Rucola, Colonie, River Deli, La Vara, French Louie

Check out Colonie on Atlantic Ave. maybe a ten minute walk from the hotel

Gage tollner is walkable and historic, tiki bar upstairs

Sofreh

Vinegar Hill House! Plus fantastic food and service. Our most recent Valentine’s Day was there and it was just perfect

Saga will probably get a star (it’s still new) given that their sister restaurant (Crown Shy) has one. the ambience and view are something else.

Other places suggested so far are ones I’d be inclined to agree with as well - Kreuther, Coucou, River Cafe (the food is fine, The ambience is magic)

Per Se not so high on but YMMV.

River Cafe

L'appart. About 5 tables total in this quiet restaurant.

So far my favorite romantic one was gabriel kreuther. Went for a dating anniversary, they let us sit in the kitchen table for dessert. Gave us an extra dessert. And food is delicious

Le Coucou

I am going to my favorite restaurant in NYC on Valentine’s Day: Park Side. It’s in Queens though and extremely old school, like walking into a Time Machine of old NYC.

However, if you’re looking for something a little nicer, may I recommend Keen’s? It’s very classy, centrally located and has been great forever.

You'd like Osteria 57, Scarpetta, Le Coucou (might be close to your top budget), La Mercerie, or if you don't mind a bit of a trek Bacaro might beat them all by having an Italian grotta feel by being candlelit in a basement (it's way more romantic than it may sound and the food is exceptional!).

For romantic Italian I have a soft spot for the original iL Buco. It’s cozy, warm, very small without feeling crowded and the food/service is great. They have specials that aren’t on the menu, every time I’ve gone it’s included a steak if you’re in the mood to split a big piece of beef instead of going to a proper steakhouse.

That being said I haven’t been in a year, and our friend group defaults to alimentari around the corner for a more casual vibe but curious if people come out of the Reddit woodwork to give an opinion on this one.

Editing to add Brooklyn if you are considering exploring:

Bar Bete, La Vara, Vinegar Hill House, Chez Ma Tante

Cecconi in Dumbo has a good atmosphere.

Go to the Ritz Carlton Nomad, get a drink in the lobby bar, get a snack in the Nubeluz....

Check out:

Celestine (DUMBO, Brooklyn)

St. Anselm (sit at the bar) in Williamsburg

The Binc or Henry's End in Brooklyn Heights (rarely packed and you can walk to the Promenade for amazing views after dinner. Also close to FiDi)

Shalel Lounge on the UWS is one my favorites and fits what you're looking for.

Lil Frankies in the east village, it’s pretty cozy and dimly lit. Cash only, reasonable prices.

Assuming you drink, look for restaurants that do BYOB—that will be the major roadblock to spending less than $60/person. Eg, Tartine or piccola strada would come in way under budget.

The 💖💖💖 Valentine's Megathread 💖💖💖 has a list of places that should be of interest to you and links to similar questions.

If you don’t drink that really opens things up. I’m late to the party so this is gonna be as much for me as you! Love playing this game. Will try not to offer repeats.

WV - LArtusi and Voula. Someone mentioned LArtusi but I’m gonna add it anyway cause it’s that damn good and sounds like just what you’re lookin for

GV - Loring Place and North Square

NoHo - Bohemian and Bond St

NoLita - Peasant and Musket Room

SoHo - Cocotte and La Sirene

Hell’s Kitchen - Gloria and Print

Gramercy - Casa Mono - it’s a Batali restaurant tho :/ and Maialino

East Village - Hearth and Prune

Flatiron - Cosme and Nur

LES - Le Turtle and Contra

Marea on Central Park South is outstanding and can be kept under $200 if you aren’t drinking. Two Michelin stars. Some of the best food in the city. Maybe the best restaurant in New York that doesn’t require a fixed menu

Hangawi on 32nd.

Korean food, very lovely atmosphere. Take off your shoes when you enter and sit on pillows. Pre-fixe for 80 a plate but they have individual entrees for 20 dollars.

