One could spend a lifetime dining in New York City’s thousands upon thousands of restaurants and still only be scratching the surface. It’s a destination where eating is counted among the top things to do and where a slice of pizza can be as equally revered as a Michelin-starred tasting menu. But if your culinary pursuits tend to focus around date night, take note of the most romantic restaurants in NYC outlined below.
While a discerning wine list and note-perfect dishes are always key when selecting a restaurant for an intimate dinner, the ambience is also paramount. Dim lighting, moody music, and elegant decor are the prevailing requisites for a romantic table for two—and the destinations ahead (both established and newly opened) deliver that in spades. Continue below to discover where you should snap up a reservation for your next evening out.
Raoul’s
One of the rare New York City institutions that has remained unchanged over the decades, Raoul’s is a French bistro that’s been a SoHo staple since 1975. Menu favorites include the steak au poivre and oysters, but the real quest is to secure their elusive and much-beloved burger, of which only about a dozen are served each weekday and only at the bar. It’s impressive, it’s delicious, and it’s definitely one of the most romantic spots for dinner in the city.
Le Veau d’Or
After a five-year, head-to-toe restoration, this Upper East Side French bistro (originally opened in 1937) has once again become a beloved neighborhood haunt. In Le Veau d Or’s heyday, names like Truman Capote, Ernest Hemingway, and Orson Welles would often hold court in the restaurant’s iconic red leather banquettes (which have thankfully been preserved). Nostalgic touches drive home the charm, from red-checked table dressings to zigzag flooring. And because Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr are behind the revival, you can expect a menu with an unflinching fidelity to classic French cuisine.
Maison Passerelle
Within Printemps, this fine dining restaurant by James Beard Award-winning chef Gregory Gourdet is an exploration of French colonialism’s complicated culinary legacy. “Any opportunity to present the flavors of the diaspora are important to me,” he told Vogue last year. “Also, the opportunity to do so in a fine dining setting—that’s the setting this type of cuisine deserves to be in.” And fine it is. The interiors were overseen by AD100 designer Laura Gonzalez and feel like a sumptuous journey around the world, including a red jasper marble bar and bench seating upholstered in Pierre Frey’s Le Manach fabric.
Wayward Fare
Chef Akhtar Nawab interprets the Mediterranean palate through a traveler’s lens with his Prospect Heights restaurant, Wayward Fare. The space is sleek and intimate, with warm earthy hues and natural textures throughout. Set to the glow of the wood-fired oven at the restaurant’s rear, you and your date can feast upon menu highlights like skate cheeks with saffron risotto and broccoli rabe, all washed down with a glass of zippy vermentino from Corsica.
The River Cafe
The eye-popping view from The River Café has been among the most coveted vantage points since its opening in 1977. Nestled beneath the Brooklyn Bridge and positioned right on the water, diners can gaze upon the Manhattan skyline while enjoying a Michelin-starred meal. What’s more romantic than that?
Il Buco
No stranger to romantic restaurant lists, this NYC institution is where you go when you want a romantic Italian meal. Nay, a romantic Italian experience. It sits on a quiet, cobblestone street in NoHo and lures in diners with its exposed brick, flickering candlelight, and antique decor. (Fun fact: Il Buco originally opened as an antique store in 1994.)
Minetta Tavern
In its early days, Minetta Tavern was frequented by the likes of Dylan Thomas and Ernest Hemingway. Nowadays, it’s owned by restaurateur Keith McNally and still attracts similarly magnetic personalities with its red leather banquettes and old-school sensibilities. Cozy up in a booth and order the black-label burger with frites and a martini.
Le Bernardin
It’s impossible to touch on fine dining in New York City without referencing Le Bernardin. For the last 40 years, Eric Ripert’s coveted cuisine has captured the hearts of locals and tourists alike, serving up unparalleled seafood in an inviting dining room rounded out by soft lighting and gentle music.
Al Di La Trattoria
Nestled on a peaceful corner in Park Slope, Al Di La Trattoria has been serving up handcrafted, simple Italian cuisine since the 1990s. It’s a classic mom-and-pop operation run by a husband and wife duo and is under the helm of chef Anna Klinger. Expect comforting dishes like large pasta loops with heritage pork shoulder ragu and wines ranging from acidic Etna Bianco to complex Nebbiolo. The space is small and snug but full of heart and the epitome of a perfect neighborhood restaurant.
The Waverly Inn
The vibes are pristine at this iconic West Village townhouse on the corner of Bank and Waverly. Enjoy a pre-dinner drink in the pub by the fireplace (a rarity in NYC) then unwind in the garden with a decadent meal of grilled oysters and roasted chicken. The building dates back to the late 1800s and was originally a tavern, giving the entire experience an of another era kind of feel.
Grand Central Oyster Bar
If nostalgia is your aphrodisiac, book a table at this legendary New York restaurant, opened in 1913. Better yet: grab a couple of stools at the bar for a round of oysters and a bottle of Chablis. It’s the kind of fuss-free place that after over a century still feels in-the-know, and can always be followed up with a romantic stroll beneath that gorgeous Grand Central Terminal ceiling mural.
