A narrow takeout counter on East 17th run by a Syrian family for about three decades, selling a falafel sandwich for a few dollars. The owner opened a candy store on the block in 1989 and worked his way to this. There is nowhere to sit, so take it into Union Square.

3:45 PM · The Invite

After

Old Town Bar

0.4 mi · 8 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.