I have fond, but now distant memories of bar-hopping until the early hours rounded off by a meal in one of Chinatown's 24-hour restaurants only to emerge as the sun was rising the next day. Throughout the city, but especially downtown, are some great late-night eats. Here's a sampling:

Open until 4am nightly, Blue Ribbon, 97 Sullivan St., between Prince and Spring streets in SoHo (tel. 212/274-0404), is where the city's top chefs come to unwind after they close their own kitchens for the night. Thanks to a top-drawer oyster bar and excellent comfort food, this cozy bistro is always packed, so expect a wait.

Other great choices for after-hours eats include the funky Francophile diner Florent, and authentic bistro Pastis, both in the red-hot Meat-Packing District. TriBeCa has the Odeon, an attractive and affordable Art Deco bistro that's one of the top after-hours eateries in town. A quintessential late-night choice in far west Chelsea is the Empire Diner, a throwback shrine to the slicked-up all-American diner where the after-hours crowd may be the best people-watching in town. In SoHo, consider sexy siren Balthazar, the Claudette Colbert of bistros, which serves until 1:30am weeknights, 2:30am weekends.

In the East Village, head to Veselka, a comfortable and appealing diner offering authentic Eastern European fare at rock-bottom prices; Katz's Delicatessen for first-class Jewish deli eats Friday and Saturday until 2:30am; or First for splashier late-night fare courtesy of chef Sam DeMarco. In Chinatown many restaurants are open late or even all night. Of note is New York Noodletown, open until 3:30am nightly.

In the Theater District, French brasserie Pigalle has seriously stylized the 24-hour dining scene, while Won Jo offers Midtowners Korean barbecue as a round-the-clock option. Theatergoers can also feast on first-class pastrami and cheesecake until 3:45am at Carnegie Deli, until 2am at the Stage Deli.