Santi Espinosa

Before

0.3 mi · 6 min walk - Murray Hill

Pakistani food ordered off a board at the counter on the Curry Hill block of Lexington, with the tandoor visible from the sidewalk and goat karahi on the steam table. Seats are plastic and shared, the bill is small, and the place has fed cab drivers on this corner for years.

After

0.4 mi · 9 min walk - Union Square - Gramercy

Opened at 45 East 18th in 1892 and still running a dumbwaiter that hauls plates from the basement kitchen to the upstairs dining floor, the oldest one working in the city. Tin ceilings above a long mahogany bar, and a burger that has not changed much. The upstairs is where you go when the bar is three deep.