After weeks of unseasonably warm temperatures, actual fall temperatures are on the way and it’s time to cozy up and feast on autumnal dishes. Thanksgiving is the celebration signaling that change, emblematic of coming together over a meal. While some people go the traditional route, others prefer an Italian family-style dining event or one with other international influences. Here are some festive options.
Read MoreWhere to Eat on Thanksgiving in Manhattan
From casual to fancy options
The Ellington
For a room that sophisticated enough for adults but also kid friendly, this dining room on upper Broadway fits the bill. Sautéed lobster cake with corn succotash and bacon-wrapped sea scallops join more traditional first courses. They include butternut squash bisque, turkey with buttermilk, mashed potatoes, seared salmon with vegetable risotto, or wild mushroom ravioli with truffles. Pumpkin cheesecake with cinnamon whipped cream and hazelnut gelato is a dessert option. There is a $25 kids menu which includes smaller versions of most of the adult options, along with dessert, of course.
Hoexters
The clubby brasserie has become quite a hit in the neighborhood, and is offering a $120 menu ($60 for children), that includes salad or butternut squash soup, followed by platters of turkey, prime rib, ham, and sides, and finally, apple crumble and pumpkin tart.
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Sojourn
The unassuming neighborhood spot has a $75 prix fixe that is loaded with options. Among the appetizer choices are butternut squash and kale salad, spicy tuna tartare crostini, and burrata with roasted tomato almond pesto. In addition to turkey, among nearly a dozen entrees, there’s dry-aged strip steak, duck breast with figs in a wine sauce, and black linguini with spicy lobster arrabbiata. Blueberry ricotta cheesecake and flourless chocolate cake with Nutella filling are worth saving room for.
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Bar Boulud
Experience Daniel Boulud in a more casual way at his Lincoln Center bistro, where escargot and tarte flambé share a starter list with honeynut squash and cauliflower sunchoke soup. Entrees include turkey with chestnut stuffing, wild mushroom fettuccine, salmon, and a burger with Angus beef, pork belly, and tomato compote raclette. A dark chocolate tarte is a memorable way to end the feast.
Frena
Chef Efi Naon has created a meal that begins with dips and breads, moves on to such starters as Roman-style artichokes, leek and Jerusalem artichoke soup with roasted chestnut, and grilled octopus with rice beans, olives, and labneh. Entrees include turkey with black truffle and veal sausage, or black Angus hanger steak with maitakes and smoked wagyu compote among others. Diners are sent home with turkey shawarma leftovers.
Yingtao
Aged duck topped with crispy tongue may not be your grandmother’s bird, and pickled squash, or celeriac and black truffle are not her sides, but the seven-course, $165 prix fixe at this Chinese-inspired fine-dining restaurant is a creative and flavorful alternative. It also includes foie gras, congee, and desserts of rice-cake crepe and duck-yolk cookies. This menu is also available from November 26 to 30.
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Loews Regency Hotel
Hotels are a customary and sophisticated place for New Yorkers to enjoy the festive meal, and this one, located on Park Avenue, has cushy seats and widely spaced tables, so you can easily converse with your family and friends, and not be overpowered by ambient noise. The $185 feast ($65 for children) includes such launchers as roasted butternut squash and Granny Smith soup, and entrees of roast turkey breast, herb-crusted filet of beef, seared halibut, or pumpkin gnocchi. Maple pecan pie is among the dessert options.
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Tony's Di Napoli
The popular Italian restaurant made a name serving family style, so it’s a natural for large parties, and a bargain at $49.95 for the Thanksgiving menu. It kicks off with pasta e fagioli soup or salad, and includes roast turkey with sausage stuffing, sweet potatoes, and cranberry sauce, followed by apple crisp dessert. For those who can’t resist the fried calamari or chicken Parm, the a la carte menu will also be available.
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Avra Rockefeller Center
Greek restaurants are generally closed on Thanksgiving, but Avra is keeping its Rockefeller Center location open. Just steps from the iconic tree, the bi-level space is adorned with wreaths, lights, and other holiday accoutrements. The $75 special includes butternut squash soup or salad, a roast turkey plate with stuffing, potatoes and string beans; and pecan or pumpkin pie. The regular menu will also be available, so you can always get your fix of octopus and lavraki.
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
One of the city’s best known families, the Scottos, represented here by Good Day New York’s Rosanna Scotto, her mother Marion, and daughter Jenna, creates an inclusive feeling at its Midtown restaurant, which is presenting a $165 meal. Start with grilled pizza margherita or potato and zucchini chips with gorgonzola, then move on to butternut squash soup, roasted squash agnolotti, or a salad of roasted artichoke. Entrees run the gamut from turkey to branzino to rigatoni Bolognese.
