The Plaza Food Hall

It's sort of like Chelsea Market and Saks Fifth Avenue had a baby, and it was a food court. Fancy and decadent, yet accessible.

This is a fun touristy thing to do that actually ends with food worth eating. While it's a little chaotic and there's hardly anywhere to actually sit down and have a meal, I'd certainly suggest grabbing a small bite, or with a group assembling a tasting smorgasbord and wandering into Central Park. You're certain to find a variety of food options ranging from Luke's Lobster rolls to sandwiches from Epicerie Boulud, to crepes, sushi, beautiful cakes and pastries, to pizza or caviar.

We popped in to the Plaza Food Hall on a fluke after I saw it on our way out of Central Park and remembered liking it as a kid. While there were plenty of healthy meal options--naturally, I ended up with a massive slice of strawberry cheesecake, and a ridiculous gold and white decorated plastic spoon (so Plaza). We gathered up out desserts and made our way back into the park, and plopped down to watch the children and designer dogs play in the grass. This is an especially lovely outing after a long day with a action-packed agenda.

The Plaza Food Hall seems to be permanently closed. There are signs stopping you from going down the escalators.

This review will be limited in scope to the one vendor I tried here which is Laduree. However, before going there I wanted to explain the food hall in general. I entered through Todd English right across from Central Park. Apparently Todd English has their own takeout in this food hall because I noticed a sign that said you must pay for any food from this business before entering the rest of the food court. I was happy I came when I did since lunch hour was over and the place wasn't too busy.

I made my way around and saw the bakery and sweet places I read about including Billy's Bakery and Le Maison du chocolat to name a couple. Luke's lobster did look inviting but having just finished lunch elsewhere I only wanted a small treat. I noticed a gift shop off to the corner and began looking for things I read about online on the Plaza website. The lady at this gift shop told me that this store sells hotel merchandise only and the other stores i was looking for including the artist's bookstore is upstairs.The Plaza website she explained can be misleading. I was not impressed with what I saw down here so I decided to go for what I came for-Laduree.

Laduree is a French chain pastry shop in Manhattan and they have a wide selection of baked goods including the Palmier. This is one huge almost pretzel shaped pastry but alas-It is meant to be eaten right away since there are no preservatives in it. I did make it over to the macaroon counter where they were displayed almost like giant toppings on a cake.

I asked the lady what makes these so special and why does it cost more to get six boxed. She told me that their shelf life with refrigeration is only 5 days. Boxing them prevents damage so they charge $3.00 extra for that. I then asked why they are considered the best. She told me that they are imported directly from France.

I ended up ordering 4 in a takeout bag. 2 for me and 2 for my husband. I got the raspberry and chocolate covered chocolate for myself. I got him the caramel with salted butter and the lemon one.

I took them to our room which had a small refrigerator so we could eat them during our stay. I loved both of mine as did he. They were both very fresh and breaks apart easily. However; I have had these same types of mouthwatering macaroons back in my hometown of Pittsburgh from some of our renown French bakeries. These sell for $2.85 a piece unless you pay the slight upcharge to $3.00 for the chocolate covered one.

They were indeed very good and I was glad that I really didn't have the need to bring any home to share with those I intended to give some to. They have a great selection of pastries and believe me be ready to pack the pounds on if you eat here. They are quite big but reasonably priced.

I definitely want to revisit this food hall on a future trip to check out their other offerings.

I've spent many a day here wandering around the fancy food court trying to avoid spending excessive amounts of cash money on things like "that piece of chocolate" from fancy French people or those macarons (accent for emphasis) from those other fancy French people. I usually fail. I also use this place as a free restroom for when I'm in this lower Central Park area (It's open til 11pm).

My favorite stands here have nothing to do with actual meals. Laduree, la Madison, lady M. The L's have it in for me to expand my waistline while shrinking my wallet. Ora Di Pasta is a good hearty option. Outside of these I don't usually eat here. Something about being at the Plaza for me is just an in and out experience aside from high tea.

Compared to other food dining halls around NYC (Chelsea Market, Urban Space etc.) this was certainly more expensive and I'm not sure if it's actually more gourmet. Blending the concept of expensive food and a food court style is a little hypocritical so I'm still on the fence about whether this a tourist trap or rather a creative space.

I spent $15 on a noodle soup from Chi Dumplings which was OK, perhaps had I tried something else my opinion would be different. There was a moderate amount of seating. There was a good mix between working professionals out for lunch and tourists.

https://www.theplazany.com/dining/the-plaza-food-hall/
^ that's a list of all available food choices here. I'm a fan of food halls so I'll certainly visit again but I will say it's a little overpriced for mostly take-a-away food.

I really liked stopping in at The Plaza's food hall. My friend's sister is a hair dresser who used to work in the salon upstairs and she recommended stopping by for some food and she definitely didn't steer me wrong! I had a hard time choosing where to get something and ended up getting a few somethings at a few different places. Wish I'd known about it sooner or I'd have been stopping by more often.

From pastries, sushi and burgers to Luke's Lobster, crepes and caviar---this food hall has it all.
Don't worry, you'll pay for the good quality food and cozy/inviting ambiance (more so now with holiday decor), but it's not unreasonable or insanely priced.
Tourists and locals alike crammed in at the height of lunch hour. Btw, I breezed through and only had a chai latte.
This food hall is worth checking out.

This is a really special place located under the plaza hotel

There are many specialty shops and places to enjoy a meal from name brand places like Todd English to much smaller and wide variety of offerings

There is a small plaza hotel boutique that sells specialty items related to the hotel, bedding, pens and other trinkets as well as clothing

Also below you will find a florist, caviar bar, coffee shop, ice cream, pastry shop and well you get it.... a bit of everything

I stop here everytime I go to nyc. It is probably the best food market in the world. Plenty of restaurants and bakeries offering different types of food.

This time we stopped for meal time and we shared a Banana Choco Pizza.

Very good location next to Central Park and 5th Ave, it is a very good option.

What can be better than an entire floor full of different shops, eateries and dessert stalls?! The Plaza Food Hall is located below the Plaza Hotel. The easiest entrance to go through was the one labeled for the Food Hall, across from Central Park.

It's a bit on the pricey side but there are some great options, even well-known businesses like Lady M. Think of a very upscale food court! We were able to buy desserts from a variety of places so we could have a little taste of everything. It's definitely a great choice if you're in or near Central Park and have a variety of people to please or want an air conditioned place to hang out.

It was raining and cold, we were hungry and looking for a respite. We found The Plaza Food Hall on Yelp and thought, food court maybe? Now to find it. As it turns out, you can't see the sign for the side entrance if you're coming from 58th St.

Once we found our way in, we went down the stairs to this basement of delicious treats. This is not your traditional food court. There is an array of upscale eateries of most every kind. Want to try some caviar? OK. How about a sandwich, lobster, or a crepe? Got that, too. After walking around and taking everything in, we looked for a place to sit. We found two seats at the counter at Tartinery and were finally able to relax with a glass of wine, a roast beef tartine, butternut squash soup, and avocado toast.

After our late lunch, and then stopping for some coconut cake from William Greenberg and banana sponge cake from Lady M, we felt like we could brave the cold again.

Hungry and don't know what you want? What a fabulous place to to stop in when you're in the Central Park South area.