Valentine’s Day Reservations in New York: Which Restaurants Still Have Availability?

Getty

It’s Valentine’s Day 2018 and if you haven’t made your big plans yet, you may be having some trouble finding last-minute reservations in New York City. What can you do? Finding last-minute availability in New York can be especially difficult, since restaurants and reservations can fill up so fast. A lot of people plan far ahead to make sure their loved one gets a very special day. But that doesn’t mean you’re completely out of luck if you haven’t found something yet. It just means you may need to do a little extra research and spend extra time finding something special. Here are some ideas so you can still “save the day” and come out a hero on Valentine’s.

First, check Open Table for any restaurants that might have availability. The listings for New York are here. (If this link doesn’t work, go to OpenTable.com, choose New York City or the New York area as your location, and then look for reservation availability on February 14, 2018, for the time period you’re interested in.) Open Table will show you which restaurants still have time slots open for tonight.

At the time that this article was written, there were still a few open slots available at Mitchell’s Fish Market, Serafina 105, Shaking Crab in Upper West Side, Tavern on the Green, Fig & Olive on Fifth Avenue, Sarabeth’s Central Park South, Crave Fishbar – UWS, Indian Accent, Rosa Mexicano by Lincoln Center, Flora Bar, Empellon Midtown, Del Posto, Sushi of Gari – Columbus Avenue, Ai Fiori, Atlantic Grill Near Lincoln Center, Blue Fin – New York, Cookshop, Limani – NYC, The East Pole – Kitchen and Bar, The Capital Grille – NY – Time Life Building, Trattoria Dell’Arte, Aureole, Bryant Park Grill, Gabriel Kreuther, DaDong NY, Bond 45, Porter House Bar and Grill, Vaucluse, Oceana, Cafe Fiorello, La Pecora Bianca – Midtown, Rotisserie Georgette, and more. But these open slots are filling fast, so you’ll want to make your reservation as soon as possible today without delay.

Your best bet for last-minute restaurants is to look for locations that aren’t “traditionally popular” or looking for more hole-in-the-wall or out-of-the-way restaurants. If you have your heart set on a particular location that seems to have no availability on Open Table, then call the restaurant just to make sure. You might have to take an extra late time slot or an extra early one. According to TimeOut New York, the best places for last-minute reservations include The Dutch, Almayass, Fifty, Extra Virgin, Indochine, Tavern on the Green, and more.

You can also try a non-traditional idea, such as cooking a dinner at home that is similar to what you wanted to order out. Or instead of dining in, grab dinner to go and have a picnic. You could also choose an outing instead of dinner, such as a visit to a local museum or zoo. Think of any ideas or know of any great restaurants that we missed? Let us know in the comments below.