Manhattan / Upper East Side
Upper East Side
Restaurants
Fifteen places worth crossing the park for, ranked by someone who eats up here. Real prices where they exist, and a straight answer where they do not.
Checking which of these 15 kitchens are open right now…
- 15 verified spots
- 3 Michelin stars
- omakase from $60
- open till 3am
Looking for a drink deal instead? → Upper East Side happy hours
The best restaurants on the Upper East Side right now are Daniel for a $295 tasting menu, Le Veau d’Or for a 1937 bistro brought back properly, Sushi Noz for two Michelin stars, J.G. Melon for the cash-only burger, and Tanoshi for a $60 BYOB omakase. I checked all fifteen against each restaurant’s own site in August 2026. Several of the grandest names up here publish no prices at all, and this page says so rather than inventing numbers. Below they are grouped by the essentials, the sushi, the Italian, and the places open before noon. The 6 at 77th Street puts you in the middle of it.
The short version
- Best overallDaniel — $195 to $295, and now one Michelin star rather than two.
- Best valueTanoshi — $60 lunch omakase, and it is BYOB.
- Best burgerJ.G. Melon — cash only, no bookings, open till 3am.
- Best brunchHoexter’s — Sat–Sun 11–3, Dutch baby $26.
- Best comebackLe Veau d’Or — 1937 bistro, reopened 2024, $145 prix fixe.
At a glance
Prices are from each restaurant’s own current menu. Where it says unpublished, the restaurant genuinely does not post one.
| Restaurant | Known for | Best for | Hours | $ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel | Seven-course tasting, $295 | The big night | Tue–Sun 5–9:30pm · closed Mon | $$$ |
| Le Veau d’Or | Prix fixe, $145 dinner / $85 lunch | Dinner, or a bar seat | Lunch Tue–Fri from 11:30am · dinner Tue–Sat 5–9:30pm | $$$ |
| Marcel | Côte de boeuf for two | Weekend brunch, a scene dinner | Dinner daily 5–10pm · lunch Wed–Fri · brunch Sat–Sun 11:30am–2:30pm | $$$ |
| J.G. Melon | The cheeseburger and cottage fries | Lunch, late night, a burger | Mon–Sat 11:30am–3am · Sun 11:30am–1am | $$$ |
| Elio’s | Chicken parm, off menu | Dinner, if you can get in | Mon–Sat 5–11:30pm · Sun 4:30–11:30pm | $$$ |
| Sushi Noz | Hinoki counter omakase | A serious sushi night | Mon–Sat, four seatings · closed Sun | $$$ |
| Tanoshi Sushi | Lunch omakase from $60 | Omakase without the bill | Lunch Mon–Sat from 11:30am · dinner nightly, fixed seatings | $$$ |
| Sushi Seki | Sushi Seki Special, $57 | Dinner, no lunch | From 5pm Mon–Sat · closed Sun | $$$ |
| Lusardi’s | Vitello Martini, $36 | Lunch, any day of the year | Daily · lunch noon–3:30pm · dinner 5–10:30pm | $$$ |
| Sandro’s | Spaghetti al limone, $30 | Dinner | Dinner only · last seatings Mon–Thu 9pm, Fri 10pm, Sat 10pm, Sun 9pm | $$$ |
| Lucia Pizza of the Upper East Side | The New York slice | A slice, cheap and late-ish | Mon–Sat 11am–10pm · Sun noon–10pm | $$$ |
| Sant Ambroeus Madison Avenue | Pancakes $26, avocado toast $28 | Breakfast from 8am | Mon–Fri 8am–10pm · Sat–Sun 9am–10pm | $$$ |
| Hoexter’s | Dutch baby pancake, $26 | Weekend brunch | Brunch Sat–Sun 11am–3pm · dinner nightly from 5pm | $$$ |
| Via Quadronno | The Via Quadronno panino, $16 | Breakfast, museum lunch | Mon–Fri 8am–10pm · Sat–Sun 9am–10pm · kitchen to 9:30pm | $$$ |
| Pastrami Queen | The pastrami on rye | Lunch, every day | Daily 10am–9pm | $$$ |
Map: where these 15 restaurants are
Everything sits between 60th and 89th, river to Fifth. The 6 runs the length of it; the Q on Second Avenue is faster above 72nd.
