Where to Eat, Shop, and Play in New York City’s Meatpacking District

High Line pit stops, hot-spot restaurants, and more.

Sustainability
Is
the
New
Luxury

Long before NYC’s Meatpacking District became well-known for its high fashion, trendy restaurants, and late-night parties, the neighbourhood had humbler beginnings. On Manhattan’s far West Side, tucked between Chelsea and the West Village, the Meatpacking District got its name in the 1880s for the throngs of butcher shops and meat wholesalers that lined its brick streets. In the 1970s, as the highway system and the rise of supermarkets altered the meatpacking landscape, the area became one of Manhattan’s burgeoning zones of arts, culture and LGBTQ+ nightlife. In the late 1990s, fashion designers such as Christian Louboutin, Diane von Furstenberg, and Alexander McQueen opened studios and boutiques, ushering in a new creative era for the district.

Today, the Meatpacking District is still one of Manhattan’s coolest areas, where travellers can shop, stroll along the High Line, and sip spritzes on rooftop bars before spying celebrities on the dance floor in glitzy clubs and hidden speakeasies. Here, a few places not to miss.

Green Spaces, Art Galleries, and City Beaches

Check into the Gansevoort Meatpacking hotel, which recently underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation, debuting a lobby filled with large-scale art pieces, two new restaurants, and 187 redesigned rooms, including the art-filled, lavish penthouse suite by Italian furniture designer Poliform. Not to miss: a Sicilian Sangria cocktail by the pool at the Gansevoort rooftop bar.

The centerpiece of the Meatpacking District is the 1.45-mile High Line park, which sits above street level, stretching from Gansevoort Street to 34th Street. The former rail line features art installations, beautiful landscaping, spectacular city views, and more.

Before or after strolling the High Line, make time to explore the Whitney Museum of American Art, located near the park’s southern entrance. The building – an asymmetrical marvel of modern architecture designed by architect Renzo Piano – stands out among the neighborhood’s brick facades. Inside, the space encompasses more than 26,000 pieces of contemporary American art, including a series of rotating exhibitions and a permanent collection that features works by Edward Hopper, Georgia O’Keeffe, Louise Bourgeois, and Donald Judd.

Just a short walk away, Fort Gansevoort – a two-story gallery housed inside a nineteenth-century Greek Revival brownstone – showcases rotating exhibitions and hosts annual art fairs. Named after an abandoned army fort on the Hudson River, husband-and-wife founders Adam Shopkorn and Carolyn Tate Angel established the gallery in 2015 to host artists-in-residence who could sell their pieces and teach weekend craft workshops for the public.

Summertime travelers should be sure to leave plenty of time to hang out at Manhattan’s first public beach. Just across the Hudson River Greenway from the Whitney, Gansevoort Peninsula, which opened in 2023, is home to a sandy stretch fronting the Hudson River, a salt marsh, pine groves, ball fields, and Day’s End, a permanent art installation by David Hammons presented by the Whitney and Hudson River Park. For more fresh air and beautiful views, walk five minutes up the street and across the pedestrian bridge to Little Island, an interactive public park on top of a floating pier. Attend a theater, dance, or music performance in the amphitheater; walk to the park’s highest point at 63 feet above the Hudson; and explore the interactive dance chimes, spinning discs, and tilted spun chairs.

Can’t-Miss Meatpacking District Restaurants and Bars

The Meatpacking District blends both well-established, see-and-be-seen institutions and trendy new upstarts. Start with brunch reservations at local staple Pastis for French dishes such as buttery escargot, Niçoise salad, Gruyère omelets, and classic croque madames. New Greek restaurant Meduza Mediterrania is the latest place to nibble on mezzes such as dolmas and whipped eggplant, fresh Greek salad, and grilled branzino with charred lemon and grassy olive oil under an undulating ceiling decorated with basket-woven pendant lighting. Genesis House, located on the second floor of the Genesis car showroom, offers upscale Korean cuisine in an intimate setting. Try the Wagyu beef mandu (dumplings) and risotto with snow crab and uni, or choose to be surprised by the chef’s curated tasting.

The Whitney recently scored a new partner to run its café, the Frenchette Bakery, which showcases flaky pastries as well as several popular menu items, such as duck confit and a spring pea salad, inspired by the Frenchette restaurant in Tribeca. Grab a refreshing pre- or post-dinner drink at Brass Monkey, The Standard Biergarten, or Coffee + Cocktails inside the Gansevoort hotel. The swanky, wood-paneled Dining Room hidden on the lower level of the RH New York complex, is a discreet spot to to indulge in grilled avocado with caviar, Australian Wagyu rib eye, or Branzino cooked over Japanese Binchotan charcoal.

Good news for night owls: The neighborhood’s long-standing reputation as a nightlife capital still holds true. Make a table reservation at popular clubs such as Le Bain, Buddakan, and TAO Downtown Nightclub, where DJs spin tracks well into the early hours of the morning. Join nightlife stalwarts (Susanne Bartsch and Eli Escobar may be among them) on the dance floor, indulging your hedonistic side beneath elaborate chandeliers and beside overflowing Champagne buckets.

Designer and Well-Curated Souvenirs to Bring Home

With so many boutiques to choose from, shopping in the Meatpacking District requires a strategy. Flagships from longtime residents Christian Louboutin and Diane von Furstenberg have been joined over the years by outposts of high-fashion favorites such as Rag & Bone, Marni, Alice + Olivia, Brunello Cucinelli, Eberjey, Loro Piana, Hermès, Vince, Zimmermann, and Theory. Most recently, Gucci and the Parisian brands Sandro and Maje joined the fray, along with Spanish porcelain-figurine maker Lladró, caviar spot Petrossian, and cult camera brand Leica.

For an only-in-NYC experience, step into contemporary eyewear store Lucky Selectism, which stocks a selection of vintage eyewear, apparel, and accessories from a wide range of independent designers, all curated by owner Heewon Kim. Local brand Saint Art keeps its only shoppable showroom in the Meatpacking District, as does jewellery designer Temple St. Clair, who decided to open her first retail shop in 2023 in an intimate space on Washington Street.

A few other must-visits: the apparel boutique two : minds, launched in 2021 by a pair of friends who were dismayed by the many retail closures during the pandemic; grand, six-level home-furnishings emporium RH New York; and the new Maiden Home, which debuted its first retail shop in 2023 on Little West 12th Street. Finally, stop into the intimate Parfums de Marly to pick up a new scent to bring home – each future spritz will recall memories of an afternoon spree in one of NYC’s most special neighbourhoods.

Originally published on Virtuoso