Pastis ★9.3

Pastis — Where New York Goes to Feel Like a Movie

Some restaurants serve dinner; Pastis serves a scene with dinner on the side. The Meatpacking brasserie that once defined the Sex and the City years is back in its warm yellow glow — mirrors scribbled with daily specials, waiters slaloming between café chairs, and half the room checking, discreetly, who just walked in.

The Story

Keith McNally opened the original in 1999 among working meat lockers, and it promptly turned the district into downtown’s catwalk — the Olsen-and-Jude-Law era of celebrity sightings. It closed in 2014 to a citywide sigh; the comeback arrived in June 2019, with Stephen Starr as partner and McNally controlling every antiqued mirror. Opening weeks alone drew Lorne Michaels, Meg Ryan and Cindy Crawford — proof the room’s gravitational pull survived the hiatus intact.

What to Order

Play the classics: escargots swimming in garlic butter, onion soup gratinée under its molten lid, moules frites for the table, entrecôte béarnaise or the filet au poivre when the evening earns it. Insiders swear by the double-pattied cheeseburger à l’américaine, and brunch means croque madame with a fizzing crowd around it. Desserts stay in character — profiteroles, crème brûlée and a sticky toffee pudding that ignores France entirely and is forgiven.

The Space

The 2019 rebuild lovingly resurrected the original stage set: zinc-topped curved bar, white subway tile, mosaic floors, globe lamps and that famous amber light that makes everyone look like they’ve just returned from vacation. It’s loud, kinetic and unapologetically social; sidewalk tables put you front-row on the Meatpacking promenade between the Whitney Museum and the High Line.

Who It’s For

Brunch crews in their best casual, date nights that want energy instead of hush, visitors chasing a bit of downtown mythology, and regulars who treat the zinc bar as a second living room.

Good to Know

How hard is a table? Prime brunch and dinner slots go fast — book ahead; the bar rewards the spontaneous.

Is the celebrity lore real? Historically documented and periodically refreshed — but the room treats everyone to the same flattering light.

What’s the brunch move? Croque madame or the cheeseburger, something cold and sparkling, and no plans for the next two hours.

Does it work for groups? Yes — the room absorbs birthday tables well, and private events are handled for larger parties.

What’s nearby for before or after? The Whitney, the High Line and the Meatpacking boutiques — Pastis anchors the neighborhood’s classic day-to-night loop.

Opening hours