Cafe Commerce on NYC's Upper East Side Serves a Family-Style Thanksgiving by Chef Harold Moore

Cafe Commerce, the French-leaning bistro at 964 Lexington Avenue on the Upper East Side, is setting a family-style Thanksgiving spread this year. The restaurant's own pitch is simple: "This Thanksgiving, let us do the cooking." Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 26.

The centerpieces are a herb-roasted turkey and a maple-glazed ham. The website says the table will also carry "every side you'd hope to find," served family style so that guests pass the dishes around rather than receive individual plates. It is aimed at anyone who wants the traditional holiday meal without roasting a bird at home.

The cooking is led by Chef Harold Moore, who has been nominated by the James Beard Foundation as a Rising Star Chef and has been praised by The New York Times, Food & Wine and USA Today, among others. Cafe Commerce is the uptown revival of a downtown favorite; The New York Times described it as "the uptown revival of a downtown staple." The restaurant is also listed as a Michelin Selected restaurant for 2025. New York Magazine called it a source of "easy uptown glamour, day or night," and The Infatuation described its food as foie-forward comfort cooking.

For readers from Japan, Thanksgiving is one of the clearest windows into American home traditions, and the turkey-and-ham table is its centerpiece. Having a restaurant prepare the whole spread is a practical way to take part in it.

The restaurant is open seven days a week. Regular hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Reservations are taken through Resy, and the phone number is (212) 390-8106. The full Thanksgiving menu is on a dedicated page of the restaurant's website.