Thanksgiving conjures familiar images of food and family — as well as hours of toiling in the kitchen to prepare for it.
If you want to enjoy the fruits of the November 26 holiday but skip out on the labor, you're in luck: an ample number of restaurants around the city offer Thanksgiving dinners on Turkey Day.
DNAinfo New York has rounded up 23 of these restaurants. Unless otherwise indicated, they will take reservations as long as tables are available, though you should book early.
(We'll keep adding to this list as more restaurants announce their plans, so bookmark this link!)
►Manhattan
Corner Social, 321 Lenox Ave., Harlem
Offering: Three course prix-fixe menu, $55
With mushroom ravioli, roasted butternut squash bisque and a traditional turkey dinner, Harlem's Corner Social offers dishes that will sate the appetites of Thanksgiving purists and non-conformists alike. As a bonus, the restaurant will include a glass of wine in the price of the meal.
Tavern on the Green, 67 Central Park West
Offering: Three course prix-fixe menu, $125
From 12 to 11 p.m. on Thanksgiving day, executive chef John Stevenson will prepare diners a traditional Thanksgiving feast complete with roasted free range turkey, whipped potato puree, Brussels sprouts, candied yams and green bean casserole, among other Thanksgiving classics.
The Back Room, 153 W. 57th St., Midtown
Offering: Three course prix-fixe menu, $85
Located within the Park Hyatt hotel, the Back Room offers guests Thanksgiving classics like thyme-roasted heritage turkey paired with cranberry jam, sweet carrots and acorn swash. For more daring diners, the restaurant will serve up dishes like pumpkin farro with green apple and pecans, as well as a turkey liver mousse served with homemade pickles, onion chutney and sourdough croutons.
For those who want to enjoy the restaurant's Thanksgiving dinner at home, the Back Room offers a $420 pre-packaged meal for 6-8 people.
Madison Square Tavern, 150 W. 30th St., Chelsea
Offering: Three course prix-fixe menu, $50
Chef Walter Hinds will provide a Thanksgiving menu that works well for those with kids or dietary restrictions, including roast butternut squash soup, sautéed red snapper with blood orange butter, a roast turkey with cranberry chutney and black truffle gravy, as well as a baked ham with a bourbon-honey glaze.
The Fillmore Room, 146 10th Ave., Chelsea
Offering: Three course prix-fixe menu, $65
This gallery district restaurant offers guests appetizers such as squash and chestnut soup, honeycrisp apples and endive and turkey ricotta meatballs. Appetizers are followed by a choice of roasted turkey with garlic gravy and cranberry sauce, prime rib, trout or for vegetarians, a pumpkin and wild mushroom risotto.
Black Barn, 19 E. 26th St., NoMad
Offering: Prix-fixe menu, $75
Thanksgiving diners can get a close-to-home experience by eating their holiday dinners kitchenside at the Black Barn's "Kitchen Table" area. The dinner runs from noon to 8:30 p.m, and features an array of rustic goods like chestnut gnocchi; fennel, orange and bibb lettuce salad and turkey served with a sausage and apple stuffing.
Dewey's Pub, 135 W. 30th St., NoMad
Offering: Thanksgiving-themed foods
If you want to celebrate Thanksgiving before Thursday, chef Paulina Giorgio is cooking up a turkey sandwich on rye, served with homemade stuffing and cranberry sauce for $14. If guests want a little more holiday-inspired grub, they can indulge in pumpkin and apple pie for $8.
The Gander, 15 W. 18th St., Flatiron District
Offering: Four course prix-fixe menu, $85
Just over a year old, the critically-acclaimed restaurant boasts Thanksgiving staples like roasted turkey with gravy. For those who prefer fish to fowl, the New American restaurant offers sea trout tartare, and a pan-seared salmon with creamy bisque, black trumpets and squash.
KOA, 12 W. 21st St., Flatiron District
Offering: Prix-fixe menu, $39
Wedding Asian culinary sensibilities with an American palette, this Flatiron noodle shop will serve Thanksgiving day guests a turkey sorba (curry-flavored fried turkey, arugula and crispy potato with noodles and pickles); finger foods including yuzu shrimp and roast beef, and then a pumpkin cheesecake as dessert.
Tasca Chino, 245 Park Ave. S., Gramercy
Offering: Special Thanksgiving menu items
Blending Spanish and Asian cuisine, from 12 to 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving day chef Alex Urena will offer guests a cranberry and goat cheese soup ($10), butternut squash and pistachio oil dumplings ($10) and a turkey and coconut paella ($32).
élan, 43 E. 20th St., Gramercy
Offering: Three course prix-fixe menu, $68
From 1 to 8 p.m., the chefs at the contemporary American restaurant will offer patrons everything from smoked haddock chowder and crisp ricotta gnocchi to roasted turkey and cranberry compote. For dessert, try pastry chef Diana Valenzuela's apple crisp and pumpkin pies.
