New York City. The Big Apple. They say we’re the city that never sleeps. It’s not true. We do; we have to – at least seven and a half hours a night. I’ve lived here for 18 years, and I’m older now than I once was. But there was a time when I was a night owl, a prolific “late-night” (ie drunk) eater: a time before indigestion and hangovers, when I would consume lots of things that weren’t good for me, when I was 23 and invincible.
So here is a trip down memory lane. I invite my friend Willa, one of my favourite people to eat with, and we’re joined by our new friend Josh, who is shooting photos. And we plan to eat and drink all night, and fall in love with New York all over again. This concrete jungle really shimmers, after a few pints and a couple of yakitori skewers.
McSorley’s, on East 7th Street, is always a good place to start. It’s the oldest bar in New York City, open since 1854. Many of the servers have Irish accents, and there’s sawdust on the ground. It’s quite the scene. I’m more of a wine guy for pleasure and a vodka-to-get-drunk guy, but at McSorley’s I drink beer. Abraham Lincoln drank beer here. Ulysses S Grant drank beer here. Teddy Roosevelt drank beer here. Harry Houdini drank beer here. John Lennon, Dustin Hoffman and Hunter S Thompson drank beer here. You come here and you drink beer: that’s what you do.
One beer ordered at McSorley’s comes delivered as two beers, for some reason, so before we know it we have six beers on our table. It looks like a lot, but they go down easy, and so does a second round. What we’re really here for is the cheese plate. It’s not much to look at: store-bought saltine crackers, a bit of cheddar, some sliced white onions, a little cup of exceptionally piquant mustard. It’s easy to imagine a man with an egregious moustache sitting down to enjoy this exact plate of food (sans microplastics) in the early 1900s. This dish is the definition of “greater than the sum of its parts”. It has absurd confidence and swagger, and if you want a wake-up call, if you want the perfect snack to have with a beer (or two, or four, or six) and get your night started, there is no better dish in New York City. I ask our server if all of the waiters at McSorley’s are Irish.
“Only the handsome ones,” he answers with a wink.
We head down the street to Yakitori Taisho (St Marks Place) to eat a few skewers and sip on some sake – one of life’s pleasures. The restaurant is tiny and loud, and if you close your eyes you’re in Dotonbori.
Superiority Burger (119 Avenue A) is one of my favourite restaurants in the city. I’ve eaten here consistently for a decade, and I don’t think I’ve had one bad bite. It’s a market-driven vegetarian diner/burger joint. That description does it no justice. It’s hard to do Superiority Burger justice with words.
My friend Sunny meets us here, and we run into Willa’s friend Zoe, who also knows Josh, and her friend David. We pack into a booth meant for four people. I spot Tanya and Aliza in a booth across the room. Sometimes New York City can feel like a highschool cafeteria. Tonight I feel like one of the popular kids, but in general I’m the loser eating lunch alone. We order fries and pies, sandwiches, and a sorrel sundae. It’s perfect. The pearl pie is a standout, a passionfruit mousse pie covered in tapioca: surprising, textural and fun, much like a night out in New York City.
The current iteration of Superiority Burger is housed in what was once the Odessa Diner, a legendary 24-hour joint right on Tompkins Square park. My hope is that someday Superiority Burger will be open 24 hours, but for now they close at midnight on weekends, and that’s good enough.
I’ve never been to Yunnan Rice Noodle (274 Grand Street) on Grand before. One time my friends went, on a night when I went home early; they sent me a photo in the morning and I was livid. It’s relatively new, one of the very few truly 24/365 restaurants – the only one left in Chinatown, as far as I know. Covid wiped most of them out. We have trouble deciding what to order. At this point we’ve had a bit to eat, a bit to drink, and our eyes are starting to glaze over, but tonight this is my job, so onward and upward. Of course, we are overthinking it: at Yunnan Rice Noodle, we should order rice noodles.
For $12-$14 you get the noodles in the form of a soup or as “crossbridge noodles”, which is a kind of personal hotpot, and they’ll refill your noodles as many times as you like. The food is nourishing and brings you back to life, or puts you to bed, whichever you prefer.
