The cafeteria has entered her cocktail era at Time Out Market Union Square

Somewhere along the way, going to dinner in Manhattan became a competitive sport requiring advance planning, emotional resilience and a working relationship with an app. A woman could assemble an entire evening look in less time than it takes to secure a table. Which makes the proposition of Time Out Market Union Square especially seductive: come hungry, bring whoever amuses you, and allow the night a little room to misbehave. At 124 East 14th Street, on the ground floor of Zero Irving, the food hall folds communal dining, a bar and an outdoor terrace into a gathering place just off the square. Open since September 2025, it offers a contemporary variation on an old metropolitan pleasure: choosing something delicious for yourself, then taking your place among other people. Suddenly, self-service has a social life. There is a respectable lineage beneath that cheeky little makeover. Long before a reservation became a social credential, Horn Hardart’s Automats made self-service dining