One If By Land Two If By Sea

The food is good, not great, but the ambiance is fantastic. Romantic without being stuffy. It was great for our anniversary dinner; the live piano music was really nice. I got the tenderloin starter and seared tuna main. Both were tasty, but not what you’d expect from a destination restaurant. The service was friendly but a little hands-​off. I would have given it three start, but my wife really loved it so mission accomplished.

Another romantic high end restaurant for a special occasion. Delicious menu, impeccable service and the romance of the unmarked restaurant on a beautiful street. The appearance of an old carriage house. There is always someone getting engaged during your dinner, lol

No, I did not get proposed to here. But it’s a great spot to do it if you’re interested! My boyfriend and I were celebrating our first dating anniversary, and he decided to surprise me by taking me to one of the top romantic spots in the city. Check plus for him.
When we entered, we were treated like royalty. Definitely make reservations, but once you get there, they are not in a rush if you would like to relax and have a drink at the bar first. Within five minutes, we witnessed a proposal. Very cute. There was a pianist playing music and the atmosphere was lovely.
We ordered from the price fixe menu. There are a couple of different options to choose from. We chose the 3-​course ($ 98) option, which came with an appetizer, entrée, and dessert. Knowing that this place is not cheap, I felt guilty getting a salad, so I went all out, carnivorous-​style. For my appetizer I had Pan Seared Veal Sweetbreads with gnocchi, Chianti, fava beans, and pearl onions. Everything melted in my mouth. My boyfriend had the pork belly which was equally delicious. For my entrée, I had the Roasted Rack of Lamb with cassoulet, souffléd wild rice, and heirloom tomatoes. Look at my pictures, and you’ll instantly be able to see the quality of meat. My dessert consisted of chocolate mousse and raspberry sorbet. Being a chocolate-​lover, I was in heaven. Alcohol is not included. We debated getting a bottle (prices range from $ 60-​$$$). We stuck with glasses as we had already had a drink at the bar.
This is a great anniversary date place. I wouldn’t take a new date here as it might be a little overwhelming, but hey, to each his own. The food was absolutely amazing. No complaints. I was more than satisfied. I definitely feel that you can get quality food for a cheaper price elsewhere, but the night was so great for me that I think the splurge was more than well worth it.

Came here for my surprise engagement proposal dinner. This is a very romantic restaurant (dined by candlelight and roses). The food was simply AMAZING. We had a 4 course dinner. The potato soup starter was good, nothing exceptional. But the tar tar appetizer, salmon entrée, and passion fruit dessert were exceptional. The sauces that complimented the dishes were phenomenal. I am hoping I can dine here again in the future.

My boyfriend took us here for our 5 year anniversary and it was amazing. The service was great and they were all very friendly and attentive. We did the price fixe menu and the food was cooked perfectly and has great taste. The wine was also delicious. The dinner came with an appetizer, entrée and dessert. Definitely a place to go with your loved ones as it is very romantic and intimate.

I have had the most fulfilling and satisfying dining experience here to date. My boyfriend and I came here for our one year anniversary dinner and it was definitely worth our time and money.
We both had the 6-​course tasting menu which included a marinated rack of lamb which was easily the best plate of the evening.
The service was phenomenal; the waitstaff were more than helpful and the pacing of the tasting menu was timed perfectly – enough time to digest and process a dish without being rushed on eating the following plate.
What really topped the night for me was when they surprised us with a small dessert platter with Happy Anniversary written in chocolate sauce.
If you want to impress a loved one, bring them here!

My husband and I hosted our wedding dinner at this charming, amazing restaurant. Maria, the owner, was a pleasure to work with from start to finish. We had difficulty finding a restaurant that could host a group of 12 without requiring a private room and spend minimums even if we were not hosting a «traditional» wedding and didn’t need a private room. When I reached out to the restaurant to discuss what we were looking for, Maria listened closely to what I was saying and responded with «Don’t worry Darling, we will make it special for you.» She did not disappoint at all. She customized the menus with our names, she added a huge flower arrangement in the center of the round table at no extra charge, and she didn’t charge extra for a cake cutting fee even though we purchased a cake from another baker. All in all, the service from Maria and her staff was outstanding.
On to the food. My husband and I are huge foodies — we were aware that the reputation was for being the «Most Romantic Restaurant» in NYC, but were not sure to expect when it came to the food. Ultimately we were impressed, as the food was amazing. Whether it was their signature dish — Beef Wellington, the duck confit, the foie gras, the quail, the lamb, or the octopus — everything was prepared and cooked to perfection. It was delicious — all of us were in heaven. Our family was wowed with each of the three courses they selected and have mentioned that they want to go back again soon (we can’t wait to go back ourselves). Ultimately, if you are looking for a dinner in the city for any occasion, look no further than One If By Land…, Maria will take care of you and make you feel at home.

