Most of the restaurants around the direct vicinity of Times Square will be not so good national chains.  If you move a few blocks off you can find much better choices in and around the Hell's Kitchen area.  My favorite little Italian place is Gallo Nero.  You can also source out a bunch of Food Network chef's places at www.foodnetwork.com

I absolutely loved John's Pizzeria, it was absolutely amazing! Perfect balance of fancy and casual, and the food was priced perfectly for its value. I highly recommend the Margherita pizza! The restaurant is actually built in an old church, so it's an awesome atmosphere.

I'd suggest not eating in Times Square - anytime you eat in a tourist hot spot the food is usually sub-par and overpriced.

Head over to 9th Ave where there are a ton of restaurant options. Lots of Thai food in this area, Pure Thai Cookhouse is one of the best, Room Service is also pretty good. There is fantastic Afghan food at Afghan Kebab House (get the Kabuli Palow and you can BYOB). For a good burger, hit up Five Napkin Burger or the Shake Shack (you'll have to wait on line) at 43rd & 8th. If you are in the mood for Italian, make a reservation at Becco on "Restaurant Row" - Lidia Bastianch's pasta restaurant, which also has affordable bottles of wine. You could blow it out with the Brazilian steakhouse Churrascaria Plataforma or head over to one of the smaller restaurants in Little Brazil on 46th street like Ipanema. One of my favorite bars right off Times Square is BXL Cafe, which has lots of Belgian beers as well as good mussels if you are hungry. Despite what everyone will tell you, there are good restaurants in this area, you just have to hunt and walk a few blocks away from the hyper-touristy/commerical center of Times Square.

Depends on your budget... for VERY good restaurant, Le Bernardin on 50th & 6 is amazing. At the other end of the spectrum, the burger joint inside the Le Parker Meridien New York is a low key burger place but among the best in the city. Enjoy!

Times Square is where you can find the quintessential American food chains. Great food you will have to do a little wander outside of the square. I can recommend the very popular Shake Shack (on 8th Ave and 44th St not where this map says) read about it, but you will expect to line up. Head down Restaurant Row on W 46th St and take your pick! This is the closest location to Times Square which offers quality restaurants, cafes and bars and heading towards Hell's Kitchen. Head North East from Times Square towards Rockerfeller and try out Magnolia Bakery it is a cupcake experience that cannot be missed. My favourite spots to eat are in the Upper West Side - with Mel's Burger Bar being my favourite casual dining spot for some American Style food. The best pizza in New York city is up to your taste buds, try out Grimaldi's, eat in Little Italy and then have a go at a lesser known pizza place and make up your own mind. Have fun and walk the concrete jungle til your heart's content. 

Had a great tasting burger and fries at The Hard Rock Cafe. The Original Legendary Burger was delicious! Came on brioche with seasoned fries and special dipping sauce. Priced around $17.00. My kids loved the chocolate shakes (and my daughters are very finicky when it comes to shakes). The Hard Rock gets very busy but they have a call ahead system and pagers that work inside the building. They don't make reservations so I would advise to go for early dinner or late lunch. Peak dinner times can have an hour wait. There are tons of music memorabilia to look at while you wait. Great music plays in the restaurant. If you tell them it's someone's birthday they will tell the whole restaurant to yell Happy Birthday.   

Great casual burger spot is The Counter Times Square!

If you need any additional restaurant recommendations, feel free to check out my New York City restaurant blog (http://wp.me/4iPrh), which is also on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TheStraunt) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/TheStraunt).

If you are thinking of blowing it out, Per Se is as good as it gets.  

Don't eat in Times Square