Weekends in SoHo: A Curated Guide
Combining heritage with a new age of restaurants, bars, cafes, and boutiques, explore the neighborhood with this curated guide.
Soho’s eclectic legacy was epitomized in the ’70s and ’80s by a freewheeling attitude to music, film, literature, fashion, and art, making it the heart and soul of Manhattan’s creative community—Basquiat, Warhol, Haring, and Debbie Harry among them. Today it remains a nexus of art, expression, and community combining heritage with a new age of nightlife, dining, art and fashion. To help guide the way to a weekend spent eating, drinking, shopping, and gallery hopping in Soho, we share a few favorite neighborhood spots.
Kick-start the day with coffee & bagels…
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Sadelle’s
There are several ways to describe Sadelle’s: bagel bakery, neo-appetizing store, and upscale New York deli. Stop in for coffee and any number of delicious creations from master baker and co-owner Melissa Weller who has done her part to highlight one of the city’s greatest food traditions—the bagel. Sadelle’s hand-rolled bagels, pastries and bread are made fresh on-site each day in a glass-enclosed bakery located in the center of the dining room while expertly sliced lox is delivered on three-tiered stands, and the aroma of hot bagels permeates the buzzing dining room.
463 W Broadway, New York; T. (212) 254 3000
Matchaful
For those seeking a caffeine hit beyond your usual cup of coffee, feed your body and mind with one of Matchaful’s matcha-based concoctions. Everything on offer is plant-based and packed with high-quality and sustainable organic ingredients. Crowd favorites include the signature vanilla zen latte and matcha avocado yogurt. Dine-in or order to go.
184 Prince St, New York; T. ( 646) 896 1058
Enjoy brunch at these local favorites…
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Soho Diner
A modern riff on the classic American dining staple with the music to match courtesy of a coin-operated jukebox comprising a handpicked selection of 45s. The brunch menu is the perfect mix of tried-and-tested classics—the farmer’s breakfast; classic egg sandwich; buttermilk pancakes, and specialty dishes—blue crab and Yukon gold potatocakes; the SoHo burger; Croque señora—served alongside freshly roasted, fair-trade, organic coffee. The vibe here is refined retro with wood-paneling, drop lights, pink-and-black leather booths, counter service, and outdoor seating.
320 W Broadway, New York; T. (212) 965 3011
Revelie Luncheonette
From the team behind Raoul’s, and located just across the street, Revelie is an upscale diner serving French and American cafe standards in a vintage setting. Kick-start your day with the eggs meurette (poached eggs on garlic toast with lardons and mushrooms in red wine sauce) and a side of haystack zucchini. Or for a power brunch, go for the hanger steak with caramelized shallot and crispy potatoes. And be sure to check the chalkboard menu for the day’s handwritten specials. Revelie is walk-in only and open all day, every day.
179 Prince St, New York; T. (212) 696 1917
Our go-to Soho boutiques…
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What goes around comes around
If there was a good karma rewards program, this shop is where you’d happily claim your points. Home to over 100,000 pieces organized by theme and boasting one of the most impressive collections in the city, expect to find stunning pieces by YSL, Pucci, Alaia, and more. Such immaculate secondhand scores are available alongside a wildly successful ready-to-wear collection launched by owners Seth Weisser and Gerard Maione. Decorated with hotel bellman carts, vintage luggage, and Havana in mind, What Comes Around Goes Around feels like a cross between Barton Fink and The Darjeeling Limited. Find a gem to make your own and then go out and pay it forward, it’s a full-circle idea here, after all.
351 W Broadway, New York; T. (212) 343 1225
Sea New York
Designed by lifelong friends Monica Paolini and Sean Monahan at their Canal Street workshop in New York, Sea offers modern separates and feminine dresses with a twist. Each collection draws on the city’s uptown and downtown districts for inspiration–think classic silhouettes that are at once effortless and optimistic, romantic and boyish.
324 Canal St, New York; T. (212) 966 3067
Khaite
Cate Holstein’s New York fashion label was born in Soho and continues to deliver offbeat takes on wardrobe staples for every woman. The Soho flagship occupies a Corinthian column-fronted building on Mercer Street. Inside, a selection of considered pieces from streetwear to eveningwear are displayed in a cement-trowelled and steel-lined interior with an evergreen tree planted into its shop floor.
