11's: NYC Walk-In-Only Restaurants
No Resy Olympics, just show up
Despite the wack culture surrounding it, I’ve long been an appreciator (and at times, a defender) of the restaurant reservation. Knowing where and when you’re going to dinner is a wonderful, reassuring feeling. A reservation means you don’t need to duke it out with the frantic Via Carota crowd 45 minutes before open. It means you’ll be greeted by a maître d' expecting your arrival. It gives something to look forward to, something to get excited about – even if that something is a 10pm at Four Horsemen booked 19 days out.
As silly as it sounds, the acquisition of reservations is a bit of an art form (akin to, say, paint by numbers). Booking a desirable table in New York requires foresight, savviness, and a solid understanding of the game I like to call “The Resy Olympics.” Tactical page refreshes, sleight of hand phone taps to land a spot off “Notify.” It’s certifiably ridiculous, but it’s the current reality of going out to dinner in New York City.
Running in parallel to all this reservation commotion is a complementary art form that is generally less lauded, but in my opinion far more impressive – the art of not having a res. It’s a beautiful blank canvas. It allows for spontaneity – no script, nowhere to be. And to me, that’s the beauty of New York: being able to stumble into a world-class meal without much advanced planning. It requires some knowledge of the scene – understanding which places are fair game and accept walk-ins. But once you have a sense, dining without a reservation means you don’t need to know where your day is going, but you’re sure it’ll turn out great.
There are 3 main categories for reservation-less dining, each with different situational utility: counter service, walk-in & bar seating (at restaurants that also take reservations), and the topic of today’s conversation: walk-in-only restaurants.
Walk-in-only means every seat in the house is up for grabs. There are no advanced bookings – the Resy page does not exist. Different from counter service, there’s still a full-service model, meaning you’ll be greeted, seated, and waited on. There’s a distinct casualness and buzz that often comes with these restaurants. Perhaps it’s being in a room full of people who are also operating out of spontaneity – kindred spirits who started their night without a defined agenda and ended up under one roof. One thing is for sure: It’s hard to be pretentious when everyone has to show up and put a name down.
11's: NYC Walk-In-Only Restaurants
11] S&P Lunch Flatiron, New York
Imagine a place that can evoke nostalgia for a period you didn’t actually live through. That’s S&P, an old-school lunch counter that (apparently) encapsulates the feeling of historic New York City Jewish delis quite well. It’s a menu of crowd-pleasing classics tuned up ever so slightly, but still simple and to the point: pastrami on rye, tuna melt, corned beef hash and eggs, potato latkes. S&P is preserving a waning slice of NYC culture in a way that feels organic – not forcing a retro aesthetic, just keeping it alive.
10] Yemen Cafe Cobble Hill, Brooklyn
My love for Yemen Cafe runs incredibly deep. It’s a down-to-earth restaurant where you’re truly treated like family. Soup, salad, and house bread land on the table without a spoken word. Spiced Yemeni tea is complimentary and self-serve. A lamb-forward approach is appropriate here – slow-cooked lamb haneeth and shredded lamn fahsah. Fair prices, generous portions, high repeatability.
09] Thursday Kitchen East Village, New York
Although the moment in the spotlight for Thursday Kitchen and their light-up Capri Sun cocktails seems to be well in the rearview, the quirky Korean “tapas’ spot continues to deliver very tasty food. It’s a small plates menu with some undeniable hits: edamame dumpling, lucky noodle, kimchi paella, soy-garlic-glazed steak. It’s a buzzing East Village space, quite ideal for a late dinner before a night out.
08] Casa Adela East Village, New York
If you see me striding down 5th St toward Ave C, there is a high, high probability I’m headed to the legendary Casa Adela to get pollo asado, pernil (pork shoulder), and fried porkchops. It’s comforting Puerto Rican food in a setting that feels like an extension of a family dining room. Everyone who comes through the door is taken care of — no one is leaving hungry.
