Restaurant Associates

A casual lunch crowd turns over the tables and booths here well before the sliced dessert plates disappear later in the evening. The Restaurant Associates keeps its corners bright and lines short whether the chalkboard shows a citrus salad at noon or a slice of flourless chocolate after nine. You can clear a laptop-friendly table for midday—business menus arrive with meal bundles—or pivot to a quiet corner for afternoon iced tea under the storefront windows that face a tree-shaded stretch of West 66th.

Only a few blocks south of Lincoln Center, the place sits up against Columbus Avenue and still stays light on its feet; you’ll find the surprise roasted pepper soup when the wind rolls in off the river plusrhubarb muffins at closing time. Visitors arriving by bus hit the stop two doors west; drivers have room to slip along 66th and drop off right at 47 W 66th St, New York, NY 10023 without circling the block.

One tap on your screen gets you the map with real-time traffic, or simply call *212‑456‑2453* to ask about tonight’s curry potage—many do without mentioning a name.