Gave it two tries and was very disappointed with the food for both times.
The ambience is great– great lighting, romantic and classy furnishing and intimate surroundings. They have live piano playing during certain hours.
I very much enjoyed the the atmosphere, but the food was very disappointing. Nothing really stood out, the taste was unremarkable and boring, the presentations are awful and seemed careless, and the desserts tasted and looked like something could be bought at local grocery stores. The service is okay. And the place is definitely overpriced for the quality of the food– I’d say you are paying for the ambience instead of the food.
Do not think will visit again unless they do something with their menu…

I won’t say too much but this place is simply amazing. Brought my wife for our anniversary. She loved it. We will definitely be back.

Most romantic dining experience. This restaurant will always be special to me because it is where my husband proposed! We try to go back every year for our anniversary. The food is amazing and the ambiance is perfect! The Beef Wellington is delicious. Service has always been wonderful! Great restaurant for special occasions!

Came here for a lovely romantic dinner for my birthday with my boyfriend! This place oozes romance from the moment you step into the place. Upon entrance there was a pianist lulling you into the dim candlelit atmosphere. And even on a Saturday night the place wasn’t too crowded. You won’t be hearing word by word conversations of the tables around you. Rather it’s an intimate atmosphere where many couples and dinner parties share conversation privately.
I loved that we were seated in a booth where we got to sit next to each other on each corner. I also appreciated the traditional romantic décor of a single rose and a real lit candle (sometimes the mood calls for traditional romance!).
Since this isn’t a place we would come often we opted for the 9 course tasting menu. My favorites in the meal were the Duck confit agnolotti, poached halibut, and the beef Wellington. The duck confit agnolotti was like a ravioli but light and rich in flavor. I wanted to eat the last piece but had to save my stomach! And good thing I did because the food was endless! The halibut was cooked perfectly and just so tender. My only qualm about the dish was that I found one or two fish bones (didn’t want to ruin the night though by making an issue of it). The beef Wellington was cooked a perfect medium rare! I really appreciated they were able to get it right! I was so sorry I was so full to finish it though.
I thoroughly enjoyed my evening here! Our waiter was always helpful but never imposing! The wine the sommelier recommended was fantastic!

It’s been a while since I last ate here and went for a surprise birthdays dinner. The service was very good and I had a drink at the bar before getting seated for dinner. The bar area is large and has chairs and table along with the bar seating. The food was good. Had the 3 course prix fixe. The signature main is the beef Wellington and there is an additional charge for it. Is it worth it? Probably. But there are certainly other items on the menu which are tasty and don’t carry a surcharge. This is a cozy setting to have dinner and the food is worth a trip.

One of the best dinners I’ve had in NYC! The restaurant is beautiful– chandeliers everywhere, freshly lit candles and roses on the table, and a piano man.
The food here is also incredible. I came here with my husband and we had the three course prix fix meal:
For the first course, I got the toasted farro soup which was hearty and flavorful! It came with delicious bone marrow dumplings that were amazing, especially after it began soaking in all the juices in the soup. My husband got the tempura scallops, which were also fantastic! The scallops were fresh and melted in my mouth. The tempura added the right amount of crunchy of crunch.
For the entrée, I got the lobster with pappardelle. I got a generous piece of lobster that was super fresh and tasty! The pappardelle was the perfect complement to the lobster and the sauce was heavenly. Definitely one of the best pasta dishes I’ve had. My husband got the famous beef Wellington. It was phenomenal! It came out wrapped in a puff pastry type covering that added a great texture to the meat. It was a generous serving and we were both stuffed a this point.
Of course, we can’t pass up dessert! We got the soufflé (made perfectly warm) and the Black Forest. We were in chocolate heaven! So good and the perfect ending to our meal.
Highly recommend this place and we’ll be sure to return!

