Many of our couples come from out of town to get married in Central Park. I have been asked for restaurant recommendations by visiting couples lots of times! This is such a difficult questions to answer. New York City has thousands of places to choose from catering to a vast range of budgets and tastes, with pretty much every cuisine you can think of. Some of our couples just want a table for two if they’re eloping, some want a big table for a group, and some might want a private room in a restaurant.
So, each year, I write a round-up of where every couple who has featured on the blog in the previous year with the restaurant they went to on their wedding day, and any other restaurants in New York that they might recommend.
If you’re considering getting married in Central Park it might be worth reading through the FAQs page on my website for answers to some of the other questions that I get asked a lot.
All of our couples are different; some prefer a restaurant inside of Central Park (there are two and they both always come up in this yearly list), some want to walk from Central Park (or from their hotel) to the restaurant they celebrate in to avoid having to organize transport, some want to drive somewhere else in the city, and maybe sightsee with the guests along the way, and some will even go to another borough (the waterfront of Brooklyn is popular for those who want great views).
I wrote a post summarising where all the couples who featured on the blog in in 2024 ate after their wedding, couples from 2023, couples from 2022, couples from 2021, couples from 2020, couples from 2019, couples from 2018, couples from 2017, couples from 2016, then from 2015, then those from 2014, and also those from 2013.
When I type it all out like this it makes me realize that I’ve been helping couples to get married in New York for quite a while! So, there are lots of recommendations to look through. Some restaurants keep coming up on the list, some restaurants might have closed over the years, and some are new to me. Below I summarise the couples’ recommendations who featured on my blog in 2025 along with a little information about their wedding and their group.
Rachael and Glen got married in the Ladies’ Pavilion in early November. They are both from Australia, and they had no guests. After their photo session finished up in Brooklyn, they went on to their dinner reservation at the River Café. “We had such a lovely three course meal here and the ambience and view made it feel so special – I’d highly recommend the River Café to other couples for their wedding dinner. We then headed back to The Plaza and enjoyed some of our two wedding cakes – a red velvet cake from Magnolia Bakery and a delicious fruitcake made by Glen’s mum as per family tradition. We also enjoyed some complimentary champagne from The Plaza.” They said they would also recommend Angelo’s Pizza near Carnegie Hall, and Katz’s Deli, “even though it’s a bit of a tourist trap it was fun just for the atmosphere,” they told me.
Sophie and Simon – Overstory and Saga
Sophie and Simon eloped to New York from their home in England in November. We can see all kinds of weather at this time of year, but often it’s not too cold or wet during this month. We had a sunny day for their wedding in Wagner Cove. After they finished up with their photo session in Central Park they went downtown to the Financial District for some drinks before their celebratory meal. They had a bottle of prosecco at Zizi wine bar. “They were great, and we got desserts on the house as a congratulations,” Simon told me. They went on for drinks at Overstory. “The restaurant and the cocktail bar are renowned for their incredible views of New York and it did not disappoint, the cocktails were amazing and it was an amazing experience for our wedding day,” Simon said. They ate at Saga. It is a two Michelin star restaurant, “we wanted somewhere special for our wedding night,” he said. “The meal was more of an experience and it was the perfect ending to such an incredible day,” he told me.
Sophie’s favourite meal during their trip was a pizza they had at Don Antonio. Sophie is Coeliac so they went to Don Antonio after they heard that they do a very good gluten free pizza. “The pizza was incredible,” Simon said. “I had actually tried a couple of the famous slices around New York which Sophie was unfortunately not able to try, but this was also the best pizza I had whilst in New York!” he said. Simon takes his cheeseburgers very seriously, they had a burger at Hamburger America and it made it to his number one spot on his list of top cheeseburgers. “The way they make them is incredible and they even do a gluten free bun so Sophie could enjoy it also!” Simon told me.
Cheryn and Kyle – Tavern on the Green
Cheryn and Kyle eloped from their home in Austin, Texas in November to get married in Central Park. They had pre-booked a pedicab ride around Central Park for after they had finished with the professional photographer. “The driver took us all over the park and took a ton more photos”. Then he dropped them off at the Tavern on the Green for a romantic wedding dinner.
