For those who prefer feasting and conversation to slicing and scrubbing, there is no shortage of restaurants that offer Thanksgiving menus for the holidays. Whether your perfect holiday is the traditional American feast in a Midtown dining room, a vegan spread in Flatiron, or a Greek Thanksgiving in Astoria, there is a celebratory meal waiting for you.
Read MoreWhere to Eat on Thanksgiving in NYC
From casual to fancy options
The Ellington
The Ellington is open on Thanksgiving eve and Thanksgiving day with three courses for $90 per person. Dishes include butternut squash bisque, Caesar salad, roasted turkey, buttermilk-mashed potatoes, filet mignon, scallops and shrimp, and wild mushroom ravioli. Dessert includes pumpkin cheesecake, molten lava chocolate, or an apple tart.
Dagon
It’s $75 for a feast at Dagon on the Upper West Side ($35 per kid under 12 years old). Apple fennel soup, pumpkin shishbarak, and fattoush salad are among the kick-off choices. The main course is dry-aged beef kefta kebabs, branzino, vegetable tagine, roasted lamb, or pomegranate-glazed salmon. Pumpkin creme brûlée and apple mille-feuille are among the finishing touches.
Essential by Christophe
Foie gras with apple-pear chutney and cider emulsion; red king crab; or hiramasa with avocado and yuzu kick off the menu at chef Christophe Bellanca’s Upper West side jewel box, where the four-course feast rings in at $180. Marinated langoustines; scallops with sunchokes and fennel-shoyu sauce; or steamed and caramelized cheese soufflé with chestnut emulsion and white truffles are second course selections; while the entrees include venison loin in addition to turkey. Pumpkin pie topped with coffee ice cream or Vacherin with clementine marmalade, orange blossom and kaffir lime sorbet top off the banquet.
Victory Garden Cafe
Most places in Astoria are closed on Thanksgiving, but not this family-run estiatoria where the bird is particularly succulent and tasty, thanks to a marinade of extra virgin olive oil, lemon, and cumin, and a stuffing of rice, lemon, ground veal, and spices. Among the fowl-free choices on the $49.95 three-course prix fixe: lamb chops and shrimp scampi. A la carte options are also available and diners can choose to sit in the large enclosed heated garden, outdoor terrace, or indoor dining room. For dessert, which is included, pop next door to the family’s bakery.
Cafe Fiorello
Thanksgiving is $85 per person at Cafe Fiorello, and includes a holiday toast as well as a choice among appetizers like squash soup, little gem salad, or seafood risotto; a main course of turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, and gravy; and dessert of pumpkin or cranberry pecan pie. A full a la carte menu is also available.
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Bad Roman
For a light commitment at a playful spot, there’s the Bad Roman turkey plate for $56, which includes turkey breast, confit thigh, sweet Italian sausage and roasted mushroom, stuffing, Kabocha squash, and more. Reservations are available via OpenTable.
Le Rock
Thanksgiving is prepaid at the stylish Rockefeller Center Le Rock, for a $195, four-course menu that includes breads, a choice of chicory salad or sunchokes; beef tenderloin, halibut, or chou farci; profiteroles or sticky toffee pudding.
P.J. Clarke's
After the Thanksgiving Day parade, P.J. Clarke’s will feature Plymouth Rock oysters Rockefeller, prime rib, sweet potato gratin, cornbread chestnut, and sweet fennel sausage stuffing. And yes, there will be turkey with relish. It’s a $65 prix-fixe menu for adults and $45 for kids. There will be a la carte options available, too: burgers, cheesesteak egg rolls, and Maine lobster Cobb salad.
Fresco by Scotto
If you’re not with relatives of your own, the Fresco by Scotto is a good family substitute — a family-run restaurant from mother Marion and her daughters Rosanna (of Good Day New York on Fox 5) and Elaina Scotto, with its dining room and an outdoor space full of fall foliage. Lovers of Italian fare will appreciate their take on the holiday feast ($160 per person). The table gets started with pizza: appetizer choices include eggplant and zucchini Parmigiano and pumpkin agnolotti. Main dishes run from turkey to branzino to salmon, lamb, or rigatoni Bolognese, among others. Don’t leave without trying the cannoli.
Le Jardinier
For $195, it’s a three-course prix fixe at this Michelin-starred restaurant. Begin with a starter like Maine scallops with roasted pumpkin and lemongrass emulsion; or hiramasa, sweet potato and coconut, with grapes and sesame. Move on to turkey with cranberry coulis; king salmon with cauliflower; or risotto with squash, mushrooms and mimolette. Save room for pumpkin patch cheesecake mousse with candied ginger ice cream or pecan tart with maple ice cream.
Ci Siamo
Let chef Hillary Sterling and the staff at Ci Siamo make your holiday meal, which includes an onion torta or roasted delicata squash among primi choices; turkey saltimbocca, smoked duck, short ribs, or lasagna among secondi, and apple crostata or a lemon torta for dessert. It’s $148 per person and $78 for kids under 10.