Cote Korean Steakhouse
Swirling together the best parts of Korean barbecue and traditional American steakhouses, Cote is a Michelin-starred restaurant that feels more like an event than just a meal. There are smokeless grills at every table, and they even have their own in-house dry aging room. And the wine! Cote’s over-1,200-label wine list is masterfully curated by Victoria James and celebrated for its focus on large-format bottles.
La Compagnie
Imbue your date night with French flair at La Compagnie Flatiron, the latest opening under Experimental Group (also behind Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels in SoHo and the original La Compagnie Saint Germain in Paris). Choose from hundreds of bottles from small producers complemented by a menu of grilled meats, sustainable seafood, and regional veggies. Designer Dorothée Meilichzon is behind the snazzy interiors, which are anchored by New York brickwork and original parquet flooring.
Tartine
Spacious? No. Soulful and snug? Yes. This restaurant sits on one of the best corners in the West Village and is known for its reliably tasty dishes and neighborhood feel. While the brunch tends to draw a crowd, make your way here for a romantic dinner and order the sautéed chicken with lemon, garlic, shallots, and sage.
Manhatta
It’s a cliché, but no less true: there are some views in Manhattan that can take your breath away. At Manhatta, where this sensation occurs, one must ride an elevator upward for a staggering number of stories (60, to be exact). But you’re well rewarded once you arrive. The restaurant is like “an island in the sky,” as one Vogue writer describes: you can see the Statue of Liberty, the Hudson River, and Brooklyn’s famous bridges and waterways. If you happen to be dining on Valentine’s Day weekend, savor the striking vistas with a five-course prix fixe serving dishes like oysters topped with Siberian caviar.
Le Pavillon
A lush respite from the city streets, Daniel Boulud’s Michelin-starred restaurant is recognizable for its soaring ceiling and greenery wrapped around the dining room, including magnificent 20-foot olive trees. The menu focuses on seafood and vegetable-centric cuisine, with an extensive rotating by-the-glass list that matches the seasonal menu.
I Sodi
Any one of Chef Rita Sodi’s restaurants would qualify as a worthy pick for date night, but it’s the garden at I Sodi’s spacious location on Bleecker and Grove that feels especially romantic. Nibble on polenta e stracchino and house-made whole wheat pasta with oxtail and porcini for your next night out in the village.
Chez Ma Tante
Who says your romantic date must ensue in the evening hours? While Chez Ma Tante’s filet mignon with fries is a winning order, the Greenpoint restaurant is also celebrated for its brunch (especially those pancakes). Whatever time you choose to make a reservation, this locals-favorite spot by Aidan O’Neal and Jake Leiber offers the kind of romance that can only come from an intimate neighborhood outpost.
Yugin
An omakase dinner is innately romantic (intimate seatings, telepathic service, fish flown in from Japan, etc.). At Yugin, you can expect all this—but you should also expect views of Manhattan that will impress even those longtime New Yorkers who’ve seen it all. This newly-opened restaurant sits on the 37th floor of the General Motors Building and is helmed by Chef Eugeniu Zubco (who goes by Yugin, previously of three-Michelin-star Masa). Craftsmanship is at the heart of everything at the restaurant—in both design and cuisine. Don’t miss the 200-year-old hinoki counter top, nor the Petrossian caviar custom-crafted for the restaurant. And all of your fresh, flavorful bites? They’ll be served on handcrafted plates collected from around the world; some of which Chef Yugin made himself.
Le Crocodile
It’s easy to fall in love with Le Crocodile—this Williamsburg brasserie by Chef Partner Aidan O’Neal sits within a 19th-century factory building and oozes charm with its floor-to-ceiling arched windows, brick walls, and design touches like rounded booths and elegant lighting fixtures. Top all of that off with a consistently strong menu and cocktail list (steak frites are a must) and its status as a go-to date spot is quickly cemented.
Keens Steakhouse
Saunter back in time to the late 19th century at one of New York City’s most legendary restaurants still in operation. At Keens, you and your date can savor a mutton chop and martini surrounded by wood-paneled walls and hundreds of historic artifacts (including their extensive collection of churchwarden pipes, the largest in the world).
Mitsuru
Where do you go when you want a candlelit sushi dinner paired with sensational wines? Half a block from Washington Square Park to Mitsuru, that’s where. At this new gem—a collaboration between Sushi Yasuda veteran Mitsuru Tamura and restaurateur Grant Reynolds—diners can choose between the eight-person omakase counter (crafted from fallen trees salvaged at a maple syrup farm) or at one of the 30 other seats throughout the intimate, ultra-gorgeous space.
Cafe Commerce
Grab a two-person booth at this sultry Upper East Side restaurant by Chef Harold Moore. Café Commerce, once a West Village staple, is experiencing a second wind at its Lexington Avenue location, which is conveniently close to other romantic pitstops like Central Park and The Met. Sip on a blue cheese olive martini with the famous roast chicken, and save room for a gargantuan slice of Coconut Cake (a non-negotiable order!).
El Quijote
If historic spaces are your love language, this restaurant within the iconic Hotel Chelsea ought to whet your appetite. During the ‘60s, stars like Patti Smith, Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix were frequent patrons, which lends the bones of this space an effortless sense of cool. It underwent renovations in recent years, but thankfully retains its old-world charm (particularly with the room-length windmill mural and crimson red upholstery).