Tocqueville Restaurant, 1 E. 15th St., Union Square
Offering: Three course prix-fixe menu, $95
Pumpkin risotto, Moroccan spice braised lamb shank and truffled creamy parmesan grits with a sunny side up countryside egg are just a handful of non-traditional items on the Union Square restaurant's Thanksgiving menu. While waiting for food to arrive, guests can sip on a pear bellini ($14) or a Tocqueville Toddy ($15).
Pearl & Ash, 220 Bowery, Nolita
Offering: Six course prix-fixe menu, $75
The eatery, which opened in 2013, has been praised for its fresh takes on American cuisine, and will be offering a similar perspective for Thanksgiving. Pearl & Ash staff will serve six-day brisket with a yukon gold potato and black bread with cultured butter and fried sage, in addition to traditional Thanksgiving foods such as turkey and pumpkin pie. Seatings are available at 2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m.
Boqueria, 171 Spring St., Soho
Offering: À la carte Thanksgiving items
For the holiday, chef Marc Vidal will offer a Spanish twist on traditional Thanksgiving fare, with à la carte items such as Pavo a la Catalana, or a roasted turkey with raisins, dried apricots, pine nuts and mashed potatoes ($17); Calabazas Asadas, an acorn squash with hazelnuts, sage, cheese and a sherry reduction ($12); and for meat lovers a plate of Huevos con Panceta, or a fried farm egg with pork belly, Portobello mushrooms and potato cream ($16).
The Smith, 55 Third Ave., East Village
Offering: Three course prix-fixe menu, $62
On Thanksgiving, the multi-location brasserie will take up the turkey in several comfort food-oriented ways: traditionally roasting it, braising a turkey leg over a bed of parmesan polenta, and serving it in a pot pie. Likewise, guests can munch on mac and cheese, jalapeño corn bread and brioche stuffing as they wait for their main course.
Edi & the Wolf, 102 Avenue C, East Village
Offering: Three course prix-fixe menu, $63
The East Village establishment modifies Austrian cuisine for its Thanksgiving Day menu, which features turkey paired with white sweet potatoes and celery, a spaetzle with Brussels sprouts, butternut squash and poached egg, and a choice of apple strudel or pumpkin pie cheesecake for dessert.
The Fourth, 132 Fourth Ave., East Village
Offering: Three course prix-fixe menu, $58
Brasserie patrons will start their Thanksgiving off with a mug of hot spiced cider and continue their dining experience with a choice of a country ham polenta or burrata with a squash and root salad. Roasted turkey is offered as a second course, as is duck breast, rack of pork and pan-roasted hake.
Cafe Clover, 10 Downing St., West Village
Offering: Three course prix-fixe menu, $65
Equal parts healthy and tasty, the West Village eatery offers guests of all palettes something to savor. Turkey comes with a roasted mushroom dressing, giblet gravy and spicy cranberries. Sides such as baked acorn squash with a coconut sugar glaze and vegan-braised kale are bound to give non-meat eaters something to enjoy.
Recette, 328 W. 12th St., West Village
Offering: Four course prix-fixe menu, $85
Also the owner of The Gander, executive chef Jesse Schenker will serve up everything from roasted monkfish and a pumpkin, pancetta and sage succotash to roasted turkey with mac and cheese, sausage bread pudding and cranberry sauce.
Bouley, 163 Duane St., TriBeCa
Offering: Six course tasting menu, $175
The upscale French restaurant does not pre-announce its holiday menus, but in the past it has featured venison, Nantucket king codfish, Pennsylvania turkey and chilled Wellfleet oysters in its Thanksgiving menus.
►Brooklyn
Maison Premiere, 298 Bedford Ave., Williamsburg
Offering: Three course prix-fixe menu, $65
While best known for its oysters, the Williamsburg seafood spot doesn't shy away from Thanksgiving foods. Maison Premiere will whip up a turkey breast and stuffing for holiday traditionalists, but will also offer more under-the-sea variations such as a corn custard with lobster and chestnuts, hake with carrot and smoked onion, as well as sea scallops with farro and butternut squash.
The Farm on Adderley, 1108 Cortelyou Rd., Ditmas Park
Offering: Three course prix-fixe menu, $55
This year's Thanksgiving menu is still being finalized, but the laid back bistro has been praised in the past for its use of seasonal and local ingredients, and friendly service. For the holiday, the Ditmas Park establishment will have five two-hour table seatings from 12 to 8 p.m., and four two-hour seatings at the bar from 1 to 7 p.m.
Rose Water Restaurant, 787 Union St., Park Slope
Offering: Three course prix-fixe menu, $68
While the Park Slope restaurant's Thanksgiving menu changes a bit each year, guests can count on a heritage breed bird, seasonal soups and salads, and a turkey-alternative main course should you find the fowl to be a bit dry. Reservations need to be made by Friday, Nov. 20th, and can be made for groups of two to five between 2 and 7:30 p.m.
