Restaurant space for lease in Chelsea

Chelsea combines gallery and showroom space in the West 20s with large converted industrial buildings that now house tech and media tenants. The High Line has turned its avenues into strong food and retail streets.

Retail stock
1.9M SF
Retail properties
351
Largest retail
534 West 25th Street
Transit
A C E at 14 St

Building figures are existing stock from NYC PLUTO 26v2 tax lot records, not space on the market. More below.

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NYC Department of Finance filings

Rent collected per square foot: retail buildings in Manhattan

In 2024, 1,328 Manhattan retail properties filed income statements with the city. Their median gross income was $64.71 per square foot, and the middle half collected between $38.35 and $104.91. The typical property's income was up 2.1% on 2023. The city publishes these figures by borough, not by neighborhood, so they cover Manhattan as a whole.

Gross income per square foot, 2024

  • Manhattan$64.71Middle half $38.35 to $104.91 · 1,328 filings · this page
  • Brooklyn$33.16Middle half $22.30 to $48.57 · 2,856 filings
  • Queens$36.08Middle half $24.11 to $54.28 · 3,243 filings
  • Bronx$33.65Middle half $22.85 to $48.55 · 1,487 filings
  • Staten Island$29.60Middle half $19.65 to $42.13 · 715 filings

Bar: the middle half of properties. Tick: the median.

Manhattan retail buildings

Median gross income
$64.71/SF
Middle half
$38.35 to $104.91
Typical change on 2023
+2.08%
Citywide median
$36.07/SF
Filings
1,328

Source: NYC Department of Finance, FY 2027 RPIE 2024 Income and Expense Distributions (FY 2027 assessment roll, published January 2026), page 16. Owners of income-producing properties file a Real Property Income and Expense statement each year; gross income is everything a property collected in 2024 per square foot, as filed, with outlier and partial-year filers left out. It includes vacant space, concessions and older leases, so it is not an asking rent.

NYC restaurant inspections

Restaurants in Chelsea

How many restaurants the city's Health Department has on file here, how many are new, what they serve and which streets they line: the neighbors and the competition a new restaurant in Chelsea would have.

Open restaurants
170
with an inspection on file
New permits, 12 months
23
14% of those open
Awaiting inspection
23
applied for a permit
Most common
American
39 places, 23%

Streets with the most restaurants in Chelsea

What restaurants in Chelsea serve

  1. American39
  2. Coffee and tea18
  3. Italian15
  4. Japanese15
  5. Chinese7
  6. Pizza7

Restaurants across New York City

Source: NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Restaurant Inspection Results, records as of October 23, 2026, pulled 2026-10-24. Counted by permit; business names are not shown. Neighborhood figures count places near the neighborhood's commercial core, the same area as the building figures on this page. Counts are food service permits in an active status: restaurants, cafes, bakeries, bars that serve food and similar places. A new permit is either a new restaurant or a new operator taking over an existing one.

NY State Liquor Authority

Liquor licenses in Chelsea

How many places in Chelsea can serve drinks, how many are waiting on a license, and whether a new full liquor license here would face the 500-foot rule: the first thing to check before leasing a space for a bar or a restaurant with a full bar.

Full liquor licenses
102
to drink on site
Beer and wine licenses
22
to drink on site
Applications waiting
11
6 for full liquor
Within 500 ft of 3+
97%
98 of 101 full-liquor places

The 500-foot rule in Chelsea

A new full liquor license for drinking on site cannot be issued within 500 feet of three or more places that already hold one, unless the State Liquor Authority finds at a hearing that it is in the public interest (ABC Law, section 64). Here 98 of 101 full-liquor places have three or more others within 500 feet, so almost any new full liquor license here would need that hearing. Beer and wine licenses are not subject to the rule.

  1. 3 or more others within 500 ft98
  2. Fewer than 33

Streets with the most liquor licenses in Chelsea

Liquor licenses across New York City

Source: New York State Liquor Authority, Current Liquor Authority Active Licenses and Current SLA Pending Licenses, as of October 23, 2026, pulled 2026-10-24. Counted by license; business names are not shown. Neighborhood figures count places near the neighborhood's commercial core, the same area as the restaurant figures above. Only licenses to drink on site count: full liquor for restaurants, bars, hotels, clubs and similar places, and beer and wine. Stores, boats and second bars of a licensed place are left out. The 500-foot figures count each place once (one holding two licenses is one place) and only places with a map point; distances run between those points, while the law measures from the nearest entrances, so treat them as an estimate.

