Restaurant space for lease in Midtown South

Midtown South is the historic home of New York tech and media, built on converted loft buildings with open floors and big windows. It spans NoMad and the blocks around Madison Square, and it is one of the tightest submarkets for well-built creative office.

Retail stock
4.1M SF
Retail properties
634
Largest retail
140 West 30th Street
Transit
R W at 28 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 Midtown South

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 Midtown South would have.

Open restaurants
510
with an inspection on file
New permits, 12 months
74
15% of those open
Awaiting inspection
61
applied for a permit
Most common
American
122 places, 24%

Streets with the most restaurants in Midtown South

What restaurants in Midtown South serve

  1. American122
  2. Korean81
  3. Coffee and tea66
  4. Japanese31
  5. Italian17
  6. Indian15

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 Midtown South

How many places in Midtown South 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
224
to drink on site
Beer and wine licenses
74
to drink on site
Applications waiting
34
27 for full liquor
Within 500 ft of 3+
100%
220 of 220 full-liquor places

The 500-foot rule in Midtown South

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 220 of 220 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 ft220
  2. Fewer than 30

Streets with the most liquor licenses in Midtown South

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 Midtown South

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
899
Vacant on Dec 31, 2025
107
Vacancy rate
11.9%
NYC 9.2%
A year earlier
12.7%
fewer empty now

Streets with the most storefronts in Midtown South

  1. 10 vacant (9.6%)
  2. 7 vacant (9.2%)
  3. 3 vacant (4.9%)
  4. 6 vacant (12.2%)
  5. 11 vacant (24.4%)

Large buildings with a vacant storefront

Owners of 30 of the 135 large buildings we track in Midtown South with registered storefronts reported at least one vacant on December 31, 2025, 14 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 Midtown South whose owners reported a storefront vacant on December 31, 2025
BuildingVacant storefrontsReported vacant
856 Avenue of the Americas4 of 20Every year end since 2019
2 Park Avenue3 of 10Every year end since 2019
29th Street Towers, 214 West 29th Street3 of 3Every year end since 2019
1195 Broadway3 of 3Every year end since 2021
63 Madison Avenue2 of 5Every year end since 2020
153 West 27th Street2 of 5Every year end since 2024
Empire State Building, 338 Fifth Avenue2 of 19End of 2025
151 West 26th Street1 of 4Every year end since 2019
29th Street Towers, 224 West 29th Street1 of 1Every year end since 2019
1115 Broadway1 of 3Every year end since 2021

Showing 10 of 30, most vacant storefronts first.

Own or represent a vacant storefront in Midtown South? 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 Midtown South

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

Retail space
4.1M SF
Properties with retail space
634
All commercial space
35.7M SF
Built before 1940
89%

Largest retail buildings

  1. 140 West 30th Street31K SF
    5 floors · built 1890
  2. 25 West 32nd Street22K SF
    6 floors · built 1906
  3. 160 Lexington Avenue22K SF
    8 floors · built 1909
  4. 204 Fifth Avenue19K SF
    7 floors · built 1930
  5. 2 West 32nd Street19K SF
    6 floors · built 1921
All 185 large commercial buildings in Midtown South

Age, height and zoning

  • Median year built: 1915.
  • Median height: 7 floors.
  • Most common zoning districts: C5-2 (171), M1-8A/R11 (158), M1-8A/R12 (77). 40% of these lots are zoned for manufacturing.
  • Historic districts: Madison Square North Historic District (82 lots).
  • 31 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 Midtown South'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 Midtown South

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

Stations
10
Subway lines
12
Fully accessible
3 of 10
Closest
28 St, 1 min walk

The 10 stations

  • 28 St1 min walk · Not accessible
  • 28 St6 min walk · Partly accessible
  • 28 St6 min walk · Not accessible
  • 23 St6 min walk · Not accessible
  • 23 St6 min walk · Not accessible
  • 34 St-Herald Sq6 min walk · Accessible station
  • 33 St7 min walk · Not accessible
  • 34 St-Penn Station7 min walk · Accessible station
  • 23 St8 min walk · Not accessible
  • 23 St-Baruch College8 min walk · Accessible station

Lines

The 1, 2, 3, 6, B, D, F, M, N, Q, R and W trains stop within about 0.5 mi of Midtown South's core.

Step-free access

  • 34 St-Herald Sq (B D F M N Q R W) is fully accessible.
  • 34 St-Penn Station (1 2 3) is fully accessible.
  • 23 St-Baruch College (6) is fully accessible.
  • 28 St (6) is partly accessible (one direction only).

Source: Metropolitan Transportation Authority, MTA Subway Stations, pulled 2026-10-16. Walking times are straight-line estimates from the nearest point of Midtown South'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 Midtown South

Is there restaurant space for lease in Midtown South right now?

No restaurant space for lease in Midtown South 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.

Get matched in Midtown South

How much does restaurant space cost in Midtown South?

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 Midtown South 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.

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How do I find restaurant space in Midtown South 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 Midtown South?

New York City's PLUTO tax lot data (26v2) records about 4.1 million square feet of retail floor area across 634 properties in the part of Midtown South Leasemark covers. The largest by that measure is 140 West 30th Street, at about 31,000 square feet. That is the existing building stock, not space currently for lease.

How many restaurants are there in Midtown South?

The NYC Health Department had 510 restaurants and other food service places with an inspection on file in the part of Midtown South Leasemark covers as of October 2026, and 61 more had applied for a permit and were waiting for their first inspection. The most common kinds are American (122), Korean (81) and coffee and tea (66). The streets with the most are West 32nd Street (73), Fifth Avenue (54) and Broadway (54).

How many new restaurants opened in Midtown South in the last year?

74 food service places in the part of Midtown South Leasemark covers had their first pre-permit health inspection in the 12 months to October 23, 2026, 15% of the 510 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 Midtown South?

The New York State Liquor Authority listed 224 active full liquor licenses and 74 beer and wine licenses for drinking on site in the part of Midtown South Leasemark covers as of October 23, 2026. 34 more applications for on-site licenses were waiting for a decision, 27 of them for full liquor.

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

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 Midtown South Leasemark covers, 220 of the 220 places with a full liquor license (100%) 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 Midtown South?

Owners registered 899 ground- and second-floor storefronts in the part of Midtown South Leasemark covers for the end of 2025, and 107 of them (11.9%) stood vacant on December 31, 2025, against 9.2% citywide and 12.7% here a year earlier. The most storefronts are on Fifth Avenue (104) and Madison Avenue (76). 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 Midtown South have a vacant storefront?

Owners of 30 of the 135 large buildings Leasemark tracks in Midtown South with registered storefronts reported at least one vacant on December 31, 2025, 14 of them at 3 or more year ends in a row. The most vacant: 856 Avenue of the Americas (4 of 20 storefronts), 2 Park Avenue (3 of 10 storefronts) and 29th Street Towers, 214 West 29th Street (3 of 3 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 Midtown South?

Ten subway stations sit within about 0.5 mi of Midtown South's commercial core, served by the 1, 2, 3, 6, B, D, F, M, N, Q, R and W trains. The closest is 28 St (R W), roughly 1 minute on foot; then 28 St (6), 28 St (1), 23 St (F M), 23 St (R W), 34 St-Herald Sq (B D F M N Q R W), 33 St (6) and 3 more. Walking times are straight-line estimates from MTA station data.

Do tenants in Midtown South pay the NYC Commercial Rent Tax?

Yes, for larger leases. Midtown South 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.