Thanksgiving week on the Upper East Side has its own rhythm. Cousins land on Monday, college kids drift home by Tuesday, the Wednesday before the holiday turns into one big reunion, and by Friday everyone is ready to escape the leftovers. If you’re looking for Thanksgiving dishes Upper East Side friends and families can share at a table someone else sets, Boqueria on Second Avenue maps the classic holiday spread onto Spanish plates: paella in the turkey’s spot, crispy potatoes for the mash, and churros with hot chocolate standing in for pie.
One thing to know before you plan: Boqueria Upper East Side is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26, 2026. We’re open with regular hours Monday through Wednesday of that week, back with regular hours on Black Friday (brunch is served alongside the regular menu that day), and open as usual over the weekend that follows.
So think of this as your guide to every other night of the holiday week: the hours, a role-by-role swap onto our Lenox Hill menu, and a day-by-day plan for Friendsgiving, Thanksgiving Eve and Black Friday brunch.
Key Takeaways
- Holiday hours: Boqueria Upper East Side keeps regular hours Monday to Wednesday, November 23 to 25, is closed on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, November 26), and reopens on Black Friday, November 27, with regular hours and brunch plus the regular menu.
- Every Thanksgiving “role” has a Spanish stand-in on the UES menu: paella or Roasted Chicken for the centerpiece, Patatas Bravas for the potatoes, Pan con Tomate and croquetas for the bread basket, and churros or Crema Catalana for the pie.
- The best nights for a Friendsgiving on the Upper East Side are early in the week and the Wednesday before the holiday, when friends are home and nobody has to cook yet.
- The Chef’s Menu (The Classics or The Boqueria Experience) takes the ordering off your hands and includes one of our paellas.
- We’re at 1460 Second Avenue in Lenox Hill, a crosstown walk from the Met and Central Park.
1. Thanksgiving Week Hours at Boqueria Upper East Side
Here’s the week at a glance, so your group chat can stop guessing.
| Day | Boqueria Upper East Side |
|---|---|
| Mon to Wed, Nov 23 to 25 | Regular hours |
| Thu, Nov 26 (Thanksgiving Day) | Closed |
| Fri, Nov 27 (Black Friday) | Regular hours, brunch + regular menu |
| Sat to Sun, Nov 28 to 29 | Regular hours |
Our Lenox Hill dining room is closed on Thanksgiving Day. If your crew is set on Spanish food that Thursday, two of our downtown siblings are open: Boqueria Soho from noon to 9pm and Boqueria Times Square from its regular opening time until 9pm, both serving the regular menu.
For regular daily hours, check the Boqueria Upper East Side location page. Tables go quickly the week of a big holiday, so we recommend reserving ahead for Monday through Wednesday, Black Friday and the weekend after. Bar seats stay open for walk-ins.
2. Thanksgiving Dishes Upper East Side Style: The Spanish Swap, Role by Role
A Thanksgiving table is really a tapas spread wearing a sweater: lots of dishes in the middle, plates passed in every direction, and a dessert nobody has room for. Here’s each classic role matched to something on the Upper East Side menu.
| Thanksgiving role | Boqueria UES dish | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| The centerpiece (turkey) | Seafood, Short Rib or Vegetable Paella; Roasted Chicken (half or whole); Secreto de Ibérico | One big shared showpiece for the middle of the table |
| Mashed or roasted potatoes | Patatas Bravas; Tortilla Española | Crispy, comforting and gone in minutes |
| Green beans and veg sides | Espinacas a la Catalana; Grilled Broccolini; Crispy Sweet Potatoes; Escalivada; Market Salad | Bright vegetables to balance the richer plates |
| Stuffing and the bread basket | Pan con Tomate; Croquetas de Jamón; Croquetas de Setas | Bready, savory and perfect for mopping |
| The cranberry moment | Bacon-Wrapped Dates; quince purée with the Croquetas de Jamón; PX Chicken Wings | Sweet beside savory, the job cranberry sauce does |
| The cheese and nibbles board | Aged Manchego; Aged Mahón; Valdeón; Jamón Serrano; Jamón Ibérico de Bellota | Something to pick at while late arrivals find their seats |
| The pie | Classic Churros; Crema Catalana; Basque Chocolate Cheesecake; Orange Olive Oil Cake | Four very different ways to finish |
| The toast | Red, white or rosé sangría; cava; sherry | Something festive for everyone to raise |
The centerpiece. Paella is Spain’s answer to the bird-on-a-platter moment: one wide pan, set down in the middle while the table cheers. Our menu describes it through saffron, bomba rice (a short-grain Spanish rice that drinks up flavor) and socarrat, the crunchy, caramelized layer at the bottom of the pan. Scrape for it; that’s where the good stuff lives. The Short Rib Paella, with braised short rib, Turkish figs, Piparra peppers and roasted bone marrow, is the richest and has a sweet-savory note that suits late November. The Seafood Paella brings monkfish, squid, shrimp, clams and mussels, and the Vegetable Paella puts eggplant, peas and piquillo peppers front and center.