NYC storefront registry

Storefronts in Chelsea

How many shopfronts the city's registry counts here and how many stood empty at the end of 2025: a quick read on how much choice a retail or restaurant tenant has.

Registered storefronts
442
Vacant on Dec 31, 2025
58
Vacancy rate
13.1%
NYC 9.2%
A year earlier
10.8%
more empty now

Streets with the most storefronts in Chelsea

  1. 5 vacant (6.3%)
  2. 10 vacant (13.7%)
  3. 11 vacant (20.4%)
  4. 8 vacant (19.5%)
  5. 5 vacant (19.2%)

Large buildings with a vacant storefront

Owners of 1 of the 8 large buildings we track in Chelsea with registered storefronts reported at least one vacant on December 31, 2025, 1 of them at 3 or more year ends in a row. Each links to the building's filings by year. Not listings: the registry records no size, rent or asking terms.

Large buildings in Chelsea whose owners reported a storefront vacant on December 31, 2025
BuildingVacant storefrontsReported vacant
249 West 17th Street1 of 4Every year end since 2020

Own or represent a vacant storefront in Chelsea? List it free and it is matched against every restaurant requirement the day it goes up.

NYC storefront vacancy report: every borough, neighborhood and street, by year

Source: NYC Department of Finance, Storefronts Reported Vacant or Not (Local Law 157), annual filings, pulled 2026-10-16. Owners of buildings with ground- or second-floor storefronts register each one every year with its status on December 31. Neighborhood figures count storefronts near the neighborhood's commercial core, the same area as the building figures on this page. A vacant storefront is not always on the market: some are being renovated, held empty or already leased to a tenant who has not moved in.

NYC tax lot records

Retail buildings in Chelsea

What already stands here, from the city's own property data. Useful for sizing a search before a single space is listed.

Retail space
1.9M SF
Properties with retail space
351
All commercial space
8.2M SF
Built before 1940
76%

Largest retail buildings

  1. 8 floors · built 2017
  2. 521 West 21st Street35K SF
    2 floors · built 1931
  3. 533 West 22nd Street27K SF
    6 floors · built 1913
  4. 542 West 22nd Street25K SF
    5 floors · built 2017
  5. 202 Eleventh Avenue22K SF
    2 floors · built 1938
All 23 large commercial buildings in Chelsea

Age, height and zoning

  • Median year built: 1920.
  • Median height: 5 floors.
  • Most common zoning districts: C1-6A (82), C6-2A (69), R7B (53). 11% of these lots are zoned for manufacturing.
  • Historic districts: Chelsea Historic District (30 lots), Chelsea Historic District Extension (14 lots), West Chelsea Historic District (10 lots).
  • 6 lots are designated city landmarks.

Source: NYC Department of City Planning, PLUTO 26v2, pulled 2026-10-16. Counts cover tax lots with commercial floor area within about 0.4 mi of Chelsea's commercial core, and each lot counts toward one neighborhood only, so boundaries are approximate. Building figures are the city's floor-area estimates, not available space.

MTA station data

Subway stations in Chelsea

Every station within about 0.5 mi of Chelsea's commercial core, closest first. Stations joined by a free transfer count once.

Stations
5
Subway lines
5
Fully accessible
1 of 5
Closest
23 St, 4 min walk

The 5 stations

  • 23 St4 min walk · Not accessible
  • 23 St7 min walk · Not accessible
  • 14 St8 min walk · Accessible station · connects to 8 Av
  • 18 St8 min walk · Not accessible
  • 28 St9 min walk · Not accessible

Lines

The 1, A, C, E and L trains stop within about 0.5 mi of Chelsea's core.

Step-free access

  • 14 St (A C E) is fully accessible.

Source: Metropolitan Transportation Authority, MTA Subway Stations, pulled 2026-10-16. Walking times are straight-line estimates from the nearest point of Chelsea's commercial core (the same area as the building counts), so the street route is longer. Accessibility is the MTA's rating for the named station. PATH, LIRR, Metro-North and ferries are not in this data.

Before you sign

Plain-English guides to square footage, rent and lease terms in New York, and free calculators to run your own numbers.

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Questions about restaurant space in Chelsea

Is there restaurant space for lease in Chelsea right now?

No restaurant space for lease in Chelsea is listed on Leasemark right now. Post what you need and Leasemark matches you the day a space that fits is listed; your contact details stay private until you accept an intro. Owners and brokers can list a space here for free.

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How much does restaurant space cost in Chelsea?

