Do I have to plan where to eat?

Hi everyone!

I have spent a few days searching your very helpful advice as we (husband and I) are planning our first trip to NY at beginning of December.

I am surprised to find so many people with very detailed itineries and also how many are planning exactly where to eat and booking accordingly.

I had thought that since it was our first trip we would have a vague idea of what we really wanted to see but apart from that we would wander a bit and soak up the atmosphere and go with the flow.

I am now feeling that unless we plan and BOOK every place we want to eat we will be stuck queuing at a chain restaurant for hours as that will be the only place with an %26#39;unbooked%26#39; table!

How can you plan when and where you want to eat every day? Some days you feel more hungry than others dont you?

Am I being paranoid or should I start booking?

Thanks for any advice

CJ

Do I have to plan where to eat?

Depending on the where in Manhattan you are looking to eat, the day of the week, the time of day and/or the popularity of the restaurant you may not even be able to get a reservation.

And while many many/most restaurants still have a waiting list at the door for unbooked tables, sometimes that wait can be quite long or they stop taking names because they won%26#39;t be able to seat you that evening. So, yes, it can be difficult to find a place to eat at times.

But it%26#39;s not always like that at every restaurant in NYC. When my wife and I were in NYC in March we planned a few meals and made reservations in advance (one about a month ahead), but mostly we ate at places we picked that day - some shortly before entering the restaurant. But at those times we were not looking at any places that were extremely ';hot';, we usually ate earlier than most people (before 6 PM) and at one popular restaurant (Carmine%26#39;s) we ate sitting on a small bench in the bar with our table made up of three large trays sitting on a trio of collapsible serving stands, which was actually quite a bit of fun.

So, yes, once again depending on the day of the week, time of day if you are more open you can usually find good food on any day with some felxibility and perseverence.

But if you are wanting to eat at any popular restaurants, especially on a weekend, you might want to book a couple as early as they allow. Some of the most popular places are booked months in advance, many weeks in advance.

And if you are looking for good, reasonably priced food, a special occasion eating place, or for a specific type of food, asking on this forum is a good start. You might also ask if a reservation is required and how far ahead to make one.

Do I have to plan where to eat?

I think you just have a different way of traveling. I like to have places that we really want to eat booked and all the shows layed out and specific plan for when we travel.

But other people go with the flow and I got to tell you I admire that.

Scan this forum and find some places and neighborhoods that you would like to go. But trust me Manhattan has more than enough places to eat without hitting a chain or a line.

Also ask people when you are in NY for places to go.

Hi,

We didn%26#39;t book anywhere to eat last year and were fine. We mostly ate on 9th Avenue.

We are off in 2 weeks again and not booking anywhere. It all depends on if you want to specifically eat somewhere special like the River Cafe etc, then you will more than likely need to pre book.

We are not into fine dining so happy to eat bar food, pizzas and delis etc. Though I have noted down some casual eating places to check out if we are near them when we are hungry.

HTH :o)

Right now NYC is just jam packed with tourists. The beginning of December is an even busier time. You can absolutely go with the flow and not worry about reservations, but as in every big city, unless you are familiar with the turf, you can wind up with a lot of mediocre meals and pay dearly for them. There are a lot of bad places, especially around the tourist centered locations like Rockefeller Center, Times Square, Empire State Building etc. If you%26#39;re someone who doesn%26#39;t like to plan, I%26#39;d just strongly urge you to invest in a Zagat restaurant guide. It lists places by location etc. so you can at least read something before walking into a place.

If you%26#39;re staying in a good hotel with a concierge, he/she can also help. If you%26#39;d like one big splashout meal, I would book that in advance.

The other option to consider, many restaurants will serve at the bar where they don%26#39;t take reservations. So whether at the high end (Gramercy Tavern) or just casual (Joe Allen) you can eat at the bar if you don%26#39;t mind and they have room.

Zagat%26#39;s guides are wonderful!

Keep in mind that many of the restaurants mentioned in itineraries here are (1) for a special occasion like an anniversary, (2) famous institutions or (3) trendy or (4) (imho) popular with tourists, such as River Cafe.

As was said, if you eat in areas like Hell%26#39;s Kitchen (9th Ave, 40s-50s), Murray Hill, Chelsea, El Barrio, - or even the Upper West Side or some places in Tribeeca - you%26#39;ll probably never need a reservation.

True, you might have to put your name on a list and wait around 10-30 minutes for a table on a weekend night, but, personally, that doesn%26#39;t bother me. (Just in case, jot down 2 or 3 places per neighbrohood.)

If you eat in Times Square/Theatre District or some of the more popular places in Tribeca, the Meatpacking Distirct and Greenwich Village, then yes, you should book.

Browse Menupages or Citysearch to see what%26#39;s around specific neighborhoods

www.menupages.com

www.newyork.citysearch.com

I don%26#39;t plan itineraries either. However, two things you should absolutely plan ahead in New York are theater tickets and pre- or apres-theater dining, particularly over the holiday season.

I love Zagats, and highly recommend subscribing online. That way you have access to all their restaurant guides. I also use menupages.com. Another great resource in NY is opentable.com, which allows you to easily reserve tables at many restaurants.

I almost never make reservations, but there are certain popular, well known restaurants where you absolutely have to make reservations, sometimes WAY in advance. Really depends on what kind of food, price range and location you are looking for. I am a definite go with the flow person when traveling and, I guess, am the same way at home. As others said, it depends on what you are comfortable with.

As to your comment about not knowing how hungry you will be on a particular day, that is true...we usually plan a light lunch on the days we have reserved big dinners, and vice versa. And if you%26#39;re not that hungry just don%26#39;t order that much food - just order what you want. And for us it%26#39;s not ALL about the food - many restaurants I chose for their atmosphere. I don%26#39;t live in a huge city so for me it%26#39;s fun to go to big splashy restaurants. We also have 3 nights of theatre booked, so we have reservations that coordinate with those times. And we also prebooked a couple of daytime activities, so we know where we will be at certain times, and have chosen lunch places accordingly.

I would just like to thank everyone for taking the time to answer this post.

I will discuss your opinions with my husband and maybe we will choose just one special place to book - unfortunately he is the sort of person who %26#39;forgets%26#39; to eat so I may have to surprise him.

Thanks again,

CJ

We found that the unplanned moments made the best memories. We did have tickets for a show and a ballgame but beyond that, we just let the days unfold. (which was fortunate for us since we were lost most of the time!) :)

have a great trip!