We all know the lunch break has all but disappeared in the age of screens and Sweetgreen. No more martinis and gossip with colleagues, no more solo time spent devouring a book and a B.L.T. at the counter. It’s a sad new reality—and one that Viand has somehow managed to ignore. Long and narrow, with a counter running parallel to a row of back-to-back, single-seat booths, it’s designed for parties of one or two in search of a quick, old-school meal. The food is exactly what it should be, and the room is reliably lively. It’s also cash-only, in case the 1990s energy wasn’t already clear. —Jeanne Malle

Jeanne Malle is an Associate Editor at AIR MAIL