NYC's 23 best restaurants for group dining

Sweeping, splendid Israeli restaurant K'Far on the lobby level of the Hoxton hotel in Williamsburg (related Laser Wolf is up on 10) takes reservations for up to 7 via its website. Suggest the savory baklava, Palestinian lamb tartare, whole dorade and chicken schnitzel to win the group. 

Invite up to six of your closest friends for dinner at Potluck Club, one of NYC's best new restaurants of 2022. Eight or more can arrange via email for a prix fixe that includes hits like the braised short ribs and spicy eggplant. 

A classic of the group dining genre, Congee Village has been delighting disparate tastes downtown for more than twenty years. It has several sprawling spaces, a tome of Cantonese dishes and fun cocktails in a jubilant environment. 

Lovely Leland Eating and Drinking House offers several group arrangements for various-sized parties, and takes regular reservations for up to seven as a matter of course. Excellent à la carte menu items include trout rillette, mushrooms on exceptional house made sourdough and an aged and brined half chicken, grilled pork chop, and whole fried fish. Parties of eight or more receive a set menu. 

Lively Sidney’s Five feels like a party without all the pesky introductions, with better food and drinks. This Time Out New York Best of the City award winner, which was also one of NYC’s best new restaurants of 2022, has a long bar up front and a banquette in the back that can be configured for larger parties. Start with martinis and be sure to order plenty of andouille corn dogs for the table. 

Elias Corner “for FISH,” as it’s styled on the restaurant’s awning, is all emphasis all the time, including its famous “NO MENUS” practice. Instead of perusing the written word, your party will peep the seafood case up front and/or simply sit down and ask whether there’s shark or salmon or whatever until you land on a fresh availability. Somewhat simple preparations let impeccable products shine, the atmosphere is inviting in spite of all the caps and there’s a nice elevated patio outside. 

Reserve up to 6 people with just a few clicks for this large corner spot in Park Slope. It is, as you might expect, awash in blue hues and handsomely appointed inside with large seating areas outside. The super satisfying menu includes perfectly prepared guacamole with hand-cut tortilla chips, tacos and large plates of enchiladas, carne asada and barbacoa adobada

Book for up to ten people at large tables throughout Cafe China’s attractive, new three-story space or in a private room. Its convenient, midtown-adjacent location opened late last year after operating with a Michelin star at another address nearby for many years. Its lengthy menu has tons of new and returning favorites to pair with cocktails, wine and beer. 

One of NYC’s busiest business-meets-tourism districts had a paucity of easy-chic restaurant-bars with broad appeal before All & Sundry opened this past winter. It’s the Columbus Circle area’s best choice for no-fuss bookings for up to ten office gossipers, Central Parkers, and even locals seeking all manner of drinks and many plates with wide appeal. 

There’s something about brunch spots that lend themselves to larger parties, and Tre has been at the top of its class for more than fifteen years. It also does a terrific dinner with space for plenty of friends at either hour. Book early on the weekends for wonderful pancakes, eggs any way, pasta plates and daytime tipples, or in the evening for even more noodles, plus mains like chicken Milanese, grilled skirt steak and a great wine list. Its online reservations go up to six, and Tre can also arrange private parties for up to 75. 

This Caribbean restaurant with a Time Out New York Best of the City award for its outdoor seating arrangement has plenty to recommend it, and its ability to accommodate up to nine guests via regular reservations is one reason it’s been a favorite since it opened in 2020. There are also plenty of plates to mix and match, like oxtail flatbread, jackfruit tacos, jerk chicken, burgers and pasta. Groups of ten or more can arrange for a prix fixe.  

Conveniently located near Times Square, Grand Central and all the transit and attractions that surround, pretty Valerie is as suitable for tables of work friends as it is for your visiting family. It’s wide-ranging menu (steak, chicken, seafood, pasta, salads) will appeal to many, and its long list of gin, plus beer, wine and other spirits in or out of cocktails, makes it more lubricated than most, and online bookings are available for up to 12 people. 

