Best zones to open a restaurant in New York
We scored 16 neighbourhood-sized cells of New York for a restaurant. Manhattan Community Board 3 leads with 84/100 against a city average of 70/100. Every score is built from open data plus live Google Maps evidence — nothing is estimated by hand.
- City average
- 70/100
- #1 · Manhattan Community Board 3
- 84/100
- Data confidence
- 80%
- Updated
- 14 September 2026
Opportunity map
Best zones to open a Food & Beverage in New York
Compare neighbourhood scores, evidence and confidence before choosing a specific address.
City score 70/100· 16 zones· Updated Sep 14, 2026
- 184Manhattan Community Board 312 competitors · 4.5★
- 281Manhattan Community Board 516 competitors · 4.7★
- 375Downtown Brooklyn10 competitors · 4.6★
- 475Manhattan Community Board 88 competitors · 4.6★
- 574Chelsea District9 competitors · 4.7★
- 673Brooklyn Heights7 competitors · 4.6★
- 772Cobble Hill Historic District13 competitors · 4.6★
- 871Park Slope14 competitors · 4.6★
- 970Boerum Hill9 competitors · 4.6★
- 1065Fort Greene4 competitors · 4.6★
- 1164Stuy Town8 competitors · 4.7★
- 1263Manhattan Community Board 114 competitors · 4.7★
- 1362Ridgewood11 competitors · 4.7★
- 1462Greenwood Heights4 competitors · 4.8★
- 1561Windsor Terrace6 competitors · 4.6★
- 1661Bushwick10 competitors · 4.7★
Full ranking
16 zones scored
| # | Zone | Score | Confidence | Competitors | Residents (10-min walk) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manhattan Community Board 3 | 84 | 80% | 12 · 4.5★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 2 | Manhattan Community Board 5 | 81 | 80% | 16 · 4.7★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 3 | Downtown Brooklyn | 75 | 80% | 10 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 4 | Manhattan Community Board 8 | 75 | 80% | 8 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 5 | Chelsea District | 74 | 80% | 9 · 4.7★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 6 | Brooklyn Heights | 73 | 80% | 7 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 7 | Cobble Hill Historic District | 72 | 80% | 13 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 8 | Park Slope | 71 | 80% | 14 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 9 | Boerum Hill | 70 | 80% | 9 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 10 | Fort Greene | 65 | 80% | 4 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 11 | Stuy Town | 64 | 80% | 8 · 4.7★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 12 | Manhattan Community Board 11 | 63 | 80% | 4 · 4.7★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 13 | Ridgewood | 62 | 80% | 11 · 4.7★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 14 | Greenwood Heights | 62 | 80% | 4 · 4.8★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 15 | Windsor Terrace | 61 | 80% | 6 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 16 | Bushwick | 61 | 80% | 10 · 4.7★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
Top 3 zones in detail
Manhattan Community Board 3
- Demand91
- Room72
- Beatable46
- Vitality100
- Access100
- Cost—
Strengths: Demand (+49)
Main competitors
- Veselka · 4.6★ (7,929)
- Citizen of Soho - A Breakfast Restaurant & Cafe · 4.7★ (3,523)
- Pranakhon · 4.7★ (3,344)
Rent sustainability, customer personas, 12-month financials and a 90-day action plan for the exact address.
Manhattan Community Board 5
- Demand100
- Room52
- Beatable40
- Vitality100
- Access100
- Cost—
Strengths: Demand (+58)
Watch out: Room in the market (−24)
Main competitors
- Barbounia · 4.7★ (5,218)
- Woorijip · 4.5★ (3,100)
- Chi Restaurant & Bar · 4.7★ (2,670)
Rent sustainability, customer personas, 12-month financials and a 90-day action plan for the exact address.
Downtown Brooklyn
- Demand60
- Room72
- Beatable42
- Vitality100
- Access100
- Cost—
Strengths: Demand (+18)
Main competitors
- Lemongrass Brooklyn · 4.6★ (4,302)
- Yemen Café & Restaurant · 4.5★ (3,663)
- Khaosan · 4.9★ (3,398)
Rent sustainability, customer personas, 12-month financials and a 90-day action plan for the exact address.
How the score works
Six components, weighted for this sector. Missing data is left out and the weights are redistributed — a component is never guessed.
- Demand24%
Residents within a 10-minute walk (WorldPop × Valhalla) blended with proven spend — Google review volume vs. the best cell in the city.
- Room in the market18%
How many comparable businesses already operate within ~1 km. Fewer competitors scores higher.
- Beatable competition14%
Average Google rating of incumbents. Weaker incumbents leave more room for a strong newcomer.
- Street vitality20%
Commercial density, footfall anchors (schools, offices, stations, hotels) and business mix from OpenStreetMap.
- Accessibility16%
Transit stops, main and pedestrian streets, and how much ground a 10-minute walk actually covers.
- Affordability8%
Typical commercial rent where a benchmark exists. Cheaper scores higher; missing rent is left out, never guessed.
Data sources
- WorldPop
residential population per cell
- OpenStreetMap
points of interest, transit stops, streets, footfall anchors
- Valhalla
10-minute walking isochrones
- Google Maps
competitor names, ratings and review volumes (via SerpAPI)
Frequently asked questions
- Which is the best zone to open a restaurant in New York?
- Manhattan Community Board 3 scores highest at 84/100, +14 points above the city average. Scores combine demand, room in the market, competitor quality, street vitality, accessibility and cost.
- Where does the data come from?
- Population from WorldPop, walking reach from Valhalla isochrones, points of interest, transit and streets from OpenStreetMap, and competitor names, ratings and review volumes from Google Maps. Each cell shows a confidence level based on how many of these sources were available.
- How fresh is this ranking?
- Zones were last recomputed on 14 September 2026. The interactive map refreshes the data automatically when the cache expires (30 days).