We are from the UK and are visiting NYC for 10 days in early September and would like to reserve dinner etc but am not sure if sites like toptable, savored etc. are safe as they ask for CC details but take no money ( so they say) Are other sites like Big Dave's, foods of NY, nosh walks OK Has anyone any experience of sites like these and is it necessary to reserve tickets like these above and other attractions in advance.?????

opentable.com is the one used for NYC

OpenTable.com best for reservations safe to give them CC info

Zagat.com Yelp.com for reviews that are honest beware

TripAdvertizer many plants fake positives and jealous

compeitors dishonest not reliable do not use.

viator.com good local site for info from insiders not commercial

www.virtualtourist.com NYC sorry for typo above.

I do not like the websites such as Yelp that discuss food. Half the people do not know from whence they speak. And the number one restaurant on Trip Advisor is some ordinary Italian place that must be tauted in some guide book.

Most websites that take payments should have a yellow lock on the bottom right of the page which indicates it's secure. If they don't, don't use them. I don't recall opentable asking for a credit card and can't see why they'd need one. Menupages.com is another place to look for restaurant reviews although no review site is foolproof.

Also try Bookatable.com. They are a UK restaurant reservation site and have recently launched in NYC. And yes, reservations are helpful, but you can always walk in -- just be prepared to have a drink at the bar before being seated.

Unless you are going to a top restaurant like Jean Georges, Daniel, Le Bernardin (etc.), where you should book at least a month in advance, you can almost always get a reservation a few days in advance (a week will do for most places like Blue Smoke or Artisanal, which are popular but not top restaurants).

So if you want to eat at a top upscale restaurant, make that reservation in the next week. Many restaurants take reservations only 30 days or 4 weeks in advance (any Danny Meyer restaurant takes reservations only 4 weeks in advance to the day ... so book this Friday, for September 9, etc.). Open Table is a good source but has limited tables and doesn't include everything (though it includes almost everything). And remember that the reservations open up at midnight New York time, so that's going to be later in the UK.

But you can also just call a restaurant and make a reservation. Most of the top restaurants have web sites. Make your pick and phone them up. It will just take a few minutes.

I would not use a service that requires a credit card commitment.