Want a roast instead? The Roasted Chicken comes half or whole with lemon, herbs and salsa verde, and Secreto de Ibérico is the seared “secret cut” of the Ibérico pig.
The potatoes. Patatas Bravas are crispy potatoes with salsa brava (a lightly spicy tomato sauce), pimentón (smoked paprika) and garlic allioli. Tortilla Española is the Spanish potato-and-egg frittata, soft and comforting, and the plate grandparents tend to claim first.
The sides. Espinacas a la Catalana is sautéed spinach with garbanzos, pine nuts and golden raisins. Crispy Sweet Potatoes arrive with mojo verde (a green herb sauce) and spicy yogurt, a cheeky wink at the marshmallow casserole.
The cranberry moment. Bacon-Wrapped Dates are stuffed with almonds and Valdeón blue cheese, and they deliver the sweet-salty contrast that cranberry sauce exists for. The Croquetas de Jamón, creamy Serrano ham croquettes, come with quince purée for the same effect.
The pie. Churros are fried dough dusted with cinnamon sugar, with dulce de leche, hot chocolate or Nutella for dipping. Crema Catalana is Barcelona’s custard with lemon zest and a burnt-sugar top, a close cousin of crème brûlée.
3. Five Ways to Gather Uptown During Thanksgiving Week
With our doors closed on the Thursday, the fun moves to the days around it.
| When | The occasion | Suggested spread | The toast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon or Tue, Nov 23 to 24 | Friendsgiving for 4 to 6 | Pan con Tomate, Bacon-Wrapped Dates, Patatas Bravas, Grilled Broccolini, Short Rib Paella, Classic Churros | A pitcher of red sangría |
| Wed, Nov 25 (Thanksgiving Eve) | Hometown friends reunion | Aged Manchego, Jamón Serrano, Croquetas de Jamón, Gambas al Ajillo, Seafood Paella | Cava |
| Wed, Nov 25 | Team dinner before the break | The Classics Chef’s Menu for the table, plus extra Patatas Bravas | White and rosé sangría |
| Fri, Nov 27 (Black Friday) | Brunch after shopping or a break from leftovers | Brunch Feast, or Torrija, Huevos Estrellados and the Brunch Paella | Sangría or a mimosa |
| Sat or Sun, Nov 28 to 29 | Three generations with visiting family | The Boqueria Experience Chef’s Menu, plus Tortilla Española for the kids | Sangría, and a sherry for the grandparents |
Early-week Friendsgiving. Monday and Tuesday are the sweet spot for a Friendsgiving on the Upper East Side. Everyone is in town and nobody has started cooking yet. Two to three tapas per person is the menu’s own guideline, then add a paella for the middle.
Thanksgiving Eve. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is a big night out in the city, because everyone you went to high school with is suddenly back in the neighborhood. A table at Boqueria turns that reunion into something better than a crowded bar: a round of Gambas al Ajillo (shrimp with garlic, brandy and olive oil), a board of Manchego and ham, and a pan of paella to fight over. Reserve early for this one.
Black Friday brunch. On Friday, November 27, brunch is served alongside the regular menu, so you can sleep in, browse the neighborhood shops, then settle in. The Brunch Feast is family style and portioned to your party size, with tapas for the table, brunch plates like Torrija (crispy Spanish French toast stuffed with sweet miti crema and blackberry compote) and Huevos Estrellados (shoestring fries topped with Jamón Serrano and a fried egg), and Classic Churros to finish. If you’ve seen enough turkey sandwiches for one week, this is your escape.
4. An Uptown Holiday-Week Plan: The Met, Central Park and Second Avenue
The Upper East Side is a wonderful place to host out-of-town guests in late November. Here’s how a Boqueria meal slots into a classic uptown day with family in town, on any day of the week except Thursday.
A museum morning. The Metropolitan Museum of Art sits on Fifth Avenue, a crosstown stroll from Second Avenue. A few hours in the galleries builds a paella-sized appetite, so book a late lunch and walk straight over.
