NYC Restaurant Week is back! From 01/20/26 to 02/12/26, 653 restaurants have signed up, which was 56 more restaurants than last year’s restaurant week. A year ago, I devised a game plan of my top 10 restaurants I would dine based on convenience. The first restaurant I dined for NYC restaurant week last year was Lure Fishbar which was not on my list, but I left work early that day and they were still offering the lunch menu. It was my first time in over 15 years that I step foot into this restaurant. The ambiance remained the same. To celebrate I order the rock shrimp tempura and salmon with two wine pairings, which at that time was about $60 plus tax and tip. Lure Fishbar is participating in this season’s restaurant week and are serving the same dishes for lunch, but the total cost is now $75 with the wine pairing plus tax and tip.

We ventured into New Hyde Park for lunch at Luigi’s Restaurant for the two course $30 lunch. We ordered fried calamari and meatball for appetizers, which were already filling. I ordered the salmon peperonata and meatball parm hero as the main entrees. We ended up eating half of the entrees and taking the rest home, but the zucchini chips had to be consumed fresh. Luigi’s Restaurant is participating in this season’s restaurant week and are serving the same dishes for lunch for $30.

A friend of mine recommended Lincoln Ristorante especially their rigatoni dish. The restaurant has an open kitchen, which was cool because the diner can observe how the dishes are being made. I ordered a glass of Gavi to pair with my meal. The server provide a complimentary focaccia. For my three course meal ($60) I ordered the sunchokes and puntarelles which was refreshing. Then I had the rigatoni amatriciana, which tasted great and ended dinner with the chocolate tortino. Lincoln Ristorante is also participating in this season’s restaurant week, but their menu this season does not offer the dishes from the previous year. However, the rigatoni amatriciana and chocolate tortino are still being served as a la carte dishes.

I met with my friend in Long Island City to dine for restaurant week at Jiang Nan. We arrived right before happy hour ended and started off with cocktails. Then we ordered our five course meal which included a glass of red or white wine, dim sum, vegetable dish, appetizer, a main entree and dessert.

For appetizers we chose the boiled chicken with chili sauce on the side and the homestyle crispy fish. We enjoyed the crispy fish. The boiled chicken platter was beautifully presented and interactive. For vegetables we chose the baby cabbage in chicken broth and stir fry string bean. For dim sum we had a sampling of steam pork soup dumpling and a peking duck spring rolls, both tasted good when consumed fresh. For the entrees we chose the sweet and sour pork tenderloin and the crispy shrimp with honey walnuts. The Crispy shrimp with honey walnuts were our overall favorite. To end the dining experience we ordered the gluten rice cake with brown sugar and the mango Pomelo with sago. We were not impressed with the mango Pomelo but we did enjoy the gluten rice cake with brown sugar. Unfortunately they are not participating in this season’s restaurant week, but have expanded their franchise in the last year.

My friend visited me at work and we dined in Delmonico’s for dinner. We started off with the sake and an espresso martini. For our appetizers, we had the Yellowtail crudo and the burrata. For our entrees, we both got the steaks (the steak did not come with a side) so we shared a side order of mashed potatoes. Finally, for dessert, we got the chocolate cake and cheesecake. Everything hit the spot. Delmonico’s is participating in this season’s restaurant week and are serving the same dishes for lunch and dinner for $60. Drinks are additional.

During my commute since 01/07/26, I’ve developed a bucket list of restaurants I want to dine and support new restaurants especially the ones with the best deals. Unfortunately, I won’t be participating as much as I would have liked due to the upcoming Long Island Restaurant Week, life and priorities. Here’s the my wish list for this season’s restaurant week:

1. Mokyo
2. Sake No Hana
3. La Baraka
4. Le B
5. Red Room Bar (Printemps)
6. Koi
7. House of Red Pearl
8. Tuome
9. Crown Shy
10. Sea by Jungsik

Long Island Restaurant Week also starts on 01/25/26 to 02/01/26. Stay tuned for the game plan/wish list.