There are difficult NYC reservations, and then there is 4 Charles Prime Rib. Getting a table at the legendary Greenwich Village restaurant can feel less like making dinner plans and more like trying to secure a ticket to the Super Bowl.
But it can be done.
Located at 4 Charles Street, the intimate West Village restaurant is famous for its prime rib, French dip, steakhouse sides and cult-favorite cheeseburger. The tiny dining room is a major reason reservations are so competitive.
So, how do you get a reservation at 4 Charles Prime Rib?
The restaurant uses Resy for reservations, and this is where timing becomes everything. Tables are generally released 30 days in advance at 9 a.m., so mark your calendar and be ready to book exactly when the reservation window opens.
If you want dinner on a Friday, for example, start counting backward 30 days and prepare to become extremely familiar with the Resy refresh button.
When reservations disappear, don’t give up. Cancellations can pop up on Resy, sometimes much closer to the actual dining date. Checking periodically can uncover a table that wasn’t there earlier.
It also helps to be flexible. If you’re willing to eat early, late or on a weeknight, your odds of finding an available table can improve. The restaurant’s limited seating means prime dinner times are particularly competitive.
And don’t expect to casually wander in and grab a table. 4 Charles Prime Rib is a reservation-first kind of place, and its reputation for being one of the hardest restaurant reservations in NYC isn’t exactly an exaggeration.
Once you finally get inside, the reward is a menu built for maximum indulgence: prime rib, burgers, steak, rich sides and plenty of old-school steakhouse energy.
So set the alarm, open Resy and prepare your clicking finger.
Because at 4 Charles Prime Rib, getting the reservation may be the hardest part of dinner.
