Where To Spend A Big Night Out In NYC, According To Katherine Lewin

If you’re a longtime Infatuation reader, you don’t need an introduction to Katherine Lewin, our former Editorial Director. Katherine had her hands on just about everything we published from 2015 until 2021, when she left to start Big Night . Like The Infatuation, Big Night is all about good food and good times, but with a focus on eating at home instead of restaurants. Her two stores in Greenpoint and the West Village carry every placemat, dish, spoon, glass, and snack needed to transform any dinner into a dinner party. Now, Katherine’s carrying that same passion over to her debut cookbook, Big Night: Dinners, Parties & Dinner Parties .

Though Katherine has pivoted to advising people on their nights in, she still eats and drinks her way around New York City, and holds an honorary degree in planning fun nights out. Trust her picks for the city’s best martinis, dance floors, burgers, and rooftops. Her recommendations are bible.

Four Horsemen

“This is the place I always want to go for a special occasion. The Four Horsemen has been doing ‘wine bar with killer food’ for much, much longer than all the new places doing it. In my opinion, they are still the very best version in the city. I always know that whatever wine I try here, I’m going to be thinking about it the next day—and the same goes for the food. The little room is pure restaurant magic: the lighting is perfect, it’s always full and buzzing, yet never too loud, because of some kind of acoustic technology miracle they installed. Basically, I never want dinner here to end.”

Night Moves

“While you’re at the Four Horsemen, save room for dancing on a light-up floor, because that is exactly what you’ll do next door at Night Moves. It’s somewhere between a bar and a miniclub, and absolutely my favorite place to dance in NYC.”

Cervo's

“There’s a yellow-tiled wall around the center of Cervo’s outdoor dining area, which I once overheard one of their team members refer to as ‘The Bathtub.’ The Bathtub is where I’d like to live. I think Cervo’s is a perfect restaurant for an intimate group (3-6 people max; it’s a small place), to share an excellent meal while really feeling like you’re out in the city. You know? People watching, outfit-coveting, and eavesdropping, all while eating truly delicious food: this is why we live here!”

Hillstone

“And then, sometimes, I crave a restaurant experience that takes me somewhere else, somewhere not in NYC. When I’m sitting in a deep booth at Hillstone, I could be anywhere: the Midwest, maybe, or Texas, or Colorado, or wherever else this seemingly generic (but actually elite) chain has locations. And when I’m at Hillstone, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. I will never forget the first time a server replaced my martini glass, mid-martini, with a new one straight from the freezer. Heaven.”

Ayada Thai

“It is almost painful to write this and not have Ayada’s pad see ew, pad thai, or duck panang curry next to me. I think about these plates and many others more often than I care to admit. While they do have a location in Chelsea Market, their original [Elmhurst] spot is the place to bring a big group—the more people and dishes, the better. “

Bar Blondeau

“I can’t believe I’m revealing this secret here, but we don’t gatekeep at The Infatuation, so I have no choice. The Bar Blondeau rooftop is seriously underutilized in the summertime. Head there on a weekday evening (or a Friday lunch, perhaps!) and you will have the breeze in your hair and the Manhattan skyline views right in front of you, all without the usual NYC rooftop bar scene/crowds.”

Bernie’s

“ When I first reviewed Bernie’s for this very site years ago, when it first opened, I loved it. Over the ensuing years, that love has only grown. When I want a place to gossip over martinis? Bernie’s. When I want to bring out-of-towners somewhere that may slightly confuse their preconceived notions about what a ‘NYC restaurant’ looks like? Bernie’s. When I need comfort in the form of eggplant parm and mozz sticks and a brownie sundae that serves six? Bernie’s forever.”

Le Rock

“Sometimes I want a Midtown Moment. I want to dress up a little and maybe even put my hair in an updo. For those moments, I love Le Rock, the uptown sibling of another of my forever favorites, Frenchette . With a martini in hand, french fries in front of me, and their dessert cart roving in the near distance, I feel impossibly glam.”

Taverna Kyclades

“One question I find myself asking pretty much every day of summer: where can I go feel like I’m on vacation somewhere in the Mediterranean? So far, my best answer is Taverna Kyclades in Astoria. I like to go for an early dinner, get a seat outside under the big blue awning, and bring a bottle of white wine I’ve been looking forward to trying (their corkage is reasonable and they bring a bucket of ice to keep it nice and cold). Get a selection of dips, the lemon potatoes, the prasini salad (with lots of feta and dill), and the octopus. And save room for the delicious (and free!) dessert they drop at every table.”

Ingas Bar

“To say that I recently moved to south Brooklyn to be closer to Inga’s wouldn’t exactly be true. But it wouldn’t be not true either. This is a fantastic neighborhood restaurant that is also a destination restaurant, and the home of, in my opinion, one of the best two burgers in the city. The dining room is both cozy and sparkly, and I love a date night at the bar, too.”

Thai Diner

“When I find myself below 14th street without a dinner plan, Thai Diner is one of the very first places that comes up in my mental restaurant rolodex. This place is right for almost every situation and scenario, especially those that call for something fun—crinkle-cut fries and peanut sundae and frozen beer kind of fun. But there’s also absolutely incredible food and a wine list for Wine People.”

Lighthouse

“Lighthouse is more like Lighthome, for me, and if you live in the near vicinity of this restaurant, I bet it is for you, too. Somehow, it feels like both an extension of my living room, but also an escape from it and the pile of laundry I have been avoiding folding. I love gathering a big group of friends here, making ourselves comfy, sharing plates and plates of mezze, and stretching out the night for as long as we possibly can. Lighthouse is a place that won’t just let you do that—it wants you to.”

Diner

“At this point, Diner is a historic restaurant. It’s been open for 25 years, and I’ve been going for almost as long as I’ve lived in NYC (so, about half of that time). Why? It never gets old. No matter who I bring, what kind of mood I’m in, or what I order (although at least one burger on the table is a non-negotiable—it’s my other favorite burger in the city), I know it’s going to be good. Diner is my Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants restaurant: it looks good on everyone, it feels right every time, and all I want is to share it with my friends.”