As our theme of OPENNESS comes to a close this month, we thought it would be a great idea to leave you all with a very important life hack: a list of 9 restaurants in New York City that are open 24/7 including location, cuisine, and tips as well as some of our favorite food orders and late night drunk stories. Because one can’t really be picky about food during the late/early hours, this is less of a “best of” list and more of a “here’s whats open downtown and uptown in NYC for you to pick from.

Have your own late night stories while at one of these places? lololol SHARE THE WITH US!!! loyalnana@gmail.com.

DOWNTOWN NEW YORK CITY

Wo Hop

Two Bridges, Chinatown

Chinese eats

17 Mott St, New York, NY 10013

Next time you find yourself needing some food and just ONE more beer before heading home after 2am head on over to Wo Hop, a no-frills Chinese restaurant located downstairs at 17 Mott Street – where it has been since 1938! Once you take the stairs down and step into the restaurant, the first thing you'll notice is all of the dollar bills and stickers collaged all over all of the walls and ceiling. Once you get over the excitement of finding a lively place with food and beer at 4am, you'll notice someone yelling at you in a friendly way pointing to where you should go sit. The service is fast, the dishes are big, and the price affordable.

Look, simply put, if you are craving a Cantonese-style lobster at 3am that comes with a thick white sauce and maybe some pieces of pork in there (optional) then hit up Wo Hop. They specialize in Chinese eats but also have an Oriental Specialties which is where the Cantonese Lobster is listed. If you’re trying to keep it chill, go for the roasted duck lo mein, or the chicken lo mein. And if you’re just accompanying a bunch of hungry people and want to nibble, considering ANY of their soups, crispy noodles, anything in black bean sauce, and dumplings, DUH! While at Wo Hop, don't forget to think about how this restaurant has been in service (and still kicking) for 7 decades.

Veselka

Ukrainian eats

East Village, Manhattan

144 2nd Ave, New York

Katz’s may attract the long lines of tourists, but it’s not the only New York late-night restaurant with a long and incredible history. Veselka first opened its doors in 1954, starting out as a candy store and newsstand before a luncheonette was added in 1960.

The restaurant, located in the heart of what’s left of Manhattan’s Little Ukraine, was a magnet for New York performance artists in the 1980s and has since been featured in movies including “Ocean’s 8”, “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist”, and “Trainwreck”.

And, like Katz’s, Veselka is the perfect place to sit down when you’re not quite ready for the night to end. The menu is filled with comfort foods meant for sharing, whether it’s a couple of the 3,000 pierogis made daily by hand, a bowl of its deliciously indulgent mac and cheese, or the homemade latkes smothered with Beef Stroganoff or Veal Goulash. With warm lighting, warm food, and plenty of warm laughs with friends, Veselka is just how the movies promised New York nights would end.

Stromboli Pizza

Pizza eats

East Village, Manhattan

83 St Marks Pl

Every New Yorker has their preferred slice shop. Even in just the East Village, there are dozens of options to choose from. Joe’s for the classicist, Ray’s for those who like the finer things in life (and by finer things I mean a $6 pizza slice). There’s 2 Bros for the frugal, and Artichoke for the adventurous.

But my favorite slice shop since the very beginning of my New York life has always been Stromboli’s, a corner shop that slings $4 slices past 4am. Many a night has ended at one of their small tables, stumbling out of Bua and walking over to grab my favorite slice of tomato and bacon, dusting it with cheese and red pepper while talking to friendly strangers.

There’s somehow always enough seats after 3am to enjoy your drunk pizza in peace with friends. And, unlike with many dollar pizza shops, the slice isn’t too greasy (no napkin patting required!) but still somehow feels capable of soaking up all those rum and cokes (and the rogue tequila shots).

Katz's Delicatessen

Jewish deli eats

Lower East Side, Manhattan

205 E Houston St

Any New Yorker who has walked down E Houston Street from the hours of 11am to 9pm knows the sight. The long line of tourists snaking around the corner of Ludlow, desperate to get their hands on the pastrami that made this Jewish deli a household name.

Founded in 1888, Katz’s has become a New York icon in its own right, in part due to its supporting role in one of the most famous scenes in Rom-Com history. A sign still points to the very table where Meg Ryan faked an orgasm for Billy Crystal in “When Harry Met Sally” (“Hope you have what she had”, it cheekily reads).

With long lines out the door and walls covered with photos of visiting celebrities, Katz’s could easily look like a tourist trap. And in the middle of the day, it certainly feels that way. But that’s why I love going to Katz’s in those early morning hours. The place is almost completely dead, save for a few finance bros who also decided they needed something a little more than a dollar slice after dancing at Pianos all night. The first time I strolled into Katz’s with my best friend at 5am and drunkenly munched on the free cucumbers and pickles while waiting for my order, I had never felt like more of a New Yorker. And if you’re going to get a food coma from that iconic pastrami (which earns every bit of its hype), shouldn’t it be before bed?

Cafeteria

American eats

Chelsea, Manhattan

119 7th Ave

From hook-ups to husbands and boys to babies, Cafeteria was where we saw Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha learn to conquer the pitfalls of New York’s dating scene in Sex and the City.