Cannot comment on the food, but one of the most beautiful bars in NYC. For cocktails at the bar, bring your friends and listen to the pianist play all the latest and greatest tunes.
The fireplace, beautiful leather armchairs and romantic lighting are perfect to seat yourself for a winter night.
Cocktails are well made and unique. I have to say the service is a little stuffy but worth it for a drink.

Such a romantic restaurant with great décor. I came with my girlfriends and we ordered:
Appetizers:
Seared scallops
Quail Bastilla
Butternut squash gnocchi
Grilled octopus
Entrees:
Crispy duck breast & leg confit
Garlic braised lamb shank
Slow braised short ribs
Dessert:
Chocolate soufflé
Mango sorbet
Pistachio mousseline
Napoleon
Everything was really good. There was nothing that I don’t recommend. Service was great as well. Highly recommended this place!

This is quintessential Old New York: it’s historical, romantic, and chic. Come here for a special occasion. It’s absolutely perfect and enchanting! I kept having the feeling that somebody was *definitely going to get engaged in the restaurant while we were eating and we’d all clap. That’s the kind of feel this place has.
AMBIANCE: The restaurant is in Aaron Burr’s old carriage house which is pretty cool. There are two, yes two, fireplaces in the entry way. There is a beautiful pianist who plays the grand piano in the entry way. The service is fantastic — I think we had 7 different people serve us or come to our table… there was a person who poured the water, a sommelier to provide the wine, a person who handed out bread, a waiter to take the order, a person to deliver the food, another to bus the table, and I think even the owner came by at one point. You certainly will not lack for attention, but it’s not the «in your face» sort of way.
WINE: The wine and cocktail selection is excellent. The wine list is separated by country and grape. My only complaint about the wine selection is that the sommelier was so busy (we went on a Saturday night) was that he wasn’t able to take any time to help us select the appropriate wine for our evening, which is what I would expect at a place like this. 21 Club (another old NY place which I love) has a similar feel with respect to the wine selection but the sommelier at the 21 Club seemed much more interested in helping patrons select the perfect wine.
FOOD: You must select one of 3 pre-​fixe menus: the 3 course ($ 90), 6 course ($ 120), or 9 course ($ 160). We ordered the 3 course and, quite frankly, I have no idea how anybody could eat more than 3 courses. The portions are huge which was quite unexpected as I feel like you usually expect a place this fancy to serve tiny ant-​sized portions. With regards to the food itself, everything was absolutely outstanding. I highly recommend the seared tuna with wasabi risotto. Delish! Also, the chocolate soufflé is simply divine!

Came here for my wife’s birthday dinner. This restaurant had a romantic ambiance, great lighting, and a feel that you are not in new york city anymore.
For the food we had foie gras and parmesan gnocchi as appetizers, beef wellington and rack of lamb as entrees, and black forest and chocolate soufflé for dessert. We also added a side of shitake risotto. The foie gras was really good. It was soft and just melts in your mouth. The gnocchi were flavorful and light. The beef wellington was a little of a disappointment. Me and my wife expected the steak to be completely enclosed with the pastry. Instead the pastry was just on top of the steak. The steak was made perfectly, but taste was a little lacking and not what we expected. The rack of lamb was mediocre. Didn’t really have much flavor. The risotto was full of taste and much more flavorful than my lamb. It was maybe just little on the salty side. The black forest and chocolate soufflé were ok. The soufflé was moist and went well with the ice cream.
Service was good and friendly. But food did take a little longer than expected to come out. The appetizers we had were pretty good, but we were disappointed with our entrée. Felt like the quality did not really match its price tag.

No, if you don’t appreciate candle lights over dinner, piano playing, or quite environment for conversation, this is NOT the place for you.
But for most ladies, (experience from my friends and myself) if a guy takes us here, we know he means well and is pretty serious about us, which, is always a plus.
I have to say, there are many new french places coming out in the city and they have pretty good food. But if you want an authentic dining experience with classic definition of «romantic», you can’t deny that there is no second restaurant is like one if by land, two if by sea. It’s typical old school and nostalgia, which can be really cute.
The server we had is amazing.
He recommended the ONION TART — altered the impression my carnivore bf had for vegetables. If you are bringing a vege hater, this could be the game changer.
The rest of our food is great. We told the server that we have other arrangements after the dinner and they serve us fairly fast and we had a great pace.
But again, if you come here, you enjoy and pay for the whole package.