Pins are numbered to match the table above – tap any pin for the order and directions.
The five that define the Upper East Side
One Michelin star, one 1937 bistro brought back from the dead, and the burger everyone means. More citywide picks in our best restaurants in NYC guide.
Daniel Open now
The verdict: still the most formal dining room on the Upper East Side, and you should know it dropped from two Michelin stars to one in the 2025 guide. It held three until 2014 and two until 2024. That is a real trajectory and most write-ups have not caught up. What you get: three courses at $195, five at $235, seven at $295, with wine pairings at $195 and $225. The local move: reservations open 60 days out on Resy, and the bar and lounge take walk-ins. The honest caveat: the dress code is enforced — no athletic or leisure wear, no shorts, and strollers are not accommodated. Closed Mondays.
Le Veau d’Or Open now
The verdict: the best argument in New York that a restaurant can be brought back properly. Opened 1937, dark from 2019, reopened July 2024 under Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson of Frenchette. It is prix fixe only — $145 at dinner, $85 at lunch — and the onglet frites and tête de veau ravigote are why you come. The local move: the five-seat bar is walk-ins only, first come, and it serves both the prix fixe and à la carte. The honest caveat: tables cap at four with no combining, reservations drop at 9am exactly fourteen days out, and the restaurant’s own site publishes two different sets of hours — call if you are cutting it fine.
lvdnyc.com · See our best French restaurants in NYC
Marcel Open now
The verdict: the newest reason to be on Madison Avenue, and the room is the point. Marcel opened in April 2026 on the lower floor of the Breuer building — Sotheby’s now — with Marie-Aude Rose cooking French-leaning food under rotating art off the auction floor. Confit de canard, gratin de cabillaud, a côte de boeuf for two or four. The local move: weekend brunch, 11:30 to 2:30, is the civilised way in, and reservations drop 28 days out on Resy with all bar seats held for walk-ins. The honest caveat: Michelin added it as Recommended in July 2026 — that is a listing, not a star — and no prices are published anywhere.
sothebys.com · See our best new restaurants in NYC
J.G. Melon Open now
The verdict: the burger the Upper East Side is actually known for, and the last one standing. Both the other J.G. Melons — Upper West Side and Greenwich Village — have closed, so any guide still listing three locations is out of date. Since 1972: a checked-tablecloth saloon, the cheeseburger, and cottage fried potatoes that are the actual reason to order fries. The local move: it runs to 3am Monday to Saturday with the kitchen open until 2:30, and there is outdoor cafe seating on Third Avenue. The honest caveat: cash only, still, and no reservations, ever. The dress code listed on their own site is “preppy.”
jgmelon-nyc.com · See our best burgers in NYC
Elio’s Open now
The verdict: the most Upper East Side restaurant on this page, for better and worse. Open since 1981, white tablecloths, famously brisk service, and a regular base that makes a first visit feel like a guest pass. Fried zucchini to start, veal piccata, lasagna Bolognese, and a chicken parm that is not on the menu. The local move: there is no booking platform — you call, after 10:30am, on 212-772-2242. The honest caveat: they publish no prices, and the sidewalk cafe is the easier seat. Pepe, who waited tables here for 35 years, retired in June 2026, which locals are still getting over.
eliosrestaurant.com · See our best Italian restaurants in NYC
Sushi, from two stars to $60
The Upper East Side has more serious sushi per block than anywhere above Midtown, at wildly different prices. See our best sushi in NYC guide for the citywide version.
