Making Reservations
How can I make a reservation at Sailor?
For starters, thank you for your interest in dining at Sailor! All reservations are made online through Resy.com or through a link on our website. We release dinner reservations each day at 11 AM for the same date two weeks in advance.
Lunch and Brunch reservations are managed slightly differently - those are released every Monday at 11 AM for that same week.
What if no reservations are available for the dates and times I'm seeking?
We are so grateful to have a demand that is greater than our capacity, and we thank you all for your support thus far. We are a very tiny restaurant, and we think our intimate size is part of our charm; however, it does mean we have limited reservations to offer for each service. We strive to be a restaurant where you can make reservations and also a place where you can just pop in without a reservation. To that aim, we hold almost half of our seats back for walk-ins without reservations on a first-completed, first-seated basis. As a result of this approach, nearly half the people we feed each night don't have reservations, and we encourage that as an option to explore.
Please know whether or not you are able to get a reservation, there is always an opportunity every night to dine with us at Sailor.
What are the best chances of getting a walk-in seat?
We find on average people get in queue outside the restaurant between 4:30 PM and 4:45 PM each day. When we open the doors at 5 PM, we fill our seats up with the first group of people in the queue. Then we begin taking names and phone numbers for our second and third seatings at the restaurant. We generally fill in the first set of walk-in seats between 5:00 PM - 5:30 PM. We begin doing our second seating between 6:45 PM and 7:30 PM, and our third seating usually is between 9:00 PM and 10:00 PM. It’s not an exact science when it comes to walk-in seats; these are just averages based upon what we've been experiencing.
We only take names and numbers for walk-in seats in person. You cannot add your name to the list remotely.
As seats become available, we contact the next name on the list in order and we give you 10 - 15 minutes’ heads up before offering the seats to the next name on the list.
You are welcome to queue early and put your name on the list for the second and third seating but you still have to do that in person.
Can you tell me more about the walk-in options?
Each evening we set aside eight stools at the bar - which essentially works out to being four tables of two and two booths (each can accommodate up to four people inside the restaurant). Additionally, in nice weather, we have a few extra tables outside on our sidewalk cafe for parties of two or three that we also keep held just for people without reservations as additional walk-in seats. For all of our walk-in seats, whether inside or out, we seat only complete parties on a first-complete, first-seated basis.
Reservation Availability
How many tables are available for reservations?
At dinner service, we make available six tables for reservations for a total capacity of 14 seats each night. Five of those tables are parties of two and one of those tables is for parties of four or five. We set it up to have approximately three different reservation slots per table each night.
Everytime I look for reservations, there's nothing ever available…
As mentioned, we are a very small restaurant, and that's where the challenge lies. Trust us, we want to feed you! If you can't find what you’re looking for, we also offer lunch dining on weekdays and brunch on weekends.
Do you have outside tables and do you take reservations for outside tables?
Yes, we do have a beautiful sidewalk cafe, some of the seats are held for walk-ins, and some we accept reservations for. We release reservations for the outside tables on a same-day basis because the seating is weather contingent. In the event of inclement weather or unexpected rain, we do not have the ability to transfer outside reservations to the inside and therefore, reservations that are made outdoors are exclusively for outdoors.
Tell me more about the Notify list.
The notify list is a great resource for reservations at Sailor! It is a completely automated process managed directly by Resy. If you add your name to the notify list, you will become automatically alerted by Resy in the event of any cancellations. We find on average every night we are open, we have a handful of tables who got their reservation through the notify list within a few days prior or the same day. We cannot recommend it enough as a highly effective way of snagging a reservation from the last-minute cancellation by someone else.
Do you take reservations for parties of 1.
Unfortunately, at this time, we only take reservations on six tables, five of them are for parties of two and one for parties of four or five. But we do welcome parties of 1 as Walk Ins and we can offer either the bar or a table depending on what’s available and what your preferences are. Every night we welcome and feed solo diners — so come on down!
I didn’t see any tables for 3…
We do not have any reservations available for parties of three. However, we absolutely can and do accommodate parties of three every night as walk-ins. As mentioned in other answers, we only have six tables that we take reservations on (five tables for parties of two and one table for parties of four-five). We can accommodate parties of three either at one of our two booths, the bar, or one of our sidewalk cafe tables that we keep exclusively for walk-ins on a first-completed/first-seated basis. We wish we had more tables with more seating sizes every day; we’re doing the best we can with our tiny little place and although we acknowledge the frustration of not being able to make a reservation for three people, we certainly can accommodate parties of three.
What is the largest party size you can offer?
At this time the largest size party we can accommodate at the restaurant is a party of 5 people. We have only one table that we reserve that can accommodate that many people and it is offered each evening at 5:00 PM / 7:30 PM / 10:00 PM.
Changes in party size…
We will do what we can, to assist in modifications to your party size. However, we are a very tiny restaurant which limits our options for maneuverability.
For instance, if you made a reservation for four people and now you’re only two, we may not be able to give you the table that you reserved, and we may have to offer it to another group that has four diners. With only two tables for four in our dining room and a total of 36 seats all-in (including our bar stools), we are not in a position to deny other parties of four that want to dine with us in order to accommodate a party of two where there are four seats. In such an instance, we may have to either cancel the reservation or move you to the bar.
