Where to eat on Valentine's Day in nyc જ⁀➴♡

For when you don't have a Resy bot doing your personal bidding

જ⁀➴♡

This is assuming that you didn’t build a bot to get an 8 PM reservation at 4 Charles or hire a sushi chef for a $1000 omakase dinner at someone’s apartment.

Everything below is vetted for both atmosphere and reservation ability. Importantly, none of these places are doing a Valentine’s pre fixe … does anybody like those?

જ⁀➴♡ જ⁀➴♡ જ⁀➴♡ જ⁀➴♡ જ⁀➴♡ જ⁀➴♡ જ⁀➴♡ જ⁀➴♡ જ⁀➴♡ જ⁀➴♡

1. Falansai’s Mexican-Vietnamese fusion is a prime example of “the customer doesn’t know what they want because they don’t know what they can have”. What you can have at Falansai is perfect spicy tuna tartare with nori chips and avocado, BBQ confit duck necks, and fried rice with Vietnamese mortadella. Add in one of the vibiest dining rooms in NYC and a great wine list and you’ll have the best Valentine’s date.

   

   Dinner at Falansai

2. Buy fresh pasta and housemade sauce from Raffetto’s (Greenwich Village) or Citarella, and have a date night in. Set the table, bring out the candlesticks, and choose a good wine. I particularly love the Citarella short rib ravioli.

3. Have a cozy evening at Tartine, which occupies a perfect quiet corner of the West Village. No reservations and BYOB. Their chicken paillard is delicious.

   

   Chicken paillard at Tartine

4. Ella Funt’s Paris mixed with downtown NY feel is so fun. They have French wine bar staples like mussels, tartare, and croquettes, but all done with an interesting twist. Great for a cocktail-forward dinner. Many spots left for the 14!

   

   Remnants of lemon tart at Ella Funt

5. Epistrophy, a sweet and reliable Sicilian restaurant in Nolita, has great pasta and is homey and intimate. Also has plenty of spots open for the 14.

6. Snack Taverna is situated on a gorgeous West Village corner (a very good theme in this letter it seems) and serves homemade Greek specialties, including an unmissable veal meatball dish with plums. Intimate, small, quiet, and cozy. The warm chocolate cake is the perfect Valentine’s dessert.

7. I love Margot in Fort Greene for its fresh, plywood-forward interior, plethora of little candles everywhere, and changing seasonal menu that feels just fussy enough for a special occasion (i.e. a delicate crudo) without sacrificing the warmth and familiarity Valentine’s Day should have (with a main like skirt steak with preserved lemon). + Wine list, neighborhood vibes, 10/10, go get a reservation.

   

   Incredible whole branzino with corn at Margot

8. I’m shocked that Tamarind, one of the singular best Indian restaurants in Manhattan, still has openings for the 14. It can feel a bit businessy, but it also works well for a swankier date night. The food is obviously incredible, particularly the seafood appetizers.

9. Dr. Clark is NY’s only first Hokkaido-style restaurant, so while it is Japanese expect warming dishes like lamb barbecue with udon noodles. Dr. Clark is dark and a little sexy; it was designed by Green River Project, which does the Bode interiors and also designed The River bar next door.

   

   Crudo at Dr. Clark

10. Go to Le French Diner at 4:50 PM and put your name down, or better yet, celebrate on February 13 or 15 and go to Le French Diner then - they don’t take reservations and the wait list fills up incredibly fast due to the tiny space. This is a chef’s favorite restaurant - tiny, efficient, intimate, serving incredible French classics doused in butter and herbs. A 2 hr dinner at the bar here would be my preferred way to spend Valentine’s.

11. Bacaro - candlelit, Italian, romantic dungeon vibes in Dimes Square. It’s somehow never too busy compared to the restaurants surrounding it (Kiki’s, Cervo’s, Le Dive, etc.) and feels like the calm in the chaotic storm that is this part of the Lower East Side. Plenty of tables open for Feb 14.

12. Going somewhere called Diner might seem offensive to suggest to your partner for Valentine’s Day, but Diner is not a diner: it’s Andrew Tarlow’s original Williamsburg restaurant championing food so local and sustainable that the menu is handwritten on the tablecloths daily. I assure you the atmosphere is there - candles, small, dimly lit.

    

    Daily menu at Diner and a martini

13. Chez Ma Tante is another perfect neighborhood French restaurant, something New York clearly has in spades. This one is in Greenpoint. I’ve only been for brunch, but I love how they make warm and cozy classics feel more elevated and special. It was also notable that they could make me love brunch, infamously the worst meal anywhere.

14. Have and Meyer (Williamsburg) and Terre (Park Slope) champion the Slow Food movement, natural and obscure Italian wines, and lighting many many many candles in their restaurants, making either of these two rustic and romantic Italian spots great for a Valentine’s date - many tables on Opentable at both right now.

15. June Wine Bar feels like a dark and sexy eclectic boutique inn upstate. It’s great if you both love wine (they have upwards of 20 orange wines alone) but I think calling it a wine bar detracts from the really delicious food they serve, particularly the burger and the white anchovy with grilled lemon.

    જ⁀➴♡ જ⁀➴♡ જ⁀➴♡ જ⁀➴♡ જ⁀➴♡ જ⁀➴♡ જ⁀➴♡ જ⁀➴♡ જ⁀➴♡ જ⁀➴♡ જ⁀➴♡ જ⁀➴♡ જ⁀➴♡ જ⁀➴♡ જ⁀➴♡ જ⁀➴♡ જ⁀➴♡ જ⁀➴♡ જ⁀➴♡ જ⁀➴♡