Festive restaurants with energetic ambiance, warm hospitality, and crowd-pleasing menus rise to the top; Winning restaurants span 26 states; New York, Illinois, California, Nevada and DC claim most honorees
Just in time for the holidays, OpenTable, the world’s leading provider of online restaurant reservations, is getting into the spirit by unveiling the 100 Best Restaurants for Groups in America for 2017.
From coast to coast, the complete list features restaurants across 26 states, with New York boasting 20 winning restaurants, followed by Illinois with 18, California with 13, and the District of Columbia and Nevada both claiming nine. Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington are also represented.
It comes as no surprise that the Big Apple, known for its outstanding dining scene, is home to several restaurants found on this year’s 100 Best Restaurants for Groups list, including Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s ABC Kitchen and Keith McNally’s iconic French brasserie Balthazar. Chicago also has an impressive presence with celebrity chef Stephanie Izard’s three local hotspots, Duck Duck Goat, Girl & the Goat and Little Goat earning their stripes. From classic steak houses to buzzy Asian fusion eateries, there is an eclectic array of cuisines represented among the winners.
“Celebratory gatherings among friends and family are a highlight of the holiday dining season, and when it comes to welcoming diners at these restaurants, it’s absolutely a case of the more the merrier,” said OpenTable Chief Dining Officer Caroline Potter. “These honorees each have a festive, energetic ambiance, warm hospitality, and crowd-pleasing menus that make them perfect for groups.”
The 100 Best Restaurants for Groups in America list is generated solely from more than 10 million verified OpenTable diner reviews collected between October 1, 2016 and September 29, 2017. All restaurants with a minimum “overall” score and qualifying number of reviews were included for consideration. Qualifying restaurants were then scored and sorted according to the percentage of reviews for which “great for groups” was selected as a special feature.
Based on this methodology, the following restaurants, listed in alphabetical order, comprise the 100 Best Restaurants for Groups in America list according to OpenTable diners.
100 Best Restaurants for Groups in America for 2017
ABC Kitchen – New York, New York
Abe and Louie’s Boston – Boston, Massachusetts
Atlanta Fish Market – Atlanta, Georgia
Balthazar – New York, New York
Battista’s Hole in the Wall – Las Vegas, Nevada
Beauty & Essex – Multiple Locations
Benihana – Multiple Locations
Blend on the Water – Long Island City, New York
Bluestone – Timonium, Maryland
The Boathouse – Lake Buena Vista, Florida
The Boil Waverly – New York, New York
Brennan’s – New Orleans, Louisiana
Buddakan – Multiple Locations
Buddy V’s at The Venetian – Las Vegas, Nevada
Café Ba-Ba-Reeba – Chicago, Illinois
Cafeteria 15L – Sacramento, California
Carmine’s – Multiple Locations
Carnivale – Chicago, Illinois
Catch – Multiple Locations
Chama Gaucha – San Antonio – San Antonio, Texas
Chart House Restaurant – Weehawken – Weehawken, New Jersey
Clinkerdagger – Spokane, Washington
Columbia Restaurant – Ybor City – Tampa, Florida
Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants – Multiple Locations
Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House – Multiple Locations
Dock’s Oyster House – Atlantic City, New Jersey
Duck Duck Goat – Chicago, Illinois
Elliott’s Oyster House – Seattle, Washington
Estia – Philadelphia – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Farmers Fishers Bakers – Washington, D.C.
Farmhouse at Rogers Gardens – Corona Del Mar, California
Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch – St. Helena, California
Filomena Ristorante – Washington, D.C.
Fogo de Chao Brazilian Steakhouse – Multiple Locations
Founding Farmers – DC – Washington, D.C.
Gallaghers Steakhouse – Manhattan – New York, New York
Giada – The Cromwell – Las Vegas, Nevada
Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse – Chicago – Chicago, Illinois
Girl & the Goat – Chicago, Illinois
Gordon Ramsay Steak – Paris Las Vegas – Las Vegas, Nevada
Gracias Madre – West Hollywood, California
Halls Chophouse – Charleston, South Carolina
The Hamilton – Washington, D.C.
Harry & Izzy’s – Downtown – Indianapolis, Indiana
House of Prime Rib – San Francisco, California
ilili – New York, New York
Jaleo DC – Washington, D.C.
Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab – Multiple Locations
Keens Steakhouse – New York, New York
Lawry’s The Prime Rib – Beverly Hills – Beverly Hills, California
Le Diplomate – Washington, D.C.
Little Goat – Chicago, Illinois
Maggiano’s – Multiple Locations
Meril – New Orleans, Louisiana
Meson Sabika – Naperville, Illinois
The Metropolitan Grill – Seattle, Washington
Mon Ami Gabi – Las Vegas – Main Dining Room – Las Vegas, Nevada
North Italia – Irvine – Irvine, California
Old Ebbitt Grill – Washington, D.C.
The Olde Pink House Restaurant – Savannah, Georgia
Oyamel – Washington, D.C.
Palisade – Seattle, Washington
Parc – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Patti’s 1880’s Settlement – Grand Rivers, Kentucky
Perch LA – Los Angeles, California
The Publican – Chicago, Illinois
Pump – West Hollywood, California
Purple Cafe and Wine Bar – Seattle – Seattle, Washington
Quartino – Chicago, Illinois
Quality Italian – New York, New York
Raglan Road Irish Pub – Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Red Rooster Harlem – New York, New York
RPM Restaurants – Multiple Locations
Salty’s on Alki Beach – Seattle, Washington
Shaw’s Crab House – Chicago – Chicago, Illinois
Sixty Vines – Plano, Texas
SkyCity Restaurant at the Space Needle – Seattle, Washington
The Smith – Multiple Locations
St. Elmo Steak House – Indianapolis, Indiana
Stanford Grill – Columbia, Maryland
Steak 48 – Houston – Houston, Texas
Summer House Santa Monica – Chicago, Illinois
Sunda – Chicago, Illinois
Tao – Multiple Locations
Tavern on the Green – New York, New York
Texas de Brazil – Multiple Locations
Tony’s Di Napoli – Multiple Locations
Top of the World Restaurant – Stratosphere Hotel – Las Vegas, Nevada
Tower Oaks Lodge – Rockville, Maryland
The Tropicale – Palm Springs, California
The Twisted Olive – Green, Ohio
TWO urban licks – Atlanta, Georgia
Ulele – Tampa, Florida
Uncle Julio’s – Brentwood – Brentwood, Tennessee
Vandal – New York, New York
Warmdaddy’s – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Wildfire – Multiple Locations
Yardbird Southern Table & Bar – Multiple Locations
Zaytinya – Washington, D.C.
Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth – Frankenmuth, Michigan
Originally launched in November 2008, the OpenTable Reviews program helps diners find restaurants that best fit their dining occasions. Only diners who recently honored an OpenTable reservation are invited to submit restaurant reviews. Visitors to OpenTable can access reviews for thousands of OpenTable restaurant partners across the United States, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Japan and the UK. The OpenTable Reviews program has generated more than 50 million restaurant reviews by verified diners, establishing OpenTable as one of the largest and most trusted sources for restaurant reviews.
