You can bring up to two bottles of your choosing to Naro on Sunday nights. Photo by Gary He for Resy

GuidesNew York

15 of the Best BYOB and No-Corkage-Fee Restaurants in New York

By

What was once relegated to restaurants that simply didn’t sell wine, or at least didn’t pay too much attention to it — the joy that is BYOB (Bring Your Own Bottle, for those in the back) — has expanded around the city. Nowadays, it’s not as uncommon to find restaurants that do have wine lists — and some very good ones at that — offering free corkage to entice drinkers on otherwise slow nights (usually Sundays or Mondays).

Before you go, bottles in hand, we’ve got a few tips: For many, there are two pathways to BYOB: the one where you grab a bottle at the nearest wine or liquor shop just off the train, knowing that the restaurant won’t have wine. And the one where you’ve got a bottle you love and want to take it to a restaurant that you love, too.

Every restaurant has its own rules, such as a limit to how many bottles one can bring. But there is certain decorum to be aware of, too. One frequent BYOB-er recommends buying a cocktail or a glass of wine from the restaurant in good faith. It’s also a good idea to scan the restaurant’s wine list before heading out with your bottle, so as not to bring something it already has on offer. Maybe even pour the restaurant’s wine person a small taste — especially if you’ve brought something cool. And obviously, it’s kind practice to tip a little extra to account for the glass handling involved.

Petite Crevette

  • Columbia Street Waterfront District

View in list

If you’re the sort of person that has feelings about the quality of the vessel from which you’re drinking your wine, odds are that restaurants without wine programs, such as Peking Duck House and Wu’s Wonton King, aren’t going to deliver fancy glassware. But some such spots are open to diners bringing their own glasses; just call ahead to confirm before showing up with your box of Zaltos.

Frequently, it’s wine industry folks who show up to more wine-centric restaurants on their nights off, which makes for some fascinating bottle watching, especially on Sunday nights in Midtown’s Rockefeller Center. Conceivably, you could take a bottle for appetizers at 5 Acres and then one to Jupiter for salads and pasta, and then head over to Naro for mushroom bulgogi and a dalgona sundae. Annie Shi, co-owner and beverage director of Jupiter, says she’s not seen anyone score the hat trick in one evening yet, but “actually, if anyone does do it,” she says, “come find me and I’ll give [you] a prize!” We’ll hold her at her word.

Here, 15 restaurants that will open you and your wine with welcome arms (at least one night a week).