There are difficult reservations to get and then there are the ones that are nearly impossible to come by. Some require the use of an inside phone number, while others don't have any phone numbers at all. Eater took a survey of restaurants that are the toughest to crack, and came back with a final culled list of The Ten Most Wanted Resys.
1) Rao's: The famous Italian joint is an obvious shoe in for the number one spot except for one lingering question: Do they even take reservations? All signs point to no. With only ten tables and one seating per night, there's pretty much zero chance you're getting a table here unless you've got some old school "connections."
455 E. 114th St., 212-722-6709.
2) Momofuku Ko: David Chang's 12-seat, prefix only restaurant is famous for it's impossible to crack online reservations system. Chang makes no exceptions for VIP's, as evidenced by the now famous story that the chef wouldn't even let his own parents skip the line.
163 1st Ave., No phone number, online resys here.
3) Minetta Tavern: Whether or not the much talked about "no civilian" reservation policy actually exists, it's been well documented that snagging a table between 5:30 and 11 is an almost impossible feat. Some hope: despite its celebrity supper club status, anyone can order off the full menu at the bar.
113 MacDougal St., 212-475-3850.
4) Blue Hill at Stone Barns: The Tarrytown outpost of Blue Hill is a bit of a trek, but offers something that no place else in the city does--a farm. New Yorkers are willing to book out over two months in advance for the thrill of stepping on to a real farm and, of course, eating Dan Barber's food.
630 Bedford Rd., 914-366-9600.
5) Monkey Bar: The newer half of Graydon Carter's empire of exclusivity, Monkey Bar may seem to make more of an attempt at accessibility than the Waverly Inn, but it's actually tougher to get in to. Non celebs and non friends of Vanity Fair can try the email resy line, but a better bet is walking in very late or very early.
60 E 54th St., resys by email to monkeybar@newyork.com
6) Waverly Inn: It's a fair statement to say that Graydon Carter's original West Village club house (see midtown incarnation a few spots down) is talked about more for its scene than its food. With no phone number listed, it's tough to get a gauge of how far in advance the place is actually booked, but it doesn't really matter. Getting access is no easy feat, but walkins are not unheard of.
16 Bank St., no phone number.
7) The Little Owl: Joey Campanaro's West Village neighborhood spot has less than a dozen tables, half of which are reserved for walk ins. The restaurant books tables a month in advance and those tables are almost always filled within a few hours.
90 Bedford St., 212-741-4695.
8) Momofuku Noodle Bar's Fried Chicken Dinner: These insanely popular dinners use the same online system as Ko does, but allow diners to look at four weeks of red Xs, rather than just one. Those managing to get one can bring along three to seven of your their friends.
171 1st Ave., online resys here.
9) Eleven Madison Park: Danny Meyer's crown jewel has always been popular, but when Bruni bestowed EMP with a coveted four star review last month, things went to a whole new level and seems to have surpasses Gramercy Tavern in popularity...for now.
11 Madison Park, 212-889-0905.
10) The Standard Grill: From the beginning, The Standard Grill had its fair share of celebrity guests. When the highline opened, bringing even more people into MePa, a table was even harder to come by. Now the grill is scheduled to open a Gutenbrunner helmed beer garden and the hotel itself just unveiled The Boom Boom Room. None of this makes getting a resy any easier.
848 Washington St., 212-645-4100.
—Matt Duckor
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