Best Fine Dining Restaurants in Upper East Side-Lenox Hill-Roosevelt Island
5 hand-picked restaurants, critic-reviewed and ranked
Last Updated: February 2026
Our Top Pick
Café Boulud
Michelin-level French brunch with serious technique and polished service.
Notable Picks
#1
Café Boulud
8.9
Café Boulud is Daniel Boulud’s Michelin-starred Upper East Side dining room, where a polished French brunch menu runs from truffled eggs Benedict to hanger steak and eggs. Locals treat it as the neighborhood’s special-occasion brunch, with white-tablecloth service, strong cocktails, and a room that still feels relaxed enough for late-morning celebrations.
Must-Try Dishes:
Café Boulud Eggs Benedict, Café Boulud Pancakes, Hanger Steak and Egg
What Makes it Special: Michelin-level French brunch with serious technique and polished service.
#2
Raon
8.8
Raon is a serene counter-style Korean fine-dining restaurant where each course in the tasting menu is built around a different kimchi. Chef Soogil Lim’s French-inflected technique, meticulous plating, and thoughtful pairings make it one of the city’s more distinctive modern Korean experiences.
Must-Try Dishes:
Foie gras mandu in duck broth, Uni and caviar tofu with gamtae, King crab with oi kimchi salad
What Makes it Special: A kimchi-centered tasting menu that treats fermentation with wine-pairing seriousness.
#3
Scalinatella
8.3
Scalinatella is the splurge option in 10065: a downstairs grotto where off-menu pastas, truffle-laced specials, and seafood plates are recited at the table. It’s a choice for couples who want a throwback, high-touch Italian evening with big flavors, big spending, and a room that feels insider-y rather than polished corporate.
Must-Try Dishes:
Linguine with clams, White truffle pasta specials, Beef carpaccio
What Makes it Special: Basement-level Italian that feels like a private club, with showman servers and nightly blackboard specials.
Worthy Picks
#4
Casa Cruz
7.9
Casa Cruz is a multi-level Upper East Side townhouse restaurant pairing a polished, Mediterranean-leaning menu with clubby, art-filled interiors. Its sixth-floor terrace delivers one of the only true year-round rooftop dining experiences in 10065, drawing fashion, media, and finance crowds for cocktails, dinner, and late-night energy.
Must-Try Dishes:
Orecchiette al limone, Split branzino in salt crust, Giant tiger prawns
What Makes it Special: Six-story Beaux-Arts townhouse with a rare year-round rooftop terrace on the Upper East Side.
#5
Sushi Akira
7.8
A newer omakase address in the neighborhood that’s built around a tight, chef-paced progression in a calm room—good for couples who like focused tasting menus. It’s still early in its review-volume life, but the experience is clearly designed for a reservation-style date night rather than a casual roll run.
Must-Try Dishes:
18-course omakase, Seasonal nigiri sequence, Chef’s closing hand roll
What Makes it Special: Newer neighborhood omakase built for a chef-led tasting arc.