Does a fantastic job of feeling upscale without totally breaking the bank and the food is some of the best I've ever had despite not being crazy about korean food in general.

ABC Cocina

Mercer Kitchen

Barbounia

If you're really down for anywhere, I'd recommend the following for romantic atmospheres:

• Lucali (Carroll Gardens), gotta get here early to put your name down for a reservation in-person and then hang out at a nearby bar for a bit
• Vinegar Hill House (DUMBO), out of the way but A+ atmosphere
• Buvette (West Village)
• I Sodi (West Village)
• Prune (East Village), I don't care for Gabrielle Hamilton as a person but solid food
• Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels (Nolita), more of a wine bar but great mood

St. Anselm in Williamsburg

I have never encountered a problem with this. While they have pillows to set on, the area under the tables dips down so you can sit as if it were a chair rather than kneeling. I'm assuming people with stinky feet just put their feet under the table which mostly masks it?

Evelina in Fort Greene if either of you like Italian food!

Try Chez Ma Tante, Glassiere, El Born, or Maman in Greenpoint, easy to get to from W'Burg or Queens.

Bamontes if you want some old school Italian American charm vs modern/trendy

Rule of Thirds - really cute space and good food

Achilles Heel - cozy. They have a fire place inside

I’m here for this NYC love story OP, please keep us posted

Celestine

How’d it go?

The ferry goes there from Williamsburg, nothing mor e romantic than that

Spaghetti Incident in the LES is amazing for this. And it's delicious. Supper also might slide into your options. No reservations there tho.

Zest is a great sushi spot that has an amazing happy hour daily. LES also. Cute little place.

The Wayland in ABC is pretty solid. Live jazz some nights and very romantic if you get a table or even at the bar.

You could get thru Ippudo for under $20. Might not be super romantic but it's great.

Happy to extend into Brooklyn if you'd like options in Williamsburg or Bushwick and a few surrounding spots.

Da Andrea on 13th between 5th and 6th Avenues is in this price point. Ciccio is the high end of your range (SoHo). Ramen places in the East Village (RaiRaiKen) also fits.

Edit: removed Il Corallo Trattoria. Affordable and good, but not super chic or romantic. Gallo does fit, and has a good atmosphere, too.

Russ and Daughters Cafe on the LES

Cotenna, West Village, iirc $14 a plate of pasta

Brindle Room in East Village

Next weekend is a toughie for most of the real blowout ones. Typically most restaurants open their books a month in advance, and they get booked out pretty much right away. I’d highly recommend checking the following and, if there are no openings, set up Resy/Opentable notifications for cancellations;

A) True, fancy fine dining:

• Saga
• The Modern
• Per Se
• Le Bernadin (disclosure I didn’t like le Bernadin but many people do, and there’s no doubting that it is held as a North Star of NYC fine dining. I can vouch that the others are awesome, IMO)

B) Not ‘fine dining’ but fancy, romantic and special with excellent service

• The Grill (you might actually be able to get a reservation here without hoping for a cancellation, and it is amazing)
• The Monkey Bar
• Le Coucou

I’m going to be honest and say that personally I find the category B spots to be more romantic as they are more relaxed and less stuffy, but still incredible in terms of ambience and service. But that’s simply personal taste!

River Cafe - shockingly good food and it’s the most romantic restaurant.

The Modern

Aska

Aquavit

Jungsik

Gabriel Kreuther

Gramercy tavern

As you probably noticed, people in this sub have a very broad understanding of what romantic is 😂 For some it is a French old school spot like Minetta Tavern which agree with. Others recommend you bs tourist traps like Carbonne or steakhouses like the grill. Some people really focused on your requirements and listed Le Bernardin and Jean-George’s which are great but IMO way too formal to be considered romantic.

Definitely look up Minetta Tavern, but it might be too late to get a reservation. In my opinion, Maison Premiere in Williamsburg screams romantic as well, and getting a table will be much easier. I’d definitely also look up River Cafe and I think they have a highest chance to compromise your desires of fine dining experience with a romantic atmosphere.