New York’s vibrant dining scene has a lot to offer — the city is teeming with incredible restaurants, from trendy go-to venues to hidden gems, each delivering a unique culinary experience. With a diverse array of cuisines ranging from Italian to Asian, there’s something here for everyone.
While every restaurant typically offers tables for two to eight guests, things can get a bit more challenging when you’re arranging a dinner party for a larger group. If this sounds familiar, you’re in the right place. In this guide, we’re exploring the best group dinner restaurants in NYC to help you make an informed choice.
Perfect Spots for Group Dining in NYC
Whether you’re looking to celebrate a birthday, an anniversary, a graduation, or a wedding or to organize a corporate dinner, here are the top restaurants for big groups NYC offers, so let’s delve in.
Oda House
If you want to amaze your guests with something extraordinary, consider treating them to an authentic Georgian meal at Oda House in the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
The restaurant serves a wide choice of traditional Georgian dishes — from delectable appetizers like phkhali and tolma through savory soups and delightful meat courses to the world-famous khachapuri and original desserts. Oda House is not just about authentic food: the restaurant offers a selection of lush wines imported directly from sunny Georgia, so if you’re in search of a place to offer a rich and immersive cultural experience, this could be a perfect choice.
For those looking to arrange a large group dinner in Manhattan, Oda House provides a private Garden Room for 20–25 guests that can be combined with another room to accommodate a group of up to 50 people. By the way, you can book the entire restaurant at no extra cost, which sounds really exciting.
Oda House | 406 E 73rd St, New York, NY | 646-998-5152
Reserve a group dinner: [email protected]
Cucina 8 ½
Cucina 8 ½ is an authentic Italian restaurant located in the iconic Solow building in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. This elegant spot is known for its sweeping staircase featured in the original Sex and the City.
Home to one of 12 Outstanding Caesar Salads in NYC by Eater NYC, the restaurant offers a selection of refined rustic Italian meals, including housemade focaccia, a broad range of antipasti, pasta, risotto, pizza, and a mind-blowing choice of fish, meat, and seafood dishes.
Cucina 8 ½ has several rooms for private group dining that differ in size and capacity:
- Firenze Room, ideal for a 140-person seated dinner
- Dante Room, which can accommodate up to 60 people
- Medici Room, an optimal choice for 80 guests
- Roma & Venezia Suites, hand-crafted burl wood rooms, each accommodating a maximum of 30 people
Moreover, Cucina 8 ½ offers a whole restaurant buyout option, allowing you to host an event of up to 500 guests.
Amali
Amali offers traditional Mediterranean cuisine and multiple options for group dining, making it one of the go-to restaurants for large groups in NYC. This sophisticated establishment on 60th Street is inspired by the Mediterranean way of life, abundant in vegetables, cheese, olive oil, grains, and fish. Their menu is dominated by the historical cuisines shared by modern-day Greece, Italy, France, and Spain.
An extensive wine list has earned Amali recognition from prominent media outlets — it is “one of the best Mediterranean selections in Midtown”, according to New York Magazine, and has been called “daring” by The New York Times.
Speaking of private group dining, the restaurant features three rooms in their building on 60th Street. Sopra, a converted loft apartment, and the Skylight Room with an 18-foot high skylight are ideal for hosting dinners for up to 40 persons, while the intimate and elegant Fireplace Room can accommodate up to 20 guests. Like most restaurants in NYC, Amali offers a full restaurant buyout, allowing you to host large receptions for up to 120 guests.
Alternatively, you can opt for their Ballroom located on East 74th Street, which provides ample space for 150 guests. The Ballroom features a private bar, two 15-foot dropdown screens, a built-in projector, and surround sound speakers.
Tony’s Di Napoli
As its name already suggests, Tony’s Di Napoli is another Italian restaurant on our list of the best restaurants for large groups in NYC. An elegant family-style establishment, it has been favored by both locals and tourists for over three decades.
