How To Snag A Reservation At NYC's Hard-To-Get-Into Restaurants

NEW YORK, NY – Here's a secret kept closely guarded by those in the know: As New York City empties of its Hamptons-bound elite during the summer, so do its hottest, impossible-to-snag-a-table-at restaurants.

That place where you usually need a banker's pay check just to grease the captain's hand? It's begging for business during August. The novelty restaurant where you can't even be seated in front of the gents' bathroom? See how accommodating it is now.

Parts of the city usually packed with people resemble a ghost town on a mid-summer weekend – and the places where the wealthy eat suddenly need to attract more down-to-earth clientele. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

According to Zagat co-founder Tim Zagat, it is an evidence-based certainty that not only are New York City’s more exclusive restaurants easier to get into during the late summer, but the time to book is, specifically, for August.

In addition to being less busy, Zagat believes that lunchtime will also be the least expensive time to dine at New York City’s more exclusive eateries.

"Lunch will generally be about a third less than dinner," Zagat told Patch, "around half of what dinner would normally cost."

Zagat calls this a win at both ends.

Such restaurants are also generally less expensive while the members of the city’s more elite societies venture off to the Hamptons and beyond.

While the city is a little sleepier in August, there are other factors to consider when exploring the local selection of elite gastronomy, such as New York City Restaurant Week, a massive, citywide promotion that emerges every year to fill those otherwise empty seats.

"NYC Restaurant Week just started, so it is still a bit competitive for foodies. Look out for early or late availability," OpenTable’s chief dining officer, Caroline Potter, said in an email to Patch through a spokesperson.

"So, people can not only get into these restaurant easier, but they can also pretty well guarantee what the pricing will be, and normally, you can’t."

Outside of Restaurant Week, though, Zagat adds that lunch will be the easiest reservation to grab near the end of the summer season. Potter agreed.

Many restaurants allow patrons to make reservations up to one month in advance, Potter says, and though it is per a case-by-base basis, she recommends searching 28 to 30 days out in order to secure prime-time (around 7 to 9 p.m.) booking.

"Jump on lunch if you have your heart set on a particular restaurant for your summer must-dine list," says Potter.

So, which of the city’s more elite restaurants can you snag a reservation come August?

Based on a two-person reservation, Patch shares a list of New York City's hard-to-get-into restaurants — la crème de la crème — and places them at your fingertips, courtesy of OpenTable's Caroline Potter:

• Le Coucou

Address: 138 Lafayette St.

• Empellon Midtown

Address: 510 Madison Ave.

• Public Kitchen

Address: 215 Chrystie St.

• The Grill

Address: 99 East 52nd St.

• The Pool

Address: 99 East 52nd St.

• Nobu Downtown

Address: 195 Broadway

• Omakase by Tatsu

Address: 14 Christopher St.

• The Warren

Address: 131 Christopher St.

• Bonus: Left Bank

Address: 117 Perry St.

Chef’s Note: Left Bank owner and executive chef Laurence Edelman tells Patch that it’s much easier to get a weekend brunch reservation during the summer months, when most of the restaurant’s regular clientele (chiefly West Villagers) is away. He recommends the Dutch Baby — a specialty pancake served on a piping-hot cast iron skillet and topped with freshly whipped cream, berries, butter and maple syrup.

• Bonus: Dinnertable

Address: 206 Avenue A

Chef’s Note: Dinnertable’s executive chef Ricky Arias recommends that those seeking to find hard-to-snag prime-time reservations schedule a table for August.

Image via Pixabay