Sushi Noz Open now
The verdict: the best sushi north of 59th Street and one of only a handful of two-Michelin-star rooms in the city, held since 2023. Nozomu Abe works a 200-year-old hinoki counter that seats eight; the Ash Room next door seats six. Four seatings a night, fourteen seats total, six nights a week. The local move: reservations release a month at a time during the first week of the previous month on SevenRooms, and a deposit is taken. The honest caveat: Noz publishes no price on its own site, and the figures circulating range from $250 to $700 — the pricing model changed in 2026, so call 917-338-1792 before you commit.
noz.global · See our best omakase in NYC
Tanoshi Sushi Open now
The verdict: the best-value omakase on the Upper East Side and the only one on this page that publishes its price. Lunch is $60–$65 for six pieces of nigiri plus a roll and a hand roll; dinner is $125–$130 for ten. The local move, and it is a real one: it is BYOB. They sell no sake and no beer, despite the name — bring a bottle. The honest caveat: seatings are fixed, your seat is held thirty minutes, and cancelling inside an hour charges the full omakase to your card. Chef Toshio Oguma, who built the place, has died; the counter is run by chefs he trained.
tanoshisushinyc.com · See our best sushi in NYC
Sushi Seki Open now
The verdict: the neighbourhood sushi bar that has outlasted every trend since 2002, and the one to book when Noz is impossible. Chef Seki trained five years at Sushi of Gari and it shows in the nigiri, which arrive already dressed — tuna with tofu sauce, that kind of thing. Ordering off their own platform: Sushi Seki Special $57, sashimi dinner $48, sushi dinner $46. The local move: book on Resy, not OpenTable, which does not carry them. The honest caveat: the restaurant publishes no hours at all — it opens at 5pm and is closed Sundays, but nobody will tell you when it shuts. Dinner only.
sushiseki.com · See our best sushi in NYC
Italian and pizza
Two long-running Italian rooms and the slice shop that finally fixed a real gap up here. More in our best Italian restaurants in NYC guide.
Lusardi’s Open now
The verdict: the most reliable Italian lunch above 72nd Street, and the answer to “what is open?” on days when nothing is. Family-run since 1983 and, by their own count, open 363 days a year. Vitello Martini is $36, tagliolini cacio e pepe $32, the sogliola al prosecco $44, spaghetti alle vongole $44. The local move: lunch runs noon to 3:30 every single day, which almost nothing else at this level does — and gluten-free pasta is on the menu as standard, not as a favour. Book on Resy; they are not on OpenTable whatever it tells you.
lusardis.com · See our best Italian restaurants in NYC
Sandro’s Open now
The verdict: Sandro Fioriti cooks the most Roman food on the Upper East Side, and the spaghetti al limone at $30 is the plate to order. The vitello Milanese is $65 and hangs off the plate; the rigatoni with ragù and meatballs is $29. Half orders of pasta are $18, which is the move if you want two. Note the address: Sandro’s left 306 East 81st Street in February 2022 and reopened on 86th that July — plenty of listings still send people to the old door. The honest caveat: dinner only, the posted times are last seatings rather than closing times, and there is a lunch menu on the site with no lunch service to go with it.
sandrosrestaurant.com · See our best Italian restaurants in NYC
Lucia Pizza of the Upper East Side Open now
The verdict: the Upper East Side has been badly served for pizza for years and this fixed it. Lucia opened on Third Avenue in January 2025 with a crust that is crunchy underneath and chewy through the middle — a proper New York slice rather than a reheated one. The local move: go to 1571 Third Avenue and check the number. There are four Lucias, and the Gramercy one is also on Third Avenue, at 282, which catches people out constantly. The honest caveat: the slice prices on their site are for the SoHo and Avenue X shops, not this one, so what you pay here is unposted. Counter service, no bookings.
lucia.pizza · See our best pizza in NYC
Breakfast, brunch and lunch
Everything here is open before noon — the daytime Upper East Side, which is the half the guides skip. See also our best brunch in NYC guide.
