There are some chaoses you just won’t want to deal with when you need to grab a bite before or after a journey. That chaos is the one you’ll encounter in the NYC Port Authority Bus Terminal. Finding a peaceful spot in the mayhem of the world’s busiest bus station is ten times worse than trying to find the proverbial needle in a haystack.
Head up or down Manhattan’s 8th Avenue, and you’ll soon find there are some great places to eat and store your luggage near NYC Port Authority Bus Terminal. You’ll find space at a table, get some good food, and save yourself from the indigestion you might otherwise suffer from having to jostle for elbow room while trying to take a bite out of a stale sandwich.
Where Can You Eat Near NYC Port Authority Bus Terminal?
Unless it’s on your list of places to see in New York, walk in the opposite direction to the one that will lead you to Times Square. You’ll have a much more restful eating experience and miss out on the tourist traps, but don’t forget, you’re in Manhattan, so that means people, people, and more people everywhere. Wander down 8th Avenue until you come to West 40th Street, and you’ll be heading in the right direction to avoid some of them and still get well-fed.
Boqueria W40th
Boqueria W40th is a Spanish restaurant-tapas bar on, as the name suggests, Manhattan’s West 40th Street. It’s a superb setup in spacious premises that will make you feel as if you’re in Barcelona rather than New York. It’s furnished with comfortable booths as well as independent dining tables plus the typical tapas restaurant high stools at the bar.
At Boqueria W40th you can indulge in traditional tapas such as albondigas, pimientas de padrón, pintxos morunos, and tortilla Espanola. They also offer a very nice Spanish-style brunch menu which includes a brunch paella that comes topped with three eggs and, to keep it truly Spanish, a happy hour every weekday afternoon.
Location – 260 West 40th Street
Popeyes Louisiana Chicken
If Spanish cuisine doesn’t whet your appetite, walk a few more paces down West 40th Street, and you’ll be in the right place to get some good old comfort food. Popeyes Louisiana Chicken may be furnished like a fast food yellow nightmare, but when it comes to dishing out homestyle dishes like fried chicken and mac’n’cheese, they know what they’re doing.
Here you can order at the counter and then go and sit at a formica-topped table with your cartons of food. The great thing about Popeyes Louisiana Chicken is you don’t need to be dressed to the nines or talkative when you’re tired. You can just sit down and eat your biscuits and gravy without any fuss or frills, and sometimes that’s all you need. And it’s cheap.
Location – 240 West 40th Street
Black Iron Burger
When none of the above are serving food that grabs your interest, keep walking until you come to West 38th Street. There are some great restaurants on this street, and unless you want to pick up a vegetarian stir-fry from Wok To Walk, the first good one you’ll come to is Black Iron Burger.
At this rustic-looking brick-and-wood eatery, they’re burger specialists and grill up handcrafted burgers made from quality products. You can even create your own burger from an almost endless list of ingredients if their signature burgers aren’t to your taste. They do offer a one-hundred percent vegan burger, but whether it’s cooked on a separate grill is something you’d need to ask your server when you’re there.
Location – 205 West 38th Street
District Tap House
When you feel the need for something more than a big juicy burger, cross over West 38th Street a little further up from Black Iron Burger, and you’ll find the District Tap House. This dark and moody bar-restaurant offers a more pub-style menu that’s pretty varied.
At the District Tap House, you can order bar bites like goat cheese croquettes or jalapeno poppers, get some soup or a salad, enjoy a tasty grilled cheese or Cubano sandwich, or have a side of Brussels sprouts with another side of wings. If that doesn’t sound like it’ll hit the spot, go all out for tacos or quesadillas. If none of those suits, then maybe you’re really not so hungry after all.
Location – 246 West 38th Street
Yard House
If you’ve been indecisive about where to eat near the NYC Port Authority Bus Terminal and found yourself wandering around in circles until you’ve reached 7th Avenue, don’t despair. You may be heading back in the direction of Times Square, but there’s one restaurant you can drop into that you might never want to leave.
The Yard House on 7th Avenue not only claims to stock the world’s largest selection of beers but also offers a menu with over 100 made-to-order dishes on it. Reading the menu here is akin to reading the latest novel topping the New York Times best-selling list. You never know what’s coming next.
Take your eyes off the menu for a moment just to appreciate the state-of-the-art contemporary industrial design that has gone into putting this restaurant together. It really is something. But then get back to business, especially if you have a bus to catch.
What can you eat at the Yard House? Nothing new or innovative, but all the classic favorites that you love, from firecracker shrimp to chicken nachos to wings, sliders, burgers, and much, much more. They also show all the big sporting events and have live rock music too. What better way to spend time between buses at NYC Port Authority Bus Terminal is there than that?
Location – 575 7th Avenue
Citations
https://www.panynj.gov/bus-terminals/en/index.html
https://www.blackironburger.com/
