Marea New York City

Marea sits at 240 Central Park South, mere steps from the green expanse of the park. It holds a Michelin star and pairs contemporary Italian cooking with a heavy focus on seafood.

The dining room runs smart and elegant, but it lacks the stiff, hushed tone found in many of the city’s other Michelin-starred institutions. While the room is dressier than its neighbors, the atmosphere remains surprisingly boisterous. Most restaurants this close to the park rely on their proximity to tourists to keep the lights on, but Marea justifies the detour for the menu alone. It is a more focused experience than the sprawl of the nearby Fifth Avenue shopping district, proving that high-level Italian seafood can hold its own against the backdrop of Midtown’s intensity.