The best Valentine’s Day dinners in NYC you can still book

Menu: For the holiday, chef Telly Justice is preparing a seven-course menu inspired by flowers. Her Carolina gold rice broiche will be served with a swipe of chamomile butter and the grilled pork chop (or tempeh, if you opt for the vegan menu) will be accompanied by winter caponata, arugula pistou and fennel pollen. The desserts are just as sweet, featuring Strawberry Tres Leches with rose gelée and miso crème anglaise, and a truffle ice cream with chocolate mousse and lemon poppyseed cookies.

Why you should book: HAGS' whimsical nature makes it a shoo-in for a little romance, given that the team personally hand stamps each menu and charming heart-shaped lamps are just part of the everyday. But HAGS is one of those tiny places whose heart beats for all, no matter the season, serving stellar omnivore and vegan menus that are equally great. That, and the team welcomes all on Sundays to the pay-what-you-can brunch.

Price: $175 for the omnivore menu; $155 for the vegan menu. Rose-centric wine pairings and non-alcoholic pairings are available to add on for an additional fee.

Menu: For Valentine's Day, chef Alex Chang is adding a few new items for the occasion. Think turnip cakes with a bump of Kristal caviar and a washugyu filet with Hudson Valley foie gras and black truffle-soy jus. Couples can split the profiterole with cognac and a scoop of hojicha ice cream for dessert.

Why you should book: A little over a year old, Kiko is still a bit of a secret something in New York. The Hudson Square restaurant is certainly a cozy find, as the entryway reveals exposed brick and handsome woods. Plus, the fireplace with its tableau of leather seating and mohair rugs mimics that of a chalet in winter. Alex Chang's cookery ties it all together with dishes rooted in his Chinese and Mexican heritage, paired with expertly selected wines handpicked by his wife and sommelier, Lina Goujjane. 

Price: Items are priced à la carte. 

Menu: Soothr is celebrating Valentine's Day all week long. From February 11–16, the Long Island location is serving a sharing-focused menu featuring crispy crab croquettes and Yaowarat pad mii with pan-fried egg noodles and roasted duck breast. The heart-shaped white chocolate mousse finishes it off, served with a rose-petal cake with raspberry sorbet and cognac sauce. And if you'd rather book on the big day itself, you'll be treated to live jazz in the dining room.

Why you should book: Soothr became one of our best new restaurants of 2025 for a reason. The LIC offshoot of the East Village original continues to serve excellent noodles, whole fish preparations and jewel-toned cocktails that look as good as they taste. The interior glitters just as bright as one end of the room reads like a sultry lounge, which is often home to nightly jazz sessions, while around the corner, you can find a zen-like garden scene. Oh, and in the evening, the back portion of the restaurant goes dark, serving Asian tapas and flights upon flights of housemade sato (a Thai fermented beverage) until the wee hours of the morning.

Price: Items are priced à la carte

Menu: Experience the latest from Michael White with an evening at Santi. Santi's Valentine's Day menu is sure to catch your eye with hand-rolled pastas, pan-roasted scallops, and grilled prime filet paired with bone marrow bread pudding, celery root, and sauce Bordelaise. A vegetarian tasting menu will also be available for the occasion.

Why you should book: Santi was recently named one of the very best Italian restaurants outside of Italy according to Condé Nast Traveler for its raw fish dishes and "seafood-inflected pastas." Not surprising for a place that houses its own pasta room. Truly, everything at Santi is a stunner, starting with the grand horseshoe bar that invites close conversation and the half-moon banquettes tucked in the den down below. White's expertise when it comes to speaking the language of Italian cuisine is what truly ties it all together.

Price: $195 per person

Menu: Take your lovebird to Birds this Valentine’s Day. The laid-back, jazzy lounge is going all in on the romance, with live tunes from the Kieran Brown Quartet. Guests will be welcomed with complimentary bubbles and oysters for the table, with reservations aligned to live music sets, each lasting approximately one hour. 

What to expect: Birds was opened by one of the owners behind the West Village's Sip & Guzzle, named the best new cocktail bars in the U.S. However, Birds is less about tinctures this, and infusions that, but rather a meticulous focus on doing justice to the classic cocktails. Meaning that sazerac in your hand? It may just be one of the best you've ever had. And as for what's on the plate, the team behind Lighthouse has doled out platters for the nibbling, including tuna tartare, marinated beans and shrimp cocktail.

