✦ Dinner with Friends · Upper East Side

Best Dinner with Friends Restaurants in Upper East Side

5 ranked dinner with friends restaurants in Upper East Side, New York City — with ratings, must-try dishes and live availability.

5 picks

These are the 5 best Upper East Side restaurants for a group dinner, ranked. Bemelmans Bar is the pick if you want the surest thing — 4.9 stars across 3,117 reviews. J.G. Melon is the one to book when you would rather not spend much. Prices run the whole way from $ counters to $$$$ rooms. If you only order one thing, make it the martini at Bemelmans Bar. None of these take online reservations — they are walk-in or phone-only, so go early.

The Upper East Side rewards knowing where to look: past the hotel dining rooms are long-running neighborhood spots with real kitchens.

Bemelmans Bar Watch

Bemelmans Bar

Bar Food  ·  Upper East Side  ·  $$$$

★★★★½ 4.9

a piano bar that pours up to 900 martinis a night

Must-try: Martini, Bar snacks, Live piano

📍 35 E 76th St, New York, NY 10021

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Cafe Commerce Watch

Cafe Commerce

American  ·  Upper East Side  ·  $$$

★★★★½ 4.8

teeny oxblood booths permanently packed with ladies who lunch

Must-try: Whole chicken with foie gras, Coconut cake, Martinis

📍 964 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10021

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J.G. Melon Watch

J.G. Melon

Burgers · American  ·  Upper East Side  ·  $$

★★★★☆ 4.4

A 1972 pub on Third Avenue serving what many New Yorkers consider the city's definitive bar burger — cash only, no fuss

Must-try: Bacon cheeseburger, Cottage fries, Bloody Mary

📍 1291 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10021

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Pastrami Queen Watch

Pastrami Queen

Jewish Deli · Sandwiches  ·  Upper East Side  ·  $$

★★★★☆ 4.3

Kosher deli on Lexington doing a pastrami sandwich that rivals anything downtown, without the tourist line

Must-try: Pastrami on rye, Matzo ball soup, Potato knish

📍 1125 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10075

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Elio's Watch

Elio's

Italian  ·  Upper East Side  ·  $$$

★★★★☆ 4.3

The Upper East Side's clubbiest Italian restaurant since 1981 — red sauce, regulars, and a room that runs on recognition

Must-try: Rigatoni alla vodka, Veal Milanese, Tiramisu

📍 1621 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10028

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best dinner with friends restaurant in Upper East Side?

Bemelmans Bar — 4.9 stars across 3,117 reviews, the highest on this list. a piano bar that pours up to 900 martinis a night.

Which of these is the best value?

J.G. Melon at $$ — 4.4 stars without the $$$$ bill. 2 of the 5 restaurants on this page are $$ or under.

Do these restaurants take reservations?

None of the 5 on this page take online bookings — they are walk-in or phone-only. Going early, or on a weeknight, is the reliable move.

What should I order?

The martini at Bemelmans Bar, the whole chicken with foie gras at Cafe Commerce and the bacon cheeseburger at J.G. Melon. Those are the dishes regulars point to first.

How were these picked?

Ratings and review volume decide the order, but the list itself is drawn from restaurants people actually post about — 5 of the 5 here have a TikTok attached to their card. Every entry is checked as open before it ships.

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