"Spit-roasted prime rib carved tableside in Philip Johnson's 1959 landmarked room. Book it to impress a client in Midtown."
About The Grill
The Grill cooks inside a New York City landmark — Philip Johnson's 1959 dining room in the Seagram Building at 99 East 52nd Street, the space that was the Four Seasons restaurant for half a century. When that closed, Major Food Group's Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi and Jeff Zalaznick reopened it in 2017 as a mid-century American chophouse, leaving the French walnut paneling, the four-sided bar and the rippling metal-chain curtains exactly where they found them. The cooking runs on tableside theatre, and the bill — well over $200 a head with wine — runs on the room. For more of the city's tables, compare the seafood sibling The Pool across the lobby, the Italian-American Carbone downtown and the prime rib at 4 Charles Prime Rib, or see our steakhouse guide.
The Kitchen
Order the spit-roasted prime rib — it is the signature and the dish the kitchen is built around. Roasting on a turning spit is the old method and the better one: the rib rotates over the heat so the rendering fat bastes the meat continuously and the cap browns evenly instead of scorching on one side. It arrives on a silver cart, carved to order against the grain with brisket au jus and grated horseradish, and because demand outruns supply you can reserve a portion when you book. Around it runs the rest of the showmanship-era menu — duck and pasta finished at the table, dessert trolleys, cocktails poured with ceremony, and pastry chef Stephanie Prida's trolley, which is no afterthought. This is richness and spectacle over restraint, executed with real technical control. A full dinner with wine clears $200 a head, among the priciest chophouse rooms in the city.
The Room
The room is the reason the prices hold. Philip Johnson's 1959 design runs on French walnut, travertine, a four-sided central bar and the famous shimmering metal-chain curtains over the windows, all under landmark protection. Tables sit on a raised perimeter looking down over the floor, so you watch and are watched in equal measure. Service is formal and choreographed around the carving carts. It sits in the Seagram Building on Park Avenue between 52nd and 53rd Streets, deep in corporate Midtown East, and the expense-account trade is part of the scene. Loud, bright, grand — book well ahead for a prime table.
Best for Impressing Clients
The landmarked room, the tableside carving carts and the Park Avenue address make The Grill a heavyweight choice to impress clients or close a deal, and a theatrical anniversary or milestone birthday dinner in Midtown.
Not for
Not for a quiet, low-key or budget dinner — this is a loud, expensive, theatrical chophouse built on tableside spectacle and a corporate Midtown crowd.
Frequently Asked
What is The Grill known for?
The Grill is known for reviving mid-century American chophouse dining in the landmarked Seagram Building. Its signature is spit-roasted prime rib carved tableside from a silver cart, alongside dishes flambeed and finished at the table with ceremony.
Who runs The Grill in New York?
The Grill is run by Major Food Group, founded by chefs Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi with Jeff Zalaznick. They reopened the former Four Seasons restaurant space as The Grill in 2017, preserving Philip Johnson's landmarked 1959 design.
Where is The Grill?
The Grill is at 99 East 52nd Street in the Seagram Building on Park Avenue, in Midtown East, Manhattan. The dining room is the protected Philip Johnson space that housed the Four Seasons restaurant for half a century.
How much does The Grill cost?
The Grill is one of the most expensive chophouses in New York. A full dinner with wine runs well over 200 dollars a head, driven by the prime rib, tableside service and the landmarked setting, so it is best treated as a special-occasion dinner.
Do I need a reservation at The Grill?
Reservations are essential and the prime tables book well ahead, particularly for dinner and weekend service. The signature spit-roasted prime rib can also be pre-ordered with your booking to guarantee a portion on the night.
Reserve a Table
Reserve at The Grill
Reservations are essential and prime tables book well ahead; The Grill is in the Seagram Building at 99 East 52nd Street, Midtown East.
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Practical Information
Address99 East 52nd Street, Seagram Building, Midtown East, New York, NY 10022
NeighbourhoodMidtown East (Seagram Building)
CuisineAmerican Chophouse
PriceAmong NYC's priciest chophouses; well over $200 a head with wine
Dress CodeSmart; jackets preferred
SeatingLandmarked Philip Johnson room with a raised perimeter and central bar
ReservationEssential
