This Midtown institution, which has been open for over 30 years now, is a well-oiled machine that’s been fine-tuned to perfection. The service here skews north of impeccable, but the seafood—shrimp custard with geoduck and uni, for example—is the main reason why this is still an amazing place to eat. If you’re looking for a highlight-of-the-presidential-term, upscale restaurant experience where you won’t feel like an idiot for spending hundreds of dollars, this is it.

You might think that an old-timey steakhouse smack in the middle of Times Square couldn’t possibly be good, but Gallaghers is just that. From the moment you glimpse the dry-aging room through the front window to the time you walk out lugging a heavy bag of leftovers, you’re going to be very happy. We recommend ordering steakhouse classics: Start with a round of Hemingway daiquiris with a wedge salad, then move on to a porterhouse with some creamed spinach.

This “contemporary Asian” spot from the Marea team is right next door to the MoMA, so it’s only fitting that it raises the bar for restaurant design in NYC. The main dining room features sweeping curved, rainbow-colored blades across the ceiling that will make you think of strings on a giant harp. Come for the best soup dumplings we’ve had in a while, and don’t even try to decide between the sambal-smothered skate and the incredibly moist Hainanese chicken—just get both.

Keens has been around for more than 130 years, and the ceilings of this Midtown steakhouse are covered with the smoking pipes of former regulars like Teddy Roosevelt and Babe Ruth. You may be tempted by the comically large king’s cut, a 32-ounce prime rib straight out of a Ron Swanson fever dream, but you should focus your attention on the drenched-in-butter porterhouse and their famous mutton chop. Be sure to save room for the ice cream sundae.

This revamped, old-school Midtown restaurant still has a big sunken dining room that features plush red booths and a wraparound mural of Jazz Age celebrities, but now it's run by the people behind 4 Charles Prime Rib. Hearty and unpretentious, the food includes everything from pasta and fried chicken to steakhouse staples like a dry-aged porterhouse. Notably, they serve the same cheese-smothered burger that you’ll find at Au Cheval, and you should eat one in the walk-in-only tavern area.

Marea is one of our favorite places to eat pasta in NYC, simply because the options go way beyond usual suspects like linguine and clams or frutti di mare spaghetti. The headliner of Marea’s menu is the octopus and bone marrow fusilli. With tender octopus, bone marrow, and a red wine-spiked tomato sauce that gets a boost from some garlicky breadcrumbs, this is one of the top pasta dishes in the city.

You might head to Rockefeller Center only once a year to glance at a very tall tree that was sacrificed to wear an outfit of colored lights. This brasserie is another reason to go there. Le Rock is from the Frenchette team, so it’s no surprise that the food here is French and the large Art Deco space is packed every night. Think of the best filet you’ve ever had. It'll get bumped to second place after you try the ridiculously tender bison.

Lodi serves some of the most impressive Italian food within a few miles of Liz Lemon’s office. It just so happens to be located directly outside of Liz Lemon’s office. Standouts at this Rockefeller Center restaurant from the team behind Estela include the housemade ricotta, an incredible porchetta panini (available before 5pm), and the plate of plump anchovies. We recommend you grab a table on the large patio.

What’s fun about Yakitori Totto in Midtown is that you get to try so many different things. Kid… candy store… you get what we’re saying. Definitely go for some juicy tsukune and tender chicken oysters as well as non-chicken options like pork neck and okra with bonito flakes (our favorite among the vegetables). It’s fun to come solo and sit at the counter right in front of the grills. However, coming with one or two other people will enable you to try a lot more things.

When you walk into Patsy’s, the first things you’ll see are a statue of Frank Sinatra and a signed headshot of Liza Minelli, so you know this place is legit. This red sauce joint has been around since 1944, and Old Blue Eyes himself was a regular. Stick to the classics, like rigatoni fra diavolo and anything parmigiana. They also have a dessert cart that looks like it’s been there since the restaurant opened.