My spouse and I stopped at the Atlantic Grill for drinks on
a Sunday morning in early March 2016. (We did not remember that New York City
law forbids serving alcohol prior to 12:00 noon on Sundays, so we had to settle
for non-alcoholic beverages.) We had reservations for lunch across the
street/plaza at Lincoln Ristorante, but we were not due there until noon, and
we had arrived in the city a tad early. The Atlantic Grill is open for lunch on
weekdays, brunch on weekends, and dinner daily. Atlantic Grill has two NYC
locations: Upper East Side and Lincoln Center. The Lincoln Center location,
where we visited, opened in 1998 (previously, the huge space housed O’Neals).
The Atlantic Grill is a member of the BR Guest group of restaurants (along with
Blue Fin, Blue Water Grill, Dos Caminos, and other restaurants in the city).
You can make a reservation via telephone or by using the Open Table reservation
system.
The restaurant space is large, with a bar and waiting area
in the front of the building, the main dining room in the middle, and the clubby
back dining room towards the rear of the space. The bar area contains an
L-shaped bar that probably seats 20+ people, and some high-top bar tables around
it. In the main dining area, both curved red leather booths and regular tables
are available, and a sushi bar sits off to one side. The walls are white-washed
brick hung with black-and-white framed photographs, and the high ceilings seem
to be covered with planks of dark wood. Restrooms are in the basement. Because
I did not see an elevator, there must be a handicap-accessible restroom at the
street level if you ask about it. Two private dining rooms that can hold 100
and 150 people, located facing 65th Street and 64th
Street, respectively, as well as a 25 person private room on the basement level
(which is also where the restrooms are located).
The restaurant specializes in seafood, raw bar, and sushi,
although there are a few land-based proteins on the menu for those who do not
enjoy seafood (but this really is not the place to go if you do not). Burgers,
sandwiches, and salads are available at lunchtime, and breakfasty-items can be
selected during weekend brunch (as well as traditional lunch items). As I said,
we had stopped into Atlantic Grill for drinks only, so we cannot comment on the
food unfortunately. But we were pleased enough with what we saw to make us consider
returning under the right circumstances in the future.
