Upper East Side eats?
Meeting some friends from out-of-town on Saturday night for dinner. They're staying near 86th and Park and we'd like to go somewhere in the neighborhood for dinner. My knowledge of eats in the area is pretty weak. Looking for something casual and tasty. Any suggestions?
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12 Comments:
If atmosphere is not too much of a concern, I really like Cafe Mingala on 2nd Ave b/w 72nd and 73rd for amazing Burmese food. I also love Pio Pio on 1st and 91st for Peruvian food (mainly chicken). Nick's on 2nd and 94th is great for thin crust pizza. Only caveat is that I haven't been back to these restaurants in a few years as I moved out of the neighborhood. Good luck!
devaleena at 10:36AM on 08/22/08
the heidelberg (2nd and 85th) for some wurst and great beer! outdoor seating too.
ceforrester at 10:40AM on 08/22/08
If your group is small (four or fewer), Uskudar at 74th (give or take) and 2nd is a wonderful, family-run Turkish restaurant with great food and good street cred - -I once saw the late Turkish music mogul Ahmet Ertegun eating there with his wife...
eleeb at 1:20PM on 08/22/08
My favorite place is Tony DiNapoli on 2nd and 84th, They do family style meals. A salad, pasta and meat dish feed 4 easily.
Place is loud but the food is out of this world.
curiousnyc at 1:28PM on 08/22/08
There's pretty good Greek food and a friendly atmosphere at Ithaka on 86th and 2nd (old friends and Retsina go hand in hand!):
http://www.menupages.com/restaurantdetails.asp?areaid=0&restaurantid=121&neighborhoodid=0&cuisineid=29
And if you go you'll be just across the street from one of the best little bakeries, Two Little Red Hens, for dessert: http://www.twolittleredhens.com/
The bakery close at eight, so you might want to pick up from there first.
rrakes at 3:37PM on 08/22/08
Also, I agree with deva on the Pio Pio rec: its a good place to share a delicious mess of chicken and sides. Would be a bit of a walk from Park & 86th, however.
rrakes at 3:41PM on 08/22/08
Uva on 2nd between 78/77 is pretty good italian. Simple, but the service can be spotty every once in a while.
pemabuk at 4:28PM on 08/22/08
What about Donguri, Square Meal (Yura's restaurant), Etats-Unis, JG Melon, or Wu Liang Ye?
kathryn at 6:49PM on 08/22/08
Thanks everyone for the recommendations!
Alaina Browne at 6:57PM on 08/22/08
Oh, yeah, Wu Liang Ye is great!
devaleena at 7:00PM on 08/22/08
There's a great Thai place called Land between 81 and 82 I think on 2nd that is quite inexpensive for lunch or dinner, with GREAT thai food. Some of the best I've eaten :)
teenagefoodie at 10:39AM on 08/25/08
We ended up at Square Meal. Picked up a bottle of wine at K&D beforehand, and arrived about 10 minutes early for our 8:15 reservation. Got the distinct impression that everyone there is there every Saturday night, a real neighborhood place. I also think we were the youngest party present. Once we were seated, service was slow but friendly. We didn't mind too much since it gave us a chance to catch up with our friends. I had the pan-roasted chicken with potato pancakes and blueberry pie for dessert. Both were excellent, especially the pie. Would happily eat there again.
Alaina Browne at 11:30AM on 08/25/08