Our 10 Best Father's Day Restaurants in NYC

Barbecue for dad with all the fixin's at Mable's Smokehouse

We've endured Mother's Day, and now Father's Day is upon us. These greeting card holidays are always so depressing! You've got to do something, but you never know quite what. The best thing we can think of is to take your male parental unit (or units if you've got two dads) and go out for a magnificent meal. The problem is that all the obvious places will be mobbed. Here are a few out-of-the-way and possibly not so crowded suggestions. Still, try to reserve early.

10. If you lived in the suburbs, you could host a barbecue for dad. But you don't and you can't. Perhaps even better would be a visit to one of the city's excellent barbecues. Wearing its Oklahoma influences on its sleeve, Mable's Smokehouse is one of our best. The brisket is way smoky and so are the pork ribs, and the sides are much better than they need to be. But if they're offering it this Sunday, the hot links are a little bit of heaven. It's serve yourself, and there are plenty of big tables to accommodate families. 44 Berry Street, Brooklyn, 718-218-6655

9. Nothing better for a dad with Hispanic roots (or anyone who loves zesty, garlicky flavors) to go to a Spanish restaurant, especially an out-of-the-way sleeper like El Mio Cid. Tapas both hot and cold are available in profusion and at cheap prices: the crock-borne chorizo arrives bubbling in olive oil, the Galician-style octopus is soft as glove leather, and the grilled sardines - three to a plate - are plumper than you've ever seen before. Red and white sangrias flow like waterfalls. 50 Starr Street, Brooklyn, 718-628-8300

8. If pops is a spicy food fanatic (and we know several who are), or of Southeast Asian heritage, consider one of Queens' easy-to-get-to Thai restaurants, say Chao Thai. There he can enjoy one of the great Isaan sour-sausage bar snacks, served with raw ginger and chiles, and wash it down with, say, a Chang Beer, then follow it up with an incendiary jungle curry (shown above). Vegetarian options also available. 85-03 Whitney Avenue, Queens, 718-424-4999