Mila Grgas, Writer
There’s something to be said for letting someone else toil for three days over Thanksgiving dinner. And if that someone is a Michelin-starred chef, well, that is sounding like a brilliant idea. Here is where to eat out on Thanksgiving in NYC.
The Restaurant: Union Square Cafe
One of the most acclaimed restaurants on this list, Union Square Cafe prides itself on its local ingredients with a refined culinary experience. The five-time James Beard Award winner is found only a few blocks from Union Square, and its open dining space is homey and warm for your delicious Thanksgiving feast.
The Feast
Union Square is where to eat out on Thanksgiving in NYC because it’s the meal that would resemble yours. Luckily, there’s no need to lose your head while aiming to please everyone, as that’s why you’re eating out this year. Union Square Cafe offers a personalized Thanksgiving menu at $150 per person. Each diner has the choice between two menus: Thanksgiving Classics and Union Square Cafe Classics. Both feature Norcia, a fennel sausage dish, and family-style sides.
The Restaurant: Locanda Verde
In Tribeca, Chef Andrew Carmellini’s brain child, Locanda Verde is always a good idea. What do Italians know about Thanksgiving? A lot. The food at Locanda has soul, which is one of many reasons it makes the list of where to eat out on Thanksgiving in NYC. Locanda Verde combines Italian and American traditions to create some of the best house-made pasta and secondi around.
The Feast
Locanda Verde offers a family-oriented Thanksgiving dinner that features antipasti, secondi and dolci, all served family style. These include mouth-watering staples such as sheep’s milk ricotta, wood-fired heritage turkey and apple cranberry pie. All this is $135 per adult and $60 per child to dine in.
The Restaurant: Rezdôra
On an average day, Rezdôra truly embodies an authentic, home-cooked meal. That’s why it’s where to eat out on Thanksgiving in NYC this year. The restaurant specializes in house-made pastas. Yes – you can eat pasta as a side dish this holiday. In fact, we highly recommend it.
The Feast
Like any good home-cooked meal, the Thanksgiving menu at Rezdôra will leave you stuffed and happy. This Thanksgiving, there’s space on the list from noon to 3:30 p.m. The wide range of choices — three options for each of the five courses — is enough to satisfy even the most indecisive eater. Some highlights include the tortelli with black truffle and the costoletta di maiale.
The Restaurant: Jean-Georges
Jean-Georges Vongerichten has 12 locations in NYC, making his restaurants a perfect narrowed-down list for Thanksgiving dinner in the city. However, the location that bears the original Jean-Georges name, at 1 Central Park West, is where to eat out on Thanksgiving in NYC this year. You know, they say go big, or go home. We say, go Michelin-starred, or go home. It’s time to splurge.
The Feast
At Jean-Georges, you have two meal options: a six-course tasting menu for $258 ($188 for the vegetarian version), or a 10-course menu for $318. On the amuse bouche this year, you may find king crab purses and yellow fin tuna noodles. Another reason to leave Thanksgiving to the experts.
The Restaurant: The Grill
The Grill is everything that makes New York City so special. First you have the historic space, that’s as glamorous as it gets. But it’s not even nearly for show; the classic food and cocktails are darned good, in only the way that Major Food Group can deliver. And Thanksgiving dinner, is where they shine. This is our favorite place for where to eat out on Thanksgiving in NYC this year.
The Feast
The Grill’s streamlined Thanksgiving menu features all the American classics. There’s not a favorite potato style or casserole missing from this list, and at $135, the Grill covers all the bases. The true highlight is, of course, the roasted turkey with bourbon gravy.
The Restaurant: Daniel
A Park Avenue favorite for French cuisine, Daniel honors culinary history while still offering innovative and award-winning dining. What better way to celebrate a Thanksgiving dinner out than to spend it with the French?
The Feast
This Thanksgiving dinner is a collection of subversive plays on classic dishes that are sure to provide a feast for the senses, such as Long Island fluke and the Normandy quince tart. Many restaurants boast about their prize turkeys, but Daniel’s Heermance Farm red bourbon turkey is king of the crop. With creamy New Zealand spinach and giblet stuffing, the three-course feast is sure to be in high demand at $265 per person.