Leila and Rob brought their close family over from their home in the North of England in June for their wedding in Central Park. Their guests were both sets of parents and Rob’s mum’s partner. After their photo session in the park, they went on to a Circle Line Landmarks Cruise, with a meal at Giardino 54 afterwards. They said that Giardino 54 was a lovely, dainty restaurant to finish off their day. “We certainly felt like the only table in the restaurant and the service was impeccable” Leila said. “The small, homely atmosphere was exactly what we were looking for. Whilst not our usual cuisine, the food was amazing,” she said. I asked them if they had any other recommendations. “Our first married meal was at Katz’s Delicatessen and we wouldn’t have had it any other way!” Leila said. “We’d also like to shout out Tom’s Restaurant in Brooklyn which (in our opinion) is the best breakfast in the whole world,” she added.
Lianne and Stuart – Darbar Grill
Lianne and Stuart got married in the Ladies’ Pavilion in early December. While they had some portrait photos taken by our photographer, their guests went on to Malachy’s Irish Pub to escape the cold and have some drinks. Our newlyweds went on to meet them there and after that, they all went to Darbar Grill in Midtown East for an Indian meal. “They decorated the table with balloons for us too,” Lianne said. In the evening, they went to the Mean Fiddler pub in Times Square, “which was so much fun,” Lianne said. “They couldn’t have done enough for us- sparklers, free drinks, mentions from the DJ. The owner even had me on the bar giving out free shots to everyone. It was a lot fun and definitely something we’ll always remember,” she said.
Amanda and Danny – Hard Rock Café
Amanda and Danny brought their children over to New York from their home in England in August. They wanted to renew their marriage vows in Central Park to celebrate their fifteenth wedding anniversary. A big reason for renewing their vows in New York was wanting to go to the Hard Rock Café in Times Square to celebrate. Their party all had dinner there after the vow renewal, but Amanda and Danny were also able to arrange a quick photoshoot there in the morning ahead of their time in Central Park. After they were done in Central Park, they went back to the Hard Rock Café where the whole group all had a meal together to celebrate. That night, they went to the Top of the Rock to watch the sun set.
Richard and David – Bryant Park Hotel
Richard and David brought a group of around thirty with them to New York from their home in England. They got married in Cop Cot in June. They held their reception at Bryant Park Hotel, in a private room on quite a high floor, overlooking Bryant Park. Our photographer stayed with them for a while at the reception to take some photos of the surroundings and then she left them to it.
Stacy and Brent – Tavern on the Green
Stacy and Brent got married in late November on Belvedere Castle Terrace. The eloped from their home in Kentucky to get married, they had no guests. After their photo session in Central Park, they went on to The Dakota Bar on West 72nd Street, where they celebrated with drinks and dinner. They said that two standout restaurants for them from the trip were Serendipity 3 near Times Square, “it was such a fun and delicious experience,” according to Brent, and the Tavern on the Green, where they ate dinner the night before the wedding. “The atmosphere there was absolutely beautiful and made the evening feel even more special,” he said.
Nathália and Filipe – Fogo de Chão
Nathália and Filipe brought a small group of their closest friends with them to New York for their wedding on the waterfront at the Empire Fulton Ferry Boardwalk overlooking Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridge. They are both originally from Belo Horizonte in southeastern Brazil. After their photographer left them, they had lunch at Brazilian Steakhouse Fogo de Chão with their friends.
Keira and Nick – Trattoria Dell’Arte and Keens Steakhouse
Keira and Nick got married in Wagner Cove mid-morning and were finished with their photo session not long after noon. “After the ceremony and photographs we had lunch at Trattoria Dell’Arte which is next to the hotel we were staying at and then just had a look around the city,” Keira said. They had their celebratory evening meal at Keens Steakhouse, a popular one with many of our couples, “it was incredible” Keira told me. When I asked for any other recommendations Keira said they had a delicious soft serve ice cream from Glace at Rockefeller Center. They said that the one meal they are trying to recreate at home is a salad from Chopt! Keira told me that they don’t have those in the UK but it was the best salad they’ve had.
Danielle and Ciaran – Rosehill Rooftop
Danielle and Ciaran took their group on a bus ride around the city in a vintage trolley bus after their wedding in the Ladies’ Pavilion. At the end of the bus ride, they were all dropped off at Rosehill Rooftop for the reception. I think the vintage trolley bus is the best option to get from Central Park to your reception location while partying and sightseeing along the way. They had booked Rosehill Rooftop for the group for three hours for food and drinks. Danielle estimated that it cost around $3500 for food and an open bar for three hours for all of their guests and they all enjoyed their time there. She said the cocktails and the food were amazing. They had also been to Magnolia Bakery and Los Tacos No1 while on the trip and loved them.
