Page 293 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - New York City

WHERE T O EA T AND DRINK  291

If you simply want to see inside
the restaurants every visitor has
heard about, such as Gotham Bar
and Grill or Jean Georges, just go
to have a drink and soak up the
atmosphere. Many restaurants
post their menus or will let you
see them before you are seated,
which is good for checking
prices in advance. During
Restaurant Week (held in Jan/
Feb and Jun/Jul), you can dine in
some of the city’s restaurants for Minimalist interiors of the Italian restaurant, Hearth (see p297)
a fraction of the usual cost –
visit www.nycgo.com. Waits of an hour at the most table can be difficult, and reser-
popular spots are not unusual. vations should be made as early
as two months in advance.
Hours Many reservations can be made
Smoking
Breakfast hours are usually from online through Opentable (www.
7 to 10:30 or 11am. Sunday brunch, Smoking is illegal in all bars and opentable.com).
a popular meal, is served at many restaurants. The only exceptions
restaurants between around 11am are owner-operated bars that Recommended
and 3pm. Lunch runs from have special smoking rooms.
11:30am or noon to 2:30pm at Restaurants
most places, but the busiest New York City offers an amazing
time of the day is 1pm. Dinner is Children array of cuisines (see The Flavors of
usually served from 5:30 or 6pm When eating out with children, ask New York, pp292–3), from Spanish,
onward. The most popular time is if there’s a child’s menu with half- Greek, and Italian to local New
around 7:30 or 8pm. portions. The prices are reduced, York fare, along with a wide range
Some restaurants stop serving at often by half. Dining out in the of dining establishments. Our
10pm during the week, or 11pm more formal New York restaurants restaurants are divided into five
on Friday and Saturday. Certain is certainly not a family affair but geographical areas: Downtown
informal restaurants are open from children are accepted in more encompasses Lower Manhattan
11:30am to 10pm. Coffee shops casual restaurants. Many family- and the Civic Center, the Lower
are open long hours, from 7am friendly restaurants have facilities East Side, Chinatown, Little Italy,
to midnight or even 24 hours. for babies or toddlers. SoHo and TriBeCa, Greenwich
Village, the East Village, and
Gramercy and the Flatiron District.
Dress Codes Wheelchair Access Midtown covers both Lower and
Few restaurants demand that While many restaurants may be Upper Midtown, as well as Chelsea
male diners dress formally, able to accommodate a wheel- and the Garment District and
though a jacket or a jacket and chair, always mention your Midtown West and the Theater
tie might be required. At most requirements when making your District, which offers a host of
restaurants, for both men reservation. Many of the smaller restau rants with menus for
and women, smart “business places cannot cater to disabled the Broadway-bound. Upper
casual” suffices. customers due to lack of space. Manhattan includes the Upper
Women tend to dress up when East Side, which features many
dining at the more expensive Celebrity Chefs upscale restaurants, the Upper
restaurants. If you are unsure, West Side, Morning side Heights,
check what the dress code is New York has numerous celebrity and Harlem. Brooklyn also boasts
when you make your reservation. flagships – traveling food an inventive culinary scene while
connoisseur Anthony Bourdain Farther Afield includes restau-
founded Les Halles; Mario Batali rants in Queens, which often
Reservations
helms several restaurants, such have an international flavor.
It is wise to make reservations at as Babbo and Eataly; David Throughout our listings, we’ve
any restaurant above the diner/ Chang is behind the Momofuku marked recommended restaurants
fast-food level, especially on week- phenomenon; and Anita Lo as DK Choice. We’ve chosen these
ends. Some of the trendiest (Annisa), Daniel Boulud (Daniel), restaurants because they offer a
restaurants won’t accept book- Bobby Flay (Bar Americain), and special experience – either for the
ings, or won’t take them less than Eric Ripert (Le Bernardin), all call superb cuisine, for enjoying a
two months in advance. Make the city home. uniquely New York night out
reservations for lunch at a Mid- A meal in a top restaurant will surrounded by locals, for the
town restaurant as places here not come cheaply, but it can be excellent value, or a combination
are popular with business diners. worth the splurge. Booking a of these.

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