If you have a reservation for two and you wish to increase your party size, we run into similar obstacles in our ability to accommodate. If the larger tables are already reserved, we don’t have anything to physically offer you to increase your party size (the first place to look to see if we have availability for a larger size party would be online through Resy.) We don’t hold any secret inventory.
Changing or Canceling Reservations
What happens if I need to cancel my reservation?
Life happens, and we understand. To avoid cancellation fees, please let us know at least 24 hours in advance of your reservation. A $40 per person charge may be applied for late cancellations or no-shows if we are unable to refill the seats.
Can I change the time of my reservation ?
In most cases, the answer is unfortunately no. The reason is because of our small size, we prescribe specific reservation times to each table throughout the evening. We provide the adequate amount of time for your meal, which amount of time varies based upon party size and meal period (i.e., dinner versus lunch or brunch). Although you may be okay with less time to dine, we cannot assure that we can provide a full dining experience with less time. And, we can only feel confident in honoring the subsequent reservation that follows yours if we have the sufficient amount of time for you. As such, it’s difficult for us to accommodate changes to your reservation time without it impacting every other reservation time on that table for the rest of the evening.
I can’t make my reservation, can I change it to another day?
We are sorry to say , but reservations are not transferable.
A note regarding confirmations
As mentioned, we are a very small restaurant, and every seat matters disproportionately more as a result of our tiny space. Every day, we have to say no to more requests than we can say yes to. Additionally, we spend unwanted time and resources fighting against computer bots and reservation scalpers. We are not in a position to deny some people the opportunity to dine with us only to be left with empty seats for someone who did not confirm or show up for their reservation. We will attempt to confirm your reservation three times, and failure to confirm it is on you, the diner. If we do not get confirmation in appropriate time, we may have to cancel your reservation. So please, mind your inbox and confirm or cancel your reservations in a timely manner.
Dietary Preferences
Are you vegan, gluten free/ celiac, or do you have any allergies or dietary aversions?
We believe in hospitality, and we like feeding people. Chances are, whatever your aversion is, we’ve probably encountered and accommodated it before. We have a small kitchen but a very thoughtful and professional team. We cannot assure in all instances the absence of cross-contamination but there are many options on our menu as is or with minor modifications that can allow us to accommodate most dietary restrictions. We encourage you to look at our menus online, and discuss with your server when you arrive. You may not have as many options to choose from because we do celebrate all kinds of food and gluten here, but we are sure we can find a few things that you can eat.
We will always do our best to accommodate dietary aversions to ensure you have an enjoyable dining experience. However, please note that accommodating multiple dietary aversions simultaneously (ie Gluten Free & Dairy Free) may be more challenging for us. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to serving you.
Parties and Events
Can Sailor accommodate large parties?
Due to our small size at this time, the maximum party we can accommodate is five people. We only take reservations on one table that is larger than two people and it is available specifically for parties of four or five. That table is offered each evening at 5 PM, 7:30 PM or 10 PM nightly.
How can I inquire about hosting an event at Sailor?
For inquiries about hosting events, please email us at ahoy@sailor.nyc. We'll be happy to discuss your needs and provide more information on our event packages.
General Information
Can I bring my own wine?
We put a lot of energy into our wine list, and we are really proud of it. That being said, we understand and embrace that sometimes you have something special that you’d like to enjoy with our cooking and hospitality. So, we do allow you to bring a wine from your own personal collection. We charge a corkage fee of $40 per 750ml bottle, with a maximum of one bottle per two guests. The only way you can enjoy a magnum is if you are at a party of four or more, and lastly, it cannot be a bottle of wine that we have on the list.
How can I buy a gift card to Sailor?
Please go to the navigation menu of this website, or the footer, you will see a link of when and how to purchase gift cards. We only sell digital gift cards and not physical cards. Any unused balance can be retained and used on subsequent visits. Please note that the selling or gifting of the giftcard does not guarantee a reservation.
What about strollers and high chairs?
Once again our tiny size works against us. We love kids, and our owners have 2 young kids of their own. That being said, Sailor is a little bit more of an elegant restaurant and thus, we cannot accommodate strollers because there is no space near our tables and we don't have any high chairs. We do welcome kids that are able to sit on their own in a regular dining chair or on an adult's lap.
One additional note on the subject of strollers, we can provide cables and locks and secure places for you to lock your stroller up outside of the restaurant. We have created a designated area just for stroller parking.
What’s the best way to communicate with the restaurant?
There are three ways we encourage. For existing reservations, please text us through the Resy app. Alternatively, you can text our Maitre D at 201.565.0978. Please note we do not always monitor that inbox, and response time may vary. Lastly, you can email us at ahoy@sailor.nyc - We will do our best to respond to emails Monday through Friday during business hours- We will do our best to respond to emails Monday through Friday during business hours.
If you have ever found it frustrating or challenging to get in touch with us, we are genuinely sorry. I assure you, we want to speak with you, and we are not avoiding you. We are a small team, and we are working our tails off around the clock just to keep our heads above water.
We are a tiny restaurant, operating with the appropriate-sized budget, and we’re doing the best we can. We hope to speak to you, and we hope to welcome you soon.