Junior’s is nested in Times Square between a bunch of modern high rise buildings, and a bunch of Broadway theaters. Inside, with the polished 60s décor, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Junior’s in Times Square has been around decades (the Times Square location opened in 2006). It’s often overlooked by the locals, who tend to avoid the area unless we have to. And this time, we had to, but it turned out to be a very pleasant experience.
We were ushered past the crowds (I would highly recommend calling ahead), and seated. The staff was, in general, a lot friendlier than most of the other places I’ve been. Despite the crowd, the restaurant had more room than many of the places I’ve been in in NYC, where I’m often knocking the table next to me when I’m using my knife. You’d almost feel like you weren’t in Manhattan, let alone Times Square!
We started out with some fried shrimp and the pastrami-smoked salmon. The Pastrami-Smoked Salmon wasn’t something I think I would order, but I liked it. The salmon was served cold, with pieces of club rye toast and a dill sauce. The salmon was nice and flakey and together it all had a very old New York feel that is getting harder and harder to get, especially when you’re looking for things outside of a bagel and lox or a pastrami sandwich.
Our main courses were the Crabmeat Stuffed Shrimp with a baked potato and vegetables, and the Southern Fried Chicken breast with mashed potatoes and veggies. I was very impressed to find that the stuffed shrimp had a ton of crabmeat in it. Often, it’s mostly stuffing. The southern fried chicken was very homey, as well. Later, I would think that it was odd that no one got any of the sandwiches, but looking through the menu, Juniors is well placed to take over for the now closed Carnegie Deli, especially in terms of giant sandwich platters. I’m still looking through the menu and wishing I had been able to try some of the other items. I might have to go back.
To finish things off, of course, we had to go with the cheesecakes. We had one plain and one with strawberry. I found that the strawberry mixed well with the cheesecake, and added something nice to every bite, though, as stuffed as we were, we found ourselves trying to get the last bite of cheesecake as we were walking out the door.
Juniors in Times Square is seen by many people in the area as a touristy thing, unless you’re swinging through for the cheesecake. Even if that’s the case, it’s still a good place to get food in midtown, and we need those. So, no matter if you’re a local, or you want to make sure your trip to NYC checks off all the right boxes, make sure to check out Juniors. You can order a cheesecake from their bakery, next to the entrance of the main dining area, or sit down and have a full meal in the main restaurant. For more information, or to place a cheesecake order, please visit their webpage.