Anqi and Garett got married on Cherry Hill, overlooking the Lake and Bow Bridge, right in the middle of Central Park. The ceremony took place early in the morning on a weekday in July. The couple had taken their portrait photos beforehand, so they were able to leave the park with all of their guests. They went on to a cocktail brunch reception all together, right after the ceremony. They held that at Madeline’s, a bar in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. This couple are locals, so I didn’t miss out on the opportunity to ask them for restaurant recommendations. They took their families to Blue Willow, which is their favorite Chinese restaurant by Central Park South and Rosemary’s, which is their favorite family friendly Italian restaurant with locations around Manhattan.
Ross and Chris – Gallaghers Steak House
Ross and Chris got married in Wagner Cove at the end of May. They brought a small group of close family over with them from their home in Scotland to witness the wedding and to celebrate with them in New York. They got married in the early afternoon, and while they took some photos around Midtown, their guests did their own thing for a little while. Then they all met up again for drinks and their wedding dinner at Gallaghers Steak House, “it was unreal!” they told me. They ended their day with drinks at the rooftop bar of their hotel.
Clionadh and Sam – Smith and Wollensky
Clionadh and Sam came over to New York with both sets of their parents as guests for their wedding in the Ladies’ Pavilion. They flew over from their home in Dublin in early May for the wedding. After the wedding and photos in Central Park, the newlyweds and their parents went on to the Rockefeller Center with their photographer to take some photos at the Top of the Rock. After that, the six of them went for a celebratory dinner at Smith and Wollensky.
Martha and Juan – Bistro Caza Azul.
Martha and Juan got married on the Pool Lawn, in the North West corner of Central Park. They got married on 31st October – Halloween. After the wedding ceremony, Martha and Juan’s guests walked over to the dinner reception at Bistro Caza Azul. It’s over in East Harlem, close to East 118th Street. The couple stayed in the Park with the photographer for some portrait photos for a little while and then they went over to join them.
Angie and Michael brought a group of close immediate family with them to New York from their home in Michigan to get married in Central Park in September. Their guests went off to Magnolia Bakery on West 58th after the ceremony, and Angie and Michael stayed in Central Park for a little while longer with their photographer. The group all met back up at 5:30 for dinner on the rooftop at Catch NYC in the meatpacking district. “The food was wonderful and they were so accommodating for our larger group,” Angie said. “The weather was beautiful and we were seated upon the rooftop with a lovely setting. They even gave us all complimentary desserts to celebrate,” she added.
Donna and Jonny eloped to New York from their home in Ireland at the end of September to get married in Central Park. They held the ceremony in the Ladies’ Pavilion. They took a cab from Central Park to Cecconi’s restaurant in DUMBO Brooklyn for their celebratory meal. “We were seated by the window with a view of the waterfront, the bridges and the Manhattan skyline which was breathtaking!” Donna said. After their dinner they went to the Top of the Rock observation deck to watch the sun go down over those iconic Manhattan buildings.
Alyssa and Demetra came to New York in early October to get married in Central Park. They brought seventeen close family and friends from their home in Michigan to celebrate their wedding. After their day of taking photos, they went back to their hotel to get changed into lighter clothes for their dinner at Molyvos in Hell’s Kitchen. “I would recommend Molyvos, it’s an authentic Greek restaurant,” Alyssa said. Demetra has Greek heritage. After dinner, they walked around and found a rooftop bar in Times Square to hang out at for the rest of the night.
Candice and Joe – Arte Cafe and River Cafe
Candice and Joe brought a group of close family with them to New York in October for their wedding in Central Park. Joe’s family had to leave town immediately after the ceremony, so they all had a family dinner at Arte Cafe the night before the wedding. “The food was delicious and the atmosphere was cozy, Candice said. So the evening of the wedding was quite informal. They went to a Yankees game, and I’m told that they won! The following night, Candice and Joe went to the River Cafe in DUMBO. “It was incredibly romantic and the food was AMAZING. It is a Michelin starred restaurant and unlike anything I’ve ever experienced, and nothing we would splurge on in regular life,” Candice told me.
If you would like me to help you with your own Central Park wedding, visit our website. Keep updated with our news and see lots of beautiful photos, follow us on Instagram, or Facebook, or TikTok, or Pinterest. I would love for anyone to comment on the post with their own suggestions of great New York City restaurants. There are so many to choose from, and although there are some firm favorites that last over time, we’re always seeing new ones come up on these lists!
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