The Resy Guide to New York’s Most Magical Dining Rooms — Resy | Right This Way
Published: Jan. 24, 2025
New York can be a tough city. We all know that rent prices are too high and dating here is practically a moot point. All of that to say — we could use a sprinkling of magic once in a while. That’s where we come in, with a list of the city’s most magical dining rooms.
With their uniquely New York charms, these spots are here to transport you far away from your worries, but not necessarily far away from your city (you do pay that rent for a reason, after all). That’s not to say that the food and drinks at these restaurants aren’t fantastic — because they are — we just think that the dining room itself is worthy of its own acknowledgement. Whether you want a night under the ocean or back in time, we’ve got you covered — see you out there.
The Nines
- The Room: Glamorous, Timeless, Romantic
- Contemporary American
- $$
Bemelmans Bar
- The Room: Classic, Moneyed, Storied
- American
- $$$
Keens Steakhouse
- The Room: Smoky, Time-Honored, Original
- Steakhouse
- $$$
TATIANA, By Kwame Onwuachi
- The Room: Foxy, Fun, Fresh
- Afro Caribbean
- $$$
The Sunken Harbor Club
- The Room: Tropical, Kitschy, Eclectic
- Cocktail Bar
- $$
The Waverly Inn
- The Room: Moody, Intimate, Nonpareil
- American
- $$$
Café Carmellini
- The Room: Glittering, Stately, Glamorous
- Italian
- $$
Pastis
- The Room: Light, See-and-be-seen, Parisian
- French
- $$
The Bar Room at The Beekman
- The Room: Composed, Dramatic, Gothic
- American
- $$
Le Coucou
- The Room: Refined, Stately, Polished
- French
- $$$
Chinese Tuxedo
- The Room: Dynamic, Edgy, Voguish
- Cantonese
- $$
El Quijote
- The Room: Charming, Interesting, Sharp
- Spanish
- $$
Moono
- The Room: Sleek, Pastoral, Sophisticated
- Korean
- $$
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The Nines
The Room: Glamorous, Timeless, Romantic
Photo by Liz Clayman, courtesy of The Nines
Just hearing the name “ The Nines” tells you what you’re in for. It evokes a feeling of class and glamour that is more than satisfactorily upheld by the reality of the space, with its red-velvet stools and nightly live piano music. There’s a sense of another era here, one where you might have been smoking a cigarette from a long thin holder indoors, in between sips of your perfectly icy martini. Nowadays, you can do at least one of those things — and sometimes, that’s enough.
Bemelmans Bar
The Room: Classic, Moneyed, Storied
Photo courtesy of Bemelmans Bar
Common parlance states that you aren’t really a New Yorker unless you’ve lived here for at least 10 years. We’d like to amend that statement to include that you aren’t really a New Yorker until you’ve sipped on a drink at Bemelmans Bar. It’s one of the most famous names in New York City dining, known particularly for the artwork that adorns the walls from the namesake artist behind the “Madeline” books. Stepping inside feels like walking into a picture book, one that shows what your life would have been like if nothing had ever gone wrong in the world.
Keens Steakhouse
The Room: Smoky, Time-Honored, Original
The bar at Keens Steakhouse. Photo courtesy of Keens Steakhouse
Few things remain that we would consider “the real deal.” Keens, with its century-old dining room lined with the pipes of famous patrons and its barely changed menu fits that bill, at least, for now. (It was recently purchased by the same owner of The Corner Store, and changes remain to be seen.). And they serve mutton, for Pete’s sake. There is a decidedly boy’s club feel about the place, but in the restaurant’s modern iteration, that term begins to feel more inclusive and less of a description of gender. The result is a piece of history preserved for all to partake in.
TATIANA, By Kwame Onwuachi
The Room: Foxy, Fun, Fresh
From the main dining room you can look into the open kitchen, past the bar. Photo by Adrian Gaut, courtesy of Lincoln Center and Modellus Novus
Tatiana deservedly belongs on most of the “best of” lists out there, but it usually earns its spot because of the food. Yes, the bodega special is a great dessert, and yes, the short rib pastrami suya is worthy of the hype, but it’s on this particular list for the feeling it lends you when you’re dining there. To start, it’s incredibly hard to get into. That means that there’s already an allure of exclusivity even before stepping inside, which permeates throughout the mood of the diners in a way that unites everyone. It’s also right smack dab in the middle of Lincoln Square, a uniquely New York locale that makes just walking through feel like an event. But once you’re there, dining there feels a bit like a dream, what with the floating cloud sculptures above you, and a killer playlist in the background.
The Sunken Harbor Club
The Room: Tropical, Kitschy, Eclectic
Photo courtesy of The Sunken Harbor Club
According to legend, this space arose from the ashes of a notebook after it was discovered in the ruins of the New York City chapter of the Sunken Harbor Club. Written in secret code, the original compendium recorded centuries of adventures and knowledge. After translating its notes, it uncovered the tale of a society with roots throughout the world that had chased a love of spirit-based arts and unearthed a variety of drinks that are now served here and at their Bermuda chapter.
That’s the story of the Sunken Harbor Club, and it’s a good one. It also happens to be totally made up, but we don’t think that matters much here. What matters here, in their semi-hidden quarters above the legendary restaurant Gage & Tollner, is the feeling of being underwater. This is compounded by the mermaid mural on the walls, the ship’s wheel, and the wood-lined bar room that unite to evoke a feeling of being aboard a sunken (obviously) ship. It’s an escape in the finest sense of the word — from the fabricated backstory to the tropical tiki-adjacent cocktails.
The Waverly Inn
The Room: Moody, Intimate, Nonpareil
Photo courtesy of The Waverly Inn
Dining at The Waverly Inn would be magical if the food was served to you inside an old shipping container — it’s just that good. Luckily for us all, the dining room here manages to perfectly expand on the magic that the menu wields. It’s housed in an old townhouse in the West Village, complete with a working fireplace, luxe red booths, and murals done by legendary artist and caricaturist Ed Sorel. The space still maintains some of the ultra-exclusive air it had when it first reopened almost 10 years ago, with an unlisted phone number and a celebrity-packed dining room, but now it’s more homely than not. This is a rare restaurant that feels even better in the colder months, so do plan your visits accordingly.
Café Carmellini
The Room: Glittering, Stately, Glamorous
Photo by Evan Sung, courtesy of Cafe Carmellini
Andrew Carmellini’s first and only (to date) namesake restaurant was always bound to pull out all the stops. The dining room here feels as expensive as it likely was to build, with towering chandeliers, royal blue velvet booths, and trees (yes, trees) dotting the middle of the room. There’s a list of tableside services here that also add an air of fanfare, as you see fires blaze and sauces drip at the linen-draped tables all around you.
Pastis
The Room: Light, See-and-be-seen, Parisian
Photo courtesy of Pastis
It makes a lot of sense that Pastis was a favorite of “Sex and the City” darling Carrie Bradshaw, because the pair share a lot of characteristics. Pastis, like Carrie, is fashionable, timeless, and French without actually being too French. Yeah, there are bistro-style chairs and steak frites on the menu, but this restaurant is more New York than Paris. It’s still a spot to spy on other New York City A-listers, decades after Ms. Bradshaw made it so. The lighting here is supremely warm, too, which just makes us want to stay for one more martini, no matter what time it is in the cold, outside world.
The Bar Room at The Beekman
The Room: Composed, Dramatic, Gothic
Photo courtesy of The Bar Room at The Beekman
Tom Colicchio’s spot at The Beekman Hotel feels like it’s been around for much longer than its years. There’s an almost brutalist feel to the dining room, with its metal-lined bar and marble walls, offset perfectly by the colorful stained glass and dreamy dangling chandelier. You’re at the bottom of a towering nine-story atrium, which only lends to the feeling of stateliness. This is a spot for conversations whispered close to ears and sweet nothings that will float away amid the sounds of glasses clinking and cocktails being shaken.
Le Coucou
The Room: Refined, Stately, Polished
Image Courtesy of Le Coucou
With its white-washed brick walls, glossy wooden floors, crisp clean tablecloths, and candle-lit lighting, Le Coucou feels like stepping into another world. In this world, servers anticipate your every need and your wine glass is rarely empty for more than a few moments. In this world, you have a holiday home in Aspen and in the Maldives, a driver waiting for you outside, a full-time nanny for your children. Tonight, you’re one of the other half — this is how they live (or so we’ve heard).
Chinese Tuxedo
The Room: Dynamic, Edgy, Voguish
Photo courtesy of Chinese Tuxedo
Chinese Tuxedo takes up a very glam two stories in what was once Chinatown’s first opera house opened in 1883. It still maintains that stately feeling, but it’s a bit rougher around the edges in a way we can only really describe as “cool”Here, you’ll want to be at one of the big round tables in the middle of the floor, so you can watch the action from the best vantage point. If you’re here, you’ll probably want to post a picture of yourself being here, which you should take outside the graffitied front door or strung across one of the black booths.
El Quijote
The Room: Charming, Interesting, Sharp
Photo by Eric Medsker, courtesy of El Quijote
There are few landmarks as iconic to New York as the Chelsea Hotel. It’s burned into the fabric of the city’s history, with its role as an artist haven, a punk rocker den, and a hipster hideaway before the word hipster was really even a thing. El Quijote, one of its restaurants, doesn’t disappoint when stacked up against that tall bill of sale. There’s plenty of detailed ironwork to keep the dining room unique, a mural of Don Quijote, and checkered wooden tabletops. It’s a good spot to escape for a few hours, especially if you have no interest in what time it is outside or whether or not it’s a reasonable time to eat dinner.
Moono
The Room: Sleek, Pastoral, Sophisticated
Photo by Dan Ahn, courtesy of Moono
Thanks to its green bar top and curved built-in shelves, we think the bar at Moono is one of the best seats in the house. There, you’ll get the full magic of the room and the restaurant’s design elements as a whole, which showcases Korean folk art and craftsmanship through traditional mother of pearl, a soaring ceiling installation of gorgeous mountains, and more. Moono feels both of-the-country and of-the-city in a way that can be hard to put a finger on. Maybe it’s because all of the colors and exposed wood provide a sense of calm that pastoral oases usually have, but the crowd and the food boasts a decidedly New York edge. Whatever it is, eating here is something you’ll want to take your time with.
Ellie Plass is a freelance writer based in Brooklyn. Follow her on Instagram and X. Follow Resy, too.
Archives:Bars and Cocktails Guides Wine
The Corner Store
4.9 · American · $$
SoHo
Gage & Tollner
4.6 · American · $$
Downtown Brooklyn
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