Grub Guides

The Poor Planner’s Last-Minute Guide to Thanksgiving in New York

Photo: Everett Collection

Still don’t have plans for Thanksgiving? Not to worry. Though it’s less than a week away, Grub’s got you covered. We’ve canvassed the city and uncovered the most enticing restaurant options and takeout spreads that are still available, ensuring you can feast as lavishly as you’d like — but you really might want to book these reservations to disappear. The time has come.

Restaurant Reservations:

Maialino
Availability: Party of four at 5:00; party of two at 12:00, 12:30, 2:00, 4:00 p.m.
Price: $95 per person
On the Menu: Danny Meyer’s trattoria offers a holiday-specific menu featuring chestnut soup with roasted Brussels sprouts and heritage turkey with polenta and kale, as well as a classic Maialino lineup with roast suckling pig, tonnarelli a cacio e pepe, and more.

Saxon + Parole
Availability: Party of two at 2:00, 2:15, or 2:30 p.m.
Price: $80 per person
On the Menu: The three-course feast includes appetizers like carrot-ginger soup, roasted butternut squash, roasted turkey with cranberry-kumquat sauce, a dessert tower, and a whole bunch of seasonal sides for the table.

The Gander
Availability: Lots of availability for parties of two to five people between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m.
Price: $85 per person
On the Menu: The four-course prix fixe menu kicks off with an autumn squash soup and appetizers like crispy calamari salad and sea-trout tartare. Entrées include roasted branzino and dry-aged strip steak, along with the obligatory turkey.

Meadowsweet
Availability: Party of two at 2:15, 2:30, 2:45, 3:30, 4:15, or 8:00 p.m.
Price: $75 per person
On the menu: Brooklyn’s newest Michelin-star winner serves up a roasted and braised turkey, but you can also change it up with entrées like a roasted Long Island duck breast or potato-crusted halibut. Starters include oysters and crispy baby artichokes, and for dessert, dig into a roasted-pumpkin ice-cream pie.

Seasonal
Availability: Lots of tables available for lunch from 12:00 to 3:00, for dinner from 5:00 to 5:30, and after 7:15 p.m.
Price: $68 per person
On the menu: The three-course prix fixe includes Austrian-German favorites like wiener schnitzel and Gruyère-and-zucchini spätzle, alongside more traditional American dishes like turkey leg roulade and pumpkin pie.

Pearl & Ash
Availability: Plenty of availability for parties of six or fewer. Seatings are at 3:00, 5:00, 7:00, and 9:00 p.m.
Price: $95 per person
On the menu: Try turkey four ways: in turkey butter, turkey sausage, turkey Wellington, and fried up with cranberry and slaw. And, of course, there’s the restaurant’s excellent wine list.

North End Grill
Availability: Party of two at 11:30 a.m., 12:00, and 1:30 p.m.; parties of six at 11:30 a.m.
Price: $85 per person
On the menu: Start with housemade pâté, chilled seafood, or delicata-squash soup before you head into heavier dishes like roasted turkey with cranberry sauce and rutabaga sauerkraut, trout with bacon, steak fiorentina, or ricotta malfatti. Desserts include pecan pie, milk-chocolate malted cake, and pumpkin cheesecake.

The Clam
Availability: Party of two at 1:00, 7:30, or 9:30 p.m.
Price: $80 per person
On the menu: It might be Thanksgiving, but that doesn’t mean the Clam is skimping on seafood for its three-course, family-style feast. Aside from the roasted turkey, there’s stuffed lobster, grilled swordfish, and sautéed winter flounder, along with Tomahawk oysters and baked Littleneck clams to start.

DBGB
Availability: Parties of two for 12:00 and 12:15, parties of six to eight for 12:00, 12:15, 8:00, 8:15, 8:30, 8:45, and 9:00
Price: $60 per person
On the menu: Trust Daniel Boulud to serve up a burger worthy of your Thanksgiving meal: The “Gobbler” is a seven-ounce turkey burger topped with grilled radiccio slaw, toasted pumpkin seeds, and cranberry ketchup — and it’s just one of the hearty mains you can choose besides the traditional bird. The bar’s ice-cream sundaes and pâté campagnard are also on the three-course holiday menu.

ABC Kitchen
Availability: Party of two for 12:00, 12:30; lots of availability for parties of three to four between 12:00 and 7:30; party of five to six for 1:00 p.m.
Price: $88 per person
On the menu: Keep it simple with a four-course menu that includes fluke carpaccio, roasted lobster with black-truffle butter, roasted turkey with sourdough-mushroom stuffing, mashed potatoes, and acorn squash. Bonus: caramel-apple pie with cinnamon ice cream for dessert.

Takeout Options:

Mission Cantina
Last Chance to Order: Sunday, November 23, 5 p.m.
Price: Pastrami and sides, $225; pastrami, $150; sides, $40 to $50
Do a Mexican-inspired meal care of Danny Bowien featuring smoked Thanksgiving pastrami, chorizo-spiced wild rice stuffing, pickled jalapeño cornbread, and pumpkin pie with chipotle whipped cream.

Momofuku Ssäm Bar
Last Chance to Order: Monday, November 24
Price: Pork shoulder with all the fixin’s, $350
David Chang’s spot once again serves up its famous whole roasted pork shoulder with eclectic sides like turkey-confit buns — a twist on his pork-bun classic — and roasted Brussels sprouts with fish-sauce vinaigrette.

Miss Lily’s
Last Chance to Order: Thursday, November 27, 8 p.m. (for parties of five or fewer); larger orders must be placed by November 24
Price: Turkey and sides, $28 per person; add-ons, $7 each
Jerk turkey and Caribbean pumpkin soup headline the holiday menu. But the best part (for procrastinators, anyway) is that parties of five or fewer can order the food as late as 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

Parm
Last Chance to Order: Sunday, November 23, 5 p.m.
Price: Turkey, $90
You can count on Parm to make a fantastic roasted turkey breast with cranberry sauce and gravy. The bird doesn’t come with sides, but you can order veggies from the regular menu.

Marlow & Daughters
Last Chance to Order: Thursday, November 27
Price: Turkey, $8.15/lb
Don’t stop at the pasture-raised turkey here — Andrew Tarlow’s Williamsburg butcher shop also dishes out classic like mac and cheese and whipped sweet potatoes, alongside housemade charcuterie and pies.

Related: Thanksgiving Guide 2014

Last-Minute Thanksgiving Options