Leasemark has no asking rents posted here yet, so here are the city's own numbers. Retail buildings in Manhattan collected a median $64.71 per square foot in 2024, and the middle half between $38.35 and $104.91, according to the income and expense statements owners file with the NYC Department of Finance (FY 2027 distributions, 1,328 filings). The city publishes these figures by borough, so this is Manhattan as a whole, not Chelsea alone. That is what buildings actually collected, with vacant space, concessions and leases signed years ago in the mix, so it is a baseline rather than a quote: a specific space's price depends on the building's class, floor, condition and the length of the lease.

Compare every borough

How do I find restaurant space in Chelsea that is not publicly listed?

Post a requirement on Leasemark. Owners and listing brokers see what you need (without your contact details) and can respond with spaces, including ones that are not on the market yet. You choose who gets an intro.

How much retail space is there in Chelsea?

New York City's PLUTO tax lot data (26v2) records about 1.9 million square feet of retail floor area across 351 properties in the part of Chelsea Leasemark covers. The largest by that measure is 534 West 25th Street, at about 47,000 square feet. That is the existing building stock, not space currently for lease.

How many restaurants are there in Chelsea?

The NYC Health Department had 170 restaurants and other food service places with an inspection on file in the part of Chelsea Leasemark covers as of October 2026, and 23 more had applied for a permit and were waiting for their first inspection. The most common kinds are American (39), coffee and tea (18) and Italian (15). The streets with the most are Eighth Avenue (60), West 23rd Street (24) and Ninth Avenue (23).

How many new restaurants opened in Chelsea in the last year?

23 food service places in the part of Chelsea Leasemark covers had their first pre-permit health inspection in the 12 months to October 23, 2026, 14% of the 170 open there. Counts are food service permits in an active status: restaurants, cafes, bakeries, bars that serve food and similar places. A new permit is either a new restaurant or a new operator taking over an existing one. Places that opened and closed again within the year are not counted.

How many bars and restaurants have a liquor license in Chelsea?

The New York State Liquor Authority listed 102 active full liquor licenses and 22 beer and wine licenses for drinking on site in the part of Chelsea Leasemark covers as of October 23, 2026. 11 more applications for on-site licenses were waiting for a decision, 6 of them for full liquor.

Does the 500-foot rule apply to a new liquor license in Chelsea?

New York's 500-foot rule (Alcoholic Beverage Control Law, section 64) bars a new full liquor license for on-site drinking within 500 feet of three or more places that already hold one, unless the State Liquor Authority finds at a hearing that it is in the public interest. In the part of Chelsea Leasemark covers, 98 of the 101 places with a full liquor license (97%) have three or more others within 500 feet, so almost any new full liquor license here would need that hearing. A beer and wine license is not subject to the rule and does not count toward it. Distances here are between map points, so check the exact address before you sign a lease.

How many storefronts are vacant in Chelsea?

Owners registered 442 ground- and second-floor storefronts in the part of Chelsea Leasemark covers for the end of 2025, and 58 of them (13.1%) stood vacant on December 31, 2025, against 9.2% citywide and 10.8% here a year earlier. The most storefronts are on Eighth Avenue (79) and West 23rd Street (73). A vacant storefront is not always on the market: some are being renovated, held empty or already leased to a tenant who has not moved in.

Which large buildings in Chelsea have a vacant storefront?

Owners of 1 of the 8 large buildings Leasemark tracks in Chelsea with registered storefronts reported at least one vacant on December 31, 2025, 1 of them at 3 or more year ends in a row. It is 249 West 17th Street (1 of 4 storefronts). Each building's page shows its filings by year. A vacant storefront is not always on the market: some are being renovated, held empty or already leased to a tenant who has not moved in.

What subway lines serve Chelsea?

Five subway stations sit within about 0.5 mi of Chelsea's commercial core, served by the 1, A, C, E and L trains. The closest is 23 St (C E), roughly 4 minutes on foot; then 23 St (1), 14 St (A C E L), 18 St (1) and 28 St (1). Walking times are straight-line estimates from MTA station data.

Do tenants in Chelsea pay the NYC Commercial Rent Tax?

Yes, for larger leases. Chelsea is in Manhattan below 96th Street, where the city's Commercial Rent Tax applies. A tenant owes it only when base rent for the space is $250,000 a year or more. The tax is 6% of base rent after a 35% reduction, so 3.9% of rent, with a sliding credit between $250,000 and $300,000, and the Small Business Tax Credit wipes it out for businesses with total income of $5 million or less and base rent under $500,000.

Estimate it with the Commercial Rent Tax calculator

Is it free to post on Leasemark?

Yes. Posting a space or a requirement is free. Contact details are only shared when both sides accept an intro.