The Resy Guide to Late-Night Dining in New York

We love the American-South-meets-Korea menu at C as in Charlie. They’re open until 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until midnight Friday and Saturday, serving up their baby back ribs with plum coulis and harissa, their “seoul’sbury” steak with creamy gruyere grits and galbi jus, and of course, their 99-cent sweet tea that’s one of our favorite drink deals in the city. Side note: The owners of C as in Charlie also know how to appreciate, and execute, a late night out, too.

You can’t go wrong at any of the members of one of our favorite restaurant families in the city — we love Hart’s and The Fly — but Cervo’s has a special place in our hearts. Maybe it’s the fried skate wing, or the green rice with little neck clams, or the sheer amount of anchovies on the menu, or the vermouth service. Maybe it’s the fact that you can get all of that until 11 p.m. Whatever it is, you simply can’t go wrong here.

See also: As we mentioned, Cervo’s has excellent siblings in Bed-Stuy’s Harts and The Fly. The former is open until 10:30 p.m. every night, serving their famous clam toast with pancetta, and Brooklyn’s favorite chicken bar, The Fly, serves their signature rotisserie and sides until 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and until midnight on Friday and Saturdays.

Greenpoint’s coolest listening bar also happens to have a pretty superb food menu that they also happen to serve until 11 p.m. every night. You can munch on their slow cooked pork ribs, potato gnocchi with charred scallion pork ribs, warm olives in oil, and chocolate olive oil cake while you jam out to the sweet sounds of whatever DJ or vinyl is spinning that night.

Note: Need help getting into Eavesdrop? Find out everything you need to know here.

Keep your late-night meal classy and elegant (and very likely with a celebrity spotting or two) with a meal in the upstairs Dining Room at The Golden Swan, open until midnight on Tuesday and Wednesday and until 1 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. It’s pinkies up as you dine on salad niçoise, Osetra caviar, carnaroli risotto, and Amish chicken. P.S. If a more casual late-night meal is what you’re looking for, stay downstairs at the Wallace Room and be sure to order yourself a Golden Swan martini and the beef tartare.

Dine in the East Village until 3 a.m. at Ichibantei. We’re partial to the karaage, minced katsu, and agedashi tofu after the hours of midnight, but there isn’t much room to go wrong on this menu. Wash it all down with a bright pink cocktail or a hearty glass of water, depending on what led you here.

The West Village is still buzzing with the arrival of this new French bistro, and stopping by for a a late-night dinner might be one of your best bets for getting in at this point. They serve the full dinner menu until 10:30 p.m. You won’t want to miss their saucisse puree, oeuf mayonnaise, or chicken liver mousse, all enjoyed perfectly at their full-service bar with a glass of natural (and, of course) French wine. The bar seats are also a favorite of owner Cody Pruitt, who gave us all the tips on how to score a Resy here.

Veteran chef Kannika Kittipinyovath, aka Chef Moi, highlights the dishes of Isan beautifully, and the best part? Zaab Zaab Talay in Williamsburg stays open until 1 a.m., giving you plenty of time to try many of her incredible specialties. Our suggestions? The jok khreung nai (rice porridge with pork meatballs, liver, and egg), the crab omelet, and the catfish larb.  A bonus: The original Zaab Zaab in Elmhurst, Queens, is also open every day until 1 a.m.

From two veterans of The Mermaid Inn, Arden is one of the buzziest new spots in the neighborhood. They’re open for dinner until 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The seasonal heirloom tomato and peach panzanella salad,  and the roasted hen-of-the-woods mushrooms have us salivating already. Top it off with a cocktail (try the Leo Rising, trust us) or one of the several non-alcoholic drinks on the menu like the Drum Beat 11 with pomegranate, oolong tea, and pressed beet juice.

In a neighborhood with fewer late-night options (we still love you, Park Slope!) Medusa stands out as a perfect choice. From Wednesdays to Saturdays they stay open for a special menu from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m., serving dips like their black truffle tarama, a variety of Greek cheeses, and more substantial gyros and burgers. Of course, cocktails, wine, and beer are on offer as well; we’re partial to the Tears of My Frenemies, made with mastiha, lime juice, maple syrup, and rosemary.

For a later-night next-door spin-off of the famed Smith and Wollensky’s, we can’t recommend Wollensky’s Grill enough. Here, they’ve got much of what you love about their namesake, like the famous pea soup, steaks and chops, and Wollensky burger. They’re serving these substantial bites until 1 a.m. every day of the week. It’s a little more casual than its sister, meaning they’ll probably understand if you end your night here looking a little more disheveled than you would next door.

Is there any food better suited to late-night dining than Japanese izakaya fare? It’s savory, it’s filling, and at Rai Rai Ken, it’s exceptionally delicious. They’re open until 10 p.m. every night, but the real party starts on Fridays and Saturdays when Rai Rai Ken turns into Ban Rai, a sake bar and gastropub that’s open from 11 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. At Ban Rai the menu changes often, and focuses on specials. Our favorites so far include the Oko cheese deluxe, a sandwich-adjacent snack with sautéed mushrooms and plenty of cheese, and the beef raclette with a side of potatoes, carrots, and watercress. Tread carefully: Seats are extremely limited, but well worth it.

Walk-ins only.

