New York City is the dining capital of the world with restaurants for every occasion. Here’s a look at the Top Special Occasion Restaurants NYC 2022 whether it be a birthday, anniversary, or any other celebratory occasionthat are well worth splurging on.
Jungsik
Kicking off this list of Top Special Occasion Restaurants NYC is internationally acclaimed Chef Jung Sik Yim’s La Liste Top 1000-recognized and two-Michelin-starred Jungsik is known for being the first to introduce New Korean cuisine to New York City.
After a decade in operation, Jungsik continues to plate elegant and imaginative dishes that pack immense, almost unexpected flavor into every bite of their signature nine-course tasting menu under the guidance of Executive Chef Daeik Kim.
While the restaurant’s culinary innovation is a large reason for its success, it is matched in every step by the staff’s impeccable service.
Jungsik’s service team has mastered the ability to seamlessly set and clear the table on the diner’s schedule without rushing them.
The staff is ultra-friendly, and the sommeliers are quick to recommend a bespoke wine pairing for each course if customers are ordering a la carte; the entire team takes great pride in ensuring the experience is memorable for all guests and watching their faces light up each time a new dish is served.
With the recent re-opening of bar seating, guests can choose to curate their own dinner by ordering a la carte to experience the magic of Jungsik at a more modest price point.
After ten years in operation in Tribeca, Jungsik is able to retain its acclaim and customer base due to the consistency in its cuisine and service overseen by Director of Operations 2021 Michelin Guide Blanc Pain New York Young Chef Award winner Suyoung Park.
While the Jungsik experience is replicated each night, there is no other restaurant in New York that can imitate it.
Tasting Menu is $295 per person, a la carte dining at the bar $25-60 per dish .
CHEF GUO
CHEF GUO is the Manhattan debut of Chinese Master Chef Guo Wenjun, who began his culinary training at the tender age of 14 under the mentorship of Chinese Master Chef Ding Guangzhou, a seventh-generation disciple in the line of royal chefs, in the discipline of Chinese Imperial Cuisine.
In his forty-year career, Chef Guo has held posts as Executive Chef at the Platinum Seven-Star Beijing Palace International Hotel, the Diaoyutai Garden Villa International Club, been recognized by China as an Elite Master of the Chinese Culinary Arts and won the Gold Medal at the Asia Cuisine Competition.
The restaurant showcases his proprietary culinary system that has been recognized by the Chinese Government and his unique brand of cuisine, combining Chinese Imperial cooking and Classic Western cuisine to create his Healthy Royal Cuisine Culinary System.
The dishes are made with healthy, organic, and green ingredients, emphasizing a nutritional value and a balanced meal.
The food is prepared simply to allow the flavors of the high-quality ingredients to speak for themselves.
His cuisine is served in the form of a nineteen-course tasting menu, that includes 15 savory courses, three tea courses, and a dessert.
Chef Guo just opened this past Tuesday, August 16, 2022. Tasting menu is $518 per person.
The Oval
The Oval located in La Devozione at Chelsea Market is owned by Giuseppe DiMartino, the third-generation owner of La Pastificio Di Martino, the world’s leading dry pasta maker.
The 30-seat chef’s counter named for its shape is a symbol of Giuseppe’s life work and showcases Pastificio DiMartino’s best dry pastas, paired with the perfect seasonal imported and local ingredients in modern and experimental dishes.
The original concept was conceptualized by acclaimed Italian Chef Peppe Guida and Giuseppe DiMartino at Sea Front Pasta Bar in Naples.
The Oval’s kitchen is helmed by Chef Alessio Rossetti (Star Luxury Hotel Grand Hotel Fasano in Gardone Riviera, Tony May’s SD26).
The seven-course pasta tasting experience is like no other in New York and is rooted in specificity; dishes are presented with custom-made tableware and flatware, and Zalto glassware, all designed to augment the dining experience.
As each dish is prepared in its own pan, The Oval becomes a show piece, as the chef has 750 pans at his disposal, creating intricate pasta dishes a la minute in front of the customer.