Between slurps, Sunny says that she’s never eaten a deli sandwich. We are all rocked by the admission. Perhaps it’s the equivalent of a Londoner never having stepped foot in a Pret.
The menu at Yunnan Rice Noodle is in English, Mandarin and Spanish. If you are very hungry, or very drunk, this is the place for you; it’s probably a very fun and stimulating place to be if you are under the influence of certain chemicals. It’s full of party people, workers finishing up their shifts, and night owls looking for some soup and a place to read their book. They say this city is a melting pot. But maybe it’s a hotpot.
The Delancey McDonald’s is where you go as you crawl your way home from the party. It’s a beacon – and, if you’ve been very good or bad, and if it’s late or early enough, they will be serving breakfast. I have been here more times than I can remember. Literally. I can’t remember because I came here to eat McNuggets when I’d had five too-many vodka sodas. It’s been years, though. I don’t do that anymore. I’m an adult now. What I do remember from these late-night meals is constant fights, screaming, someone always being locked in the bathroom. The floors are sticky; people are passed out. One time a guy came in with a hatchet and smashed up the walls and the registers. Those poor employees. I wish I could go back and tip them $1m.
Our visit in 2025 is not so eventful. They’ve remodelled. It’s clean; you order from a touchscreen. They only do takeout, and it’s helped to greatly reduce the late-night chaos. I guess we’ve both grown up. I order a Filet-O-Fish and fries. The food is cold. I take a few bites for old times’ sake and toss it in the trash as I descend into the subway.
A cheese plate from the early 1900s, yakitori that makes you feel like you’re in Osaka, rice noodles from Yunnan province… We really can have it all in the best city in the world, in one night, within walking distance. If we can consume all of this at night, imagine what we can consume during the day.
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OTHER GREAT CITIES FOR LATE-NIGHT EATS
By Lim Chee Wah
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TOKYO
The trains in Tokyo may not run all night, but some of its popular restaurants do – and you’ll find more than just ramen.
Yarou Sushi Honten, Kabukicho
Get sushi until 6am – and at a restaurant with more than 40 years of history no less – in Shinjuku’s nightlife district.
Afuri, Ebisu
Meatless noodles are rare in Tokyo, but Afuri does a commendable rainbow vegan ramen with eggless wheat noodles and seasonal vegetables.
Sugoi Niboshi Ramen Nagi, Shinjuku Golden Gai
Nagi’s rich dried-sardine broth may be an acquired taste, but its 24-hour operation is a blessing for drinkers in this iconic bar enclave.
Daikanyama Tempu, Shibuya
This tiny local a short walk from Shibuya Crossing churns out addictive takoyaki – golf-ball-sized grilled wheat balls stuffed with octopus.
Tsurutontan Udon Noodle Brasserie, Roppongi
Clubbers claim the window seats at this seventh-floor udon specialist to catch the sunrise over the Roppongi skyline.
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KUALA LUMPUR
Indian Muslim restaurants – or mamak – may be the go-to for late-night eats, but there are lots of options in this food-obsessed city.
Nasi Lemak Burung Hantu, Bangsar
Malaysians love their nasi lemak so much that this restaurant stays open around the clock. Its coconut rice with fiery sambal tastes best with fried chicken.
Westlake, Jalan Sultan
This historical restaurant has been around long before the recent Chinatown boom, beloved for its reliable Cantonese stir-fry.
Kedai Kopi Mee Bon, Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah
Dim sum may be brunch elsewhere in the world, but here, har gao and siu mai are enjoyed at 2am, post-clubbing.
Fong Wah Teo Chew Porridge, Pudu
Service-industry workers come here after their shifts for nourishing rice porridge with a plethora of side dishes.
Kaw Kaw Burger, Wangsa Maju
Grilled beef or lamb patties, or deep-fried slabs of chicken, stacked high and just a little sloppy for that no-frills streetside eat.