165 Mercer St, New York; T. (212) 219 2537
Stop for lunch here…
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La Mercerie
This contemporary French eatery feels like a slice of Paris in SoHo. Blue banquettes line the bright space, overlooking a big marble-clad kitchen. Each plate, napkin, coffee cup, and lamp is a temptation—they’re all available in the adjacent store. Chef Marie-Aude Rose discovered a love of cooking early in life, with her grandparents in Paris and the French countryside. Her love of everyday French cooking is apparent at this contemporary French eatery, where divine incarnations of classics fill the menu. From flaky croissants and delicate omelets to classic French dishes such as the tuna niçois, and beef bourguignon, the menu here is a reminder that some of life’s most pleasurable moments aren’t very complicated.
53 Howard St, New York; T. (212) 852 9097
Not-to-be-missed art & culture…
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The Earth Room
This sculpture, executed by esteemed artist Walter de Maria in1977, is one of the many wonders of New York City. Spread across a 3,600-square-foot gallery space in the middle of SoHo, you’ll find an interior sculpture created from 250 cubic yards of earth. De Mario brought the outside in, and in doing so, prompted viewers to explore the links between art and the natural environment. While there were originally two additional Earth Rooms, both in Germany, this is the last one remaining.
141 Wooster St, New York; T. (212) 989 5566
Rudy’s Music Soho
Rudy’s Music has been a New York City landmark since 1978. Owner and enigmatic collector Rudy Pensa has built and nurtured what he rightfully calls a “guitar gallery.” More than 100 vintage hand-built acoustic and electric guitars on wooden stands are on dazzling display over the 2,400-square-foot tri-level space and certain models even have costumed New York colors on them. Additionally, you will find amplifiers and other accessories like strings, mediators, bags, and hand-painted customized guitar straps. You don’t have to be a musician to appreciate the store, and if you do decide to stop by, chances are you’ll run into Rudy himself.
461 Broome St, New York; T. (212) 625 2557
The Gallery at Soho Grand
Inspired by the artistic legacy of the neighborhood itself, this spacious, “white-box” space has fast become a meeting place for local artists, downtown icons and nightlife fixtures and for good reason. Since its inception, the gallery and event space has showcased work by renowned artists including celebrated actor Norman Reedus and legendary Blondie co-creator Chris Stein who snapped intimate moments shared by everyone from the Ramones to Jean Michel Basquiat.
310 W Broadway, New York; T. (212) 965 3000
The very best tables in Soho…
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The Corner Store
An homage to a classic New York bar and restaurant, The Corner Store serves upscale American fare in a glitzy setting. The warm lighting and vintage photographs give the feel of a longstanding Soho institution with a menu that does not disappoint, from pizza rolls and spinach artichoke dip to a wagyu French dip and a Caesar salad topped with everything bagel croutons. For dessert, the sundae made with coconut soft serve and mixed with caramel, hot fudge, and shortbread is not to be missed. Then there’s the expertly crafted cocktails and the unmatched people watching.
475 W Broadway; T. (212) 271-9240
Raoul’s
Raoul’s is a New York bistro for the books, and it’s only getting better with time. Opened in 1975 by two brothers newly arrived from Alsace, France, Raoul’s quickly became a clubhouse for the art world with notables who came for the fine French steaks with crispy frites and the undemanding bohemian atmosphere. Today, the classic orders are still the draw. The steamed artichoke, the frisée salad with lardons of bacon and a poached duck egg; the organic chicken with jambalaya risotto, andouille sausage and bell peppers; the thick, tender steak au poivre with pomme frites—these are your various stages of seduction. And then there is the crowd—artsy, business and model types milling through the dark front room and atrium out the back. It’s all this and the laid-back austerity that will keep the impossibly sophisticated set coming back for generations to come.
180 Prince St, New York; T. (212) 966 3518
Sushi Ikumi
Just a few steps from sister restaurant and well-known Japanese spot Hirohisa with revered chef Jongin Jeong at the helm, Sushi Ikumi is arguably the highest quality, most affordably priced omakase meal in the city right now. This small—10 seats at the counter—but mighty sushi bar skews Kyoto-style, meaning the focus is on preserved and cured fish, and some bites are pressed into a box oshizushi-style. The $180 chef’s tasting menu includes roughly 14 nigiri bites, a plated dish, a rice option, and a seasonal dessert. Omakase meals typically start at the time of your reservation, so it’s customary to arrive five to 10 minutes early.
135 Sullivan St, New York; T. (917) 409 1588
PHOTOGRAPHY Photo by Heather Shevlin on Unsplash