Upper East Side
Get directions | 133 E. 65th St., New York, NY 10065
Hours | Sunday 10:30am-11pm, Monday 11:30am-12am, Tuesday 11:30am-12am, Wednesday 11:30am-12am, Thursday 11:30am-12am, Friday 11:30am-12am, Saturday 10:30am-12am
The original T.G.I. Friday’s opened as a singles bar on 63rd and 1st in 1965, apparently so that the owner could meet women. (Please take a moment to imagine the pick-up lines shared over an appetizer sampler.) Then that location closed down, leaving the east 60s without a place for people to socialize, eat calamari, drink martinis, and tastefully proposition others for casual sex. That is, until The East Pole opened in 2014.
Unlike any T.G.I Friday’s we’ve ever graced, The East Pole takes up the first two floors of a beautiful brownstone. It’s the sort of classy place where servers look forward to emphasizing the ‘heritage’ when they talk about the heritage pork chop with chicory greens. Heritage or not, The East Pole’s American food won’t spin you into ecstasy or outrage. It’s all about seven dollars more than you want it to be (there’s a decent kale pesto cavatelli for $24 and better-than-decent grilled snap peas for $16, for example).
The East Pole’s greatest quality is its reliability as a social epicenter. So even though the Scottish salmon tartare might not blow your mind, keep this spot in your mental restaurant rolodex the next time you’re meeting up with a date in the area or you want to sit at the bar, drink a cocktail, and imagine what went down at the first-ever T.G.I. Friday’s.
212-249-2222
Dinner
FIRST COURSE
FRESH BURRATA $27
greenhouse mache, olive tapenade, grilled country bread
ROASTED HEIRLOOM VEGETABLES $22
bok choy, hijiki, avocado
NORWICH FARMS PUMPKIN SOUP $26
roasted chestnut, jonah crab
LANI’S GREENS $17
bartlett pear, goat cheese, cranberries, pecans, sherry vinaigrette
SCOTTISH SALMON TARTARE $24
calamansi, red onion, baguette
FRIED MONTAUK SQUID $26
lemon, jalapeno, shishito aioli
KALE CAESAR SALAD $24
anchovy, croutons, bacon, organic egg
PEEKO OYSTERS $22/ $43
champagne mignonette
Dinner
SECOND COURSE
THE EAST POLE MACRO BOWL $31
quinoa, cauliflower, adzuki beans, kabocha squash, black tahini
FRESH TAGLIATELLE $35
wild boar bolognese, parmesano reggiano
ROASTED HALIBUT $45
forbidden rice, braised leeks, truffle parsnip puree
ROASTED HALIBUT $45
forbidden rice, braised leeks, truffle parsnip puree
PAN SEARED ARCTIC CHAR $45
root vegetables, red curry broth, cilantro
ROASTED LOCAL CAULIFLOWER $30
watercress, red vine sorrel, toasted hazlenut
BRINED AMISH CHICKEN $39
castelfranco radicchio, rhode island mushroom ragu
BLACK ANGUS FILET $65
confit local potatoes, whole roasted shallots, roquefort crust
DOUBLE BURGER $25
thick cut bacon, vermont cheddar, secret sauce, challah bun, fries
Dinner
SIDES
PARMESAN TRUFFLE FRIES $15
ROASTED SHISHITO PEPPERS $15
SAUTEED LOCAL SPINACH $15
CARROTS & HONEY ESPELETTE $15
BRUNCH
MAINS
FRENCH OMLETTE $20
local spinach, gruyere, truffle
HUEVOS RANCHEROS $21
fried eggs, house made tortillas, pico de gallo, black beans
EGGS BENEDICT $24
thick cut bacon, english muffin, home fries, hollandaise
EGG WHITE FRITTATA $20
market vegetables, vermont cheddar
BRIOCHE FRENCH TOAST $22
seasonal berries, vermont maple syrup
THE EAST POLE MACRO BOWL $31
quinoa, cauliflower, adzuki beans, kabocha, black tahini
DOUBLE BURGER $25
thick cut bacon, vermont cheddar, secret sauce, challah bun, fries
AVOCADO TARTINE $21
six minute eggs, radishes, cilantro
FRESH TAGLIATELLE $35
wild boar bolognese, parmesano reggiano
KALE CAESAR $24
anchovy, croutons, bacon, organic egg add chicken $10
BRUNCH COCKTAILS & MOCKTAILS
BLOODY MARY VARIATIONS $14
– vodka mary – gin snapper – tequila maria
MIMOSA $14
SEASONAL BELLINI $14
COLD PRESSED GREEN JUICE $11
tuscan kale, ginger, orange, lemon, honey
CITRUS KOMBUCHA FIZZ $11
ginger-lemon kombucha, orange, grapefruit, ginger beer
SPECIALTY LATTES
GOLDEN TURMERIC LATTE $9
MATCHA LATTE $8
made with oat milk
MATCHA LATTE $9