Want to go big this Valentine’s Day? Great! We know a thing or two about romance, starting with the ultimate way to a person’s heart. (Spoiler: It’s through their stomach.) These swoon-worthy spots have just what you need to sweep your S.O. off their feet—and considering the 14th lands on a Friday, you can stay off your feet all weekend.
Jungsik in Tribeca
For those who want: Ultraluxe Korean fare designed to spoil you and your beloved.
What you’re eating: Osetra caviar mounted atop tuna belly; the ocean’s foie gras (sea urchin) sitting pretty on roasted seaweed rice; lobster served two ways (grilled and confit); handheld tuna kimbap stuffed with truffled rice; and a whimsical showstopping dessert from pastry chef Eunji Lee.
What it will cost you: $325 per person; optional wine pairing for an additional $225.
Belle Harlem in Manhattan
For those who want: Homemade romance served by two lovebirds.
What you’re eating: Smoky chicken terrine; dry-aged pork chops and fried apples in a champagne reduction; lobster crostini floating on a pool of chilled potato-leek soup; crab-and-caviar dip; a decadent selection of cheeses; strawberry cheesecake blended into ice cream; and a complimentary glass of bubbly to wash it down.
What it will cost you: $200 per person.
Sushi Ginza Onodera in Midtown East
For those who want: A taste of the super-rare Omakase berry inside a sushi temple.
What you’re eating: Tropic-kissed coconut panna cotta with a luscious strawberry sauce; fruity takes on the French 75 and a G&T; a sweetly pink ichigo champagne; and rye whiskey and Suntory vodka dolloped with a fresh oishii strawberry.
What it will cost you: À la carte.
Hart’s in Bedford-Stuyvesant
For those who want: To completely forget it’s Valentine’s Day.
What you’re eating: Succulent beef tongue and fried herring; devilishly spicy chicken fra diavolo; garlicky head-on prawns and pungent garlic bread; uni-topped latkes with aioli; a citrus-forward blood orange ricotta tart; and a stinky cheese fondue.
What it will cost you: $70 per person.
701West in Times Square
For those who want: The height of luxury in midtown’s beating heart.
What you’re eating: A rose-shaped beet salad essenced with spiced oil and mulled wine sauce; sweet quail paired with polenta and black trumpets; an earthy black truffle tagliatelle accompanied by braised escarole and celery root; and dessert blushed in pink—sweet lychee sorbet with floral rose jam and beautiful hibiscus and raspberry hearts.
What it will cost you: $175 per person; wine pairing for an additional $125.
Senso Unico in Sunnyside
For those who want: Trattoria treats from born-and-bred Italian Vincenzo Garofalo.
What you’re eating: Creamy buffalo mozzarella paired with prosciutto and pistachio dressing; savory fish cakes and aioli with plenty of heat; lobster-stuffed ravioli swimming in saffron cream; the filet mignon of your carnivorous dreams; and a simply sweet strawberry shortcake.
What it will cost you: $49 per person.
Momofuku Kawi in Hudson Yards
For those who want: To be wined and dined on two consecutive nights by David Chang–approved chefs.
What you’re eating: Platters of kimbap and cured crudo; spicy roasted rice cakes; generously portioned dry-aged strip loin and a whole fish served with the works (we’re talking decadent potatoes, kimchi, and punchy pickles); and mile-high shaved ice.
What it will cost you: $95 per person; drink pairings for an additional $45–$70.
Ilili in NoMad
For those who want: A colorful tasting around the Mediterranean.
What you’re eating: Lamb and beef meatballs blanketed in a cherry sauce; all kinds of exotic dips, from fresh labneh to the nutty-fruity mouhamara; freekeh-based risotto with maitakes and truffles; duck l’orange singing sweet notes of honey; raspberry mousse (literally) elevated by puff pastry; and savory salmon roe pancakes as an amuse-bouche.
What it will cost you: $129 per person.
Hyun in Koreatown
For those who want: An intimately meaty affair in midtown’s most exciting stretch.
What you’re eating: High-quality A5 Wagyu beef served in four different dishes—raw chuck tender with sea urchin and caviar; marinated short ribs with soybean paste–topped radishes; tenderloin-stuffed serrano pepper skewers; and the chef’s cut with optional pickle pairings and grillable cheese.
What it will cost you: $165–$195 per person; optional Korean drink pairing for an additional $35, or wine-and-sake pairing for an additional $60.
Atrium Dumbo in Brooklyn
For those who want: Four courses of Parisian enchantment.
What you’re eating: Tempura oysters and wasabi roe; exotic rutabaga-coconut soup with cardamom toffee; roasted monkfish and turnips with a creamy porcini broth; spaghetti tossed in a smoked yolk puree; and a pearly white panna cotta with rose-hibiscus gelée.
What it will cost you: $85 per person; wine pairing for an additional $45.
Wallsé in the West Village
For those who want: A high-end taste of liebe.
What you’re eating: Pacific Northwest oysters and sturgeon caviar; blushing beet borscht spiked with horseradish; braised fennel kissed with pink grapefruit; hearty Wiener schnitzel and lingonberries; roasted lamb rack with chanterelles and semolina dumplings; and a dessert dome made out of white chocolate.
What it will cost you: $165 per person.
Olmsted in Prospect Heights
For those who want: A swoonable, family-style New American feast.
What you’re eating: Oysters galore—a modernized reimagining of a popular 1920s dish, lobster thermidor; stroganoff and spaetzle coupled with black truffle; kale crab rangoon served in a takeout box; duck straight from Long Island; and a Valentine’s sundae perfect for two.
What it will cost you: $125 per person.
Pasquale Jones in Nolita
For those who want: Wood-fired comfort food that’s perfect for cuffing season.
What you’re eating: Wild bass and Maine uni crudo; 2019’s most notorious ingredient—foie gras—paired with cranberry mostarda; a sweet, nutty tortelloni; Dover sole coated with brown butter and Meyer lemon; 45-day dry-aged New York strip for two; a New Haven–style clam pie; and chocolate budino that’s equally salty, sweet, and savory.
What it will cost you: $100 per person; pizza for an additional $25.