Tony’s Di Napoli is represented by two locations in the heart of New York City — Times Square and the Upper East Side. The restaurant offers a splendid choice of seafood, pasta, salads, sides, and meat dishes, as well as sophisticated desserts and alcoholic drinks, including authentic Italian wines.
Tony’s Di Napoli provides private rooms at both Times Square and UES locations. The Upper East Side venue has three private rooms, each accommodating up to 25, 50, and 80 guests. For a larger party, you can book Tony’s Di Napoli on Times Square — here, they have a huge Banquet Room that offers seating for 100 to 140 persons.
Daniel
Daniel, which is located in the former Mayfair Hotel on Park Avenue, is steeped in French culinary history. This could be your perfect choice if you don’t mind treating your group to a modern, seasonal dinner inspired by the finest meats, seafood, wild game, fruits, vegetables, and foraged flavors from all over the globe. Daniel is also an excellent option if you’re looking for a place with a classic interior and romantic atmosphere.
The restaurant is renowned for its award-winning cellar — wine enthusiasts visit Daniel to indulge in its exceptional selection of wines from the Rhône and Burgundy, as well as an exciting Champagne program.
Aiming to align with the unique requirements of each dinner party, Daniel offers a choice of group dining options ranging from a 90-person seating in their Bellecour Room to a full restaurant buyout for up to 150 guests. Live music and other forms of entertainment are welcome for full restaurant takeovers. Moreover, the private dining team at Daniel can provide assistance with all the details of your large-format event, from customized menus to wedding decoration.
La Goulue
Another French restaurant in the heart of New York City, La Goulue, reopened in 2018 just a few short blocks from its original location. The establishment has been charming New Yorkers and city guests with meticulously prepared French cuisine, an impressive selection of rare wines, and the unique Parisian décor for over a quarter of a century.
It’s a perfect place to delight in housemade pâté and foie gras terrine prepared by their chef, who has been trained in the best restaurants in Burgundy and throughout France. The menu and chic bistro setting at La Goulue appeal to a broad audience of food lovers, offering a taste of Parisian nightlife without ever leaving NYC.
For large group dining, La Goulue offers Le Grand Salon, a stylish event space with a large stained-glass skylight and a warm atmosphere for up to 80 guests seated or 100 for a standing reception. You can also opt for a full restaurant buyout, with the venue accommodating up to 180 guests.
Kokomo
What about treating your group to a rich and vibrant tapestry of Caribbean cuisine? Located in Brooklyn, the family-owned Kokomo is the perfect place to indulge in the joys and flavors of the Caribbean, with its stunning visual art, architectural design, lavish cocktails, and sophisticated Caribbean-inspired cuisine.
Spicy Koko pasta, lentil meatballs in coconut curry, Jamaican jerk chicken, sweet plantain pancakes, saltfish avocado toast, signature tropical cocktails, and other dishes and drinks create an unsurpassed culinary experience hard to find anywhere else.
Kokomo provides versatile event spaces that accommodate groups of all sizes, from family gatherings to grand celebrations, which amaze and delight with authentic interior design:
- The bright and refreshing Lovers Rock Room with bistro-style seating and a hanging swing, perfect for 24 guests
- The French-Caribbean-themed Paradise Room with an oversized chandelier for groups of up to 32 persons
- The underground Champagne Room that overflows with the hues of the Caribbean Sea for up to 38 guests
The restaurant features a range of event menus that cater to every taste and occasion, from corporate retreats and baby showers to weddings and proms. Kokomo also offers floral arrangements and additional services for parties of twenty guests and more.
Congee Village
If you’re looking for a restaurant serving Chinese food, consider Congee Village, a place named after a typical Chinese dish of rice boiled down into porridge. Actually, Congee Village specializes in its creation, offering the dish in multiple variations, from blue crab to snail and frog. Professional service and affordable prices have rightfully earned Congee Village an excellent reputation and the status of one of the best restaurants in NYC.
Congee Village is represented by two locations — Allen Street (Chinatown) and Prince Street (Flushing). The newly renovated Chinatown location features a spacious dining room elegantly designed with exposed brick walls, wooden ceilings, marble floors, and bamboo accents. It also includes four private rooms for corporate events or private parties adorned with traditional Asian decor.
