NYCGuide
Where To Have A Private Dinner In NYC Right Now
Whether you're looking for a backyard that fits 25 or an indoor room for a group of 10, here are your best options for private dining.
Have you been tasked with planning your best friend’s birthday? Did you realize that your sister’s bridal shower is a month away and you haven’t made a reservation? Sounds like a Private Dining Problem. Whether you’re looking for an intimate room for a group of 10 or an underground lounge that can fit 40, check out these NYC restaurants that are currently offering private dining events.
THE SPOTS
Capacity: Up to 22 guests
Need to have a fancy meal in Midtown with your coworkers, some clients, or a bunch of family members who only eat within walking distance of Grand Central? Try the private dining room at 53. One of the Best New Restaurants of 2022, this “contemporary Asian” spot is big and glitzy, with impressive architectural touches like a rainbow-colored ceiling. Menu highlights include the Hainanese chicken and xiao long bao with Burgundy truffle. Make an inquiry here.
Capacity: Up to 16 guests
The latest spot from Marcus Samuelsson, Hav & Mar is tough to define. The name is a nod to Sweden and Ethiopia, but this Chelsea restaurant’s menu draws inspiration from all over. You can get berbere-cured salmon, teff biscuits, a waffle with uni butter, and more. There’s a private dining area with its own entrance and a few mermaids on the walls, and smaller groups can also book a semi-private table in the middle of the space. Check their website for more details.
Sign up for our newsletter.
Be the first to get expert restaurant recommendations for every situation right in your inbox.
Capacity: Up to 12 guests
Hawksmoor is a London import, and it’s one of the top steakhouses in NYC. The food at this Nomad spot is impressive—especially the English-leaning dishes like the potted beef and sticky toffee sundae—and we’re also fans of the over-the-top space with vaulted ceilings and green leather booths. There are two small private rooms, and both feel appropriate for an elaborate birthday or the annual meeting of your secret society.
Capacity: Up to 12 guests
Sushi On Me in Jackson Heights doesn’t have a private room—but the restaurant is only about the size of a studio apartment, and you can book the whole place with a group of your friends. For $89 per person, your group can sit at a counter and eat a 15-course omakase with bottomless sake. It’s a good, raucous time, and you can email sushionmenyc@gmail.com to inquire about a private party. Just remember to plan at least a month in advance. This place is popular.
Capacity: Up to 40 guests
Ci Siamo’s food is outstanding enough to warrant a group dinner on its own, but the private dining space is arguably even more impressive. It has floor-to-ceiling windows, views of the Empire State Building, a private bar, and an adjacent outdoor terrace. There are several menu options for dinner and lunch events. Find more info here.
Capacity: Up to 7 guests
Arrange an intimate dinner at Sofreh to share some of the best Persian food with your friends. There are both indoor and outdoor areas where up to 7 guests can share a hulking lamb shank and saffron rice, and the minimalist space feels chic and comfortable simultaneously (an ideal balance in all facets of life). Complete the inquiry form here.
Capacity: Varies based on event
Edy’s Grocer’s Greenpoint shop is the perfect spot for when you want to have “a cute little dinner” with amazing mezze and other Lebanese food. They can even help you take it up a notch with flower arrangements, custom menu design, and bartending from the Grocer staff. Most importantly, you can have a three-course dinner curated for you by Edy himself. Email edysgrocer@gmail.com to inquire. More info here.
Capacity: Up to 25 guests
Are you currently planning a trip to the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy with 25 of your friends? Probably not. So go have a wine-fueled private dinner in Uva’s cellar room on the Upper East Side instead. Order a lot of pasta and some cured meats to share, and you should be in good shape. Call 212-472-4552 or fill out their form here for inquiries.
Capacity: Up to 15 guests
A lot of the private dining spaces on this guide are advertised online, but Leo’s slice shop party room is more of a secret. This excellent sourdough pizza place in Williamsburg can turn their slice shop space into a private dining room for you and up to 14 of your friends. The food—like a heaping pile of caesar salad and a pomodorini white pie with ricotta salata and zingy pickled banana peppers—is ideal for sharing in a casual setting. Plus, you can end the night with soft serve (the mark of a truly good party). Reach out for bookings by emailing hello@leo-nyc.com.
Capacity: Up to 12 guests
Located in a sleek space in the bottom of a hotel in Nolita, Kimika is a spot from the Wayla team that serves great cocktails and Japanese-Italian dishes, including some fantastic wonton-like pizzettes covered in toppings like onion jam and silky prosciutto. Their private room fits up to 12 at one long wooden table behind sliding doors, and you can reach out to the team directly through their website.
Capacity: Between 5-20 guests in private outdoor pavilions & between 20-250 guests indoors
This Japanese restaurant in Greenpoint built a couple of private pavilions in their courtyard where you can share a family-style meal with a group of 5 to 20 friends. If you’re planning something bigger like a wedding or a divorce party, Rule Of Thirds also has an entire dedicated event space that can fit up to 250 people. Find all the details on larger parties through their website.
Capacity: Up to 14 guests in the indoor wine cellar, or up to 50 on the mezzanine
Historically, our favorite way to eat at L’Artusi is to go with just one other person, sit at the bar, start with the roasted mushrooms and ricotta with homemade crackers, and then share two pastas. But having a meal amongst 2,000 bottles of Italian wine in this West Village restaurant’s private cellar sounds pretty good too. It’s currently available for up to 14 guests (but they can also do private parties of up to 50 as a full mezzanine buyout). You can reach out about booking a private dinner here.
Capacity: Up to 25 guests (with an option to add a second room)
The East Pole has one of the nicest private dining rooms on the Upper East Side. It’s called the Map Room (doesn’t that just sound nice?), and it has massive windows overlooking 65th Street as well as its own dedicated bathroom. This space seats up to 25 people, but you can also add on some seating in their Copper Bar Room next door, which includes a full bar along with lounge seating for up to 20. If you’re searching for somewhere comfortable-but-not-stuffy uptown, this brownstone restaurant is it. Find floor plans and contact info here.
Capacity: Up to 26 guests
Il Buco’s 200-year-old wine cellar might be the single best private dining room in Manhattan, especially when you consider the fact that Edgar Allen Poe used to hang out down there. There's also a rooftop terrace where you can host your event. Book well in advance by emailing events@ilbuco.com. Shockingly, you’re not the only one who wants to eat pasta with dead poets.
Row House
Capacity: Up to 40 guests
Row House in Harlem has an underground lounge area that can fit up to 40 people. The food here ranges from crab cakes and fried okra to a short rib rigatoni mac and cheese dish. If you’re interested in booking a party, you can email info@rowhouseharlem.com for more details.
