Peachy Picks @MansionNYC The Mansion Restaurant Since 1945 by Owner Phil Philips #1634YorkAvenue at East 86th Street #UpperEastSide
Murray's Broiled Half Chicken is a Home Run in the Winter Chill
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It's not who you know, it's WHOM YOU KNOW and we know the Philips family of The Mansion Restaurant in the absolute best part of town, the Upper East Side. It is named after Gracie Mansion. In 1931, the late John Philips came to the USA from Cyprus, Greece and began The Mansion Restaurant in 1945 diagonally across 86th Street and York Avenue from where it is today. In 1957, The Mansion moved to its current address: 1634 York Ave, purchased by John. This area was once horse stables. He married his waitress, Dora, a first-generation German American born in the USA in 1913. They had a son: Phil Philips, the owner today! Clearly, he was born to do this. The Mansion updates their menu twice a year.
We were delighted to be work with Phil directly of course and were equally enamored to meet Phil's charming daughter, Ariana Philips. Previously, they were first featured on Whom You Know in 2011 and we were happy to return in the summer of 2025. The commitment to quality cuisine, the friendly atmosphere and the amazing history are all huge reasons why you should go to The Mansion Restaurant. We also love the history here and you can see FDR's Works Progress Administration pictures on the wall showing the evolution of the neighborhood. We are thrilled to announce that The Mansion Restaurant is the first in 2026 to join Peachy's Picks. Also, we love the all-American atmosphere here and you should know that The Mansion Restaurant is a venue that we believe EVERYONE AGREES ON! It is equally frequented by both political parties, just steps away from Gracie Mansion. There are 90 indoor coveted seats and 45 more outside in the good weather.
The sandwiches are super spectacular! Of course, they give you a whole sandwich and when The Parisian said CHEESE for the camera, it insisted on a close up. Normally, the Parisian is served as a European Style Panini but Peachy Deegan absolutely loves rye and you can have rye here, so it is on rye. Delicious bistro ham, mozzarella and mixed greens team up for a goal in your stomach. Hot on its heels was the Egg Salad with Bacon, which we absolutely adored, also on rye. Every element was a beacon of freshness which we can assure you is quite the feat in the dead of winter, but especially this winter with the challenges facing all of New York with snow and other issues blocking traffic. The Grilled Chicken Salad of Grilled Chicken Breast with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion, pepper. olive and artichokes was another modern classic: this venue might be bursting with fabulous Manhattan history but it's menu is innovative and delicious. Business owners like Phil Philips are in it to win it! Phil tells us his favorite is grilled cheese with tomato and bacon on rye so that is among our future ambitions at The Mansion Restaurant.
The entire menu here is absolutely commanding.
It is impossible to not find something to like in its extensive glory.
The House Specialty Salads are a triumphant area of the menu in particular and there are sixteen choices on the regular menu, just in this section. We narrowed it down to two and were wildly impressed with the freshness of both the produce and the protein components. The Grilled Chicken Salad, much like the restaurant itself, is a total classic executed to perfection. Grilled breast of chicken luxuriates over lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion, pepper, olive and artichokes and the dressing was put on the side in all cases for the picky one here. The chicken itself boasts tremendous flavor, evidenced by the thoughtful house marination, a proprietary style. Even better is the Broiled Salmon Salad, which is so standout you might cry when it magically disappears. The Salmon is wild and freshly delivered daily. If anyone thinks they cut corners here because this is somewhat of a diner style, you should know they do not at all. The attention to detail is terrific, and the Salmon itself is competitive with all the white tablecloth venues we brag about. Also it is not some tiny wimpy sliver of Salmon: it is a nice piece of fish and over mixed greens it is a winner. Note we don't edit pictures: we publish the truth and the truth is we love this place: they are talented!
The Mansion Salad we gravitated towards because it must be great if it has the name of the venue!? Correct! An entire can of tuna, hard-boiled egg, anchovies, mixed greens, tomato, onion, pepper and cucumber team up for the brilliant flagship salad.
Everyone knows that Peachy has a special relationship with Chicken Parm, but she has expanded her horizons here to Meatball Parm, and when we met it here, it radiated from all angels.
The Meatball Parm hero was exactly what we were looking for. The meatballs themselves are pure beef in a 80 lean/20 fat is an ideal choice, straight from Ottomanelli's ground daily. With the mozzarella and sauce succulently singing backup on fresh bread, this is just what you need in February. The Roast Meats section of the menu completely enticed us and we see so many strengths listed. We started at the top with Roast Brisket of Beef, sourced from IBP, Iowa Beef Packers. The quality and the portion size equally will ravish your palate and the Idaho mashed potatoes made fresh daily are the ideal companion with vegetable of your choice, and in this case they did have green beans, Peachy's favorite.
Possibly even better is the Murray's Broiled Half Chicken, a sizeable entry that
Does your dinner smile at you like this? It came with a perfect side salad with house dressing (brown mustard, egg whites, balsamic vinegar, oil, salt and pepper). If you have seen Only Murders in the Building, you know The Mansion because it also is The Pickle Diner.
The Mansion has a beer and wine license.
Finally, you ought to know our late buddy Mover and Shaker Ed, Whom We Miss, loved coming here for breakfast and we understand his favorite was two scrambled eggs with hash browns and rye toast, and Sanka (decaf.) We wish he were here to eat with today, but now you know what he liked and you can replicate it!
Peachy Deegan and Phil Philips
Peachy Picks The Mansion Restaurant!
The Mansion Restaurant is Highly Recommended by Whom You Know.
