The Odeon

Nostalgia is just one reason customers continue to flock to the restaurant with the most famous neon sign in New York City. After all, even if the restaurant was a favorite of the Saturday Night Live cast and appeared on a book cover three decades ago, what guarantee is it that the place will be any good now? Yet the Odeon is good, one of the most charming and consistent places to get that brasserie/bar-and-grill–style food that New York does so well. Start with oysters and a martini, of course. Follow that up with a burger, or steak-frites, or maybe one of the kitchen’s surprisingly well-made omelettes. It’s all better than it needs to be, which is exactly why we never want the Odeon to close.