family-occasions
Eight Great Places to Celebrate in London & New York City
Swanky private dining rooms, settings great for families, cozy neighborhood bistros, hip bars & more
I love all of the festivities and parties that go along with the holiday season—it's the perfect excuse to reconnect with long seen family and friends. Instead of the headache of planning & hosting an event in your home, take the celebration to a restaurant where you can relax & really visit with your guests … and enjoy yourself too!
L'Anima
With white furniture and dark wood, ceiling-high wine racks, L'Anima strikes a balance between the modern sleekness and classic coziness. For groups of up to eight, it's easy to dine comfortably at a table in the dining room. The private dining room seats up to 15. And as if the food—especially the antipastas, which are available for dining all day long—weren't enough of a lure, my friend Alexandra Ormet tells me that they have a rhubarb bellini. Yum!
L'Anima
1 Snowden Street
London EC2A 2DQ
England
+44 20 74227000
The Modern at MoMA
The most recent addition to Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group, The Modern, has attracted legions of fans—art lovers and foodies alike. Located inside the Museum of Modern Art, the spare but well-appointed dining room has a spectacular view of the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller sculpture garden. Chef Gabriel Kreuther offers Alsatian-inspired new French/American prix fixe menus in the dining room. The hip, sleek bar room is a terrific choice for a more moderately priced and informal a la carte dining experience. Want to make your holiday party a high art affair? A private dining room which also overlooks the sculpture garden seats up to 64 guests.
The Modern at MoMA
9 West 53rd Street
New York, NY 10019
United States
+1 212 333 1220
Les Trois Garςons
Les Trois Garςons is a poshed up pub that's part Alice in Wonderland fantastical, part Philippe Stark stylish and entirely British glam. Even by Manhattan standards, it's super-funky, and definitely worth the trip to Shoreditch. The leopard print upholstery, the animal skin rugs and candelabras and table tops that vary in materials give the spot a great clubby, sexy vibe. Go to Les Trois Garςons for dinner and it quickly becomes your entire night out. When you go with a group, you can easily get one of the plush booths in the dining room. It can seat about eight. There's also a private dining room that seats up to 16.
Les Trois Garςons
1 Club Row
London E1 6JX
England
+ 44 (0)20 7613 1924
Il Buco
Offbeat, casual and hip, Il Buco is a farmhouse-style restaurant crammed with enough antiques that you can't help bug feeling a bit nostalgic for your grandma's apartment. In fact, the historic space on cobblestoned Bond Street used to be an antiques shop. The Mediterranean and Italian cuisine is innovative and delicious to the point that Il Buco's Ignacio Mattos is a chefs' chef. Long recognized as a destination for the city's busiest toques, it's not unusual to some marquee names relaxing here late at night. There's a chef's table with a premium view of the kitchen, but the one of Suzanne's New York-based insiders tells us that the dining room down in the atmospheric, candlelit wine cellar is one of the best-kept secrets for private dinner parties of up to 25. The dim, brick-walled space is more than 200-years old and is said to have been the inspiration for Edgar Allan Poe's short story The Cask of Amontillado. It's a no-fail option for a memorable get-together.
Il Buco
47 Bond Street #1
New York, NY 10012
United States
+1 212 533 1932
The Farmhouse
Seasonal (and local) dining at its best! There's a garden on the grounds of The Farmhouse where Chef Brian Lewis turns to for menu inspiration. If he can't find something in his backyard, he turns to other local purveyors for their freshest bounty. The contemporary American menu is colorful and the dishes themselves are as pleasing to the eye as to the palate. Instead of the ubiquitous beet and goat cheese salad, Chef Lewis takes a different angle and creates one that combines shaved Chioggia beets with American osetra caviar & horseradish yogurt, and in the colder months, the Berkshire Pork with pickled chanterelles, vanilla-scented quince and red swiss chard is so satisfying. Book a special event in the private dining room—the 20-foot cathedral ceilings and solid white oak paneled room seats 25 or up to 50 for cocktails.
The Farmhouse
954 Old Post Road
Bedford, NY 10506
United States
+1 917 124 7800
York & Albany
No using the "f" word in this chic new Gordon Ramsay restaurant! Overlooking Regent's Park, one of my fave green spaces in London, the old York & Albany pub in Camden Town has been transformed into a fab 10-room hotel, hot new restaurant, and rustic country store deli. Friends have spotted Ramsay there, but the restaurant, two private dining rooms and deli are run by his protégé, Angela Hartnett, a culinary star in her own right. The food is simple and delish … rump of Cornish lamb, puy lentils and roasted pumpkin, oven-baked halibut with chorizo and white beans, and top wines from France, Italy and Argentina. Décor is calm and classic: crèmes, greys and beiges contrasting with black leather sofas. Love the smooth shiny bar. Go with friends, dressy casual … and don't miss the deli.
York & Albany
127-129 Parkway
London NW1 7PS
England
+44 020 7388 3344
5 Ninth Restaurant
Gather round the hearth and warm up with a cocktail at 5 Ninth. There are six fireplaces in this Meatpacking District hotspot, located in a retrofitted mid-nineteenth century three-story brownstone. Hipsters and beautiful people in glitzy garb regularly convene amid the bustle of this fashionably rustic outpost and settle into big comfy chairs (downstairs) or perch themselves around raw, rough-hewn tables (upstairs). Chef Zach Palaccio's seasonal fare is especially hearty in the autumn. Try his slow braised and roasted meats, such as short ribs and lamb shoulder, or any of the dishes marked by his talent for Thai cooking. If you're planning to stop by with a large group, get here early. And it's worth rearranging your evening's plans—well-mixed cocktails, delicious comfort food and a home-on-the-urban-range-style vibe make a great setting for a fireside chat.
5 Ninth Restaurant
5 9th Avenue
New York, NY 10014
United States
+1 212 929 9460
Gaucho
My favorite place for a casual gathering in Piccadilly has got to be the wine store on the ground level of Gaucho's Swallow Street outpost. It's dedicated to Argentine wines and designed accordingly: it's rimmed by wine bottles and has a pretty atmosphere with a great soundtrack of lounge music, but in no way is it formal. Gaucho is better suited for wine tasting with small dishes to share than a multi-course dinner. Another option is to get different cuts of steak, which they're known for, and an array of sides. Make sure to book well in advance. They do a great job making large groups feel comfortable. There are quite a few places in the area to go out dancing afterwards, like Volsead, a swish club, and Momo's, a dimly lit lounge.
Gaucho
25 Swallow Street
London W1B 4QR
England
+44 020 7734 4040
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