Where to feel New York holiday magic
December's most festive nooks and crannies
The holiday season is something you smell in the city’s air without even seeing your first decoration. All of the tiny windows that depict each and every apartment, big and small, have a certain fog that blooms, making the rainbow lights of the small Christmas trees behind them look like frosted kaleidoscopes. I find myself looking into these windows for a little bit too long, forgetting that, this is someones private home, but these window shopping strolls on the first day of December bring out a feeling you can only feel in New York.
These feelings are the strongest on a Tuesday night walking home from work with numb hands and a forgotten scarf. It’s [still] about the time that I haven’t accepted that the cold is here to stay, and I can’t get away with just my thin black trench coat anymore. But walking through the icy sidewalks of the West Village on a weeknight and seeing wreaths guarding every doorstep, stores I’ve never thought twice about catch my eye with their thoughtful draped displays, and smoke coming from chimneys of buildings in the distance that brew a feeling none other than bliss and deep weeknight whimsy.
This gratitude for my city during the holidays naively landed me in Midtown Manhattan last weekend, a place I maybe find myself less than 10 (and change) times in a year. I haven’t seen THE midtown holiday displays since my first year living here when my roommates and I decided it was a fantastic idea to try and watch the tree lighting. As you would have guessed, we, and the thousands of others who had the same idea, ended up just getting hot chocolate at a Starbucks on 49th street to live out our festive dreams because they were at capacity…like the type of capacity where you go to do something wholesome and then randomly get screamed at by NYPD.
But I was determined, 4 years later, to take another stab at a Midtown Christmas. I started my day Uptown at the bustling Birley Bakery, and (like yeah) the line was long, but the croissants are flaky and the coffee is strong, so I didn’t mind looking at their sparkling garlands as I waited.
I leashed my cappuccino for a stroll with down Madison Ave to see all of the decorations glued to the exteriors of every store and restaurant. Gingerbread men and nutcrackers came out of hibernation to say hello as the Upper East truly embodies a winter village more than any other part of town. And because I was uptown, I chose to weave my way through a wintry Central Park to cross town west.
…But here’s where things declined. With every step further from UES and every step closer to Midtown West, the optics of the holiday blossomed, but the actual spirit faded. The ever so charming Plaza hotel had crowds of people loitering outside so large that there were probably 10 bouncers guarding the door, Bergdorfs, while beautifully decorated, had a 20 minute wait to get into one elevator, and the hotel bar we wanted to grab a quick martini at,The Baccarat, was “fully committed” 5 minutes after they opened.
Despite the odds, we still snuck in for a drink at the Baccarat and ended up having one too many martinis in decadent crystal glasses to match the decadent crystal chandeliers. It was stunning, but it was Midtown. And before you get frustrated with me ragging on midtown, this does not come from a place of “I don’t go above 14th street” rhetoric, it’s just that-no matter how many decorations you put up, the real magic exists in the coziest of corners of the city. Less displays and diamonds, more fireplaces and intimacy.
Coziest Holiday Nooks
1. Maison Barnes
The place written for parents visiting that want to see holiday decorations and have a festive brunch because they feel like ‘brunch’ as a concept is a necessary part of their visiting itinerary. Sitting at Maison Barnes at 1pm on a Saturday reminded me of nothing other than the fact that I haven’t been to a sit down brunch in probably two years. An avid brunch hater that comes alive during the holidays when a fully belly at 2pm (to tamper with your early dinner plans) takes priority over those dinner plans. Brunch also only feels somewhat right in uptown Manhattan in December, surrounded by chic elders who start their three hour brunches with a coffee and end with a bottle of rose.
Maison Barnes has an entryway that makes you feel nostalgic for a New York Christmas through the eyes of a visiting child. It’s the type of external entryway from the sidewalk that is decked out in glittering garland with a doorman that cosplays as a nutcracker, met with an internal doorway that opens with a velvet curtain to a packed bar of martini drinkers, forgetting it’s only noon. An entryway that feels like a hotel, but isn’t actually a hotel…if you know what I mean.
I took everything so seriously that I accidentally ordered the steak and eggs, which happened to be the most expensive thing on the menu, and I actually think that was my very first time having steak and eggs. To me it’s always felt like a bit of a lazy dish, like oh look! let’s just take a dinner entree and add an egg to make it breakfast(!)- but it melted in my mouth just as much as the fig pavlova from the vintage dessert cart did.
