damnlines.comdamnlines.comThe East Village den that helped define modern American cocktails — walk-in, no standing, so you queue for a seat.
Death & Co runs walk-in first, with a small block of reservations. It is a no-standing room: Yelp reviewers describe it plainly as a place where, if there's no seat, you wait. So the line outside is literally a queue for a chair to open up, not a velvet-rope door policy. Time Out New York notes walk-ins are 'entirely possible, but even decades later, a reservation is better if you'd rather guarantee a good night and a good seat.'
The move reviewers repeat is to be at the door for the 6pm open. One Tripadvisor reviewer warned: 'Be there at exactly opening time, we were there 5 minutes later and there was a lineup already.' Another (in Swedish) advised coming early because 'the line is long.' Yelp accounts describe roughly 20 people lined up at a Friday 6pm open, with the last bar seats going to whoever was near the front.
How long you actually wait swings hard by night. A June 2023 Tripadvisor reviewer reported about 45 minutes for a table of four; Yelp and Tripadvisor accounts also describe far longer waits — as much as a couple of hours, and one search-surfaced account citing up to ~3.5 hours — on peak weekend nights. Because seating is capped and nobody stands, the room fills faster than the crowd outside suggests. Arriving at open or going on a weeknight is the consistent advice for the shortest queue.
No camera here yet — but these lines are on camera right now:
Lucinda's · 3 min walkclosedBánh Anh Em · 10 min walkclosedCaffè Panna · 15 min walkclosedIt varies a lot by night. A June 2023 Tripadvisor reviewer reported about 45 minutes for a party of four, and Yelp/Tripadvisor accounts describe longer, multi-hour waits on peak weekend evenings. It's a no-standing room, so the line is a queue for a seat to open up. We don't have a live camera here, so these are reported figures, not a live count.
Both, but walk-in is the default with only limited reservations. Time Out New York notes walk-ins are 'entirely possible, but... a reservation is better if you'd rather guarantee a good night and a good seat.'
Reviewers repeat the same advice: be at the door for the 6pm open, or go on a weeknight. One Tripadvisor reviewer warned they showed up 5 minutes after opening and there was already a line.
Death & Co is a no-standing establishment. As Yelp reviewers put it, if there's no seat you wait. With capped seating and no room to stand, guests queue outside until a seat frees up.
Time Out New York lists 6pm to 2am Sunday through Thursday and 6pm to 3am Friday and Saturday. Doors open at 6pm.