Sat 5 Sep
This was Saturday, September 5.
Saturday is the hardest night of the week to sit down in New York, so tonight all five keep no reservation book at all. The way in is the door, and it is earlier than you want it to be.
We never hold, resell or book a table. Availability moves minute to minute, so go early rather than late.
The Snail
Greenpoint
A small American bistro with a short bar at the front where people wait with a glass of wine, and a dining room kept soft and low behind it. It has the unbothered feel of a place the whole city has not got to yet.
The way in
walk in and give your name — no book for a two
Why we say so
Walk-in only for parties under seven, per their own site and their Resy venue page.
Bánh Anh Em
East Village
A narrow Vietnamese room with the kitchen open at the back and a counter facing the cooks, so the char and the turmeric reach you before the menu does. Close quarters, a handful of two-tops, and enough movement that two people at the counter feel part of it.
The way in
join the line — it forms outside around 5:15pm
Why we say so
No reservations, walk-ins only, per their own site and The Infatuation's walk-in guide.
Lucky Charlie
Bushwick
A coal-oven pizza room down in a basement that feels older than the block above it, signed ballpark photographs on the walls and Rat Pack records low over the tables. There is a bar along one side that pours long after the neighborhood has gone quiet.
The way in
walk in and take a bar seat — walk-ins only, late
Why we say so
Their own site says "walk-ins only" for the room at 254 Irving Avenue, and The Infatuation's walk-in guide says the same. Loaded again this afternoon.
Emilio's Ballato
Nolita
A room barely wider than a hallway, dim the way a room gets dim from age rather than design, with photographs of old regulars crowding every inch of wall. The murmur and the glassware have sounded the same in there for decades.
The way in
walk in before 7 — after that the line is the evening
Why we say so
Walk-in only, no phone reservations, per The Infatuation's walk-in guide and their current listed hours. They keep no site of their own to link.
Bar Pitti
Greenwich Village
A yellow awning, sidewalk tables spilling towards Sixth Avenue, and inside a tight room of paper tablecloths and black-and-white photographs. It runs on a chalkboard and a host who reads the line at a glance.
The way in
walk in before 6:30pm and ask for the sidewalk
Why we say so
A no-reservation room, per The Infatuation's walk-in guide. They keep no site of their own, and the domain that carries their name has been taken over by someone else, so there is nothing here we will link.
None of these work tonight? Tell us what does — $12.
Your party, your neighborhood, your hour. One person researches tonight and sends three to five rooms with the way in, under 10 minutes.
Two of these five keep no book, so there is no page to send you to. That is the point of them.
Tonight’s five are here.