Raoul's • 1975

The steak au poivre arrives sizzling at the table, crowned with peppercorns and cognac cream, just as it has since 1975 when this Soho bistro became a nightly refuge for artists, models, and downtown bohemians. Raoul's channels an Alsatian brasserie through dim lighting, red banquettes, and walls dense with eclectic art, where regulars still queue for late-night tables and that signature steak. The room hums with the kind of effortless French atmosphere that can't be designed, only earned across five decades.