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53
Asian · Midtown-Times Square, New York City
Restaurant in New York City, United States
Book with PearlThe Read
MoMA-Adjacent Pan-Asian Precision
Price
$$$$
Chef
Akmal Anuar
Dress
Smart Casual
Why go
Chef Akmal Anuar's Pan-Asian restaurant next to MoMA delivers Chinese and Singaporean favorites with rare precision for Midtown. Black truffle soup dumplings and kung pao quail anchor an à la carte menu that spans lunch, dinner, weekend brunch, backed by a 450-bottle wine list. At $$$$, it's a polished, spacious room that justifies the price with execution and service depth.
About 53
Is 53 a New York City Asian restaurant worth considering at the $$$$ level? The verified essentials are straightforward: the cuisine is Asian, chef/owner Akmal Anuar is attached to the restaurant, the dress code is smart casual, the listed price tier is $$$$. Beyond that, the safest way to read 53 is as a polished New York City dining choice rather than as a page built around unverified signature dishes, beverage claims, or neighborhood hooks.
The Room and the Format
Verified recognition for 53 describes an upstairs bar and lounge as a preview of a glowing, expansive dining room below, with sweeping wood patterns. That gives the restaurant a more designed, occasion-ready feel than a bare-bones dining room, while still leaving some details unconfirmed. The confirmed dress code is smart casual. The verified hours include lunch service Monday through Friday from 11:45 AM to 2:30 PM, dinner Monday through Saturday, Sunday service from 12 to 3 PM and 5 to 10 PM. No tasting-menu requirement, seat count, bar seating policy, or detailed menu format is verified here, so plan around the published hours rather than assumptions about the format.
What Arrives at the Table
The verified cuisine for 53 is Asian, Akmal Anuar is the confirmed chef/owner. Specific dishes, dessert items, wine-list size, corkage, pairing staff, beverage-program details are not verified in the provided record, so they should not be treated as confirmed reasons to book. The most grounded expectation is a $$$$ Asian restaurant in New York City with a polished setting and smart-casual dress code. If you are choosing 53, choose it for that overall profile rather than for any unverified must-order item.
How It Fits Into New York City
At the $$$$ price level, 53 is best framed as a premium Asian restaurant in New York City. The verified facts do not support comparisons based on exact dishes, beverage depth, service structure, or room capacity. If you are comparing it with other dining in New York City, focus on the basics that are confirmed: cuisine, price tier, chef/owner, dress code, hours. For other New York City dining options, explore our full restaurants guide.
Booking and Timing
The verified hours are: Monday 11:45 AM–2:30 PM and 5–10 PM; Tuesday through Thursday 11:45 AM–2:30 PM and 5–11 PM; Friday 11:45 AM–2:30 PM and 5–10 PM; Saturday 5–10 PM; and Sunday 12–3 PM and 5–10 PM. Reservation lead times, walk-in availability, peak-demand patterns are not verified here, so check the restaurant’s current booking channel before planning around a specific time. For more options in the city, see our full New York City bars guide and our full New York City hotels guide.
Planning details
- Location
- 53 W 53rd St, New York, NY 10019
- Reservations
- Book on SevenRooms
- Website
- 53-nyc.com
- Phone
- (646) 535-3994
The take
The Take
The Vibe
53 presents itself as an architecturally driven, design-forward Midtown dining room where the space matters as much as the cooking. The restaurant descends from an upper-level bar and lounge into a carefully composed main room of sweeping wood-grain panels and long banquettes; the interior feels deliberately resolved rather than decorative. That newsroom-level attention to design is matched at the pass: Pan‑Asian references land with precision, the kitchen executing dishes that read refined and purposeful. The result is a confident, well-crafted dining environment that prioritizes both aesthetic intent and culinary exactitude.
Best For
This is a Midtown option built for business dinners and milestone meals, particularly when proximity to MoMA and a polished room matter. The layout—long banquettes and a busy bar—caters equally to working lunches and evening celebrations, and the scale supports larger groups without diluting the kitchen's focus. A considered wine program and the menu's mix of shareable clay pots and precise dumplings make it a reliable pick for clients, colleagues, and celebratory tables looking for polished Pan‑Asian cooking in a design-led setting.
Ordering Tips
Start with the truffle-tinged soup dumplings (the Chicken and Truffle Xiaolongbao), which showcase the kitchen's precision, and order a clay pot—such as the Black Cod Clay Pot—to anchor the table. The menu mixes lighter, refined bites (kung pao quail with snap peas) with more substantial rice-anchored clay pots; plan to share plates so everyone samples the contrasts. Finish with housemade ice creams or sorbets, which the description highlights as a careful close to the meal. The room’s scale makes pacing courses sensible for groups and business dinners.
Venue details
Ambiance
Glowing expansive dining room with sweeping wood patterns, sleek banquettes, high ceilings, and luxe atmosphere, brighter by day and intimate by night.
Tags
Vibe
Best For
Experience
Accessibility
At the Table
- Dress Code
- Smart Casual
- Noise Level
- Conversational
- Service Style
- Upscale Casual
- Meal Pacing
- Leisurely
- Capacity
- Medium
Signature Dishes
- Black Cod Clay Pot
- Chicken and Truffle Xiaolongbao
- Duck Pie Tee
Planning details
Location
Recognition and awards
Also consider
Also Consider
- OKO Rye, Asian, $$$
Restaurant context
Against OKO Rye in Rye, 53 offers a more expansive dining room and a wine program with significantly deeper bench strength. OKO sits at $$$ and delivers a tighter, more focused menu; 53 runs at $$$$ but gives you access to a 450-bottle list and a larger service team. If wine pairing matters to your meal, 53 has the edge. If you prefer a quieter suburban setting and a more intimate scale, OKO is the better pick.
For Midtown diners weighing 53 against other Asian-leaning restaurants in Manhattan, the comparison tilts on wine and room size. Few Pan-Asian spots in the neighborhood offer this level of sommelier support or this much physical space between tables. The price reflects that investment, expect to spend more here than at neighborhood spots like Mu Ramen or Joomak Banjum, but the polished service and wine list justify the gap.
If 53 is booked, & Sons Ham Bar offers a different format at a lower price point, though without the Pan-Asian focus. For a broader view of the city's dining landscape, consult our full New York City restaurants guide.
Explore New York City
Around this place
Discover more on Pearl
Unlock the full 53 guide in Pearl, including awards, comparisons, FAQs, planning details, and nearby places.
Compare 53
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53 | Asian | $$$$ | 2026 Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence2025 Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence2025 Michelin Plate | Hard |
| OKO Rye | Asian | $$$ | No published awards | Unknown |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 53 worth the price?
53 is listed at $$$$, so it is a premium-priced Asian restaurant in New York City. Whether it is worth the spend depends on whether you want that combination of cuisine, price tier, smart-casual setting, chef/owner Akmal Anuar. Specific signature dishes, beverage depth, menu format are not verified here.
What should a first-timer know about 53?
First-timers should know the verified basics: 53 is an Asian restaurant in New York City from chef/owner Akmal Anuar, priced at $$$$, with a smart-casual dress code. Verified recognition describes an upstairs bar and lounge and a glowing, expansive dining room with sweeping wood patterns, but specific dishes and service formats are not confirmed here.
Is lunch or dinner better at 53?
53 has verified lunch hours Monday through Friday from 11:45 AM to 2:30 PM, plus Sunday 12–3 PM, verified dinner hours throughout the week. The better choice depends on your schedule; availability, atmosphere by service, menu differences are not verified here.
