The Resy Guide to Power Lunches in New York

Who says a power lunch can’t be a comforting lunch? Not us. At Okonomi / Yuji Ramen, your order is bound to make you feel cozy, especially if you order their served-all-day Japanese breakfast sets. Grilled eel over rice, miso soup, and a variety of small side dishes? Yes, please. Or go with ramen and try the fish-bone both with tuna belly chashu, one of their signatures first made popular at their Brooklyn iteration.

By day, Emmeline Zhao’s wine bar Cora becomes Cora Cafe, a full-service breakfast and lunch spot. Miso chocolate dulce de leche cookies, kinako twice-baked croissants, and cran-apple Danishes are all possibilities here, perhaps as an after-lunch treat for your radicchio salad or hot dog topped with onion mostardaishes are all possibilities here, perhaps as an after-lunch treat for your radicchio salad or hot dog topped with onion mostarda and sour cream and onion potato strings.

This reimagined look at old New York makes the perfect setting for a leisurely weekday lunch. Chef Nick Anderer’s food is comforting and crowd-pleasing (think hand-cut angel hair Francese or a slow-roasted roast beef sandwich), and the drinks are plentiful and delightful. (If you please, do go ahead and indulge in one of their pitch-perfect martinis or Manhattans.)

Why not wheel and deal with a panoramic view of the New York City skyline below you? Dine on beef tartare with black sunchoke and Asian pear; hamachi with grapes, celery, fennel, and buttermilk; or chicken with fresh chickpeas and panisse. Who knows? The view may just inspire you and yours with the world’s next great idea.

“Share and pair” is the ethos of this more-casual offshoot of the haute Le Bernardin, named after its longtime head sommelier. In addition to the signature charcuterie tower, you can find crispy duck confit salad, black truffle arancini, and lamb merguez, as well as a list of more than 40 wines by the glass and more than 200 bottles.

What was once Par Ici is now Elysee’s, and luckily the location remains one of the city’s finest. The glassed-in courtyard of Fouquet’s New York, complete with its red brick walls and relaxed Parisian wicker bistro chairs, is an idyllic setting for a power lunch if there ever were one, making you feel more like you’re in the coastal Mediterranean or Paris than New York. Whether you’ve got business to discuss or simply want a change of setting, Elysee’s has you covered, with an easygoing, yet sophisticated menu of cafe classics — everything from burrata and panzanella salad to veal chop Milanese to towering portions of truffle fries. Don’t skip dessert, either, as the sticky toffee pudding is worth the trip alone.

Andrew Carmellini’s “Italian-style chophouse” offers the best of both worlds — think rigatoni with dry-aged beef bolognese, a prime rib sandwich with provolone and porcini aioli, and a classic chicken Milanese with wild arugula and charred lemon. Perched on Pier 17 in FiDi, the restaurant’s views of the Brooklyn Bridge are hard to beat.

Lunch with the coolest people you follow on Instagram at 53, an Asian-inspired, sultry spot conveniently located in Midtown, next to MoMA. The power order, to us, has to be crispy shrimp wontons, pea shoot sambal, and salmon carpaccio. Drag things into a more leisurely mood with the set lunch menu, available at $53 per person for three very generous courses.

If you work best over drinks and snacks, make this modern, all-day Mexican café from chef Enrique Olvera your new go-to meeting spot. Plates include flaxseed chilaquiles and suadero tacos, which you can chase with a selection of agua frescas and margaritas.

When Major Food Group took over the former Four Seasons space in the Seagram Building, they sought to return the power lunch to its former glory. With its Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson-designed interiors, and midcentury-influenced lunch specials like a club sandwich and cold-poached salmon, The Grill will make you feel like Don Draper.

Danny Meyer and chef Hillary Sterling’s ode to live-fire Italian cooking has already become a post-work favorite among the Hudson Yards office crowd. For lunch, they serve an array of pastas and some of Sterling’s biggest hits, including the wood-fired whole trout and a standout, must-order caramelized onion torta. Pro tip: Find out more about scoring a table at Ci Siamo here.

“Lunch at The Carlyle” sounds just as fancy as it’ll feel when you head to Dowling’s. Impress even the toughest of your clients (or friends) in the eclectic, art-filled dining room as you dine on dishes like shrimp cocktail, iceberg wedge salad, and wagyu steak frites. Pair everything with their lunchtime Champagne, served by the glass if you wish.

