. 

Fannelli's is an ancient Soho staple dating back to 1847. Today, there's often a bit of paparazzi nearby, though the only argueable celebraty around in recent memory was [redacted to be polite]. Order fairly no-frills but satisfying starters like mozzarella sticks, salad, soup, sandwiches, burgers, and larger plates like pasta and steak frites. 

Boiled-then-baked bagels flicker with salt crystals and caraway seeds, with freckles of poppy and sesame overlaid across the golden exterior. To top 'em off, the cute daytime operation's seafood towers offer all the accoutrements your heart could desire.