The low-key but thriving Hudson Square commercial district has stealthily blossomed into what might be the city’s least-recognized culinary mecca, boasting an array of established and incoming restaurants from rock-star chefs.
They’re a strong draw for the young workforces of creative and media tenants, 16 of which moved to Hudson Square since Google and Disney gobbled up more than a combined 4 million square feet last year and in 2025.
Among other recent and imminent arrivals to the area’s century-old buildings: Eleven Madison Park creator Daniel Humm plans an as yet-undescribed, 5,000-square-foot eatery at 435 Hudson St. later this year. Cesar Ramirez’s Cesar at 333 Hudson St. just earned a second Michelin star. Lighting-rod young chef Flynn McGarry’s Cove opened in October at 285 W. Houston St.
Coming soon from Brooklyn, Jake Leiber of Greenpoint’s long-popular bistro Chez Ma Tante signed a 4,437 square-foot ground floor lease at 555 Greenwich St.
Simo Pizza’s Neapolitan-style pies are coming to 350 Hudson St. Plus, omakase-style Sushidokoro Mekumi opened at 70 Charlton St. and Momofuku and Sushi Noz alum Lina Goujjane is launching Kiko at 307 Spring St.
They’re all in buildings owned by neighborhood landlord Hudson Square Properties, a joint venture of Trinity Church, Norges Bank and managing partner Hines that has 13 buildings in the district that was once home to the city’s early 20th Century printing industry. The restaurants reflect a concerted effort by HSP to make the area enticing to residents and to office workers in the creative, tech and media fields.
“They deliberately targeted the kinds of chefs who generate buzz,” a source told The Post.
Hines senior managing director Jason Alderman confirmed: “Hudson Square is becoming one of the city’s most interesting new dining corridors. Over the past several years, our joint venture has worked intentionally to transform the neighborhood’s ground-floor retail to provide the best mix of uses to our office tenants and local residents.”
Hudson Square — which isn’t a square, but an irregularly-shaped trapezoid north of Canal Street and east of West Street — isn’t a name that springs to mind as a restaurant mecca, the way Tribeca, Flatiron and Williamsburg do.
But as the partnership scored more than 64,000 square feet of retail leasing it its Hudson Square portfolio over the past two years, “Our most recent culinary additions bring our vision to life — energizing the streetscape, attracting top operators, and positioning Hudson Square as a true destination,” Alderman said.
HSP, which owns about half of the district’s 12 million square feet of offices, saw 915,000 square feet of new leases and renewals in the past 12 months, according to the Hudson Square Business Improvement District. The vacancy rate is 16.5%, down from 17.9% a year earlier. Retail stores are few but fitness facilities such as Equinox and Studio Pilates call the district home.
The most energy, though, is at places like Port Sa’id at 350 Hudson St., where Israeli-born chef Eyal Shani draws lovers of Mideastern and Mediterranean food nightly.
“Dinner here is never just dinner,” its Instagram post says of the raucous, napkins-twirling party scene.
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