Sant Ambroeus Madison Avenue Open now
The verdict: the Madison Avenue original, open from 8am on weekdays, and the most useful room on this page if you want to eat before ten. Espresso and pastry at the counter, then a full kitchen through to 10pm — breakfast, lunch and dinner, no gap. Off their own ordering menu: pancakes with fresh fruit $26, avocado toast $28, Scottish smoked salmon breakfast $36, oatmeal $21. The local move: weekday 8am, cornetto and a cappuccino at the bar, for a fraction of what the same address costs at one o’clock. The honest caveat: Sant Ambroeus runs four restaurants and four coffee bars in the city, two of them also on the Upper East Side — this is the one at 1000 Madison.
santambroeus.com · See our best breakfast in NYC
Hoexter’s Open now
The verdict: the best weekend brunch on the Upper East Side, and the only one on this page with a published menu you can check before you go. The Dutch baby pancake is $26, eggs benedict $24, shakshuka $24, Turkish eggs $19, and the double-smash cheeseburger $29. Three rooms — front bar, middle lounge, and a back dining room under a skylight, which is the one to ask for. The local move: brunch was only added in late 2024, so it is still less punishing than the classics. The honest caveat: brunch is Saturday and Sunday only, 11 to 3. There is no weekday lunch and nothing at all before 5pm on a weekday.
hoexters.com · See our best brunch in NYC
Via Quadronno Open now
The verdict: the best lunch within walking distance of the Met, and it has been since 1999. The Via Quadronno panino — genoa salami, brie, celery sauce — is $16 and the reason people keep coming; the Non ti Scordar di Me with speck and liver pâté is $17. Oven-baked eggs $19, spaghetti bolognese $31.50. The local move: breakfast runs until 10:30am and there are outdoor tables, which is a rare combination on this stretch. The honest caveat: they take no lunch reservations at all — first come, first served — and bookings otherwise are by phone only. The old Madison Avenue branch is gone; this is the one.
viaquadronno.com · See our best lunch spots in NYC
Pastrami Queen Open now
The verdict: the pastrami sandwich the Upper East Side actually eats, and one of the last certified kosher delis left in the neighbourhood. The business goes back to 1956, when it was Pastrami King out in Williamsburg, and Anthony Bourdain was on record about it. Hand-cut, fatty, served on rye that can barely hold it. The local move: open every day, 10 to 9, which makes it the reliable option when the restaurants on this page are all shut at 4pm. The honest caveat: they publish no prices anywhere, the sandwich is not cheap, and the Upper West Side branch is closed for renovations whatever the map says.
pastramiqueen.com · See our best deli sandwiches in NYC
Upper East Side restaurants: FAQ
What are the best restaurants on the Upper East Side?
Daniel for a formal tasting menu, Sushi Noz for two Michelin stars, Le Veau d’Or for the revived 1937 bistro, Elio’s for old-school Italian, and J.G. Melon for the burger. Daniel holds one Michelin star in the 2025 guide — down from two — and Sushi Noz holds two.
Where should I eat on the Upper East Side without a reservation?
J.G. Melon has never taken a reservation and is open until 3am, though it is cash only. Via Quadronno takes no lunch bookings at all. Pastrami Queen and Lucia Pizza are counter service. Le Veau d’Or holds its five-seat bar for walk-ins, and Marcel holds all its bar seats.
Where is the best brunch on the Upper East Side?
Hoexter’s serves brunch Saturday and Sunday, 11am to 3pm, with a $26 Dutch baby pancake and a $24 eggs benedict. Marcel does brunch the same hours inside the Sotheby’s Breuer building. Sant Ambroeus on Madison opens at 8am on weekdays and 9am at weekends and serves through the day.
Where is the best sushi on the Upper East Side?
Sushi Noz holds two Michelin stars and seats fourteen a night across two counters. Sushi Seki has been doing dressed nigiri since 2002. Tanoshi is the value pick — $60 to $65 at lunch, $125 to $130 at dinner — and it is BYOB, so bring a bottle.
Which Upper East Side restaurants have outdoor dining?
J.G. Melon has cafe seating on Third Avenue, Elio’s has a sidewalk cafe on Second, and Via Quadronno has outdoor tables on East 73rd. Hoexter’s has a handful of sidewalk tables. Most of the rest are indoor rooms and do not publish outdoor seating.
Last updated: August 2026. Menus, prices and hours change – confirm with the restaurant before you go. Spot something out of date? Let us know.
