SoHo brasserie energy around raw bar towers and steak frites

Balthazar keeps SoHo in motion with the kind of brasserie pulse that turns a weekday meal into a scene. Keith McNally opened it in 1997, and the French menu still leans classic, with raw bar towers, escargot, onion soup, steak frites, and bread from Balthazar Bakery next door.

The room runs open Monday to Friday from 8 AM to midnight, with weekend doors from 9 AM to midnight. That schedule lets you start early with breakfast, slide into brunch on Saturday or Sunday, or hold the table for supper when the tin ceiling and high energy buzz feel fully awake. That long service window keeps breakfast, weekend brunch, and supper on one continuous Balthazar clock.

Keep the order grounded in what the kitchen already does well. Go for shellfish, steak frites, or one of the old school French plates, then leave room for that fresh bread basket to do its work.