Fri 9 Oct
This was Friday, October 9.
One new room tonight and four return guests, every line re-read at each room’s own site this afternoon. A soba counter that has never taken a booking joins a steakhouse burger bar, an oyster-and-absinthe saloon, a deli-diner in its sixtieth year, and the uptown burger room that pours until 3am. Nothing here asks for a card or a login — the door is the reservation.
We never hold, resell or book a table. Availability moves minute to minute, so go early rather than late.
Cocoron
Lower East Side
The little soba house on Delancey Street where noodles are cut fresh and the broths do the talking — hot duck soba, cold dipping soba, a counter seat and a warm bowl sixteen steps from the door. It is the walk-in sibling of a noodle group whose other rooms are reservation-only, and it intends to stay that way.
The way in
walk in — no reservations are accepted at cocoron; the counter seats whoever arrives, and it is open every day from 12pm to 10:30pm with last order at 10:00
Why we say so
Their own site states "No reservations are accepted at cocoron," and prints "12 -10:30 pm (Last Order: 10:00) / 16 Delancey st. location / Open everyday" — re-read at their site today.
J.G. Melon
Upper East Side
The cottage on 74th Street that has served the city’s benchmark burger since 1972 — leather banquettes, cottage fries, a raw bar in back, and a room that feels like a club you didn’t need a member card for. A Friday here runs to 3am, long after the neighborhood has gone home.
The way in
walk in — the pub takes no reservations; Friday runs 11:30am to 3am with the kitchen closing at 2:40am
Why we say so
Their own site prints "Monday-Saturday: 11:30am to 3am (mon-thurs kitchen closes at 2:30am; fri & sat kitchen closes at 2:40am)" and, just below the schedule, "No Reservations."
Maison Premiere
Williamsburg
The oyster-and-absinthe saloon on Bedford Avenue — marble bar, absinthe fountain, a dollar-and-change oyster hour and the old bar manuals on the back bar. On a Friday the room runs from midday until 2am, and the bar half of it answers to nobody with a booking.
The way in
walk in — walk-ins are always welcome at the bar, and in the dining room depending on availability; the Friday bar pours from 12pm to 2am
Why we say so
Their own site states "Walk-ins are always welcome at the bar, as well as in the dining room, depending on availability," and its bar hours list "Friday 12 p.m. – 2 a.m."
Sarge's Delicatessen & Diner
Kips Bay
The Third Avenue deli-diner that has fed the neighborhood since 1964 — matzo ball soup, a triple-decker brisket club, corned beef carved to order among booths and brass. The old New York supper hour without a single gimmick.
The way in
walk in — booths and counter are first come; their site offers pickup, delivery and a phone, and no way to book a table, and indoor dining runs 10am to 10pm all week
Why we say so
Their own site banner prints "Indoor dining 7 days a week from 10am-10pm," and no reservation link exists anywhere on it — re-read at their site today.
Raoul's
SoHo
The old French bistro on Prince Street where the dining room belongs to Resy and the bar belongs to the street — 12 burgers au poivre a night, served at the bar only, to whoever is sitting there when the kitchen calls them. A Friday stool here is the hardest free seat in SoHo and the best.
The way in
walk in — the bar is seated first come, first served at all times; the bar opens at 5pm and the twelve burgers of the night are bar-only
Why we say so
Their own site states "The bar is seated on a first come, first served basis at all times," and "Our bar opens at 5pm our kitchen opens at 5:15pm" — re-read at their site today.
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.
We loaded every one of these pages ourselves before writing this. Check their hours again before you put your coat on.
Tonight’s five are here.