Holiday Flavors You Need to Try in Lincoln Square

One of the best things about the holiday season is all the nostalgic and delicious food we get to enjoy. Lincoln Square has many restaurants, cafés, and bakeries to find your favorite sweet and savory dishes for Christmas, Hanukkah, and the holiday gathering of your dreams!

Looking to celebrate by eating out? On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Nougatine by Jean-Georges (1 Central Park West) is offering a special three-course menu, and Jean-Georges, the two-star Michelin restaurant at the same address, has three- and six-course tasting menu options, available for three people or more on Christmas Day. Robert at the Museum of Arts & Design (2 Columbus Circle) has a three-course menu on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Bad Roman and Twin Tails (10 Columbus Circle) are marking Christmas Day with festive cocktails and dessert specials. You can also celebrate at MO Lounge at the Mandarin Oriental, New York (80 Columbus Circle), which is serving a festive Christmas Day brunch buffet featuring a beef carving station, caviar, lobsters, and dessert stations—a great way to enjoy the holiday with loved ones.

Lincoln Square is also the perfect place to mark Christmas with a New York classic, Chinese food and a movie. Check out what’s playing at AMC Lincoln Square 13 (1998 Broadway at 68th Street) and Film at Lincoln Center (144 & 165 West 65th Street), and then head to Shun Lee West and Shun Lee Café (43 West 65th Street) for traditional fare in an elegant setting, or order in from Wok City (153 Amsterdam Avenue).

Lincoln Square’s supermarkets make it easy to entertain without cooking all day. Whole Foods Market (10 Columbus Circle) has special catering menus dedicated to Christmas and Hanukkah, Gourmet Garage (155 West 66th Street) has you covered with kosher and non-kosher Hanukkah packages and a winter holiday menu, and Morton Williams (2015 Broadway at 68th Street) has catering options that are great for hosting any holiday party. For an Asian-American twist on Christmas dinner, Momofuku Noodle Bar Uptown (10 Columbus Circle) is also offering a Christmas Bo Ssäm Take-Home Feast, available for pickup on December 23 or 24, featuring brown sugar-glazed slow-roasted pork shoulder with accompanying sauces and sides, ready to reheat at home.

Dessert takes center stage with many specialty items around the neighborhood. Breads Bakery (1890 Broadway at 63rd Street) is known for its babka, but it has many Hanukkah delicacies available for pre-order. At Breads, you can find sufganiyot (deep-fried doughnuts) in five flavors, as well as latkes and rugelach. Rosetta Bakery (1928 Broadway at 64th Street) is where to go for classic Christmas Holiday Specials, including panettone (a dome-shaped Italian sweet bread), and the Rosetta Christmas Tree, an artistic puff pastry composition with fresh custard cream. Maman (152 Columbus Avenue at 67th Street), the French bakery and café, has teamed up with none other than Martha Stewart to create a Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookie made with freshly grated ginger. Click here for the rest of their menu, including more holiday-inspired treats! Magnolia Bakery (200 Columbus Avenue at 69th Street) has a wide range of holiday desserts and sampler packs with cute decorations. Cap off a cold winter night with an indulgent hot chocolate with a generous layer of whipped cream from Amorino (44 West 63rd Street) or hot chocolate with marshmallows from Breads Bakery (1890 Broadway at 63rd Street).

Lastly, while Chef Daniel Boulud’s restaurants in Lincoln Square are temporarily closed, you can still order one of his many holiday-themed gift boxes or Bûche de Noël in three different flavors. You can also roll up your sleeves with Chef Boulud’s Bake-at-Home Hanukkah Sugar Cookies Kit! Each kit has sugar cookie dough, Hanukkah cookie cutters, and royal icing to decorate for a guaranteed fun time in the kitchen.

With holiday food squared away, all that’s left is to find great gifts. For inspiration, visit the Lincoln Square BID’s Neighborhood Guide for a full list of businesses in the neighborhood and read our recent story about where to find unique gifts nearby.

Photo Credits: Breads Bakery and Chef Daniel Boulud