And the Chelsea spot remains one of the few iconic locations from the show that remains open since Carrie dumped that Russian guy and picked Big more than 14 years ago. Blue Water Grill and Sushisamba may be no more, but Cafeteria remains as ever reliable as it was when the girls needed a place to cry over boys and break-ups on Post-It Notes.

While it was Carrie and the gang’s brunches that turned Cafeteria into a must-see on any SATC tour, the American eatery is also the chance to switch up your late-night dining scene. A night out in Chelsea always tends to be a bit ritzier thanks to the clubs that line the Meatpacking District, and a post-midnight meal in Cafeteria is no different. There’s no greasy slices of pizza to be found here. Instead one can opt for mac and cheese spring rolls, calamari, lamb burgers, and salmon BLTs, among the very varied offerings. There’s something for everyone – whether you’re a Miranda or a Samantha.

UPTOWN NEW YORK CITY

John's Fried Chicken

Dominican Eats

Inwood, Manhattan

512 W 207th Street

First of all, BEST FRIED CHICKEN IN NEW YORK CITY ALERT!!!!!

I have never been to John's Fried Chicken before 3am, ever. That's how beloved this place is to me on my rare late nights out in Washington Heights. This fried chicken spot is open 24/7 and is located in the Inwood area of Manhattan. The place is run by a few Dominican women who cook and serve traditional Dominican food, from fried and rotisserie chicken and french fries to yuca and mangu. I have been here by myself as well as with big groups of friends. Both ways are fun because I always end up making friends with the other tipsy and sleepy people looking forward to enjoying some fried chicken.

Bedford Cafe

Jerome Park, The Bronx

American eats

1 Bedford Park Blvd

I discovered Bedford Cafe in 2007 as a student in college when I was obsessed with eating club sandwiches with bacon before hard tests. Bedford cafe is a small corner diner with large windows and an extensive menu offering American, Mexican, Indian, Greek AND Italian comfort food! Come here for pasta, or for that same club sandwich I used to have in college, though you will probably be tempted to get a strawberry shortcake or a banana split. You can consider a quesadilla or a breakfast wrap if you REALLY pushed it and now the sun is coming up and its breakfast time... Also, the express train to Brooklyn is right across the street and will get you to Union Square in 30 minutes if you feel you still need time to process some of your good and bad decisions for the night.

Albert’s Mofongo

Pan - Latin eats

Washington Heights, Manhattan

4762 Broadway St

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This place saves my life whenever I catch myself in between the turn-up and the turndown, right between the moon and the sun, somewhere between 2am and 5am. Alberto’s Mofongo House is an uptown staple known as the ultimate 24/7 Dominican buffet spot. It sits on the corner of Dyckman St, nestled on the northern tip of Manhattan at the 2nd to last stop off the A train.

White rice, yellow rice, red beans, black beans, green beans, green salad, potato salad, avocado (which is separate from the salad if you’re Dominican), plantains, steak, chicken, pork, beef, goat, oxtail, tres leches cake, flan is just some of the items on offer. Most importantly, during the late hours, Alberto’s has mangu - a traditional Dominican breakfast that includes mashed green plantains, your choice of salami or sausage, fried white cheese, cooked onions, all topped with an egg.

My mouth is watering as I write this too. The icing on the cake is the club in the back of Alberto’s, which is open until about 4am and has hookah included! The prices are moderate, the ambiance lively and friendly, and the service is fast.

Cachapas y Mas

Venezuelan eats

Washington Heights, Manhattan

107 Dyckman Street

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Uptown, Cachapas y Mas is THE after-the-club food place. At around 3:15am, when clubs and bars are closing, a line starts to form at Cachapas that often ends outside of the restaurant. Cachapas y Mas - or Cachapas for short - is an authentic Venezuelan street food restaurant that opened on Dyckman Street in 2008. The owner, Larry Villalobos, used to be a cab driver before he traded his taxi for a food truck that has since transformed into a growing restaurant chain. On Cachapas’ menu are Vevezuelean items like buns made out of fried plantains filled with slow roasted pork, Cachapas (sweet corn pancakes) filled with mouthwatering Venezuelan cheese, fried Arepas (cornmeal patties), and Patacones (green plantain sandwiches). The icing on the cake is the natural juices on the menu. So when you go, make sure to grab a tamarindo juice, a few of their famous cheese sticks, and start making your way home to your warm bed.

The Old Faithful Bodega

Anywhere and everywhere in New York City

Don’t let you comfort allow you to forget that bodegas have warm food, coffee, and sandwiches. Oh, and COOKIES! During the early hours of the morning after a long night, in the inner city, a bodega is a beaming light of hope and love. If I’m not around Chinatown for Wo Hop or Chelsea for Cafeteria, you can find me at my local bodega ordering a chopped cheese on a Hero, tearing through a pack of Oreos, guzzling a lot of water, and probably cracking some jokes with the bodega staff.

RESTAURANTS IN NYC OPEN 24/7