Best Power Lunch Restaurants

Where’s the best place to celebrate a deal—or propose one? Here are the 10 hottest new business lunch spots in the country.

1. NEW YORK - Ai Fiori 400 Fifth Ave. (212.613.8660)

$19 to $27 for entrees

Ai Fiori’s popularity extends beyond any particular professional circle: From bankers to theater moguls to media and fashion executives, lunchtime crowds here are as diverse as the New York economy. Housed in the Setai Fifth Avenue, Ai Fiori is not your traditional hotel restaurant. Chef Michael White, who has headed up several much-loved restaurants in the city, is known for his innovative take on Italian food, often using French techniques. aifiorinyc.com

The Classics: The Four Seasons, Michael’s, Le Bernardin

2. LOS ANGELES - Culina 300 South Doheny Dr. (310.860.4000)

$16 to $42 for entrees

Los Angeles certainly has industries other than show business, but entertainment is still the center of the L.A. universe and the favorite new spot for its bold-faced names is Culina. Located in the Beverly Hills Four Seasons, Culina offers a patio for those who want to be seen or quiet corners inside for serious power talks. In between green-lighting a film or attaching a star to a project, diners can appreciate the handmade pastas, creative salads or pounded bone-in veal chop. culinarestaurant.com

The Classics: The Grill on the Alley (Beverly Hills), Craft Los Angeles, Spago Beverly Hills, The Ivy

3. CHICAGO - The Florentine 151 W. Adams St. (312.660.8866)

$11 to $29 for entrees

Loop businesspeople are flocking to lunch at The Florentine. In part it’s for chef Todd Stein’s contemporary take on Italian that includes thin-crust pizzas, subtle pastas and braised short ribs. But they also appreciate the space itself: Housed in a bank-building-turned-JW Marriott, The Florentine features a white-marble lobby and grand staircase. But the 200-seat dining room is divided by curving booths and bookcases that create semi-private areas perfect for negotiating your next deal. the-florentine.net

The Classic: Morton’s (Wacker Place)

4. MIAMI - db Bistro Moderne 255 Biscayne Blvd. Way (305.421.8800)

$17 to $41 for entrees

Chef Daniel Boulud’s iconic $32 hamburger—stuffed with black truffles, foie gras and short ribs—is on the menu at the newest outpost of his renowned New York French bistro, but there are also nods to Florida’s bounty, particularly seafood. Housed in the JW Marriott, a key downtown business hotel, db Bistro Moderne is well located for the city’s lawyers, real estate executives and art connoisseurs. danielnyc.com

The Classic: The Capital Grille

5. BOSTON - Woodward 1 Court St. (617.979.8200)

$21 to $25 for entrees

Centrally located at Downtown Crossing, this contemporary tavern in the Ames hotel has been attracting plenty of bankers, wealth managers and attorneys at lunchtime. It’s also bringing in the city’s restaurant elite, who come to check out chef Mark Goldberg’s New England/Mediterranean fare. Opened by Seth Greenberg, the man behind some of Boston’s hottest clubs, the two-level Woodward can be a scene downstairs. If you’re serious about getting work done, head to the second floor. woodwardatames.com

The Classic: Locke-Ober

6. WASHINGTON, D.C. - Bibiana 1100 New York Ave. (202.216.9550)

$15 to $24 for entrees

Bibiana’s glamorous, Milan-style chic brings some much needed heat to the capital’s business dining scene, and Washington lobbyists and local celebs are soaking it up. Owner Ashok Bajaj has six restaurants in the city—he visits all of them every night—and he’s a master at knowing who’s important and what they want in a power lunch place. Bibiana provides sophisticated Italian fare in an equally sophisticated setting. bibianadc.com

The Classic: The Palm

7. PHOENIX - Nobuo at Teeter House 622 E. Adams St. (602.254.0600)

$5 to $12 for entrees

This new lunch spot for attorneys, media executives and government directors who work downtown is a Japanese restaurant—but don’t expect to find sushi or teriyaki on the menu. Chef Nobuo Fukuda’s eatery is modeled on izakaya, Japanese bars, oriented towards businesspeople, which serve small plates. Nobuo features a coconut curry grilled lamb, pork belly buns, panko-crusted fried pork cutlets and okonomiyaki, a pork pancake. nobuofukuda.com

The Classic: Durant’s

8. HOUSTON - Haven 2502 Algerian Way (713.581.6101)

$12 to $23 for entrees; daily “blue plate specials,” $10

For creative but authentic Texas food, you can’t do better than Haven. Chef Randy Evans is passionate about regional cuisine and his menu proudly notes ingredients sourced from Texas farmers and artisans. Lunchtime crowds include medical executives and lawyers, who appreciate Haven’s flexibility: You can eat in 20 minutes at the bar or spend two hours at a table. Several entrepreneurs who’ve come in for lunch have been so taken by the place they’ve proposed business deals with Evans. havenhouston.com

The Classics: Brennan’s, Tony’s

9. LAS VEGAS - Comme Ça 3708 Las Vegas Blvd. South (702.698.7910)

$9 to $48 for entrees; $32 for three-course prix fixe

If you’re hitting Vegas for a conference or trade show, check out this new favorite of local power players. Located in The Cosmopolitan, Comme Ça has large booths good for intimate chats, and traditional but beautifully executed brasserie fare. Before opening the first Comme Ça in Los Angeles in 2007, chef/owner David Meyers toiled at three-Michelin-starred Les Crayères in Reims, France. commecarestaurant.com

The Classic: McCormick & Schmick’s

10. DENVER - ChoLon 1555 Blake St. (303.353.5223)

$19 to $27 for entrees

ChoLon is getting lots of buzz for bringing world-class Pan Asian food to the quiet Denver restaurant scene. Chef Lon Symensma trained at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., and then worked for Jean-Georges Vongerichten, helping to open Jean-Georges Shanghai and cooking at Spice Market and Buddakan before heading west. ChoLon is courting businesspeople—there’s even a dedicated space with a special menu for business meetings of up to 40 people—and numerous bankers, TV personalities and professionals are responding. cholon.com

The Classics: Trinity Grille, The Palm

Curator