A park walk. Before or after you eat, take the family into Central Park. A slow late-fall loop lets everyone stretch their legs between a long flight and a long meal.
Dinner in Lenox Hill. Our location page calls the UES dining room a Lenox Hill favorite with a lively crowd, and Thanksgiving week that crowd fills up with neighbors showing their guests around and friends holding an early Friendsgiving.
5. Planning Your Friendsgiving or Group Dinner
A little planning goes a long way the week of a big holiday. Here’s how to make a group dinner at Boqueria Upper East Side run smoothly.
Let the Chef’s Menu do the work. For bigger groups, the Chef’s Menu is the easiest route. The Classics is a customized assortment of guest favorites that includes one of our paellas. The Boqueria Experience goes further, with seasonal dishes, paella and a taste of hand-carved Jamón Ibérico de Bellota, Spain’s prized acorn-fed ham. Either way, nobody has to negotiate the order.
Going bigger? The Upper East Side has a flexible space that welcomes group dining and private events, from birthdays to business dinners. Our NYC events page is the place to start a conversation about a private or semi-private gathering early in the week. For more tips on keeping a big table happy, our earlier post on group dining on the Upper East Side is worth a read.
Hosting Friendsgiving at your place instead? Use the Order Online button on the location page to order to-go for a Monday or Tuesday Friendsgiving at home, so Patatas Bravas and croquetas are part of the spread at your gathering earlier in the week. If you’d rather cook, our holiday recipe for Paella de Mariscos walks through a seafood paella you can make yourself.
A thank-you for the host. If a friend is hosting your Friendsgiving early in the week, a Boqueria gift card makes an easy thank-you to hand over at the door.
6. Visit Us in the Upper East Side
Boqueria Upper East Side is at 1460 Second Avenue in Lenox Hill, tucked among the side streets and brownstones that make the neighborhood feel like a village. It’s the uptown home for paella, tapas, brunch and cocktails, and a go-to for happy hour and private dining across the neighborhood.
During Thanksgiving week, come in Monday through Wednesday, on Black Friday, or over the weekend after; we’re closed on Thanksgiving Day. Reservations are recommended, especially on weekends and the night before the holiday.
Conclusion
The best part of Thanksgiving was never really the turkey. It’s a crowded table, food in the middle, and enough time to catch up. At Boqueria Upper East Side, that translates beautifully into Spanish: a pan of Short Rib Paella with its socarrat, Patatas Bravas in place of mashed potatoes, Bacon-Wrapped Dates for that sweet-salty hit, and churros with hot chocolate instead of pie.
Plan Friendsgiving early in the week, gather old friends on Thanksgiving Eve, or bring the family to Black Friday brunch. Just remember that our Lenox Hill dining room is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26. Check regular hours on the Boqueria Upper East Side location page, then reserve your table for the night that suits your crew. We’ll save you the crispy bits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Boqueria Upper East Side open on Thanksgiving Day?
No. Boqueria Upper East Side is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26, 2026. We’re open with regular hours Monday through Wednesday that week, and we reopen with regular hours on Black Friday, November 27. In Manhattan, Boqueria Soho (noon to 9pm) and Boqueria Times Square (regular opening time until 9pm) are open on Thanksgiving Day with the regular menu.
Is Boqueria Upper East Side open on Black Friday?
Yes. On Friday, November 27, we’re open with regular hours, serving brunch alongside the regular menu. The Brunch Feast works well for groups.
What are the best Spanish dishes to order as a Thanksgiving-style meal?
Start with Pan con Tomate and Bacon-Wrapped Dates, add Patatas Bravas and a vegetable like Espinacas a la Catalana or Grilled Broccolini, then share a paella as the centerpiece. Finish with Classic Churros or Crema Catalana. That covers every role on a traditional holiday table, ready for a Friendsgiving any night we’re open that week.
Can I book a large group for Friendsgiving on the Upper East Side?
Yes. Book a table online for smaller groups, or reach out through the NYC events page for larger or private gatherings earlier in the week or the weekend after. The Chef’s Menu is a simple option for big tables. For parties of 6 or more, a taxed 20% service charge will be added.
Does Boqueria serve turkey?
Turkey isn’t on the Upper East Side menu. For a similar centerpiece feel, try a paella or the Roasted Chicken, which comes half or whole with lemon, herbs and salsa verde.
Are there gluten-free options for a holiday-week dinner?
Several dishes are marked gluten-free on the menu, including the dinner paellas, Patatas Bravas, Tortilla Española and Crispy Sweet Potatoes. Tell your server about any allergies before you order.