The 18 best spots in New York City for celebrating right now

Red Rooster is James Beard Award winner Marcus Samuelsson’s love letter to Harlem, serving up thoughtful comfort food alongside a soundtrack of funk and soul music. The restaurant’s ties to the community run deeper than just location—during the height of the pandemic in 2020, Samuelsson transformed the space into a community food hub for those in need. Diners have the option of sitting in the restaurant’s cozy quilted banquettes indoors or heading outdoors to the plant-lined, umbrella-covered patio. No matter the setting, you can’t go wrong marking a special day with the restaurant’s signature dishes of fried yardbird, mac and greens, and cornbread.

In a stately townhouse near Central Park and the Upper East Side’s Museum Mile, Sistina is the ideal stop on a dreamy date itinerary. Sistina’s indoor “garden” consists of a light-filled glass enclosure to shield diners from the elements while still allowing breeze and sunlight to filter in. You’re as likely to see chef and owner Giuseppe Bruno preparing food as you are to see him greeting diners and pouring wine. His menu focuses on simple Italian dishes including pasta, meat, and seafood. Regulars love the spaghetti Trapanese, a unique dish that combines four types of crushed nuts in tomato sauce with pecorino romano.

With three stars from The New York Times, two MICHELIN stars, and a history that stretches back to 1987, Aquavit is one of the top dining rooms in the city—and an ideal place to mark an exceptional event. In recent years, the Scandinavian restaurant has become more accessible, expanding to include lunch, plus à la carte and tasting menu options for dinner. Across all its menus, you’ll find fine-dining accents on classic Nordic ingredients such as matjes herring with rye, potato, and priest cheese. Reservations open on the first of the month and tend to fill up quickly, though bar tables for two can be easier to book.

One of the most sought-after seats in Manhattan is at chef César Ramirez’s 44-seat restaurant. Two years after opening in 2009, Chef’s Table became the first restaurant in New York City to receive three MICHELIN stars outside of Manhattan. The lauded establishment has since relocated from Brooklyn to Hell’s Kitchen, but the Japanese cuisine made with French techniques remains. The 12- to 14-course, seafood-focused tasting menu unfurls over approximately two hours. Dishes feature premium ingredients: beluga caviar, black truffle, wagyu beef, and abalone. It all adds up to a fine-dining experience worthy of very special occasions. Note that vegetarians cannot be accommodated; nor can those with seafood allergies.

To dine at the Russian Tea Room means sitting in the red leather banquettes that have hosted celebrities, musicians, and several movie scenes. Since 1927, it’s been the see-and-be-seen haunt for afternoon tea, pre-show dinners, and post-show drinks. While the restaurant serves brunch, lunch, and dinner, the quintessential experience is afternoon tea. To make it extra celebratory, opt for a bottle of Champagne alongside the finger sandwiches and blinis.

An unassuming door in the West Village leads to one of the city’s best omakase menus. Chef Yoshihiko Kousaka’s attention to detail and meticulous ingredient sourcing earned the restaurant a MICHELIN star, making the $250 price tag one of the city’s best values for a spectacular dinner. If you’re feeling extra fancy, ask to add the Hokkaido uni platter ($80) to taste two different varieties of this Japanese delicacy. This intimate sushi spot treats you to a front-row seat to chef Kousaka’s artistic preparations.

When you want to pretend you’re celebrating in Paris, head to Lafayette. Chef Andrew Carmellini is known for creating vibrant restaurants like sibling properties The Dutch and Bar Primi, and this bustling bistro is no different. Celebrate a birthday or anniversary with time-honored classics escargots Lyonnaise, French onion soup, and moules frites—all ripe for an expert pairing from the all-French wine list. The greenery-filled sidewalk seating is expansive, as is the marble- and tile-lined dining room. Either option provides a lovely setting to share a grand fromage platter to round out an excellent, decadent meal.

Adored for its theatrical platings and presentations of contemporary Middle Eastern cuisine, Zou Zou’s stands out. It’s a massive, vibrant restaurant, perfect for celebrations. Bring a group to share the housemade dips and breads, then dig into the fire-roasted lamb leg shaved tableside. There’s also fresh fish, huge salads, and spectacular desserts—the show-stopping knafeh itself is worth celebrating. Chez Zou, the restaurant’s second-story cocktail bar, is a great place to gather for a drink before or after your reservation.

There’s a reason the Brooklyn Winery is a go-to date night spot: Visiting one of the city’s few top-to-bottom winemaking operations allows for more of an educational experience than a typical evening at a wine bar. A recent relocation to Greenpoint came with new restaurant Rosette, which features a seasonal menu from longtime winery chef Shaun Lafountain. Brooklyn Winery’s wines, of course, pair nicely with the food, much of which uses the wines in recipes as well. Highlights include porcini and guanciale croquettes, red wine braised short rib, eggplant and grilled tofu green curry, and a 32-ounce ribeye tomahawk with red wine demi-glace. The winery restaurant is industrial-chic, with olive-hued leather banquettes, patterned wallpaper, and plenty of gold accents. This is the kind of place to celebrate with great food and and plenty of drinks.

