Hard-to-get restaurant reservations are, for better and worse, back, and Francie is one of a few of New York City’s best new restaurants with a dine-if-you-can caveat. In this case, however, there are a few blue bright spots in the sea of reservation platform red, especially if you’re willing to dine at the bar a little early or a little late.
You could also employ one hack we remember somewhat fondly as “planning ahead,” and constantly check availability to book a table around next month or so. Being that this is a special occasion destination in theory and in practice, you may want to do your dining math in advance, anyway.
Once you're in, everything at Francie, which opened at the tail end of 2020, is beautiful. Caviar shines beside soufflé cakes, the market salad looks like a painting of itself, and the dry-aged crown of duck is presented for perusal on a bed of botanicals before it’s sliced and served, because, well, how could they not?
The earth-toned space is sweet, too with a long, low-profile banquette lining one side and a few spacious crescent-shaped booths on the other, each large enough to accommodate you and a half-dozen or so friends for grown-up birthday fȇtes, expense account dinners, and general convivial conspiring.
Cocktails include spritzes and tipples like the old fashioned, sidecar, and cosmopolitan. Beer and wine are also available.
Francie is located at 134 Broadway in Williamsburg, and is open from Tuesday–Saturday from 5:30pm–11pm.