It’s beautiful, as it used to be Aaron Burr’s carriage house and has some memorabilia still hanging up. There’s live piano music playing (tip the hardworking guy!) immediately when you walk in, and you know you’re in a restaurant full of lovey-​dovey anniversary dates.
Upon seating, they light the tall white candle at your table, and your table is accompanied by a small bouquet of white roses. I sat on the inside, and got to face the glass windows to the outdoor garden (?). Just sitting in the restaurant made my butterflies kick in. :’)
The menu is completely comprised of pre-​fixe courses, which was slightly irritating as I wasn’t too hungry. My date and I each got the 3-​course meal.
I opted for the Onion Tart (I wouldn’t recommend this dish, the tart itself was thin and the onions too overpoweringly sweet.), the Jumbo Scallops (would recommend this! The scallops are a great size and the black rice is both interesting and fresh in the mouth.) and the Napolean (flaky, simple. The raspberries and strawberries on this dish were SO tart, my mouth puckered a bit and I didn’t really like that.)
My date got the Shrimp appetizer (good, but you only get three shrimp. The shrimp are nicely grilled, though), the Beef Wellington (what we came here for, will talk more about that later), and the Chocolate Soufflé (the chocolate flavor was there and it was a good soufflé. Eggy, soft, slightly mushy, but not raw.)
My date asked for a Medium cooked Beef Wellington, and it came out practically cooked all the way through (Medium-​Well — Well, I would say). It was VERY tough and hard to chew. We spoke to our server, who then brought the manager, and she immediately took it away, apologized and asked him if he’d like a new Beef Wellington or a different dish. He asked for a Beef Wellington Medium-​Rare and it came out much better! I still didn’t think the dish was amazing, but it was good when it came out the second time.
When waiting for his second Beef Wellington, they brought out a complimentary Lobster Bisque, which was a nice gesture, but it wasn’t very flavorful and tasted like pure cream. The service was fantastic, and the manager kept checking on us afterwards (probably in fear of something else happening).
The focaccia they give you in between meals is good! The butter comes out cold and hard to smear, which was disheartening for such an expensive restaurant.
Overall, come here for the ambiance and not the food. Book beforehand, as they are reservation only (or else they will seat you at the bar). Bring someone here for a special occasion, and they will treat you well.

This is my favorite restaurant *EVER*. Whenever asked «what’s the best meal I’ve ever had» my response has been (and will continue to be) «Beef Wellington at One if By Land Two if By Sea.» It’s been 11+ years, and finally we were able to return for this most excellent meal.
This is special occasion (for us) dining as the Prix Fixe is $ 95/​person. Is it worth it, yes.
Even now, my mouth is watering. Do yourself a favor and order their Beef Wellington (it is what they are famous for). You won’t regret it. Also, the chocolate soufflé for the finale is superb. Mouthwatering cuisine and flavors. Fine dining at its best – to be sure.

Well this goes down as, to date, the most expensive dinner hubby and I have ever eaten. So fortunately for us, it was really really amazing! The restaurant itself is romantic and softly lit. Perfect for a special date night although there were other types of celebrations going on around us and some corporate types. We are out of towners (i.e. — the dreaded tourists) but what I really loved was this most definitely didn’t feel like a place that caters to tourists. And it was fun walking around the Greenwich Village for much the same reason.
The menu is a set three course prix fixe (currently for $ 95 per person). It’s so much food! I didn’t even eat lunch and still left beyond stuffed. I don’t think you could go wrong here but the octopus starter was definitely my favorite dish of our six (three a piece). The sea bass was another highlight.
Other important areas of a nice meal were also hit. The service was professional, friendly and well-​paced. We told our server we were in no rush and our entire meal took two hours. Restrooms were clean (with really cool floor tiles I might add!). Lastly, there was a really stellar piano guy playing jazz over by the fireplace and that was a really nice touch too!
All in all, yes, our wallet is a little lighter but we have the memory of a very special meal that will last a lifetime.

Die richtige Adresse für den Heiratsantrag in New York. Romantisches Restaurant mit gehobener Küche in ehemaligem Kutscherhaus über zwei Etagen mit Bar und Pianomusik. Da man eh reservieren muss, gleich mal fragen, ob es möglich ist, oben zu sitzen — da is (s)t man ungestörter. Geheimtipp? Leider nicht mehr. Aber genau das richtige für einen romantischen Abend — ganz gleich ob man die Frage stellt, oder nicht! Das Beef Wellington ist eine der Spezialitäten — und wie fast immer in New York — zu viel!