Restaurants near 51st Street Lexington Avenue Line

Absolutely the best dining experience I have had in a long while. Old school customer service=catering to the customer and they definitely did. I highly recommend everyone have, at least one fine dining experience in their life, and if possible, it should be at Smith & Wollensky. When you go, ask for Tony to be your wait staff. Exceptional service from Tony! He thought of everything we needed before we could even ask and his energy was great and very welcoming. I would actually put his service up there with the food. 10/10 across the board. Thank you for making my niece’s 25th birthday one to remember and thank you Tony for being an absolute gem! We can’t wait to visit again! Oh, and if you go, porterhouse is a MUST. Velvety and juicy, melt in your mouth, no need for any sauces or seasonings!

Awesome as always! STRONGLY recommend this for locals and those visiting NYC…the latter will really get a great sense of the NYC vibe, whether you are looking for a family-friendly environment or for a day/night out with pals in search of great food and fun cocktails from the Smith’s top shelf mixologists. They really cover all bases with some of the best and warmest service in town (hold the unwarrantedly rude NYC attitude, please!). Just go and see for yourself - you will not be disappointed…CJ

Excellent food well prepared and attentive service in this small enclave makes this a go-to spot. A bit out of the way but that makes it more enjoyable since the crowds on Madison or Fifth avenues are not a problem. Stone crab claws were large and well prepared. The menu says 2lb Lobster stuffed with crabmeat and the dish is actually a good size lobster simply layered with huge chunks of crab-no breading. They offer to shell it for you as well. The wine list is extensive although I couldn't find many familiar names. Amazing place but be warned you'll need to have a fireproof credit card if you want the best of this fare..

We went to Empire for the first time. Our waiter was awesome. Very attentive. The only odd thing was that we had to eat upstairs in the Burger area. The downstairs was closed for an event. Outside of that, food, wine and service was great.

The food was delicious! French onion soup is a must, perfectly melted Gruyère and a generous amount of soup. I also had the Croque Monsieur which was so filling and beautifully melted. Great ambience, attentive staff and we were not rushed. Made for an absolutely wonderful family get together. Will be back!