As the perfect pasta is served al dente, Giuseppe has devised a serving method at The Oval to allow diners to indulge in the pasta at its peak texture, between 10 and 40-seconds after the dish is finished.
The pasta is further complimented by an exquisite wine program designed by General Manager/Wine Director Max Tierno (Cork Buzz, Eleven Madison Park) and an ultra-creative and well balanced cocktail program from Beverage Director Cristhian Rodriguez (NoMad Hotel, Eleven Madison Park).
Mollusca
Another Top Special Occasion Restaurants NYC mention is Mollusca – the recently opened high-design restaurant in the Meatpacking District with an expansive seafood menu designed by Brand Chef Gianmaria Sapia and Executive Chef Christian Bonilla (Atla, Clocktower, and Zuma).
The menu features creative raw bar selections, an Italian-inspired pasta and risotto course, seafood-centric main courses, and the signature dish and namesake, mussels served in 35 unique sauces such as: Condensed in Wasabi, Salted Caramel Popcorn, and Cacio e Pepe.
The restaurant also showcases a beautifully designed and well-stocked taupe marble cocktail bar where Beverage Director Kate Uglova, formerly of The Aviary —part of the Alinea Group— in Chicago creates cocktails with intricate flavors and uncommon ingredients.
The interior has been impeccably designed as hand-blown glass chandeliers anchor the dining room in shapes reminiscent of jellyfish and cast waves eliciting a deep-sea feel.
The restaurant is furnished with custom made leather and velvet seating. Dinner for two is approximately $200.
Limani New York
next on this list of Top Special Occasion Restaurants NYC is Limani New York – the standout, Greek-Mediterranean dining destination located in the heart of Rockefeller Center.
Helmed by Executive Chef-Partner M.J. Alam, the restaurant creates a truly exceptional dining experience for its guests, highlighting clean Mediterranean flavors spotlighting whole fish flown in daily from the Mediterranean.
Upon entering the main dining room, guests will find themselves whisked away to the islands of Greece.
Marked by a beautiful white marble bar, one will find an expansive dining room with high ceilings and white leather seating and a beautiful blue infinity pool.
Al fresco dining provides a bird’s-eye view of Rockefeller Center—in the summer, there are shaded umbrellas, and in the fall and winter months, individual heaters—allowing diners to take in sights of the skating rink activities and the iconic Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.
At Limani, one will find an impeccably curated selection of specialty cocktails and a global wine list.
Limani New York has been a favorite of many celebrities, political dignitaries, and also many of the cast from Saturday Night Live frequent the restaurant on a regular basis as NBC is located only a block away at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
Dinner for two is approximately $200.
MIFUNE
Located in the heart of Midtown East, just blocks away from the United Nations, MIFUNE is the Michelin-recognized Japanese restaurant that focuses on Neo-Washoku cuisine.
The Kitchen is helmed Executive Tomohiro Urata (three Michelin-starred La Maison Troisgros in Roanne).
The chef’s signature style is infusing French culinary techniques and flavors into Japanese cuisine and is served as an 8-course omakase tasting menuthat changes nightly, creating an entirely unique dining experience for each seating.
The 8 course tasting menu is $125 per person.
Sushi AMANE
Last but not least on this list of Best Special Occasion Restaurants NYC is Sushi AMANE – an eight seat sushi bar helmed by Executive Chef Tomoyuki Hayashi (Matsuiri, Sushi AZABU).
At Sushi AMANE, Chef Hayashi has full reign to put creativity on display and has incredible surprises in store for customers like nama-yuba and Japanese uni with Kaluga caviar.
Only using wild fish from Japan and other countries around the world, Chef Hayashi’s omakase sushi experience is a progression that consists of four small dishes, nine Nigiri, tamago, hand roll, and miso soup and changes daily based on market availability.
He seasons his rice specifically for each session using aged akazu vinegar.
The omakase sushi experience is priced at $230 and will has two seatings daily Tuesday through Saturday, at 6pm and 8:30pm.