Price: $75 per ticket; a $25 deposit is required. Food and drink are available for purchase.

Menu: Get up close and personal with a 19-course omakase experience at Saishin, situated on the roof of the Gansevoort Meatpacking District. Starting with a complimentary glass of Champagne, the omakase menu will weave through Wagyu tartare, Snow Crab and Hokkaido uni. 

Why you should book: Omakase counters can often spell exclusive, hidden-away affairs, where it is just you, the chef, and the quiet theater of it all. Not the case at Saishin. Meaning “something new," the restaurant located inside the Gansevoort Hotel shakes things up with a more casual feel backdropped by stellar views of the city beyond. 

Price: $175 per guest for the 5:30pm seating; $215 per guest for the 7pm or the 9:30pm seating

Menu: Artsy couples—this one is for you. Part restaurant, part immersive art installation, Pinky Swear is cooking up a four-course tasting menu so you can experience it all. Start with your choice of oysters with yuzu kosho creme or winter crudité before deciding between a kale salad or the savory doughnuts (we know what we will be picking). Oh, and chef Will Horowitz is bringing out his iconic short rib pastrami for the festivities, too. 

Why you should book: People don't just want dinner anymore; they want an experience, whatever that means. While it is hard to quantify, it is pretty easy to see that you can get both at Pinky Swear. The Lower East Side restaurant simultaneously acts as an immersive art gallery, featuring neon lighting, an interactive phone booth and art that can cost up to $20k if you are feeling spendy. An artist in his own right, chef Will Horowitz expresses himself in the kitchen via crudos with coffee jus and savory doughnuts. He still flexes his know-how around smoked eats, reviving his shortrib pastrami from his time at Harry and Ida’s. 

Price: $85 per person

Menu: Kings Co Imperial invites you to share the love with your dumpling over, well, some dumplings. Lovebirds can share the $45 Dim Sum for Two that cycles through all their hits: pork long dumplings, sesame noodles and pork and shrimp shumai crowned with a little fish roe.

Why you should book: Kings Co Imperial is low-key a solid option for date night, as its well-worn and dimly-lit interiors encourage a bit of a snuggle. That and Kings Co Imperial has been a longtime favorite for its food—particularly its Williamsburg location that just hit the 10-year mark. We've been known to frequent its tables for wok-seared dumplings and five pepper short ribs. Plus, we like it as an option for this V-day, as a reminder that you don't need to spend hundreds of dollars to show someone you care. 

Price: $45 Dim Sum for Two. The restaurant is also serving an à la carte menu. 

Menu: Park Rose is ushering in its first Valentine's Day in a big way. On both Friday, February 13th, and Saturday, February 14th, the restaurant invites couples to the dinner table with live music and modern Italian American eats. Mains include spicy pepperoni pizza with cherry peppers and hot honey, chicken Milanese with tomato beurre blanc and branzino piccata with lemon and artichoke.

Why you should book: Park Rose always feels like it's in bloom. The jewel box of a dining room blushes with rosy velvet booths, floral wallpaper and a ceiling that cascades with greenery. Chef Carsten Johannsen's menu only adds to the warmth with his modern Italian-American eats that cycle through nibbles of arancini, thin crispy crust pizzas and pasta, stuffed to the brim with lamb ragu or tossed with fire-roasted tomatoes. Oh, and the vermouth cart? Talk about luxury. 

Price: $85 per person

Menu: This Upper East Side favorite has just the thing this Valentine’s Day. Cafe Commerce is cooking up a special $89 two-course prix fixe. Choose from the salad with all the herbs (they boast 20) or the marinated hamachi, followed by your choice of chicken schnitzel, duck au poivre or the pan-steamed Branzino. And yes, the chef's famous cakes, Harold’s famous coconut cake and his birthday cake, will be on offer for an extra fee.

Why you should book: Harold Moore had to shutter his West Village institution over a decade ago. It made a grand comeback early last year, earning itself a nod from the Michelin Guide within a few months of its opening. His roster of contemporary American dishes with twists that lean into French and Italian cuisines is now making him a favorite of the Upper East Side. And if you still long for his West Village days, worry not, as chef Moore has revived some of his favorites, including Harold’s famous chicken, Steak Diane, and both of his desserts that always come with a candle.

Price: $85 per person