Rao's Hours: Plan a Weeknight Dinner in Manhattan

Rao's hours are recorded as 7–11 PM Monday through Friday, with Saturday and Sunday closed. This Manhattan restaurant at 455 E 114th St, on East 114th Street, offers Southern Italian cooking. For a weeknight dinner, the first question is whether that evening window fits your plans; the next is whether you can actually secure one of its 10 tables. The listing describes getting a table as famously difficult, so opening time does not establish seat availability. Call +1 212-722-6709 before committing to the outing.

The record describes a family-run dining room serving simple, homemade food with a Sunday-supper feeling. That description explains the style of the meal, not a Sunday opening: the weekly schedule explicitly lists Sunday as closed. Use the weekday timetable rather than the atmosphere described in the restaurant's story when choosing a date.

Treat this guide as a planning filter, not a booking confirmation. The saved asset supplies an address, telephone number, broad price band and weekly schedule, but no live table inventory or reservation procedure. Start by matching the operating window to your evening, then confirm the missing details directly. The sections below separate timing, table access and the dining format so those decisions do not get blurred together.

Rao's hours, recorded weekly schedule: Monday 7–11 PM; Tuesday 7–11 PM; Wednesday 7–11 PM; Thursday 7–11 PM; Friday 7–11 PM. Saturday closed; Sunday closed.
Address: 455 E 114th St, Manhattan, New York.
Phone: +1 212-722-6709.
Cuisine and setting: homemade Southern Italian food in a family-run, ten-table restaurant.
Rating: 4.4 out of 5 from 667 recorded ratings.
Price signal: $$$, without a quoted meal price.
Planning gaps: the asset does not document a booking method, available seats, parking arrangements or accessibility facilities. These details need direct confirmation rather than assumptions from the operating schedule.

Build the evening around the listed operating period rather than assuming that a historic restaurant serves throughout the day. Rao's hours place every recorded service between 7 PM and 11 PM, Monday to Friday. There is no daytime opening in this weekly record, and both weekend days are marked closed. If your proposed visit is a Saturday lunch or Sunday evening, the saved timetable does not support it. Choose a listed weekday instead, subject to direct confirmation.

The practical distinction is between the beginning of an opening window and permission to arrive for a meal. Neither 7 PM nor 11 PM is documented as a reservation slot, last seating or kitchen cutoff. Confirm your intended arrival time directly instead of treating either end of the four-hour window as an invitation to walk in. The asset provides no holiday exceptions or special-service dates that could resolve an unusual calendar plan.

This timing-led approach suits someone deciding whether to organize an evening around the restaurant before making other commitments. It cannot tell you which weekday is quieter, how long dinner lasts or whether a late arrival will be accepted. Ask those questions before turning a compatible opening window into a fixed itinerary.

A suitable weekday is only the first planning hurdle. The source describes a dining room with ten tables and says getting a table is famously tough. Those two facts explain why an open restaurant should not be treated as an available reservation. Rao's hours help narrow the evenings worth asking about, but the timetable contains no live availability and no information about how tables are assigned.

Use the recorded telephone number to ask whether your proposed evening can be accommodated and what process the restaurant wants you to follow. That is a suggested verification step, not a claim that telephone booking is offered. The asset does not establish an online booking service, a walk-in policy, a waiting list, a minimum party size or a cancellation rule. Ask for the actual access procedure rather than filling those gaps with assumptions about a small dining room.

For a group making coordinated plans, keep the evening provisional until the restaurant gives you a usable answer. A ten-table description does not tell you table sizes or whether a particular party can be seated together. This guide therefore separates a plausible date from a confirmed dining arrangement. It supports the first decision; only current information from the restaurant can settle the second.

The listing presents Rao's as a family-run restaurant whose kitchen prepares simple, homemade food in a Southern Italian style. Its Sunday-dinner description is about the feeling of the meal: familiar, comforting cooking rather than a documented Sunday service. Use that identity to decide whether the restaurant matches the kind of evening you want, while keeping the actual weekly timetable separate from the story.

Rao's hours settle the timing question, but the recorded $$ signal is the only guide to spending. It does not establish the cost of an individual dish, a set menu, a deposit, a service charge or a minimum spend. A price band is not a meal quote. If the final bill is central to your decision, request current prices before committing rather than turning that symbol into an invented dollar estimate.

The recorded rating is 4.4 out of 5 from 667 ratings, which adds one broad comparison point without guaranteeing any particular experience. The asset does not name current dishes, portion sizes or dietary accommodations. This format is most useful for readers drawn to a small, family-run Italian dinner setting who are willing to verify the remaining practical details. It is not enough evidence to promise a specific order, special diet or exact budget.

What are Rao's hours on weekdays?
The saved weekly schedule lists Monday through Friday from 7 PM until 11 PM, in the restaurant's New York local time. It does not supply seating slots or a kitchen cutoff, so confirm the timing of a proposed meal directly.

Is Rao's open on Saturday or Sunday?
Both Saturday and Sunday are recorded as closed. The Sunday-dinner wording describes the style of the food and hospitality, not a weekend opening. Do not use that phrase as evidence for a Sunday visit.

Where is the Manhattan location?
The asset gives 455 E 114th St, Manhattan, New York, and the telephone number +1 212-722-6709. Use that address to identify the location; the record does not provide transit directions or parking advice.

How difficult is getting a table?
The description calls table access famously tough and identifies a ten-table dining room. It gives no current availability or reservation procedure. Ask the restaurant what process applies instead of assuming a walk-in, phone or online option exists.

What food does the restaurant serve?
The source describes homemade food and authentic Southern Italian cooking from a family-run business. It does not contain a current dish list or dietary guidance, so photographs should not be read as promises of particular menu items.

What does the price signal tell you?
The recorded price band is $$$. No exact meal total, deposit or minimum spend is supplied. Treat it as a broad comparison marker, then request current pricing if you need to decide whether the evening fits your budget.

What rating is recorded for Rao's?
The stored review data shows 4.4 out of 5 from 667 ratings. Those figures describe the saved asset rather than a live review feed, and they do not establish availability, service speed or the experience of a future visit.

Does the listing explain parking and accessibility?
No parking arrangements or accessibility facilities are documented in this asset. Missing information is not proof that facilities are absent. Ask about your specific requirements before making a plan that depends on step-free access or a parking space.

For a different planning angle, read East River to Harlem River: Read the Waterline, then A Barter-Ready Route Through East Harlem Seed Stations. Compare Italian dining through Manhattan Italian Restaurant With Cacio e Pepe and Vintage Tunes, followed by Classic Italian Cooking in an Old World Manhattan Room. Finish with Chinese Takeout with Beef Lo Mein in East Harlem for a counter-dining option. These five guides range from shoreline scanning and garden exchange to pasta, fish and family-run takeout.