I’m trying to find a Sunday 5:45 dinner for eight that won’t turn into a 90-minute negotiation with the server. We’re seeing an 8 p.m. show at Lincoln Center, so we want to stay within about eight blocks because my father walks with a cane and wears a hearing aid, and we can’t do a tight second-floor walk-up or a room that sounds like a subway platform. The dietary split: one vegan aunt, one brother-in-law on a low-FODMAP plan with no garlic or onion, and one cousin who is pescatarian but won’t eat bivalves. I’m not looking for a vegan place that makes the fish-only person eat a sad salad, or a steakhouse where the vegan gets a plate of oiled asparagus. I’d rather have a kitchen that actually handles mods and isn’t insulted by them. Does anyone have experience with this specific three-way split around Lincoln Center? I’m open to Cafe Luxembourg, The Smith, or the old-school Italian spots around Broadway, but I want real intel, not just 'they have a big menu.' Budget is flexible mid-range to special-occasion, but no one wants to spend $60 on a plate of pasta unless it’s excellent. Reservation is a must; standing outside isn’t an option.

Yo oldyork_otis, this is the exact reason I stopped organizing family dinners. Low-FODMAP no garlic/onion is brutal because that’s the base of every sauce. Near Lincoln Center, The Smith on 63rd/Broadway is the easy call. Big place, they do mods without acting like you cursed at them, and they have a few vegan bowls plus salmon or branzino for the fish-only cousin. Noise can be a lot near the bar, but if you book the back room and tell them about the hearing aid, they’ll try. I think street level? Not sure about elevator. It’s not a hidden gem, but for a group that size with a cane it’s reliable.

Second The Smith. I’ve done a group thing there with a vegan, a kosher-style eater, and a picky kid; server didn’t blink. Cafe Fiorello across the street used to be another option, but last time I sat outside and felt like I was eating in a bus lane, plus inside gets loud. For the low-FODMAP person, tell them sauce on side and no garlic in the greens. They mark a couple dishes but not everything.

Oldyork_otis, I’d gently push back on The Smith as the automatic answer. It’s reliable, but for a medical low-FODMAP request the service can be uneven if you get a newer server. If you do go, call ahead and get a table on the north side away from the bar, and be extremely specific about no garlic/onion in the marinade as well as the sauce. My actual recommendation is Cafe Luxembourg on West 70th. It’s a flat ten-minute walk from the plaza. The crowd skews older, the acoustics are not punishing, and the kitchen handles off-menu requests better than most in that price bracket. For the vegan, they won’t have a huge menu, but if you call ahead they can usually do a composed vegetable plate or a grain bowl—not just fries. For the low-FODMAP eater, their roast chicken is straightforward; request the sauce on the side or ask for lemon instead. The pescatarian no-bivalves person can have the salmon or the daily fish. One caveat: they don’t label vegan, so you have to spell it out both on the phone and at the table. I would also avoid Lincoln Ristorante for this group. Beautiful room, but the Sunday dinner prix fixe is less flexible, and the vegan option can feel like an afterthought.

Man, low-FODMAP no garlic/onion basically means you’re eating plain potatoes at half these spots. My sister does that diet and servers still swear there’s no shallot in the dressing after the plate comes. If you go Cafe Luxembourg, get everything written down. Otherwise Le Botaniste on Columbus can do vegan but your fish-only cousin won’t get fed. Not the move.

Ooh have you tried Bodhi Kosher Vegan on Amsterdam? No, wait—your cousin would mutiny. I love that place but it won’t work for fish. For the vegan and low-FODMAP person it can be okay if they can do soy, but the fake meats are heavily seasoned and there’s probably garlic in half the marinades. Anyway, Cafe Luxembourg is the better mixed group move. But I need to know: are you doing pre-theater or post-theater? If post, the low-FODMAP person is going to be wrecked by 10 p.m. I vote early. Has anyone actually tried Bar Boulud for this? I vaguely remember a vegan mushroom dish but I might be dreaming. Don’t quote me.

Thanks all. I called Cafe Luxembourg and they took the whole list without flinching. Booked a 5:45 table in the front dining room. The Smith is the backup if anything shifts, but I’m not sold on the noise. To Flatbush_Fi’s point, I’m also going to call the day before and recap everything because my brother-in-law is the type to say 'I’m fine' and then end up eating bread and feeling sick for two days. astoria_arch, the Lincoln Ristorante warning was useful—I had looked at their lunch menu and assumed the Sunday dinner would be similar. My cousin was pushing for Bar Boulud because he wants a burger, but I’m not dragging a low-FODMAP relative into a charcuterie temple. Will report back after.

Smart. Cafe Luxembourg is one of those places that looks fussy but is actually fine if you show up early and don’t act like royalty. For your brother, ask if they still have the roast chicken with haricot verts; last time the greens came with a shallot vinaigrette, so make them swap it for lemon. Also your father will appreciate the dining room on the left, no stairs? I think restrooms may be down a few steps though. Check when you call.

YES to the haricot verts but ask for no shallots! The default at Cafe Luxembourg always has some allium hiding in it. For the vegan, have you asked if they can do the market vegetables without butter and maybe the farro? Wait—farro is not low-FODMAP, tell your brother not to snag that off her plate. Did they say whether they can hold the table if your father walks slow? I’m weirdly invested in this dinner now. Please come back and tell us if they tried to pass off pesto as dairy-free. Pesto has garlic and sometimes parmesan! That is the real test.

Let us know how it goes. I’d still keep The Smith as backup because if someone adds a plus-one at the last minute with a 'no red meat, no chicken, no gluten' thing, Cafe Luxembourg might not love that. But they’re decent. Also your brother should avoid the frites if they’re tossed with herbs or parmesan. At The Smith the fries are safer, but that’s not relevant now. Good luck.

One last operational note, oldyork_otis: call the day before and recap the three categories, then give the server a card when you sit down with columns for vegan, low-FODMAP no garlic/onion, and pescatarian no bivalves. It sounds fussy, but during pre-theater service it prevents the kitchen from playing telephone. If they seat you near the windows on 70th, the light is better for older eyes and the noise stays manageable. I’d avoid the daily special if the sauce can’t be verified, and don’t let the staff put the vegan on a risotto unless they confirm vegetable stock and no Parmesan. This is a more complicated table than most restaurants want, but if you’re specific it’s very doable. Let us know how the chicken turns out.