Riu Plaza New York Times Square Offers One Of The Best Lunch Deals On Restaurant Row

The Riu Plaza New York Times Square is the newest boutique hotel to open in touristy Times Square, bringing from Spain one of the best lunch deals in the theater district.

The 647-room, newly built hotel features two lobby-level restaurants: Fashion, a contemporary bar and restaurant that serves a buffet breakfast in the morning and an à la carte menu at lunch and dinner, and Capital, a quick service café that offers grab-and-go options, including coffee, tea, snacks, sweets, and healthy bites.

The modern, artsy Fashion serves a three-course chef lunch special for $12.50 that includes a salad, main course, and dessert. The lunch special, which aims to compete with Restaurant Row's prix fixe menus, is offered from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily.

The hotel plans to open a second 300-seat restaurant next year — however, details on the name and cuisine have yet to be confirmed.

The $310 million hotel is the largest investment for RIU Hotels & Resorts, one of Spain's most popular hotel chains, boasting 103 hotels in 18 countries. Founded by the Riu family in Mallorca, Spain in 1953, the family-run company is best known for its all-inclusive holiday resorts. Since 2010, the brand has expanded its portfolio, opening five Riu Plaza hotels in major cities worldwide. This is the second Riu hotel in the U.S., joining the Hotel Riu Plaza Miami Beach.

While the New York outpost is not an all-inclusive resort, the same personalized service, family atmosphere, and aesthetics familiar to fans of the RIU brands can be found here. Murals of iconic Big Apple scenes like the Brooklyn Bridge and the Flatiron Building are featured in corridors and big, bright modern art pieces welcome visitors in the lobby and adorn the Fashion restaurant.

Located one block from Times Square and on Restaurant Row, RIU offers double rooms, family suites, and junior suites stocked with complimentary bottled water, a minibar, and free Wi-Fi. Other amenities include a 24-hour gym, two conference rooms, a communal lobby-level outdoor terrace, and showers for guests who have late flights but have already checked out of their rooms.