07] Cocoron Lower East Side, New York
Soba isn’t nearly as prevalent as ramen, pho, or udon in the landscape of Asian noodles suspended in broth. But the nutty, chewy noodles at Cocoron make me believe it should be. Behind an unassuming facade on otherwise disastrous Delancey Street is the best soba in New York – I say this with conviction despite it being the only soba I’ve had in New York. It’s a vast and slightly overwhelming menu, but I’ve truly never had a bad bowl here. Warm ‘buta hakusai’ soba is one of my favorites — packed with ginger and daikon — it could cure any ailment, I’m sure of it.
06] AbuQir Astoria, Queens
Seafood is the name of the game at AbuQir, an Egyptian restaurant in Astoria. You’ll enter and be faced with a large ice chest filled with seafood selections – conveniently doubling as the menu. It can be quite intimidating at first, but once you get your bearings it’s remarkably straightforward. Step up to the counter and express your desires, and a beautiful symphony of seafood will soon follow: scallops in garlic oil, grilled prawns, fried calamari, blackened branzino. It’s nothing too fancy, but it doesn’t need to be. Just seafood excellence.
05] Mo’s General Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Mo’s is a bit of an underdog in the Brooklyn pizza scene. They don’t get nearly as much love for their square pies as nearby Ace’s, but in my humble, Michigan-born-and-raised opinion they offer one of the best takes on Detroit-style pizza I’ve found anywhere. Interestingly, it wasn’t the pies I originally fell for… it was their meatball sandwich on a beautifully toasted sesame bun. A meatball parm burger of sorts. Crisp edges, melted mozzarella, tangy red sauce. The scene at Mo’s is real chill – easygoing service, always room for a group – and it makes for an excellent Williamsburg bar hopping intermission.
04] Kiki’s Lower East Side, New York
Kiki’s gives you a million things to love, zero to hate. Not quite an institution, but it certainly feels like quintessential, sceney NYC dining. Kiki’s Greek classics are remarkably down the middle in the best way possible. Like a well-dressed chunky Greek salad with a brick shithouse of feta, a plethora of creamy dips, buttery sliced octopus doused in lemon, charred lamb chops, and phyllo-wrapped saganaki. And a $26 liter of house red wine all-day-everyday. It’s always busy but you’ll never get turned away. Put your name down and have a few beverages at your preferred Dimes Square watering hole while you wait for the call.
03] Mariscos El Submarino Greenpoint, Brooklyn
I’m back again spreading the good word of Mariscos El Submarino, which is quite literally the epitome of walk-in-only dining. It's casual, high-energy, the food is spicy, the drinks go down easy. Although it’s a recent addition to my repertoire, I’m certain this will be a place I reach for often. A reservation-less Saturday afternoon turning into an excellent aguachile situation is about as good as it gets.
02] Raku East Village, New York
There isn’t a single dish I think about more than the spicy tantan udon from Raku. It owns some serious real estate in my head. It’s nourishing, it’s healing, it’s pure magic being served in a massive Japanese ceramic bowl. Chewy udon noodles with the perfect amount of bite. A rich miso pork broth – silky smooth, aromatic, spiced just right. It’s why I come to Raku, and it’s why you should too. There are 20 indoor seats in the minimal, practical East Village dining room — all for walk-ins, all for udon.
01] Le French Diner Lower East Side, New York
Every time I walk out of Le French Diner I start plotting a return visit – this is damn near the highest praise I can give a place. Le French is a laughably snug 15-seat French bistro on the Lower East Side — shoulder-to-shoulder, ass-to-ass. The entire operation just feels real – like real people making real-ass French food. They’re not doing “a thing,” just cooking to a packed little room. There’s a time and place for everchanging ingredients and hyper-seasonal menus – this isn’t the time or place. The menu doesn’t budge, and neither does my order: green salad, octopus, steak and potatoes au gratin. Le French Diner plays in so many scenarios: a perfect solo meal, an intimate but casual dinner date, a humble but tasteful celebration of an occasion. It’s a uniquely New York restaurant – impossibly small, but big on charm.
Up Next
Notable walk-in-only restaurants I’ll be hitting soon
Lucali Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
Gem Wine Lower East Side, New York
Bernie’s Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Emilio’s Ballato Nolita, New York
Le French Diner forever
S&P is the best though I was disappointed to find a long line to get a seat the last time I was there. I guess I am the new yorker who laments about the old days now.