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Sempre Oggi
An three-course Italian-accented Thanksgiving is the $85 offer at this Upper West Sider that starts with chestnut pappardelle with turkey leg ragu, escarole and fennel salad, or squash soup. Mains include porchetta and almond-crusted halibut in addition to roasted turkey breast. Warm apple crostata and pumpkin cheesecake with rum caramel make a festive finish.
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Le Jardinier
If a Michelin-starred experience is your idea of a holiday celebration, this seasonal spot, filled with greenery, may be the way to go. The $210 menu begins with appetizers such as Maine scallops and kampachi with sweet potato. Apart from turkey with cranberry coulis, main selections include salmon with caraflex cabbage, and risotto served with red kabocha. Desserts include pumpkin patch cheesecake mousse with candied ginger ice cream, and pecan tart with bourbon-whiskey caramel.
Koloman
Markus Glocker’s Koloman offers Thanksgiving for $165 per person ($105 for kids under 12). The menu includes choices such as honeynut squash soup, foie gras and duck terrine, and slow-roasted turkey with croissant stuffing. Desserts range from apple strudel to pumpkin pie.
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Zaytinya
José Andrés’s Thanksgiving at Zaytinya will be offered on November 28 through December 1 for $125 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.
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Hawksmoor NYC
Hawksmoor is offering a British alternative to Thanksgiving. From 1 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, for $75, it’s a prime rib roast special with sides like beef-dripping roasted potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, carrots, buttered greens, and gravy. Walk-ins are welcome.
Isabelle's Osteria
Bottles of American wine are half price every Thanksgiving at this warm and welcoming Flatiron osteria where the $85 holiday prix fixe kicks off with such beginnings as burrata with fig and pomegranate, lobster bisque, tuna tartare, and cauliflower with meyer lemon and shishitos. In addition to roasted turkey with sides, entrees include filet mignon, risotto with butternut squash and stracciatella, roasted salmon with lentils and sofrito, mushroom lasagna, and chicken Milanese. Don’t miss the cranberry and apple crisp with vanilla gelato.
Bell Book & Candle
For a quintessential cozy American setting in the Village, the three-course family offering at this homey spot is a good choice. For $75 ($45 for children), offerings include pear and blue cheese salad or butternut squash soup, followed by turkey with sourdough-sage stuffing, chive mashed potatoes, and Brussels sprouts with bacon.
Cathédrale
A soaring triple-height ceiling and giant wire sculpture give drama to this East Village coastal Mediterranean from the Tao Group. Thanksgiving specials of turkey with roasted root vegetables ($62), cranberry compote, and holiday pies including brown butter bourbon pecan and creme fraiche, will be served alongside the a la carte menu. There are plenty of family-style alternatives including bouillabaisse with couscous and unlimited refills; whole roasted chicken “chasseur”; a 36 oz. Prime aged cote de boeuf with tableside sauce Diane; and veal porterhouse with sweetbreads and black truffles.
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Hearth
Hearth will be serving a traditional three-course family-style feast 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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Cha Cha Tang
For a Hong Kong take on the American tradition, John McDonald and Wilson Tang’s West Village room offers a smokey turketta with chicken and cabbage filling ($38), along with such trimmings as Chinese sausage stuffing, heirloom carrots with ginger scallion sauce, and brown sugar sweet potato puree with walnut streusel.
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Sartiano's
Sartiano’s is open for a la carte dining and will feature specials such as roasted heritage turkey with sides like potato puree, turkey sausage stuffing, Brussels sprouts, and gravy, along with pecan pie for dessert.
Le Botaniste
For a vegan who doesn’t want to be surrounded by tables of turkey, this plant-based organic spot that specializes in fresh, comforting food, is offering a takeout Thanksgiving bowl. It includes lentil-walnut balls, roasted vegetables, herbed mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce for a dinner for four to six people ($220). Food must be picked up the day before.
Tamarind Tribeca
Roasted pumpkin salad or oyster masala are starter options at this Tribeca Indian restaurant prepares its succulent bird in a tandoori oven, after a marinade of yogurt and spices ($33). For those who prefer only white meat, the butter turkey ($34) is a breast in tikka masala sauce, while butternut squash curry is a great vegetable option. Pumpkin halwa makes a sweet seasonal finish.