If look out Patrick Bateman ’s fail attempts to get a reservation at Dorsia inAmerican Psycho(2000 ) run into a brass , you ’re not alone .

You‘ll need plenty of solitaire and staying power to get into the best restaurants in the United States . Signing up for email alerts or push presentment , setting your dismay for a few minute before on-line reservation go live , contacting the eating house a few months ( or even a twelvemonth ) out , calling relentlessly , or simply stop by in case of no - display might just do the trick . Otherwise , you ’re good off train conscientiously for opening on apps likeResy , OpenTable , andTock — or , if you ’re a premium citation cardholder , contacting the concierge team to help brawl a booking on your behalf .

Here are eight of the concentrated eating place reserve to snag in the U.S.

Some tables are impossible to snag without the right connections.

1. Rao’s // New York City

At the original Rao ’s in East Harlem , it all come down to who you know , as you ’ll have to be a regular — or be invited by one — to snag one of its 10 tables . Seats are “ owned ” by celebrities or friend of the owners who have been coming in for decades , with “ table right ” being pass down for generations . Your best bet is to call the restaurant directly or simply head to the bar and waitress around to see if anything open up . Of naturally , you ’ll have a better hazard of enjoyingRao ’s legendary Italian foodat its other outposts in Los Angeles or Miami , which offer more tables .

2. Flour + Water // San Francisco

Not even Apple co - founder Steve Jobs could nab one of this pasta - centrical eatery ’s 11 sole tables — he was famouslyturned awayin 2010 after the mathematical group in front of him got the last one . You ’ll have a better snap at dining atFlour + Waterby sitting at the bar or walk - in - only communal mesa at 5 p.m. , dine after 9 p.m. , reserving your board at midnight 28 day forward of time , or sign up for Resy alerts in casing of a last - second cancellation .

3. The Lost Kitchen // Freedom, Maine

To grade a table at thisiconic Maine eatery , you ’ll need to mail a postcard with your name and contact information and hope it ’s hand - picked by the staff come April . If you ’re one of the golden ones — you’d have to be , with Chef Erin French ’s restaurant receiving 20,000 postal card each year — they’ll call to confirm your reserve escort . If not , your postcard might still be drawn between April and later September if anyone cancels , so do n’t give up yet .

4. Albi // Washington, D.C.

insure a spot at Chef Michael Rafidi ’s popularMiddle Eastern eateryis quite a exploit . see Resy for dining elbow room initiative about a calendar month ahead or employ Tock to reserve an exclusive seat at the hearth board for a memorable2.5 - hour multi - course“journey through Levantine cooking . ” If all else fails , stake out a place by the bar — if you do n’t take care overleap out on views of the open kitchen , that is .

5. Bacanora // Phoenix

curb Resy on the first of the month at 9 a.m. for a hazard to book a table for the following month at this in - demand institution . settle in Phoenix , Bacanoraspecializes in all things Sonoran culinary art ( think Mexican - expressive style dishes like fervency - roasted clavus topped with spicery and cotija Malva sylvestris , burritos , and pollo asado ) . flexibleness is central — get in 30 minutes before it opens and seat at the saloon , or setting up qui vive through Resy for several days can seriously advance your chances .

6. Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi // New York City

Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachiin New York City‘s Lincoln Center neck of the woods has been a go - to spot for grand Afro - Caribbean fusion culinary art since opening in 2022 — for those who can get in , at least . hit a table can be , as one Reddit userput it , “ comically impossible . ” But don‘t rent that contain you from checking Resy at noon 28 days in advance — just check that you ’re logged into your invoice before you go refreshen the page at 11:59 a.m. or you could miss your place . you’re able to also signalize up for warning signal , just in case .

7. Rose Mary // Chicago

Top Chefwinner Joe Flamm serves up Italian classics like risotto and gnocchi with a decidedly Croatian whirl at this notableFulton Market Districtspot in Chicago ’s West Loop neighbourhood . Reservations are release via OpenTable 60 years in betterment , so denounce your calendar . Or , you may take your chances and try for a seat at the bar when the restaurant opens at 5 p.m.

8. Mujō // Atlanta

Mujōin Atlanta ’s West Midtown neighborhood earned a Michelin star in 2023 with Chef J. Trent Harris ’s innovative and ever - transfer omakase - style sushi offerings . Head to Resy just before 10 a.m. on the first Clarence Shepard Day Jr. of the calendar month the month before you wish to dine to snag one of the extremely - coveted 14 seats around the sushi board . There ’s no capacity for walk - In , so keep an eye on Resy alarum in case someone cancels , as that might be your only room in .

Read More About Restaurants :

Bacanora chef Rene Andrade at the 2024 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards