Tables Worth Sharing
A group dinner guide for every kind of table and every kind of chaos.
There’s an art to the group dinner — the balance of people, pace, and plates. The way a meal unfolds when laughter drowns out the playlist and everyone’s half reaching across the table.
New York makes it easy to dine well, but not always easy to dine together. Restaurants are small and space is always tight. Getting there can take one (or two, or three) subways. Someone’s always running late, and the restaurant won’t seat the table until everyone’s arrived. There’s always one person who’s studied the menu top to bottom, and another who barely knows what cuisine they’re having.
I was reminded of this a few weeks ago while trying to book a last-minute group dinner — a table for fourteen, with four days’ notice, and parents involved. The kind of math that rarely adds up. Energy, but not noise. Good food, but nothing too fussy. A restaurant with balance — one that can handle the chaos and still accommodate the personalities and timing. It felt impossible, but somehow it worked.
Because the right restaurant gets it all right: the cross-talk, the clinking glasses, the collective rhythm of a table that just clicks. That’s the real magic of group dining — when the right place makes even the most impossible logistics melt away.
So here it is — a guide to the restaurants that make dining together actually work: the places that turn logistics into laughter.
The Group That Keeps Growing
When 6 turns to 10 turns to 12 requires long tables, share plates and a miracle of coordination.
Supper - Supper (or frankly any of the Frank Prizano’s restaurants) makes for an ideal large group dinner, complete with satisfying Italian dishes, candle-lit backdrops and an endless supply of house wine. Cash required.
Leo - Leo does many things well including perfectly crisped sourdough pies. Their $50 family-style set menu is one of the best ways to bring together groups of up to 15 around a table of pizza pies, sesame seed focaccias and natural wine.
Denino’s - A 100 year old NY landmark with very old-school Italian vibes where large tables are filled with even larger martini’s and thin crust pies.
When Dietary Restrictions Meet Desire
Some groups are hard to please, but these spots never fail - no matter the preference.
Rubirosa - The rare restaurant that unites everyone: the carb-lovers, the salad-as-a-meal friend, the gluten-free diner. A New York classic that earns it.
Kid Pizza - A retro 80s inspired pizza parlor complete with real vintage arcade games and a heavy dose of nostalgia that’s playful and flexible - no overthinking required.
Eyval - Equally good for your healthy, gluten-free friends and the crew ready to indulge in Persian flavors. Charcoal-kissed vegetables and bright dips are the great equalizer.
Virginia’s - Even your pickiest friend would approve of this menu with elevated chips and dip, a fantastic burger, and crave able banana pudding.
For When the Scene is the Sauce
Come for the crowd but stay for the food.
Le Dive - In the heart of Dimes Square, this natural-wine bar that evokes the Marais energy is both undeniably fun and a little insufferable - but that’s part of the draw. Cigarettes, orange wine, ideal people watching and the perfect amount of attitude.
Bar Bianchi - The stylish Milan-style aperitivo spot is proof that Bar Bianchi can be both an escape and a scene.
Lucien - A downtown classic that’s both overrated and a must-try. It’s loud, it’s smug, the waiters may ignore you, but it’s dinner and a runway with chaos and steak frites that never miss. Few rooms capture downtown 90s New York magic like this one.
Emmett’s on Grove - Pizza, martinis, and the kind of buzzy comfort that makes it feel like the city’s living room. A little dressed up, never trying too hard, and always a great crowd.
For the Group Cognizant of Cost
Large portions, big flavors and a check that won’t cause silence.
Kiki’s - Loud tables that spill onto the sidewalk, perfect spreads, and a bill that never shocks. A group dinner spot that always delivers and makes you wonder why you don’t go more often.
Kellogg’s Diner - A Brooklyn time-capsule and a rare New York restaurant where you can leave spending less than $40 a person for appetizers, entree’s and pastry-chef quality desserts you’ve never had before.
Ops - I’ve said it before, but Ops is the blueprint for a perfect neighborhood restaurant - effortless, delicious, and always better with a crowd.
For the Group Looking for a Good Time
Where dinner and the party are one and the same.
Port Sai’d - Perfect for a group birthday dinner and also for any fun night that starts with hummus and ends with tequila shots with a DJ backdrop.
Pecking Duck House - A pecking duck BYOB party is perfectly chaotic in all the right ways.
Jean’s - Equal parts restaurant, party and scene, with dinner upstairs, dancing downstairs and food that’s better than it needs to be.
For When You Don’t Have All Night
For the quick dinners that fit in between everything else when you need to get in and out in 90 minutes
Thai Diner - Pro tip: they take large group reservations, and somehow keep it calm. The service is steady but never rushed; it’s the rare restaurant that works for both a quick midweek meal and a Saturday with too many plans.
Birds of a Feather - The perfect casual-yet-moody spot where dishes arrive in a steady rhythm. Sling back slippery chili-oil wontons and dan dan noodles while catching up with your crew.
Dhamaka - Proof that some of the city’s best food hides in a food hall - conveniently located steps from the subway perfect for a tight-timed dinner that requires at least four to tackle the famous Lamb biryani.
For the Group that Can’t Plan Ahead
For the nights that happen on a whim or close enough to one
Kings Co Imperial - An endlessly reliable spot that’s built for nights that start with should we just get Chinese food? but you still want a cool vibe and strong cocktails.
Zaab Zaab - A technicolor Thai fever dream where the spice hits fast and the energy hits faster and is friendly for walk-ins.
Nubiani - An easy-last minute reservation for a meal that makes you feel like you pulled something off: a sleek space, great high-quality meat and refillable banchan.
Because in New York, getting everyone to the table is half the win — finding the right one is the rest.
This is a source at your fingertips.
It applies to everyone needing a place to dine with your special group to dine together.
Wonderful recs! The emmett's happy hour is the best