Michael Solomonov’s latest concept riffs on the Israeli bakery (and is located just downstairs from his buzzy skewer spot, Laser Wolf, at Williamsburg’s Hoxton Hotel). Be sure to end your meal with a dessert from pastry chef Katreena Kanney, as well as larger plates like cod chraime and a chicken schnitzel with cabbage and fennel slaw. Be sure to end your meal with a dessert from pastry chef Katreena Kanney, like a pistachio sticky bun or caramel apple babka.

They may be known for their power breakfast, but we’re here to tell you that their lunch packs just as much of a punch. Come for shrimp cocktail, a turkey club, or a dry-aged New York strip while you harken back to a time with smoking sections and three-hour martini lunches. Hey, at least one of those things is well within your reach here.

More than a decade after opening, this beloved West Village trattoria still charms with its exceptional Italian cooking and warm, generous service. The lunch menu also has many of the dinner menu’s greatest hits, so you don’t have to worry that you might be missing out on anything midday. Pro tip: Order a sleeper hit, the garganelli. And if you have any trouble getting a Resy, we’ve got you covered here.

Beloved by media and entertainment power brokers since it opened in 1999, Michael’s specializes in California cuisine that won’t send you back to your desk in a food coma, including their renowned Cobb salad, and a grilled branzino with salsa verde, capers, and charred lemon.

For a light and airy lunch that packs a punch served in a space to match, look no further than The Mary Lane. We’re partial to the grilled vegetable and burrata sandwich, but the braised chicken cacciatore ravioli is nothing to scoff at. Score a table next to one of the many windows, and bask in the warmth of a long (long) lunch.

Naro features elegant Korean cooking from Atomix/ATOBOY team Junghyun “JP” and Ellia Park in the heart of Rockefeller Center. Lunchtime offers à la carte dishes inspired by Hansik, or traditional Korean cuisine, and includes items like an oyster mushroom rice bowl or tender beef tenderloin with black garlic and cauliflower. Or there’s the route of going for the excellent two-course prix fixe that’s just $39 per person.

Lunch reaches new heights at this contemporary American restaurant, located on the 101st floor of the tallest building in Hudson Yards. Yes, the views are spectacular on a clear day, but the food also steals the show. Executive chef Rose Noel, previously of Hav and Mar and Manhatta, highlights her chops with dishes like a brisket burger and steelhead trout with rutabaga and fennel. Beverage director and A Voce alum Zach Kameron has put together a 1,600-bottle-deep wine list, with a focus on French and Italian bottles. At lunch, the restaurant offers a two-course prix fixe for $77 or a three-course prix-fixe for $89.

This cozy trattoria from downtown dining power couple Rita Sodi and Jody Williams feels like a neighborhood haunt, but it doubles as a true destination restaurant, too. The all-day menu changes with the seasons, but always includes a range of creative vegetable preparations and Northern Italian specialties like cibreo toscano and olive all’ascolana. Pro tip: The chopped steak is a non-negotiable.

There’s a reason that the restaurant that launched Danny Meyer’s empire in 1985 is still going strong, even after moving to its current 19th Street location in 2017. Its lunch menu showcases only a slightly condensed version of its greenmarket-forward, crowd-pleasing approach, including the beloved bibb salad and a range of pastas. And of course, then there’s the burger, one of only two original dishes still on the menu.

Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Union Square Latin spot is serving lunch again, much to our elation. From Wednesday through Friday you can dine on dishes like ground beef empanadas, shrimp quesadillas, and market bowls towering with beans, pickled chiles, and salsa verde. Treat your lunch guests to à la carte ordering, or a pre-fixe for $45.

Spend your power lunch hour on the sea in Greece (read: at Avra at Rock Center) with their three course pre-fixe menu. We’d say the way to go is with the grilled octopus to start (this option will cost you a $19 supplement), then the fish of the day or the chicken with oregano fries, and finally, a honeyed piece of baklava for dessert. The best part? It costs just $38 per person.

King is relaxed, dignified, and chic, making it the ideal backdrop for a power lunch. From the dining room’s muted tones and white tablecloths to the delicious, ever-changing offerings steeped in traditional flavor pairings and techniques — it’s not your average downtown restaurant, it’s something special. And we are personally overjoyed that they’ve brought lunch service back on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The menu changes all the time, but some longtime highlights include King’s signature panisse, handmade pasta, and chocolate cake.