Menu Guide · Upper East Side · Cabaret
Café Carlyle — Menu Guide
Tucked inside The Carlyle at 35 East 76th Street, Café Carlyle has been the home of New York cabaret since 1955 — Bobby Short held court at the piano here for decades, and the room's Marcel Vertès murals are landmarks in their own right. Dinner runs as a two-course prix fixe alongside the night's performance, and the bill has two parts: the food and the cover charge. Below is our independent walkthrough of what the menu looks like, what it costs, and how to plan the evening. Everything is written in our own words; prices are reported figures, not a copy of the restaurant's menu.
At a glance
- Location
- 35 E 76th St, New York, NY 10021 (inside The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel)
- Known for
- NYC's legendary cabaret room since 1955; live music nightly
- Cuisine
- French-leaning American supper-club fare
- Price level
- Two-course prix fixe reported at $95/person, plus a cover charge
- Hours
- Reported: Tuesday–Saturday, from 6:30 p.m.
- Reservations
- Book through Tock; check the artist calendar for cover charges
The two-course prix fixe — $95
Dinner here is structured as a two-course prix fixe, reported at $95 per person. Pick one dish from the first-course list and one from the mains. The lineup is classic and seasonally inflected — think bistro staples executed for a room that cares as much about the show as the plate.
| First course (pick one) | Included in prix fixe |
|---|---|
| Lobster bisque with Armagnac and tarragon crème fraîche | ✓ |
| Baby romaine salad — soft-boiled egg, parmesan, anchovy, preserved lemon | ✓ |
| Puglia burrata with baguette, apple butter, mint | ✓ |
| Sunset tartare — tuna, salmon, avocado, coconut jus, shrimp chips | ✓ |
| Carlyle fall salad — endive, pear, blue cheese, walnuts | ✓ |
| Duck foie gras terrine with black truffle and mostarda | ✓ |
| Main course (pick one) | Included in prix fixe |
|---|---|
| Faroe Island salmon with squash, zucchini, sorrel sauce | ✓ |
| Branzino with charred broccoli rabe, lemon beurre blanc | ✓ |
| Seafood salad — lobster, shrimp, Jonah crab, lemon vinaigrette | ✓ |
| Chicken Milanese with arugula, parmesan, lemon | ✓ |
| Prime porcini-crusted NY strip, potato gratin, sauce au poivre | ✓ |
| Eggplant Napoleon — plant-based sausage, tofu ricotta, watercress | ✓ |
| Dover sole with brown butter and brioche croutons | +$65 |
Our take: the Dover sole carries a steep +$65 supplement — it's the room's grandest gesture, but the porcini-crusted strip is the better value inside the prix fixe.
Sides & desserts
Sides are extra, reported at $18 each (truffle fries at $26): creamed spinach, brussels sprouts with bacon and pecans, whipped potatoes, charred broccoli rabe, and grilled asparagus. Desserts run $24 — flourless chocolate cake with raspberries, New York cheesecake with berries, or an apple tart with salted caramel, meringue and vanilla ice cream.
The cover charge
This is the part people miss: dinner is only half the bill. The room charges a cover charge reported at $80 per person and up, depending on the performing artist. Big-name residencies cost more; quieter weeknights less. The cover is separate from the prix fixe, and reservations are handled through Tock, where the current artist's terms are listed. Always check the calendar for your night before you book — the total per-person cost swings dramatically with who's on stage.
What we'd order
- To start: the duck foie gras terrine — the most old-school Carlyle choice on the list.
- The main: the porcini-crusted NY strip. Hearty enough to anchor the evening, no supplement.
- To finish: the apple tart — salted caramel and meringue is the right kind of theater.
- The real move: pick your night by the artist, not the menu. The room is the headliner.
Planning your visit
- Book on Tock and read the fine print for your artist's cover charge before committing.
- Budget the full evening: $95 prix fixe + $80+ cover + drinks + tax and tip adds up fast — plan on $250+ per person for a marquee night.
- Dress for the room. Jackets are the norm; this is one of the last places in New York where that still holds.
- Arrive hungry but unhurried. Service is timed around the show — you're here for the whole evening, not a quick bite.
About these prices
Prices above are reported as of October 2026, compiled from the restaurant's officially published menu. The prix fixe lineup, supplements, and cover charges change with the season and the artist — always verify current prices and the night's terms with the restaurant (via Tock) before visiting.