Where I live, there are only a handful of restaurants where you are out of luck if you don't have a reservation. I assume that reservations are much more an issue with New York restaurants, but I'm wondering if a reservation is ALWAYS necessary, no matter how small the restaurant or which night of the week you are dining.

So I'm asking some New Yorkers for some guidelines about the need for reservations, e.g., for a midweek evening at a 2-star place.

When in doubt, always make a reservation.

Some places only take reservations up to 30 days in advance and they are still impossible to get into.

Don't make the assumption that because it is a two star restaurant and you are dining midweek, you can get in without a reservation.

Several guidelines off the top of my head:
1. If it's a popular restaurant, obviously reservations are a must, and you better make them well in advance.
2. For Friday or Saturday night, you should make reservation at any decent place. (Hey, if they don't do business on a weekend night, how good can they be?)
3. If it's in the theater district and you want to eat before 8, you better make a reservation (except for possibly Sunday and Monday).
4. At the more popular restaurants, you often have to make reservations weeks in advance. The same goes for pre-theater reservations in the theater district.

Howard is right.

NY is like other places restauraunt wise - good ones need them. Just because it is NYC doesn't mean all restaurants require jackets and reservations.

You should not have a problem midweek with a 2 star place.

The busier and more popular a restaurant, the wiser it is to reserve ahead - even if you call on your way over, so as not to go out of your way to find out when you arrive that they're fully booked or closed.

I always reserve at places I really want to visit. You never know when they'll be closed for vacation a private function, or if they've gone out of business...

Why not make reservations? You can always cancel? I tend to make then 1/2 to an hour later than we plan to be there. If you're delayed, you don't lose the reservation. If you're earlier, they can nearly always seat you right away.

Another good reason to phone and reserve is to check the dress code. Some places, especially those with **'s still require jacket and/or tie. If they do, you'll want to know that ahead of time. If they don't, it would be a bit silly to change for dinner when it's just not necessary.