NYC Restaurant Week 2019: A guide to where to dine in the outer boroughs

By amNY staff Posted on January 16, 2019

Restaurant Week may be Manhattan-centric but that doesn’t mean that eateries in the outer boroughs are entirely skipping the nearly three-week long promotion.

The foodie celebration, which offers prix-fixe two-course lunches ($26) and three-course dinners ($42), is embraced by about 370 restaurants around the city, although only about 11 can be found in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx.

So if you want to avoid the city rush, head to one of the following eateries from Jan. 21 until Feb. 8. You can find links to menus and the restaurants involved here.

Brooklyn

The Osprey

Dine with views of the Brooklyn Bridge at this New American restaurant inside the (1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, at the foot of Brooklyn Bridge Park, 60 Furman St., Brooklyn Heights, 347-696-2505, theospreybk.com)

Authentic Italian at Barano

This wood-fired seasonal Italian eatery by Albert Di Meglio is offering a three-course dinner prix-fixe featuring dishes like meatballs, octopus, gnocchi al forno, chicken mattone, heritage pork tomahawk and desserts such as cannoli, ice cream and torta caprese. (26 Broadway, Williamsburg, 347-987-4500, baranobk.com)

Slice of history at Benchmark

This Park Slope New American eatery is a former icehouse and way station for goods that were transported on the Gowanus Canal from the 1920s to 1940s. Today, it serves everything from gnocchi to cod to New York strip steak in a rustic dining room. (339 2nd St., Park Slope, 718-965-7040, benchmarkrestaurant.com)

Buttermilk Channel comfort food

Named for the strait between Brooklyn and Governors Island, Buttermilk Channel has no shortage of buttermilk-themed dishes. There’s buttermilk ricotta at lunch and dinner, a buttermilk fried chicken sandwich for lunch, and farro risotto with roasted mushrooms and squash for dinner. Come any time of day for your share of dairy-based treats. (524 Court St., Carroll Gardens, 718-852-8490, buttermilkchannelnyc.com)

Steak frites at French Louie

The steak frites is the star of the show at French Louie, Buttermilk Channel’s sister restaurant, a bistro owned by Doug Crowell and Ryan Angulo. For lunch, try the lamb sauage. And chilled green pea soup is a starter option no matter what the mealtime. (320 Atlantic Ave., Boerum Hill, 718-935-1200, frenchlouienyc.com)

A taste of southern Italy at Leuca

Chef Anthony Rico and pastry chef Jason Casey serve southern Italy-inspired dishes at this Williamsburg restaurant just a block from McCarren Park. Try the local bass with Franca’s beans and lemon, or the lumache with Calabrian pork sugo and caciocavallo regusano. (111 North 12th St., Williamsburg, 708-581-5900, leuca.com)

Yellow Magnolia Café at Brooklyn Botanic Garden

After a stroll through the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, head to Yellow Magnolia Café, the garden’s locally sourced eatery. Come for lunch and choose from the house tacos, the yellow magnolia fried chicken with wild rice, the daily soup, fire-roasted broccoli and baby purple mustard greens. Admission to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is required for entry. (990 Washington Ave., Prospect Park, 718-307-7136, yellowmagnoliacafe.com)

Something for everyone at Greenhouse Cafe

With 11 entrees for lunch and 18 at dinner, this Bay Ridge eatery has something for everyone. Come at dinnertime for the grilled 10-ounce filet mignon or the Dijon-crusted rack of lamb, and finish off the meal with a brownie, cake or ice cream. (7717 3rd Ave., Bay Ridge, 718-833-8200, greenhousecafe.com)

Queens

All about the beef at Meet the Meat

Vegetarians beware: Meet the Meat is all about meat. Start off with seafood like clams on the half shell or sauteed mussels, and then switch over to land for New York strip steak, filet mignon, lamb chops or chicken. Every entrée comes with mashed potatoes, strings beans and sautéed shaved carrots. Finish off with cheesecake, chocolate mousse cake or tiramisu. (23-92 21st St., Astoria, 917-832-7984, meetthemeat.net)

Waterfront dining at Maiella

This elegant Italian eatery offers waterfront views and sits at the base of the iconic Pepsi sign at Gantry State Park. The vibe isn’t all the Long Island City restaurant has going for it, however. Restaurant Week dinner offerings include a choice among three antipasti, including burrata al tartufo and ribollita soup, and four entrees, including gnocchi al cinque formaggi, an oven-roasted filet of trout, brick oven organic chicken and more. (4610 Center Blvd., Long Island City, 718-606-1770, maiellalic.com)

Bronx

The Bronx has its own restaurant week, “Savor the Bronx,” Jan. 7-19. You can see which restaurants are participating here.

Artie’s Steak & Seafood on City Island

Spiros Chagares’ Zagat-rated City Island restaurant is lit by big copper lamps inside and by an old-fashioned neon sign outside. For lunch, try the grilled shrimp and calamari salad, or for dinner, choose the crisp Long Island duckling with grilled asparagus, mashed potatoes and an apricot ginger glaze. (394 City Island Ave., City Island, 718-885-9885, artiescityisland.com)

Staten Island

Entertainment and dinner at Lorenzo’s Restaurant

Visit Lorenzo’s on Staten Island and enjoy Italian-American fare alongside live entertainment in the Hilton Garden Inn. The dinner menu features slow roasted pork osso bucco with Brussels sprouts and whipped potatoes, as well as a seafood lover’s delight — egg fettuccini pasta with lobster meat, summer squash and grape tomatoes. (1100 South Ave., Staten Island, 718-477-2400, lorenzosdining.com)