Best Seasonal Restaurants in Downtown Brooklyn

Outstanding dining experience shared with out of town family who were guests for the holiday season. The River Cafe did not disappoint. The menu offered a dazzling array of options for each course and given the large selection, we were a bit concerned about their ability to deliver… we were extremely happy and quite frankly blown away by each course. The food was of the best quality, presented beautifully and tasted absolutely DELICIOUS. Our only disappointment was the water service - it seems so silly but we had to ask NUMEROUS times for water and wait and wait for our glasses to be refilled. This seems like a minor detail but a major annoyance that can be readily corrected. One other troubling detail that surprised us was the lack of toilet tissue in the Ladies Room- it appeared that no staff attended to the bathroom during our three hour meal. We raise these two points in support of The River Cafe’s commitment to excellence. A warm thanks to the Chef and their team for a wonderful meal and lovey dining experience.

First time going to the Plaza Hotel for afternoon tea. Pleasantly surprised with the quality and service considering the mixed reviews. Sandwiches were delicious and there seemed to be endless tea in the teapot. Mary was amazing at making this experience memorable! She was super nice, informative, and great at anticipating what works for us! Would definitely go back.

We booked a Saturday reservation and were seated immediately which was nice. We ordered the dumplings, Branzino and Pas Thai. The dumplings came with truffles on top and were excellent. The sauce could have been a bit more exotic than just the soy sauce and vinegar for a Thai place. the Pad Thai has very good taste with very tender shrimps. The fried Branzino was great with spicy mixture with hot pepper, papaya and other flavors. At $45 maybe it was a bit pricey. Service was great with right amount of taking empty dishes away and asking how the food was. Overall vibe was great because the tight space and antique look of the dining room. The decor is not fancy but has a certain style of its own. We also ordered a Thai iced tea and a beer which were tasty as well. Next time I will try curry dishes and Tom Yom Soup.

We were so pleased with our first visit to Carmine's. My husband and I usually travel to NYC alone, and have never gone before because we heard how large the portions are - and they are NOT kidding. There were 7 of us for dinner, and we shared a Caesar Salad, Cheesy Garlic Bread, Rigatoni Bolognese, Eggplant Parm, Veal Scallopini, and Tiramisu and it was perfect portions. Only thing we took home was the Garlic Bread (which the 19-year-old scarfed down likely before it made it to the hotel fridge.) Paul our server was fantastic - happy to see our family reunion the day after Christmas with family from Myrtle Beach. The restaurant is crowded and loud, so expect that - but it's a fun environment and you can tell it's mostly families just having a great time. This dinner capped off a perfect day celebrating the 19-year-old's first Broadway Show.

The dinner was spectacular in every way. Hygge in New York! The atmosphere was cozy, congenial and filled with Christmas cheer. Flowers and soft candle light everywhere. The punterelle salad was perfectly dressed with ample anchovies, the sea bream en papillote was tender and infused with deep flavor. Add a perfectly balanced negroni sbagliatto to start and the evening was perfect.