When NYC's Hardest Reservations Drop (Release Times)

A reservation drop is the moment a restaurant loads a new day of tables into its booking system, and at New York's hardest rooms those tables can vanish within minutes. This guide tracks when the city's toughest reservations drop: how many days ahead each room opens, the exact time when its own site or platform states one, and where to book. Every window below comes from the restaurant's own site or booking platform. We checked each one in mid-July 2026, and every room links to its live DinnerElite drop-time page. DinnerElite watches these calendars around the clock and emails you the moment a table opens, whether from a fresh drop or a cancellation.

When do NYC's hardest reservations drop?

Most of New York's hardest rooms release tables on a fixed schedule, usually 14 to 30 days ahead, and many at a specific time like 9 or 10 AM Eastern. The table below sorts the toughest books by how far ahead they open. A longer window is not the same as an easier one. The marquee rooms sell their whole release within minutes, so knowing the exact drop time is what gives you a real shot.

Restaurant	Platform	Opens ahead	Drop time (ET)
Le Bernardin	Resy	~7 weeks	rolling
Carbone	Resy	30 days	rolling
Torrisi	Resy	30 days	rolling
King	Resy	30 days	rolling
Sadelle's	Resy	30 days	10 AM
Vic's	Resy	30 days	rolling
The Polo Bar	Phone	30 days	10 AM
Sartiano's	Resy / SevenRooms	~30 days	rolling
Gramercy Tavern	OpenTable	28 days	Noon
Le Coucou	Resy	28 days	rolling
Misi	Resy	28 days	10 AM
Crown Shy	Resy	~27 days	rolling
Monkey Bar	Resy	21 days	9 AM
4 Charles Prime Rib	Resy	21 days	9 AM
Laser Wolf	Resy	21 days	10 AM
Semma	SevenRooms	15 days	9 AM
Kisa	Resy	15 days	Midnight
Coqodaq	Resy	14 days	rolling
Fairfax	OpenTable	14 days	rolling
Raku	SevenRooms	14 days	rolling
Sal Tang's	Resy	14 days	rolling
Sailor	OpenTable	14 days	11 AM
Rubirosa	Resy	7 days	Midnight
Double Chicken Please	Resy	6 days	Midnight

The rooms that open a month out

The longest windows belong to some of the hardest tables in the city. Carbone, Torrisi, and King each release tables 30 days ahead on Resy, and prime weekend slots at Carbone vanish within minutes of the drop. Sadelle's opens 30 days out at 10 AM on Resy, and Vic's holds the same 30-day Resy window in NoHo. Le Bernardin runs the longest lead of all, with bookable dates landing about seven weeks out on Resy. The Polo Bar is the group's outlier: it takes no online booking for regular tables, so you call (212) 207-8562 when the phones open at 10 AM and tables release a month ahead. A long window rewards planning, but it also means the calendar clears out the moment it opens.

The two-to-three-week rooms

Most of the list sits here. Gramercy Tavern opens 28 days ahead at noon on OpenTable, Le Coucou 28 days out on Resy, Misi 28 days ahead at 10 AM on Resy, and Crown Shy on a rolling four-week window. The 21-day group is where the fixed drop times matter most: 4 Charles Prime Rib and Monkey Bar both release at 9 AM Eastern, and Laser Wolf at 10 AM, all on Resy. Set your alarm for the exact minute, because a 34-seat room like 4 Charles sells its release almost immediately.

The rooms that open one to two weeks out

The shortest windows move fastest of all. Semma releases 15 days ahead at 9 AM on SevenRooms, and Kisa 15 days out at midnight on Resy. Coqodaq, Fairfax, Raku, and Sal Tang's all open about two weeks ahead, and Sailor releases 14 days out at 11 AM on OpenTable. The tightest belong to the cocktail-driven rooms: Rubirosa releases 7 days out at midnight, and Double Chicken Please just 6 days ahead at midnight for its back room, The Coop. At these rooms, the drop and the cancellation are your only two ways in.

How do you actually catch a drop?

Three habits win. First, know the exact window and time before the date you want, because the difference between booking a marquee room and missing it is often 60 seconds. Second, match the platform: these rooms split across Resy, OpenTable, SevenRooms, and in The Polo Bar's case the phone, so have the right one open and logged in before the drop. Third, cover the cancellations, which is where most short-notice bookings actually happen. DinnerElite watches every calendar on this page at once and emails you the moment a table opens, whether it is a fresh drop or someone else's changed plans. We send alerts and never book automatically. The one exception is our Expert plan, where a human on our team books hard tables on your behalf.

Frequently asked questions

What time do NYC restaurants release reservations?

It varies by room, but a few patterns hold. Many release at 9 or 10 AM Eastern, like 4 Charles Prime Rib and Monkey Bar at 9 AM and Laser Wolf at 10 AM. Others drop at midnight, including Kisa, Rubirosa, and Double Chicken Please. Gramercy Tavern opens at noon. Each restaurant's own site or booking platform is the source, and the table above lists the times we track for you.

How far in advance do NYC reservations open?

Most of the hardest rooms open 14 to 30 days ahead of your date. Carbone, Torrisi, and King release 30 days out, Le Coucou and Gramercy Tavern 28 days, and the 21-day group includes 4 Charles Prime Rib and Laser Wolf. A handful open sooner, like Double Chicken Please at 6 days. Le Bernardin runs the longest lead at about seven weeks.

Which platform does each restaurant use to book?

Most run on Resy, but not all. Gramercy Tavern, Fairfax, and Sailor book on OpenTable, Semma and Raku on SevenRooms, and The Polo Bar takes reservations by phone. Sartiano's runs two doors at once, Resy and SevenRooms. Saved links go stale when a room switches, so check the current platform on each restaurant's drop-time page before you book.

When do Carbone reservations open?

Carbone releases new tables on Resy 30 days ahead, and prime weekend slots vanish within minutes of the drop. Cancellations resurface at all hours in between, which is where most successful short-notice bookings happen, so an alert beats you camping on the booking page.

Does DinnerElite book the table for me?

No. We send alerts and you book the table yourself. The one exception is our Expert plan, where a human concierge books on your behalf.

These windows move when a restaurant changes its policy or its platform, so we recheck them and keep tracking every calendar live for you. Start free with one watched restaurant, and for the full ranking of the city's toughest tables, see our hardest reservations in NYC guide.