Best special-occasion restaurants for a date in New York
For the anniversary, the birthday, the big news.
123 spots · Jump to the list
For the anniversary, the birthday, the proposal. Every restaurant here sits at the top of the price range and treats dinner as the whole event. Book well ahead, mention what you're celebrating when you do, and plan for a longer meal than usual.
This guide ranks 123 special-occasion restaurants in New York, from Midtown Manhattan to SoHo / NoHo / Nolita and Flatiron / Gramercy. Editors' picks come first, then the rest by rating, and the plans below build a whole evening around the best of them.
The list
Editors' picks first, then by rating.
Markette
4.6(10)Chelsea / Hell's Kitchen · $$$$
Teruko
4.6(8)Chelsea / Hell's Kitchen · $$$$
Smoke Jazz Club
4.6(7)Upper West Side · $$$
Gallagher’s Steak House
4.6(7)Midtown Manhattan · $$$$
Momoya SoHo
4.6(7)SoHo / NoHo / Nolita · $$$
The Flatiron Room Murray Hill
4.5(26)Midtown Manhattan · $$$$
Minetta Tavern
4.5(25)SoHo / NoHo / Nolita · $$$
Oceana
4.5(25)Midtown Manhattan · $$$
Indian Accent
4.5(23)Midtown Manhattan · $$$$
Falansai
4.5(23)Greenpoint · $$$$
La Marchande
4.5(23)Lower Manhattan / FiDi · $$$
AKIMORI
4.5(23)Upper East Side · $$$$
R40
4.5(22)Astoria / Long Island City · $$$$
Le Veau d’Or
4.5(22)Upper East Side · $$$$
Roscioli
4.5(21)SoHo / NoHo / Nolita · $$$$
Harry’s
4.5(19)Lower Manhattan / FiDi · $$$$
Torishin
4.5(19)Midtown Manhattan · $$$$
Dante NYC
4.5(18)SoHo / NoHo / Nolita · $$$
Oscar Wilde
4.5(16)Flatiron / Gramercy · $$$
Artesano
4.5(14)Tribeca · $$$
THE GALLERY by odo
4.5(11)Flatiron / Gramercy · $$$
Campagnola
4.5(10)Upper East Side · $$$
ilili Restaurant
4.5(8)Flatiron / Gramercy · $$$
THE GRILL
4.5(6)Midtown Manhattan · $$$$
Showing 49–72 of 123 spots
Good to know
- What's the best special-occasion restaurant in New York for a date?
- Our top pick is Markette in Chelsea / Hell's Kitchen, rated 4.6 out of 5. Teruko and Smoke Jazz Club round out the top 3.
- Which New York neighborhoods have the best special-occasion restaurants?
- Midtown Manhattan (6), SoHo / NoHo / Nolita (4) and Flatiron / Gramercy (3) have the most spots in the top 24.
- Do I need a reservation?
- It depends on the spot. Book ahead for Smoke Jazz Club, AKIMORI and Le Veau d’Or.
- What should we do before or after?
- Make it a big night out: drinks first, then the big dinner, then something sweet. The plans on this page pair each top spot with the best-rated places within about a 20-minute walk.