If ever a neighborhood needed an infusion of really good places to eat, Manhattan's Garment District, the culinarily-grim area between Times Square and Penn Station, would certainly qualify. Doris Huang knows the situation well, from her food-frustrated days working in a nearby office building, which is why she chose a desolate stretch of West 39th for her first-ever culinary venture, a gorgeous new "food and drink" hall—featuring a tight, impressively accomplished and diverse lineup of vendors—called The Deco.

The location is a risky one, to be sure. Unlike other recent food hall operations, there's no built-in market of people living in some gleaming tower above, nor much foot traffic on the block. Instead, Huang is counting on The Deco's appealing, comfortable space and seven stellar vendors to not only lure the legions of workers and tourists a few blocks away from their usual routes, but also to make this an NYC go-to for all of our pre-theater or pre-MSG needs. And some of the food here is so good the place deserves to become a destination in its own right.

Design-wise, thanks to the architectural firm Carpenter & Mason, The Deco (originally set to open a few months ago) is a straight-up stunner. This is not your usual warren-like, industrial-looking food hall, but rather a bold, luxurious homage to (as the name implies) the New York of the roaring 1920s. The art deco-inspired space occupies 9,500 square feet total, and at the center of things is a massive semi-enclosed bar, all bright blue and brass and flanked by dozens of backless stools. There's a lounge area with chairs on one side, a standing/drinking table on the other, and the main dining area behind, with seating for about 50 at a variety of table and banquette situations.

None of the good looks would matter if the food was subpar, of course. Fortunately Huang was able to wrangle some stellar outfits to hawk their fare here, and they all seem to have arrived with lengthy menus.

Little Tong is one of the biggest stars at The Deco, an offshoot of Simone Tong's excellent restaurant in the East Village, one of my personal favorite spots in the city. In addition to some of her signature dishes—three different brothy bowls of Mixian Rice Noodles, her amazing Ghost Chicken Salad—Tong is also serving a few new items exclusive to The Deco. This includes the incredible JB Melt Sandwich, a rolled pancake stuffed with fried cheese curds, some spicy sauce, and either lamb or chicken. There are also three kinds of Cifangao, which Tong calls "stick rice hash browns" and I call one of her craziest, most delicious creations yet.

Also worth traveling for is Mo Rahmita's superb Afghan food at Nansense, especially his Mantu, or beef and onion dumplings in a puddle of garlic yogurt, and, even better, his Korma Plates, with your choice of beef, potato, eggplant, or chicken in a hearty, well-seasoned tomato sauce ladled over chewy basmati rice and other treats. Like Tong, Rahmita doesn't pull his punches for the Midtown tourist crowd, and each of these dishes are packed with complex, often fiery flavors.

Carlos Varella and Andressa Junqueira of Rockaway's great, now closed Beach Bistro 96, are back in action at The Deco, slinging a full menu of their first-rate Brazilian fare. They have the Feijoada here that I loved a couple of summers ago, as well as Varella's Tapioca wraps—get the lively cheese and spinach one—Coxinha, or chicken croquettes, and, of course, Pao de Quiejo, the chewy cheese tapioca bread that's one of the planet's greatest inventions.

Giuseppe Manco's Mani in Pasta has all of your pizza needs covered with a huge slate of Roman square slices and round, Neapolitan-style personal sized pies. The Carbonara, the Cotto & Funghi, the Squash and Bacon, the Margherita, the Vegetariana with eggplant, the Polpette (meatball), the exclusive new Deco, which is an ice-baked cacio e pepe pie with truffle cream: everything is good here, so just follow your cravings. There's also a bunch of appetizers and a couple of pastas on the menu.

The family behind the late, lamented El Atoradero in Prospect Heights (and, before that, in the South Bronx) is also back together for The Deco, now calling themselves Antojitos Caseros and serving tacos, nachos, burritos, enchiladas, and tostadas with a dozen different fillings. And there's Hawaiian Rotisserie Chicken, Spam Fried Rice, and some delightful Pineapple Soft Serve at Huli Huli, a new concept from the Noreetah team in the East Village.

Scott Lynch / Gothamist

Finally, the beloved French cafe and bakery Mamam has a major presence at Deco, with a pair of counters under the name Mademoiselle on either side of the entrance, one pulling fancy coffee drinks, the other serving tartines, quiches, salads, breakfast pastries, and baked goods, including the famous Chocolate Chip Cookie. Elisa Marshall and Benjamin Sormonte are also operating Papa Poule, a classic French Rotisserie starring spit-roasted chicken served a half-dozen ways.

The Deco is located at 231 West 39th Street, between Eighth and Seventh Avenues, and is open on December 26th, 27th, and 28th, and then on January 3rd, 4th, and 5th from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Full operating hours—weekdays from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., weekends from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.—begin on January 6th, as does the alcohol service (646-993-1650; thedeconewyork.com)