Once upon a time, there was no Venmo. Going out to dinner with a group was an eternal nightmare because servers mostly refused to split the check more than two ways.
This led to a couple of scenarios: 1. Someone would put the entire bill on their card and for the next two to three business days become a loan shark. 2. Half of the party would bring cash, cover their portion of the bill and then run out the door, leaving the other half to spend a full 30 minutes after the meal haggling over who owed what.
These days, group dinners are much less nightmarish — at least where the check is concerned. Now, the only thing standing in the way of getting a dozen of your closest friends together for dinner is finding a venue (and a mutually agreed upon date). Here are three options for your next gathering.
Party in the pavilion
Over the winter I stopped by Phoenix Palace, the nearly one-year-old restaurant on Bowery from the Chinatown natives behind Potluck Club, for a group dinner.
During my visit, I noticed what could only be described as a beautifully appointed pavilion at the back of the restaurant that would be great for a dinner party. A server told me it can seat 10 to 18 people, so consider this ideal for those extra-large gatherings. For bookings in the pavilion — gazebo? pergola? — they serve a six-course prix fixe menu (not “PRE” fixe, please!) for $75 per person. If you’re generous enough to cover everyone, that’s $750 to $1,350 before tax and tip.
And don’t fret about limited dish options; Phoenix Palace already has a blessedly tight à la carte menu, and almost every single item I tried was a banger. Just be sure to throw in the scallops and vermicelli, lobster sticky rice and the steak tartare, which are not part of the fixed menu.
The ‘It Girl’ of big group restaurants
Not to engage in a bit of stolen valor, but my second recommendation for a group dinner is taken from my friend Lee, who for her birthday last year invited a number of friends for dinner at the Palestinian restaurant Al Badawi on Atlantic Avenue. I’ve mentioned my love for Al Badawi a few times in this newsletter — it really is that girl — but I didn’t know how good of a deal she got on her dinner until I asked.
We received an incredible spread of mezze, warm pita straight from the oven, cheesy pistachio flatbreads, and piles and piles of rice topped with grilled lamb chops. For group dinners, the restaurant charges $35 per person and includes all of the above, though you can switch up the family-style platters if you’d prefer beef, chicken or a vegetarian main (piles and piles of rice still very much included). Even better, Al Badawi is B.Y.O.B., with no corkage fee. Name a better deal.
The low-key hang
Finally, a confession: My birthday is next week. It’s been my dream for about five years to throw a big, wedding-level party where all of my favorite music will play and all of my friends will come to town, but that’s very expensive.
Until I can achieve that, I’ve opted for casual birthday gatherings. One year I reserved the back room of Prima Wine Bar in Clinton Hill. And last year, my “Where to Eat” co-captain, Becky Hughes, was kind enough to organize a low-key celebration at Rhodora Wine Bar in Fort Greene, which was one of two last-minute celebrations I have attended there. Instead of a cake, I blew out a candle stuck into the world’s best hunk of She Wolf bread with a schmear of butter on the side — everything at Rhodora is very snacky, so don’t make this your main meal — and I didn’t pay for a single glass from the many bottles of wine my friends ordered. It was kind of perfect, and I’d do it all again.
Who’s Afraid of Being a Solo Diner?
This week, Priya Krishna shared a fascinating look at those who dine alone — as well as those who judge (and don’t judge) solo diners. “Even as Americans are spending more time on their own, many find eating out alone to be rife with awkwardness and judgment,” she writes. “And many restaurateurs, who already run their businesses on thin profit margins, worry that tables for one will cost them.” Hm, maybe we should have a “Where to Eat” solo dining challenge?
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