What started as a food truck has now grown into a bar and restaurant that still feels genuinely cool. Maybe it’s the low lighting, or maybe it’s the (actually very good) cocktails on tap, but the overall effect is one that’s both hip and understated — perfect to impress your date. The namesake chicken sandwiches are a must-order, especially if you’re ordering while your inevitable second drink is on the way. The Hot Honey, made with Thai basil and buttermilk, is a favorite, but you can’t go wrong with any of them. The sandwiches and on-tap cocktails are available in the front, but if you’re feeling something more intense, the back bar is where you need to be. There, you’ll find cocktails with names like “Japanese cold noodle,” “mango sticky rice,” and “French toast,” (yes, you read that correctly) and those highly crushable sandwiches, too.

Note: Getting into Double Chicken Please can be a bit of a challenge, but here are some tips and advice for how to get in.

This Brooklyn classic, reborn from some of the borough’s most seasoned restaurateurs and bartenders, is opulent, classic, old-New-York charm at its finest. Dine here late and keep things light during the day, so you can go big with their extensive raw bar and caviar service. Indulge in the pork pot pie, New York strip, and baked Alaska for two. The allure of the spot is no secret, so your chances of snagging a Resy for late night are better than at prime time – and don’t the best things always happen after dark, anyway?

If you couldn’t score a Resy downstairs at Gage & Tollner, meander on upstairs for a completely unique bar experience from beverage director and partner St. John Frizell, who also owns Fort Defiance. At the Sunken Harbor Club there’s a complicated (and fictional) backstory, tropical tiki-inspired cocktails, and bigger bites like pho that you won’t find downstairs.

See also: Hip karaoke and Korean barbecue spot Insa, as well as the new Good Fork Pub, from two of Gage & Tollner’s owners, chef Sohui Kim and Ben Schneider. Insa is one of the most fun restaurants in Gowanus, and perfect for any group, while the Good Fork Pub features Korean-influenced takes on traditional pub fare and is open until 10:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Plus, Fort Defiance in Red Hook has (finally) reopened for dinner service until 11 p.m., after a storied journey that included a battle for their liquor license. Grab the burger and any one of the cocktails they’re shaking up — Frizell himself is often behind the bar.

The Spaniard serves dinner, alongside their famously extensive whiskey collection, nightly until midnight. This is classic late-night fare — patty melts, wings, onion rings, and fries — alongside choices suited for more adventurous after-hours eaters, such as steak tartare, chicken chowder, and Spanish mackerel. Grab a seat at the definitively beautiful bar and let the night drag on.

Even though we pretty much had to add Nite Nite to this list based on the name alone, luckily for it (and us), it more than deserves its spot. Is there anything better than digging into a hot plate of fried-to-order karaage, slurping up some udon in between bouts of conversation, or pulling off some salmon from a skewer? Maybe it’s following it all up with Nite Nite’s late night happy hour — $1 oysters and drink specials on various nights that they have a DJ.

See also: Walter’s, from the same team, in Fort Greene. Open “til late,” they’ve got oysters on the half shell, artichoke dip with crostini, and an excellent fried chicken and sides. Last call for the kitchen is 10:30 p.m. Once you’re done eating, walk through the back into Karasu, a Japanese cocktail bar and restaurant from the same team. There, you can grab oysters and sip sake at the bar.

Cozy up to some classic Italian American fare, brought to you by none other than Mario Carbone. If you don’t have the patience to snag a Resy at Carbone downtown, this more-casual-but-still-inviting uptown locale is the perfect place to end up. They take reservations until 10 p.m, often the perfect time to carbo-load with their baked ziti, chicken Parm, and garlic bread. Top it off with a negroni and you’ve got yourself a night.

Chelsea’s late-night spots are in abundance, but JungleBird manages to stand out from the crowd. Instead of regular fries, they’ve got Jungle Fries, dressed up with tamarind, makrut lime, galangal, chiles, and cilantro. Instead of burgers, try the crispy tempura fish sandwich, with fried hake and summer tomato chutney. Instead of sliders, try the banh mini’s, a cuter, more bite-sized version of their namesake. You can grab the fare until 11 p.m. every night, and the cocktails until much later.

See also: Cooper’s Craft and Kitchen, located right across the street, for a more casual, classic vibe. From two of the same owners as JungleBird, Cooper’s has plenty on tap, including cocktails, and a sizable menu with more than adequate truffle fries and one of our favorite smash burgers in the city.

Madame Vo’s steaming, rich Madame Pho is perfect for late winter nights, with beef broth that’s simmered for 24 hours. If you’re wondering whether it’s worth the upcharge to add short rib, we’re here to tell you that it most certainly is. We can also wholeheartedly endorse the ga xao xa ot: chicken stir-fried with lemongrass, peppers, onions, and a sinus-clearing chile sauce. This is the kind of place where we don’t mind eating alone, for the simple reason that we won’t have to share with anyone.

Vinyl, omakase, and a highly curated liquor list? What more could you want from a late-night eats destination? Studio 151, right above the music venue Nublu, fits several bills. If you’re looking for a more substantial dinner, you can order off their sushi, handroll, or hakozushi menus. Smaller bites? Try the wasabi peas or the fried eggplant with ginger. Studio 151 spins until late — 2 a.m Sunday through Tuesday and 4 a.m Wednesday through Saturday.

We admit, the first thing that drew us to The Turk’s Inn was its interior. Modeled after the inimitable, since-closed midwestern supper club of the same name (check out the original’s sign hanging above the entrance), it’s opulent, gaudy, and perfectly tacky. Cat paintings right out of the Goodwill bins, plush gold banquettes, and napkin fans? Count us in. But this place is more than just a gimmick. The food, mostly of the comfort variety, includes a pickle platter, cheese curds, and several varieties of the martini, all of which are worth the trip.

See also: The Sultan Room, from the same team, for an after (or before, perhaps, in this case) dinner show.