A look at the Financial District’s massive new lunch spot

Brookfield Place's 35,000-square-foot Hudson Eats is officially open

Hudson Eats
Hudson Eats

WEEKENDEDITION Hudson Eats, a new food court in New York’s Financial District, is set to take over lower Manhattan’s lunch hour.

The 35,000-square-foot food court is part of a $250 million renovation at Brookfield Place — a dining, retail, and office complex that was formerly the World Financial Center. Hudson Eats is located on the second floor of the mall, mere blocks from the 9/11 Memorial — an ideal location for both office workers and tourists.

The space is huge, with 600 seats and a nearby atrium. And it’s beautiful, with superb views of the skyline and Hudson River, tall windows, white marble finishes, and leather booths.

The food court houses a dozen casual eateries, including New York favorites like Black Seed Bagel, Chop’t, Dig Inn, Dos Toros, Little Muenster, Mighty Quinn’s Barbecue, Num Pang, Olives, Skinny Pizza, Sprinkles Cupcakes, Tartinery, and Umami Burger.

Blue Ribbon Sushi and Northern Tiger will open in the fall.

With all the excitement surrounding the Financial District’s latest hub, we had to try it for ourselves.

Hudson Eats is massive, at 35,000 square feet. Around a dozen eateries currently serve food ranging from Cambodian-style sandwiches to pulled pork. Several more joints are slated to open this fall.

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Olive’s, a soup and sandwich joint, is an offshoot of a beloved SoHo restaurant that’s been around for more than 20 years.

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Dos Toros Taqueria is another New York favorite. The burrito joint originated in San Francisco and opened a New York outpost near Union Square several years ago. There was a long line, even at 2:30 in the afternoon.

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Each restaurant must be able to handle the huge crowds Hudson Eats anticipates. “There are 50,000 people who work in the building, millions of tourists and thousands of residents, so we started looking at chefs that could handle a large crowd,” Edward Hogan, national director of retail leasing at Brookfield Place, told the New York Daily News. “We couldn’t just bring in a chef who took 20 minutes to make a sandwich.”

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Fortunately, there’s plenty of space to hold the crowds, from tables to high marble counters. There are also larger booths for bigger parties. The space, designed by AvroKo and San Francisco architecture firm BCV, does not feel like your average cafeteria.

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That’s in large part thanks to the gorgeous views. The floor-to-ceiling windows make the space feel charmingly airy, and some windows look out on the boats in the North Cove.

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