By Scott Etkin
Restaurant Week – or, more accurately, Restaurant Month – is back this year from July 24th to August 20th. The semiannual event, which runs in the summer and winter, gives diners the chance to visit hundreds of New York City’s best restaurants at a discount.
Restaurants participating in the program can offer 2-course lunches and 3-course dinners for $30, $40 or $60. It’s up to the restaurant to choose which meals to offer and at which price point. Saturdays are excluded from the program and Sundays are optional. Reservations can be made through the Restaurant Week website at the link starting July 6th.
Restaurant Week began 30 years ago as “a one-time culinary event” to welcome the 1992 Democratic National Convention, according to the website. But it has evolved into a longer, regular program in order to support the tourism and service industries in the city.
This summer, there are nearly 500 restaurants participating across the five boroughs. On the Upper West Side, there are more than two dozen participating, including everything from French and Italian, to Barbeque, Japanese, Malaysian, and more. Here’s the full list of restaurants in the neighborhood that are taking part:
5 Napkin Burger (Bistro)
Amelie (French)
Arte Cafe (Italian)
Au Jus (Barbecue)
Bar Boulud (French)
Bellini at Harry’s Table (Italian)
Boulud Sud (Mediterranean)
Carmine’s (Italian)
Celeste (Italian)
Cibo e Vino (Italian)
Dagon (Mediterranean)
Eléa (Greek)
Gyu-Kaku (Japanese BBQ)
Harry’s Table at Cipriani (Italian)
Jacob’s Pickles (Soul Food/Comfort)
Kissaki Sushi (Japanese)
La Sirene (French)
Le Monde (French)
Lincoln Ristorante (Italian)
Maison Pickle (New American)
Marlow Bistro (Mediterranean)
Momoya (Japanese)
Nice Matin (French)
Nougatine at Jean-Georges (New American)
Prohibition (New American)
Rosa Mexicano (Mexican)
Sarabeth’s (New American)
Shun Lee West (Chinese)
Tarallucci e Vino (Italian)
Tasca (Spanish)
The Consulate (French)
The Leopard at Des Artistes (Italian)
The Ribbon (New American)
Wau (Malaysian)
They used to charge an amount equal to the year – so this year a meal should cost 20.23
I guess those days are over !
“Restaurant Week” has not been worth it for years. You used to get a nice discount for lunch or dinner compared to the prices on their year-round menu. Not anymore. In the 2010’s, I would visit at least two or three places during Restaurant Week. Then one year the prices shot up and I stopped. $60 for two courses IS NOT A PROMOTION.
I agree with CardiZ.
It used to be a great way to sample places – now it’s just a special menu at regular prices.
Think “Nice Martin” should be “Nice Matin” 🙂
Thank you for a very useful reminder.
Many of the restaurants listed don’t show menu for restaurant week
Very annoying. I’m not crazy about surprises. My experience with restaurant week is that I’ve never gotten a good one.