Il Tinello
Not everyone wants a prix fixe for the holiday. For diners who would rather not commit to a large meal, or families with young children who prefer pasta to turkey, this ristorante in Midtown is a good option. In addition to the turkey and sweet potato holiday special, there is a menu with every classic including tableside Caesar salad, ravioli with veal and spinach, double cut veal chops and zuppa di pesce. Banana flambe is a festive finish.
Koloman
Markus Glocker’s Koloman has three options for Thanksgiving. There’s a to-go menu that’s $595 for four to six people that includes turkey, croissant stuffing, Brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and more — available for pickup, Wednesday, November 22. The restaurant has an in-person option for $165 ($105 for kids under 12) from noon to 8:30 p.m. The menu includes first course choices such as beef tartare or butternut squash; a second-course of salmon en croute or slow-roasted turkey; and desserts like apple strudel and chocolate fondant. At the bar, there’s an a la carte Thanksgiving dinner menu available, too.
Zaytinya
José Andrés’s Thanksgiving at Zaytinya will be offered on Wednesday, November 22 through Sunday, November 26 for $85 per person, including dishes like butternut squash hummus, fall vegetable horiatiki with beets, apples, and feta; and turkey kleftico, a confit with chestnuts and caramelized onions in phyllo. The wine pairing is $38.
Barbounia
Mediterranean and Middle Eastern accents enhance the $90 holiday menu, from starters of roasted pumpkin soup with sage and labneh; delicata squash “moussaka” with braised lamb and fresh herbs; and artichoke with turmeric aioli and sumac. Entrees include roasted turkey breast and thigh shawarma with Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and wild mushrooms; short rib tagine with Swiss chard, green chickpeas and harissa; and roasted red snapper with squash puree, hen of the woods, and sage beurre blanc.
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abcV
The $148 per person family-style offerings at this light, stylish spot from Jean-Georges Vongerichten includes potato dumplings, chicory salad, fried parsnips, roasted caraflex cabbage, and sides like potatoes with Sherry mushroom gravy. Desserts are a pumpkin sundae or a whiskey pecan date pie.
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Isabelle's Osteria
Each Thanksgiving, this upbeat Union Square spot slashes the price of all American wines in half, along with presenting an affordable three-course prix fixe ($78). Chef James Tracey, who also helms Monterey in Midtown, offers appetizers like cauliflower with Meyer lemon and shishito peppers; burrata with figs, pomegranate, arugula and mint; and entrees of pumpkin risotto; beef tenderloin, and pork Milanese in addition to classic roast turkey.
Osteria 57
A vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner is delivered to your home for $180 a ticket, with reheating instructions included. Appetizers include Brussels sprouts and kale salad; main courses are butternut squash lasagna, mushroom Wellington, stuffing, and two sides. Dessert is an apple tart. Pre-order until November 21 for Wednesday pickup.
Hearth
Hearth will be serving a traditional three-course family-style feast from 1 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. for $128 per person with an optional wine pairing for $42. (Kids under 12 are half price). Look for pear and pecorino salad and biscuits with honey butter to start; turkey and traditional sides; and pumpkin panna cotta or apple crostata for dessert.
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Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria
Il Buco Alimentari’s Thanksgiving menu — with antipasti, tortellini, turkey or mackerel, sides like Brussels sprouts and stuffing, and apple crostata or flourless chocolate cake — is $110 per adult and $55 for kids, available from noon to 8:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving. il Buco Alimentari Thanksgiving To-Go is also available, which features a la carte items (turkey, stuffing, sides, breads) or a complete Thanksgiving dinner for up to up to ten people for $500.
Soogil
For a Korean-meets-French-inspired Thanksgiving meal, chef Soogil Lim has put together a menu of honeynut squash, boneless turkey roulade stuffed with turkey farce and foie gras, and beef Wellington. Dessert ranges from chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream or mango sorbet in a meringue shell filled with vanilla bean mascarpone. The menu is $145 per person.
Twenty Three Grand
Twenty Three Grand features a garden vibe beneath a spectacular retractable pergola. For $135 per person, it’s three courses that includes breads, soup, turkey or prime rib or salmon, green beans, salad, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin or apple pie.
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Maison Premiere
This year, Maison Premiere will offer a three-course, prix-fixe menu from noon to 10:30 p.m. with choices like honeynut squash, duck rillette, or a chicory salad; turkey roulade or steelhead trout, or stuffed delicata squash for mains; traditional sides like pomme puree or oyster stuffing; and assorted pies from Four & Twenty Blackbirds. It’s $95 per person.
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Morgan's Brooklyn Barbecue
Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue is offering catering (order by Monday, November 20) as well as dine-in options for Thanksgiving, including a whole smoked organic, free-range turkey ($220), as well as a whole smoked turkey with sides like green beans, stuffing, and sweet potatoes as well as compotes and gravy for $325.