2. Cafe Carlyle
The Carlyle Hotel wears the holidays like tried and true denim- and I stand by the fact that it’s a true synonym to depiction of nyc through the dreams of the traveler from Nebraska that is imagining a ‘fancy hotel’ during Christmastime in the city. Lots of Nebraskans, and Floridians, and Mississippians must feel this way because the line to get a drink at Bemelman’s bar has sprawled out of control for three to four hours on end.
The trick here is to avoid the hell out of Bemelman’s. Go any other day or any other time other than December. Please. But open your Resy app before you leave in a fit after the harsh news delivered by the (poor) host, because you’ll find that you’re geographically closest to an open reservation at Cafe Carlyle, which just so happens to be the restaurant (yes, restaurant!!!!) across the hall from Bemelman’s bar, and they pretty much always have reservations.
It’s new(er) so I don’t think a ton of people know about it, but the art and the ambience is just as eclectic as the bar, the steak was cooked to perfection, and the exact same martini that is served at Bemelman’s is served, and you’ll feel the same red cheeked holiday flush that you were debating a 3 hour wait for across the hallway.
3. Sevilla
The frosted window extraordinaire spanning the West Village corner in every novel that sets the scene for downtown New York in December. Sevilla was actually a no phone dinner for me- not in a weird way, but in a- getting two lucky bar seats on a Friday night during the holidays after the host was about to turn us away- way. Our neighboring elbows at the bar were bumping our sangria left and right that there was no room for photos, just boiled octopus and sizzling shrimp.
When the old fashioned tune of Christmas hits sing about the act of rejoicing and being merry, I think of Sevilla. A no frills, heavily decorated, family operated (no idea if it actually is, just feels like it is) establishment that starts with a single drink and ends with 4. It only feels right to come up for air two hours later, spilling out into the streets with a hallmark snow storm that can’t even penetrate the warmth of wine on your skin.
You won’t find me giving too many downtown recs during the holidays, Minetta Tavern is another rare one I’ll always stand by, but Sevilla is the place to beat the crowds and truly bask in the year’s memories and be present in reflection.
4. La Mercerie
Here she is, it’s ….THE tree in the grand hotel. It’s all about the tree at La Mercerie. And another brunch pick? Not sure what’s happening to me here, but I’m telling you, brunch is only acceptable (and randomly superior?) during the holidays. Maybe it’s the shining silver candle holders or the fluffed white alpine rugs that live in the ornate furniture store that shares the room beyond the arch of the restaurant that makes the tree look even more handsome, but this is by far my favorite one.
To pivot from your Christmas shopping plans uptown, La Mercerie welcomes arms of bags and boxes after a day in Soho securing gifts for all, and has the perfect savory crepe and shrimp cocktail ready to land on your table as you rest your legs and finally take your heavy coat off. Who knows, maybe you’ll pick up one of their overpriced (but admittedly top tier) coffee table books for sale in the store section for that friend that just moved into a new apartment. That’s always a yearly persona to find a gift for.
5. Chateau Royale
A new spot that embodies holiday energy is always risky to recommend as the classics usually prevail this time of year, but for those that want to feel winter magic on a 1am type of night out over a giggly martini and one of the best burgers of 2026, Chateau Royale’s late night menu fits the feeling perfectly. The air here feels similar to another one of my winter favorites, Pearl Box, that is also quite chalet-like with splashes of deep red and wood paneled walls that you’d imagine in a tiny northern french town.
I’m not trying to be a sensationalist when I say that this is the best dirty martini in New York City right now. I still don’t know what umami means, but it was the first word that came to mind with my first sip. Caviar service is also very affordable here, and always feels more acceptable in December, and the Osetra was as briney and fatty as the martini was. The best caviar I’ve ever had in my life? No - but the fact that it was available until 2am feels gamechanging in my current assessment of what a fun late night out in New York looks like for me at 26. Sitting around a table eating caviar and drinking frosted martinis can only yield the best of conversations.
I love this!! After living in NYC for two decades, and now living outside of it for almost one, this speaks to me. This letter an instant portal back to everything sparkly and magical about the city at Christmas.
I was waiting patiently for this one