Au Mandarin

In the Financial District, Au Mandarin sits on 200 Vesey St between the Hudson’s glass high-rises and Cortlandt Park’s green wedge—close enough to the PATH trains that you can smell the oolong on the way up from the platform. A Chinese restaurant with no pretense, they simply open the door and the scent of five-spice and steamed dumplings takes over the hallway.

Their dine-in floor is ready; call ahead on (212) 385-0313 to avoid the after-work queue that forms outside the revolving door. Head west until Battery Park feels like a memory, then glance left—directions are waiting on the map.