Before DUMBO was a gleaming hub of shops, scenic parkland, and rooftop bars, there was the River Café. Though it first made its home under the Brooklyn Bridge in 1977, the MICHELIN-starred restaurant is anything but out of place. In fact, it has always been ahead of its time, sourcing farm-to-table ingredients long before that was the norm, launching the careers of celebrity chefs such as David Burke and Charlie Palmer along the way. And with its unparalleled views of the Manhattan skyline, it’s also been home to more engagements, weddings, and business dinners than anyone could count. Book a table in the River Cafe’s elegant waterside dining room up to 30 days in advance. The $195 prix fixe menu includes swanky, seasonal dishes such as spiced cider-crusted duck breast with pomegranate gastrique.

When you’re celebrating in East Williamsburg or the surrounding neighborhoods, turn to Casa Ora. This Venezuelan American restaurant was started by alums of notable Manhattan establishments The NoMad Hotel, Eleven Madison Park, and 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, bringing the same high standards of service to their labor of love. The menu changes constantly to highlight Venezuelan flavors in unexpected ways. Choose from dishes such as monkfish wrapped in sweet plantain with Guayanés cheese or braised short ribs with a sauce made from papelón, a block of raw cane sugar that serves as a base for many Venezuelan dishes.

There’s no shortage of standout Mexican food to be found in Queens. What makes Ruta Oaxaca unique is its culinary focus on Oaxaca. The southwestern region is widely regarded as the gastronomic capital of Mexico and is known for its varieties of mole. Ruta Oaxaca highlights several of them: verde, a green mole made with pumpkin seeds; coloradito, a brown mole made with mashed ripe plantains; and Oaxaca, a savory-sweet mole with spices and dark chocolate. The ribs istmenas—slow-cooked baby back ribs with a guava chipotle glaze, cherry tomatoes, and fennel salad—is a showstopper. For something truly special, order the grilled pescado or chipotle-marinated shrimp costenos, served with pineapple salsa. Bonus: if it’s your birthday, dessert is on the house.

With sweeping views of the New York harbor, fresh pasta made daily, and an Italian wine list with more than 100 bottles, Pastavino has all the trappings of an impressive special occasion spot. While the menu seems familiar at first glance, a second look reveals unexpected details such as crumbled crackers topping the baked clams or roasted pear in pasta. Reservations are available in the dining room, which is set up to take full advantage of the restaurant’s floor-to-ceiling windows and prime water views. For diners looking for an outdoor table, choose to dine on the restaurant’s patio facing a scenic waterfront park.

Channeling a slice of Santorini, this dim-lit, all-white Greek restaurant recreates an Aegean getaway in Flatiron and Hudson Yards. Portions are large, festive, and shareable, with options such various crudo, a platter stacked high with eggplant and zucchini chips, whole fish shipped in from Greece, and much more. If celebrations mean feeling satiated, this is the spot for you. Champagne bottles with sparklers get the party started, as does a popular party brunch on the last Sunday of every month.

Indian Accent’s chef Manish Mehrotra is one of Delhi’s most sought-after chefs, known for his imaginative takes on traditional Indian dishes, such as sweet pickle ribs with sun-dried mango and stuffed kulcha (flatbread) with butter chicken. The expansive tasting menu here provides a choose-your-own-adventure experience of any three or four courses plus an accompaniment. Indian Accent is a great place to toast over a festive spread that feels more playful than other Midtown fine-dining counterparts. Don’t skip the ghee roast lamb—there’s a reason it’s been on the menu since the restaurant’s 2016 opening.

Nothing says “today is not an ordinary day” like sitting down to a tower of fresh oysters, clams, shrimp cocktail, tuna crudo, and salmon tartare. The Mermaid Inn specializes in top-of-the-line seafood, serving classic preparations such as a stellar lobster roll alongside creative riffs like lobster knuckles soaked in garlic butter and parsley “escargot style.” Take in the hustle and bustle of Tenth Avenue from the restaurant’s sidewalk seats, or go inside for a perch in the warmly lit dining room. No matter where you sit, ask the knowledgeable staff for a quick crash course on the day’s oyster varieties.

Paella is the ultimate group dish, making it ideal for lively gatherings. With over seven varieties of the communal Spanish rice classic on its menu, Socarrat, with locations across NYC, pleases seafood lovers and vegetarians. Round out the meal with a few classic tapas such as croquettes and a pitcher of sangria. Socarrat’s Midtown location is the largest by far, with two floors of seating plus a handful of sidewalk tables that evoke Spain’s vibrant outdoor dining culture.