The restaurant’s menu offers an impressive selection of soups, vegetables, pasta, rice, dim sum, beef, pork, chicken, casserole, sizzling hot plates, seafood, and around thirty different Congee-based rice porridges and soups.
Lakruwana
Lakruwana is a Sri Lankan gourmet restaurant in Staten Island with a 30-year history. Starting with just twenty seats to cater to Sri Lankans living and working in NYC and occasional Americans who love spicy food, today’s Lakruwana offers an 85-guest seating capacity.
This extension was a result of the growing popularity of the flavorful Sri Lankan dishes as well as the healthy ingredients they are made from. Moreover, most of the spices used in making Sri Lankan dishes in Lakruwana are indigenous to Sri Lanka.
If you’re looking to treat your guests to a memorable culinary experience, Lakruwana might be your ideal option. Rich and flavorful Lamprais, spicy Kottu Roti, fragrant Biryani, crispy Godamba Roti, beautifully balanced Hath Maluwa, and traditional Sri Lankan desserts won’t leave anyone disappointed.
Rubirosa
An Italian restaurant located in Lower Manhattan, Rubirosa is one of those really good restaurants for groups in NYC, which welcomes groups of 8–22 guests for family-style dinners. Rubirosa offers a variety of pizzas, from the traditional Bianca and Arugula to the bold and creative tie-dye pizza, over ten types of pasta dishes, from lasagne and carbonara to signature Rubirosa Ragu and squid ink pasta, as well as a choice of panini, antipasti, soups, and salads.
Rubirosa is also for those who don’t mind indulging in a luscious dessert after a hearty meal. The restaurant offers an impressive selection of American and Italian desserts, including NY-style cheesecake with strawberry and whipped cream, timeless tiramisu, zeppole (mini Italian doughnuts), Italian American cookies, and others.
FAQ
When it comes to group dining in NYC restaurants, costs can substantially vary based on the type of cuisine and location. Also, alcoholic drinks typically add to the bill. So, if this is a meal without alcoholic drinks at a casual restaurant, expect to pay around $80–120 per person, whereas you're likely to spend anywhere from $120 to $500 or more in an upscale establishment, especially if your group enjoys wine pairings or tasting menus. Yes, most of New York's restaurants offer private dining rooms for large groups. For example, Cucina 8 ½ in Midtown has four private dining rooms of different sizes that can accommodate 30, 60, 80, and 140 guests. If you're looking for something more exciting than timeless Italian cuisine, Oda House in Manhattan might be your ideal option. The vibrant Oda House offers an elegant private Garden Room for 20–25 guests, which can be merged with another room for larger groups of up to 50 people. You can also host a group dining event for over 50 guests at Oda House by booking the entire restaurant without any extra costs. Speaking of private space, Amali's Ballroom, which is located in a separate building, can handle 150 seated guests or a 200-person standing reception. However, almost every establishment on this list offers a full restaurant buyout. In this respect, Cucina 8 ½ boasts the largest capacity — the restaurant can accommodate up to 500 people. This depends on your personal preferences. Each of the listed restaurants offers not only culinary but also rich cultural experiences. If you prefer classic, European-style birthday dinners, choose from Cucina 8 ½, Amali, Tony's Di Napoli, Daniel, La Goulue, and Rubirosa. Alternatively, if you want to treat your guests to something more authentic, consider throwing a party at Oda House, Kokomo, Congee Village, or Lakruwana. No, the listed restaurants do not offer outdoor dining options for large groups. However, some of them — Oda House, Rubirosa, Amali, and Tony's Di Napoli — provide catering services, so you can reserve a space and arrange for catering to accommodate your group. American, Italian, Chinese, Mexican, Spanish, French, Georgian, and Japanese cuisines are among the most popular options for group dining in New York City, mainly due to their versatile and shareable dishes, as well as the overall dining experience they offer.
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