Courtesy of Gage & Tollner
Where to Go for Thanksgiving Dinner If You Don’t Want to Cook
You couldn't be in better hands leaving the cooking, cleaning, bureaucracy, and general shlep of Turkey Day, just for once, to the pros
For some of us, Thanksgiving dinner is a wondrous and welcome gathering of loved ones from far and wide for a meal championed all year long. And for others, well, it’s just not. Due to reasons they may or may not have any control over, a path less conventional, less reliant on delegation and wading complicated family/friend dynamics with messy histories, may be more suitable for their particular situation. And to that, we could not be more empathetic.
So, if you’re skipping the canned cranberry at your problematic uncle’s house this year, or passing on a potluck invitation from a roommate you met on Craigslist, or if the prospect of flying anywhere for any reason at all feels unreasonably daunting at the moment—there’s absolutely nothing wrong with any of these considerations. And just know that if you are ready to call it, the city isn’t suddenly taking a night off or anything, and you couldn’t be in better hands leaving the cooking, cleaning, bureaucracy, and general shlep of Turkey Day, just for once, to the pros.
Whether you’re looking for classics or abandoning tradition completely, there are a ton of options for the night. From decadent, carefully curated multi-course menus to full-blown feasts to meals seemingly designed to skip the drama and get right to that blissful late-night leftovers moment (overlooking to Manhattan skyline, no less), here’s where to go for Thanksgiving dinner in Brooklyn when you don’t want to cook.
Courtesy of Lele’s Roman
Lele’s Roman
252 Schermerhorn St.
A recent addition to Downtown Brooklyn’s Ace Hotel is offering the opportunity to do as the Romans did or would with a modern Brooklyn twist. Lele’s Roman, the new all-day restaurant inspired by Rome’s Trastevere neighborhood, in the hotel’s growing food program, is gearing up for its first Thanksgiving service. They’re going a la carte—guests can start on a kale salad with radicchio, roasted butternut squash, pomegranate, and white balsamic. They’ll also be serving a classic roasted turkey with whipped potatoes, haricot verts, and chestnut stuffing with ample gravy. And there’s a banger for dessert: A warm apple crostada served with creamy Fior Di Latte ice cream. Yes, please, and thank you.
Courtesy of Bar Blondeau
Bar Blondeau
80 Wythe Ave.
Yes, you want to get dressed and go somewhere nice. No, you don’t want to eat until you can’t breathe. If you’re looking for something that’s sexy and in the holiday spirit but low lift, Bar Blondeau in the Wythe Hotel is the go-to—no multi-course menu necessary. Think turkey club sandwiches, classic pot pies, pumpkin spice espresso martinis, and hot apple cider cocktails punctuated by warm pumpkin pie, with beautiful Manhattan views to keep it cute. It’s like showing up for the late-night leftovers meal after your weird uncle’s already drunk himself into a nap—but so, so, so much better.
Courtesy of Frankie’s Sputino
Frankie’s Spuntino 457
457 Court St.
Famously a Jeremy Allen White fave, Frankie’s is an Italian-American classic in Carroll Gardens that’s been around for 20 years. For this Turkey Day, it’s going full Friendsgiving feast. This year’s menu includes four appetizers for the tables. The entrees are a turkey plate with delicata squash with risotto, Stika Sound salmon, or a classic rigatoni dish. There are five sides: Relish, turkey confit and wild mushroom stuffing, yummy candied sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts, and cacio e pepe. And, for dessert, the hits: Pumpkin and apple pie. Seating will be available in both the main dining room and a heated holiday garden. It’s $115 per adult, $55 for children under 10, and there’s a $60 wine pairing available.
Courtesy of Gage & Tollner
Gage & Tollner
372 Fulton St.
Get really old New York with your turkey day and pull up to the 146-year-old Downtown Brooklyn eatery. Gage Tollner’s Thanksgiving program for this year is a family-style meal centered on the bird itself. Each table gets roasted turkey breast and braised leg with cornbread stuffing, roasted root veggies, creamed spinach, and parsnip mashed potatoes with gravy (of course). In addition to a choice of apps and veggies, their staple seafood towers and raw bar will still be available a la carte. It’s $135 per person.
Courtesy of Leland
Leland Eating & Drinking House
755 Dean St.
If you’re looking to be a little more adventurous for your Thanksgiving dinner, this Prospect Heights Mediterranean-inspired small plates restaurant has a fun menu. Leland Eating & Drinking House is doing a $85-per-head multi-course, family-style dinner on the fourth Thursday in November. The menu features a turkey take on porchetta with sourdough and shiitake stuffing. Of course, there are classics like mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie, but Leland’s take is breathing some life into the traditional holiday meal.
Courtesy of Meadowsweet
Meadowsweet
149 Broadway
Located steps from the Williamsburg Bridge, Meadowsweet is a New American restaurant with Mediterranean flavor. This year, they’re running back their three-course, prix fixe Thanksgiving dinner. Starters choices span crispy baby artichokes, scallops, or cavatelli and braised duck ragu. There’s also an entree for every flavor, with organic turkey breast, romanesco cauliflower barley-chanterelle risotto, Scottish salmon, spiced duck breast, or wagyu bavette as the mains. And, for a proper closer, you can’t count on something different here, whether you go with the almond cake, flourless chocolate cake, or maple crème caramel option (with a proper heads up, they’ll even prepare vegan variants of these for you). Tickets are $125, and kids under 12 are $45 each.
