New Yorkers know that Restaurant Week is the absolute best time to dine out in the city. And this summer’s latest installment of the popular prix-fixe menu program (starting on July 21) is catching New York’s dining scene at its best.
Hundreds of restaurants across the city will throw open their reservation lists to New Yorkers eager to try something new — or to revisit an old favorite. Participating restaurants will once again be offering prix-fixe menus at a special pricing ($30, $45, $60) for lunch and/or dinner.
Reservations open on July 15, and the program runs from Monday, July 21 to Sunday, August 17.
In the past, I’ve gone to at least four or five restaurants during Restaurant Week, usually places in my own neighborhood that I’ve yet to experience. But it also makes a perfect opportunity to visit another neighborhood — another borough even! — to try something different.
But if this special program lasts a month, why do we call it Restaurant Week? Because it’s a historically important program for the city’s restaurants which traces its origins back to the year 1992.
By the late 1980s, New York was beginning to emerge from a devastating financial crisis and decades-long loss of population. While New York during this decade was well known for its upscale eateries in trendy neighborhoods, many working class and midsize restaurants could not survive.
So when the Democratic National Convention came to Madison Square Garden in 1992, bringing in thousands of delegates from across the country, it seemed the crowds would overwhelm Midtown’s limited number of reasonably priced eateries. Most were not familiar with — or could not afford — more expensive fare.
In stepped Tim Zagat, from the famed Zagat Restaurant Surveys, and star restauranteur Joe Baum (The Rainbow Room, Tavern on the Green) with a novel prix-fixe program, arranging for 100 top New York restaurants to offer lunch for $19.92 a person for one week.
To everybody’s pleasant surprise, the program was overwhelmed with reservations from residents, not visitors. “I can honestly say that we’ve received over 3,000 phone calls requesting reservations for lunch next week,” said Barry Wine, owner of the four-star Quilted Giraffe.
The program has returned every year since — expanding to a winter and summer program. And, of course, today it’s no longer a week.
Thankfully! This gives you more time to visit as many places as your stomach can endure. Reservations open on today, July 15, and the program runs through Sunday, August 17.
Visit the Founded by NYC website for more information about the history of the program. To see a list of participating restaurants, head to the NYC Restaurant Week site. Bon appétit!
This post sponsored by FOUNDED BY NYC, celebrating New York City’s 400th anniversary in 2025 and the 250th anniversary of the United States in 2026. Read about all the exciting events and world class institutions commemorating the five boroughs legacy of groundbreaking achievements, and find ways to celebrate the city that’s always making history. foundedbynyc.com
