Birthday Party for 15 in NYC?
I'm looking for a place to have birthday get together for my husband. I will be inviting about 15 people and we are looking not to spend a fortune.
Any ideas?
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10 Comments:
Very nebulous question. Is this dinner and drinks, just drinks and apps. Do you want to do some sort of fixed menu or a la carte? Suggestion for making it less expensive would be to go fixed menu or have the restaurant design one that fits your budget.
nelson5757 at 12:31PM on 10/22/08
Dinner and drinks or possibly just apps.. Nothing fancy, just looking for good food and atmosphere.
dagny at 12:39PM on 10/22/08
It also depends on where you mean in NYC. If you mean Manhattan, I'm not sure, but if you're willing to go into Brooklyn, there's a German pub called the Biergarten at 113 N. 3rd St. in Williamsburg. I went there two weeks ago for my cousin's 24th birthday and it was fantastic -- a little crowded and a little noisy, but in a really fun and relaxed way. Our party of about twenty got mixed up with the party of about six next to us, and we ended up having one big party, which was pretty cool. =)
kfarrel3 at 12:41PM on 10/22/08
I had a surprise party for my boyfriend this past summer, for about the same number of people. It was actually really difficult to find a nice place that would accommodate that number of people without trying to rip me off with some outrageous pre-fixe price, or set me back a fortune in general. Also, I was looking for Latin-influenced places since dinner/drinks were preceeded by a group salsa lesson in Midtown.
Much, much to my relief, I came upon Havana Central in (I know) Times Square. It sounded like a ridiculous idea, but then, it was walking distance from the lesson and they didn't blink an eye at a reservation for 14. Live music on the weekends, loud but in a lively way, and actually not very Times-Squarey. We drank pitchers of mojitos and sangria (several), had appetizers, main courses (including seafood paella), and some dessert, though the portions were so generous people barely made it to dessert. They did a special little song with some flan for the birthday boy. It was actually all in good taste. The bill, including gratuity, was amazingly less than $400 (maybe $360ish?). I was happy with the atmosphere (dancing, good music, nice decor), quality of the food and drinks, and seriously, the price. Also, centrally located for everyone to get home! I staked it out before making the reservation, to get a feel for what it would be like.
My original plan was Alta on 10th street, but they only accepted reservations for ten people. It's a classy place with great wine and tapas, so I would consider that if your party pares down at all.
NYmag.com and Yelp are great resources to do some searching for restaurants that are group friendly, and NYmag often has menus posted to give you an idea about prices.
I'll stop rambling, but it was such an arduous process that actually turned out well! Good luck!
savecara at 2:25PM on 10/22/08
Diablo Royale takes reservations for very large parties. Definitely a good group spot.
burgerluver at 4:35PM on 10/22/08
I love Pongsri. My boyfriend took me there with our friends for my birthday, and the prices are great (close to $8 a plate) and are friendly for all types of eaters--even vegans. The food is GREAT and the ambience could be a little better but isn't awful. No real bar at the Chelsea Pongsri, but they do have drinks. Pongsri let us peaceably eat the cake we brought from Teany, too, even though some places will grumble or charge a fee for that.
nataliepo at 4:46PM on 10/22/08
This weekend I went to La Palapa on 6th Ave. for a birthday dinner for with 13 people and it was great! The 6th Ave. location is a little quieter than the E. Vill one, but the food was excellent and reasonably priced. And the restaurant even gave us all a free glass of chamagne with the birthday cake. Highly recommended.
DoriTB at 7:45PM on 10/22/08
I recently threw a birthday party at vento in the meatpacking district. We sat on the 2nd floor and had a small area to ourselves. The food was good and the wine was perfect. Apps, pizzas, pastas, etc. It was extremely reasonably priced as well. We were then able to just walk across the street to continue our night out. Great location.
thefoodie377 at 9:39PM on 10/22/08
I'd totally go with Alta. http://altarestaurant.com/
Then you can get everything on the menu for $350 or as they call it "The Whole Shebang." If you don't get that, it is still so reasonably priced.
JacquelineS at 10:34PM on 10/22/08
Last year, a friend had a holiday party at a restaurant called Aroma, and he is doing it again this year. Aroma has a beautiful private room, that I recall sits abou 20. I think they are willing to do either sit down dinners or appetizers/wine. It is a really lovely space. http://www.aromanyc.com/index.html
jlbrach at 3:58PM on 10/23/08