Restaurants in Manhattan

The Rockefeller Center outpost of Lizarran—one of more than 200 international locations and the first in the United States—dishes out tapas inspired by contemporary restaurant's origins in Spain. The Spanish based culinary team is headed by chefs Erick Muñoz and Mikel Presa. Small plates of hot and cold tapas, such as gazpacho with watermelon and cured ham with artichokes, prime appetites for paella and baby squid. The Hamburguesa Lizarran, a Spanish-inspired take on the hamburger, defies convention with cured ham and manchego cheese piled high on beef patties. As diners settle into plush leather dining chairs, bartenders behind the brick-inlaid bar mix cocktails and pour robust Spanish red wines, crossing their fingers that there are no passing bulls in the area. Lizarran is open until 10 p.m., and showcases flamingo dancers from 7–9 p.m. on Fridays.

Had the butchers of Aaron’s Gourmet not been hired to prepare glatt kosher meats for delivery, they could perhaps have survived by manufacturing Russian matryoshka dolls—they have a knack for nesting. Supervised by Rabbi Israel Mayer Steinberg, Aaron's Gourmet's menu boasts many versions of poultries collapsed inside of each other, from turduckens—a hen inside of a duck inside of a turkey—to gooseduckenquails, a similar concoction that begins with a quail and ends with a goose. These creations join an encyclopedic list that includes exotic cuts of pheasant and oxtail, traditional slabs of Black Angus and smoked salmon, organic meats, and grass-fed roasts. Once Aaron’s processes an order, which can be made online, by fax, over the phone, or by smoke signal from an empty grill, the company generally ships the package overnight via UPS. Additionally, Aaron’s can cater for groups of up to 500 people, building holiday meals or barbecue-style cookouts from meats that can be prepared in American, Japanese, European, or Middle Eastern styles.

Patties of grass-fed beef, wild boar, and free-range chicken fill brioche buns at Bareburger, which eschews the added hormones commonly found in burger meat for locally sourced, all-natural ingredients. Fries cooked in 100% peanut oil complement bites of the Jalapeño Express burger's pepper jack cheese and chipotle ketchup or the Mediterranean's cool spread of cucumber-mint yogurt. Though Bareburger sources its meat and produce from sustainable farmers, its food isn’t the only reflection of its eco-conscious values: Trees felled in storms end up as hardwood tables in the dining room, whose tin-siding ceilings have been reclaimed from barns deconstructed during philosophers' countryside lectures.

Flickering candles tucked into tiny caves garnish an exposed-brick wall or glimmer atop rich, dark wooden tables, spreading their glow onto a wall forged from rustic timber planks. This combination of soft lighting and contemporary-yet-pastoral decor fosters a sophisticated, Spanish-inspired ambiance inside La Zarza. But it's the eatery's menu of authentic Argentinean and Spanish cuisine made from indigenous recipes and organic ingredients that really transports diners to another country.

To bolster bites of tapas, fresh ceviche, and slow-cooked steaks—an Argentinean staple—live guitarists strum traditional Spanish tunes and reality show theme songs every Friday and Saturday. The soundtrack continues thumping further into the night when La Zarza morphs into an upscale lounge fueled by pulsing beats from international DJs. At full bars across two floors, bartenders regale revelers with mojitos, sangria, and signature cocktails amid chic furnishings, such as opulent chandeliers and crimson drapery.

As New York Times reporter Jeff Vandam explains, Murray Hill is a hard neighborhood to pin down. Quiet rows of brownstones and apartment buildings contrast with a lively pub scene geared toward the 20-somethings who have recently become more of a fixture in recent years.

Like the neighborhood it calls home, The Hill has somewhat of a split personality. From afternoon through early evening, it is predominantly a sports bar. More than 25 high-definition televisions broadcast live games in the bar and upstairs lounge as post-collegiate fans cheer on their alma maters over plates of philly sliders, baskets of crispy tater tots, and pots of fondue. As soon as the action wraps up, though, things start to get interesting. Candlelight replaces the flickering glow of TV screens, and the bar transforms into a stylish lounge for Murray Hill’s sophisticated set. Polychromatic planks of wood line the walls on both floors, giving guests something interesting to admire when the bartenders take a break from stirring up lemon-drop martinis or pouring glasses of watermelon sangria.

At Casaville Restaurant, the chefs draw culinary inspiration from kitchens across the western Mediterranean and add hints of traditional Spanish and French cuisine to Moroccan staples. Time Out New York praised the dishes for their authenticity, noting that “to find better homespun North African cooking, you’d have to travel to Paris or Casablanca—or at least the far reaches of Brooklyn or Queens." Spiced merguez and pillowy couscous help to build upon that reputation, and trays of tapas drift around murmuring groups.

The dining room's yellow stucco walls brim with a number of Moorish-inspired accents, including tiled recesses. Navigating between the tables inside or on the outdoor patio, belly dancers occasionally swirl their hips, jingling pendant-laden belts. Servers dodge past to fill glasses with wine, selected from the restaurant's extensive list to pair with meals or work with the rhyme scheme of an extremely detailed autobiography.