Two floors of views boast plenty to see at this Columbia Waterfront District staple. The downstairs dining room is actually one flight above street level, with a rooftop another staircase above. Chilaquiles, enchiladas and several types of tacos are available across each, in addition to some of the best frozen drinks in NYC. 

The Sri Lankan cuisine at Lakruwana has been delighting diners for a quarter of a century. The restaurant got its start in a small Manhattan space in 1995 before eventually relocating to Staten Island. Visit for tasty lamprais and kottu inside or out at its fetching corner space. Reservations are only accepted for five and more. 

Assemble your entire court at The Queensboro, which can easily accommodate each of your friends-in-waiting and satiate their varied tastes. The space is equal parts rustic and chic, with roomy booths, banquettes and a long line of bar seats should you need abscond for a private shot. The Queensboro’s menu is frequently updated, but expect items like oysters, burgers, steak, pizza and pasta. Parties of more than ten can arrange for special menus. 

They’ll make room for up to seven without having to tap an email or pick up the phone at this restaurant below a real-deal distillery in Manhattan. Upstairs, the Wonka-like Great Jones Distilling Co, offers tickets to “the only whiskey distillery tour in Manhattan,” and some brunch, lunch and dinner items downstairs at The Grid feature flavors from those very spirits. 

One of our favorite restaurants of the year when it moved from a pop-up to a permanent location in 2020, Rangoon is still a go-to for Burmese cuisine in Crown Heights. Its terrific ginger pork meatballs, garlic noodles and wide variety of curries are served in dual outdoor areas, and in a back annex to its dining room that’s particularly well suited to larger parties. Rangoon also lets you book reservations for up to ten via its standard platform. 

It's easy enough to share varied items between just one couple at this fantastic, photogenic Ethiopian restaurant, so imagine the flavor opportunities when you multiply that party by a few. It will only take a visit or two to sample all of Ras Plant Based’s delicious menu items like mushroom tibs and tofu dishes with expertly prepared injera, but you’ll keep coming back in any case. 

Top NYC Mexican restaurant Casa Enrique has been collecting accolades since 2021. It's since added outdoor dining to its spacious interior, and your group can choose from highly ranked menu items like guacamole with housemade totopos, ceviche, several types of tacos, enchiladas and specialties like pozole and mole de piaxtla. The long cocktail list includes several fun frozen fruit margaritas. 

This lofty space was previously made famous by Anthony Bourdain as Les Halles. Forever committed to literature in his Kitchen Confidential, it closed in 2016 before being reimagined as La Brasserie in 2022. The address once again serves French fare under the even more recent banner of Chez Francis in a roller-rink-sized space with plenty on the menu for large groups of out-of-town guests, after-work pals or birthday brunchers to choose from.  

One of NYC’s best pizza spots for close to 100 years, Denino’s is also especially adept at hosting families and friends for affairs where only a pizza party will do. In addition to its fan favorite pies, tons of fried apps like calamari and mozzarella, wings, salads and huge sandwiches are all on the menu.  

As we’ve established, some of these destinations can accommodate larger groups via their typical booking mechanisms, and some require a phone call or email to secure greater numbers of spots. At Johnny’s Reef, you’ll need agreeable weather and designated personnel to scope out the picnic tables on its large outdoor patio while the rest of the group orders oysters, clams, shrimp, lobster tails, crab and frog legs inside, where there are also plenty of seats. Bring that dedicated spotter an extra beer or frozen drink for the trouble and everyone will enjoy the soothing seaside view. 

Korean barbecue is always a sensational solution to group dining, given the myriad palate pleasing selections to toss on the grill. We love this Sunnyside spot for those oodles of all you eat options in a cavernous space that rings out with K-Pop tunes from an abundance of flatscreens. Gather your pals, jam your stuff in the hollow stools unless you covet that sweet meat perfume and institute a soju toast to your good taste and choices.