The Toughest Reservations In NYC Right Now (And How To Get Them)

Verdict: Ha’s Snack Bar, from the team who ran eternally sold-out pop-up Ha’s Đặc Biệt, only has 24 seats. That’s the one reason why it’s hard to get in. The other is the food. This Vietnamese-inspired spot on the Lower East Side serves genre-bending, limited-edition dishes that are heavy on the fish sauce and bird’s eye chili. Past highlights have included sizzling snails in tamarind butter and a towering vol-au-vent overstuffed with clams.

Verdict: Le Café Louis Vuitton commits to the bit. At this restaurant on the fourth floor of Midtown’s flagship Louis Vuitton store, much of the food is embedded with the brand’s signature logo. Waffles, breadsticks, ravioli—nothing’s off limits. It’s all very ridiculous, but, after a pleasant breakfast here, we can confirm that the truffle eggs are silky and delicious. If you’re tired of taking yourself seriously, come eat some marketing materials.

Verdict: A true neighborhood bistro. Unfortunately, the neighborhood in question is a region of the Upper East Side where townhouses start in the tens of millions. Chez Fifi, from the owners of Sushi Noz, serves steak frites, frog legs, and roast chicken in a stunning little wood-paneled box of a space. It's a perfectly nice and elegant experience, and it costs a wild amount of money: $160 for a chicken, for example.

Verdict: The people who brought you Diner and Roman's now have a spot in Manhattan (Gramercy, to be specific). Borgo is an upscale Italian spot in a borough with a thousand other upscale Italian spots, but it makes a convincing case for itself with crispy wood-fired chicken, cheese-stuffed focaccia, and dripping candlesticks that turn every table into an enchanting fire hazard.

Verdict: How do you feel about clubstaurants? The Corner Store, from the Catch team, isn’t quite one, but there’s definitely some shared DNA. At this flashy American restaurant in Soho, you can sit in a big booth, drink a pornstar martini, and eat fancy bite-size pizza rolls brought to you by a server in an oversized suit. It’s gimmicky, but fun—and the food is surprisingly good. Always get the disco steak frites.

Verdict: Escargot and tête de veau done right, in a tiny room that feels like a Parisian bistro circa 1950. Recently revamped by the Frenchette team, this nearly century-old Midtown restaurant has checkered tablecloths, mirror-lined walls, and a three-course (plus side salad) $125 prix fixe menu. Bring a group of four so you can try as much as possible, with special priority given to the pâté en croûte, duck with cherries, and simple, perfect île flottante. 

Verdict: Bungalow has all the trappings of a clubstaurant: a celebrity chef, a bass-heavy soundtrack, and enough chandeliers and fake vines to make Tao feel insecure. But the inventive Indian food at this East Village restaurant sure does hit the spot. Come for a lively night out, and eat some slow-cooked lamb in a custard-thick sauce with caramelized onion.

Verdict: A lovely place that looks like a high-end resort in Tulum. The beige walls and custom ceramics are all very soothing, and the wood-fired Mediterranean food tastes nice and smoky. Try this Fort Greene spot for a casual date night, and order the dry-aged branzino.

Verdict: The Polo Bar is so preppy, their tap water tastes like seersucker. Ralph Lauren’s tartan-filled, subterranean Midtown country club has cornered the market on equestrian paintings and parquet ceilings, and it’s the closest you’ll get to a guaranteed celebrity sighting. Is the food good? Who cares? You’re here for the scene. (But yes, the food is good. Try the corned beef sandwich.)

Verdict: Natural wine and seasonal dishes often involving Jimmy Nardello peppers. Before that was every other restaurant’s formula, it belonged to The Four Horsemen. When it opened in 2015, this little Williamsburg spot was ahead of its time, and it continues to serve creative small plates worth seeking out.

Verdict: Simply put: the best restaurant in NYC. Located inside David Geffen Hall on the Upper West Side, Tatiana feels like a quiet nightclub—with soft blue lighting and beaded silver curtains—and serves food that blends Afro-Caribbean flavors with iconic New York dishes. Options include braised oxtails, curried goat patties, and excellent short rib pastrami suya.

Verdict: Torrisi Bar & Restaurant is an Italian-ish place in Nolita from the people behind Carbone, but it's a different sort of production. Unlike Carbone, the space is huge, and the menu shows a range of influence: They do chicken livers with Manischewitz and cavatelli with Jamaican beef ragu. This is a great choice for a big night out, and it's going to be annoyingly hard to get into for quite some time.

Verdict: This isn’t just one of the top KBBQ places. It’s one of the top places to eat red meat in the city, and the $78 Butcher’s Feast with banchan, tofu stew, four cuts of beef, and soft serve is one of our all-time favorite prix-fixe meals.

Verdict: Carbone is overhyped. It’s so overhyped that you’ll hear people claim that the food here isn’t even any good. That is untrue. The red sauce Italian food at Carbone is consistently delicious. This is just such a sceney restaurant, and there are so many other places where you can get excellent Italian food in this city. The only real reason to struggle for a table here is if you want to sit in a chair that Rihanna might have once occupied.

Verdict: Lilia isn't that good. That's a lie, and we apologize. We just want you to stop trying to get a table at Lilia, so we can go more often and enjoy a better quality of life. This Williamsburg Italian restaurant continues to serve top-tier pasta, and, yes, those sheep's milk cheese-filled agnolotti are still on the menu. So is the gelato. Order it.

Verdict: This is still one of the best fine-dining options in town, and it’s not that stuffy. Dinner costs $395 and takes place at a U-shaped counter, with around 12 Korean-influenced courses accompanied by illustrated flash cards. The attention to detail is impressive, and the food is always pristine, satisfying, and inventive.

Verdict: We’d like to be eating at 4 Charles Prime Rib right now. Unfortunately, this small, subterranean West Village spot somehow hasn’t become any easier to get into since it opened in 2016. Try to get a seat here. We believe in you, and we think you should start your meal with a burger before moving onto creamed spinach and prime rib.