Reservations certainly hurt spontaneity. |
Yeah, but that's not always great with hungry kids. Restaurants in NYC are busier earlier than they used to be before the pandemic. |
We enjoyed Dos Caminos in Times Square before a show |
We went there too! It was fun. |
So where are your suggestions? BTW OP asked about casual restaurants on Valentine's Day with kids that aren't booked solid and not fast food, so I am not recommending Le Bernardin. |
Re other casual restaurants. Miriam’s on the UWS and in Brooklyn is great and it’s easy to get a reservation (even for brunch) https://uws.miriamrestaurant.com/
We also went to a Detroit style pizza place near Times Square that was awesome. I can’t remember the name but I’m sure it will come up in google. |
Oh man, half this list really reads like DC tourists suggesting mediocre NYC restaurants.
Don’t go somewhere corporate like the Smith. There’s all kinds of delicious Indian, sushi, Thai, middle eastern, etc. that will be casual but solidly delicious. There’s lots of decent restaurants on the UWS on Columbus & Amsterdam in the 70s and 80s where you won’t need a reservation. I do happen to like La Pecora Bianca, which a PP suggested. |