42BELOW emerges as Midtown’s “Eat, Live, Play Corridor” for new restaurants

Manhattan, NY A stretch of Midtown is evolving into a new destination and round-the-clock “Eat, Live, Play Corridor” linking several adjoining neighborhoods that stretch from Eighth Ave. east to Bdwy./6^th Ave., and from 42^nd St. down toward the low-30s. What’s being called 42BELOW, this corridor encompasses Bryant Park, Herald Square, Koreatown, the historic Garment District and the southern edge of Times Square. Driven by the Midtown South Mixed-Use Plan, the district will see thousands of new homes, public spaces and, to the delight of foodies, a surge in new restaurants and food concepts.

According to the dining guide The Infatuation, there have been 900 new restaurants opening in 2025 across Manhattan, with 42BELOW claiming a large percentage of that growth, making it one of the most active districts of F&B options city-wide. 

The most high-profile of the newcomers is the 25,000 s/f Jean-Georges restaurant coming to Bryant Park (opening 2026). Blue Ribbon Sushi and Serafina Restaurant Group’s Brasserie Cognac are both opening in and around Bryant Park in 2026 as well, all joining the newly-opened Olio E. Piu’s second NYC outpost there. The four new leases alone represent a nearly 14% increase over the previous year’s number of 30 area eateries, according to Google Maps data.

The momentum is just as palpable in the Garment District, which recorded 28 new restaurant openings in 2025, representing an increase in over 50% from the year prior. The roughly 20 blocks that comprise the district has a total 120 culinary venues. “This gives us 74 new spots since 2020 with 45 other existing restaurants having renewed their leases,” says Barbara Blair, president of the Garment District Alliance.

Blair cites the growing residential interest that’s “bringing new life, new diners to the neighborhood. Before 2005, there was only one rental building in the Garment District,” she said. “Now, we are seeing the buzz of more residents and the cuisine to match, defined by diversity, accessibility, and bold, forward-thinking concepts.”

The most concentrated of the foodie meccas in Midtown South is undeniably Koreatown, home to approximately 120 restaurants within 2 blocks on 32^nd St., according to Google Maps Data. Long time favorites, where lines form outside nightly like Her Name is Han or Woorijip, mix with the Michelin starred Noksu (1 star) and Joo OK (2 stars), while locals point out the area is fast spreading outside of its officially designated zone with popular spots like Jongro BBQ Market AYCE now opening a second outpost several blocks north. 

Times Square has more than 400 additional options — ranging from New York classics like The Lambs Club and the first NYC outpost of the global sensation Din Tai Fung, to standout sushi at Sushi of Gari and Danny Meyer’s recent takeover of the Marriott Marquis The View — too many to get to in one lifetime. “We’re a foodie destination in our own right,” says Tom Harris, President of the Times Square Alliance, “We see hundreds of thousands of pedestrians daily, and every one of them needs to eat!,” he says.

“It’s remarkable that an area where offices once emptied out after work, and then cleared out during the pandemic, is today a vibrant dining destination drawing both local and world-renowned restaurateurs. This is yet another example of how food and beverage businesses anchor neighborhoods and play a crucial role in economic development, revitalization, and city planning,” says Andrew Rigie, executive director, NYC Hospitality Alliance.

The proliferation of restaurants, nightlife and shopping will only continue to surge in this burgeoning area. According to data supplied from the global commercial real-estate advisory firm JLL, between 2024 and 2025, 27 office buildings were sold across the Midtown South rezoning area; JLL filtered between 23rd – 41st St and 5th - 8th Ave. Combined these buildings total more than $1 billion in disclosed closed sales—a great indicator of investor confidence with presumably a large number of these headed to residential use due to the 2025 Midtown South Mixed-Use rezoning plan. It is estimated that 9,500 new residential units will be delivered in the coming years.