They\u2019re drained by the loneliness epidemic, turned off by insanely high restaurant prices \u2014 and extremely over the Big Apple\u2019s messy dating scene. <\/p>\n
Meet the growing group of in-the-know New Yorkers cleverly saying \u201ccheck, please!\u201d to the status quo \u2014 instead finding sustenance and community at intimate, underground dinner parties.<\/p>\n
From cozy Upper East Side penthouse soir\u00e9es where martinis clink over truffle risotto, to better-weather Bed-Stuy backyard hangs buzzing with laughter among ornate tablescapes, these ticketed meals where strangers sit down to break bread together have become the new way for fashionable city dwellers to go out on the town.<\/p>\n
Sarah Entwhistle hosts intimate monthly dinner parties at her Upper West Side apartment \u2014\u00a0where groups of strangers pay upwards of $125 per person to dine. Olga Ginzburg for the N.Y. Post<\/p>\n
Brooklynite Bernadette King Fitzsimons is just one of the regulars at the cozy Heirloom Supper Club<\/a>, a monthly dinner soir\u00e9e hosted by roommates Julian Tineo and Madison Scott inside their alluringly-lit Bushwick brownstone.<\/p>\n \u201cI attended my first Heirloom dinner two years ago without knowing anyone,\u201d the 27-year-old told The Post. \u201cIt was a little intimidating at first, but I ended up meeting one of my closest friends that night.\u201d<\/p>\n Paying to eat with a group of people you never met \u2014\u00a0inside a stranger\u2019s home \u2014\u00a0might sound like a nightmare to some.\u00a0<\/p>\n But Fitzsimons can think of far worse ways to spend a weekend night, she said \u2014\u00a0for her, some crowded downtown Manhattan drinkery, shouting over a loud DJ to make conversation with a date or a friend, is not on the menu. <\/p>\n \u201cWith a dinner party like this, you know other folks are open to chatting and making new friends,\u201d Fitzsimons added. \u201cAt a bar, it can feel awkward striking up conversation with strangers. This felt cozy and welcoming, particularly because it\u2019s hosted in their actual home.\u201d<\/p>\n Brooklyn\u2019s Heirloom Supper Club is a top pick on the dining-at-home scene \u2014\u00a0pulling a handful of regulars who told The Post they\u2019d rather be here chatting to new friends than sitting at a trendy city nightspot shouting over a DJ. Cortni Spearman<\/p>\n Former co-workers turned roommates who love to host, Tineo and Scott, created Heirloom Supper Club in 2023, as a way to bring people together because \u201cAs young people who spent their early 20s in New York, we know it can be hard to meet new people outside of school or work,\u201d the duo told The Post.<\/p>\n As word got out, the duo\u2019s small, casual dinner party for friends eventually grew, forcing Tineo, who works for the FDNY, and Scott, who works in fashion, to get a \u201cbit more organized by selling tickets to pay for the food\u201d in addition to creating a social media presence. \u201cIt all grew organically from there.\u201d<\/p>\n To stay competitive with other private dinner parties in NYC, Tineo and Scott implemented a pay-what-you-wish sliding scale starting at $65 a ticket because they believe that \u201ceveryone deserves a seat at the table.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Guests at a recent Heirloom dinner feasted on roasted chicken with thyme, gravy, and sides of squash. Tickets cost $65 and up in order to keep the meals accessible to all, according to organizers. Cortni Spearman<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t handpick guests or require demographic info,\u201d Tineo told The Post. \u201cIf we recognize a repeat guest, we\u2019ll usually seat them next to someone new to help break the ice but otherwise, it\u2019s a bit of a gamble.\u201d<\/p>\n Nico Mann is one of those repeat guests. While at a recent Heirloom dinner, he explained to The Post how the 20 or so guests who attend \u201cwant to make time for others.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNew York can be really lonely, especially if you\u2019re working all the time. These dinners attract people who actually want to connect,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Julian Tineo (L) and Madison Scott (R) happily hosting guests at their cozy Bushwick brownstone. Cortni Spearman<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of every dinner, we thank people for choosing to spend their Saturday night with us,\u201d the hosts said. \u201cThey could\u2019ve gone to a thousand other bars or restaurants. Coming to a dinner with strangers requires stepping outside your comfort zone and it means a lot when people do.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s no surprise that the dinner party phenomenon has taken over the Big Apple. As of now, there aren\u2019t specific rules or limitations on hosting a dinner party in one\u2019s home. <\/p>\n A city permit from NYC.gov, NYC Parks, or the DOH is only required if a party is hosted in a public park, sells food, or blocks a street.<\/p>\n As a result, Heirloom Supper Club is just one of many private dinners that have New Yorkers refreshing their internet browsers to see when a seat at one will become available.\u00a0<\/p>\n Shabbat but make it sexy<\/p>\n Rabbi Arille Stein (R) giving a blessing at a recent Shtick NYC event. Sasha Frumin<\/p>\n At Shtick NYC<\/a>, a candlelit Friday dinner on the Lower East Side where all are welcomed, Jewish tradition meets modernity in a way that feels intentionally sexy and slightly subversive.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hosted by founder Jacqueline Lobel, a freelance television producer and director, this $150 per ticket Sabbath supper club features a blessing from a rabbi, thoughtful rituals, unlimited wine, and decadent food prepared by Chef Noli on behalf of Chichieats<\/a> \u2014 a far cry from the formal and sometimes stiff evening meal many would expect.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to demystify Shabbat,\u201d Lobel told The Post. \u201cMost people think it\u2019s this whole serious thing, when really it\u2019s just a dinner, a couple of blessings at the top, and then eating together.\u201d<\/p>\n Five years later, Shtick is now a bi-weekly event hosted in a two-floor event space on Hester St., with around 32 guests, both Jewish and non-religious folks alike \u2014 something Lobel said she \u201ccouldn\u2019t find for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n That accessibility is exactly what drew in guests like Cayla Moody, 28.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t go in with many expectations,\u201d Moody, a dinner party newbie, told The Post. \u201cI was open to the experience, hoping the food would be good, and mostly excited to try something different.\u201d<\/p>\n Guests engaging in conversation over drinks while waiting for their meal to be served. Sasha Frumin<\/p>\n Different is exactly what Moody experienced at a recent Shtick NYC event.<\/p>\n \u201cThe women I spoke with connected in a way that felt natural, like we\u2019d known each other for years. It wasn\u2019t socially exhausting. I left energized, not drained,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Frustrated by how she felt the modern NYC food scene downplays Jewish culture, Lobel conceived Shtick NYC during the pandemic. \u201cJewish history is so embedded in New York history,\u201d she said, \u201cbut our food culture is usually reduced to bagels, pastrami, bad lighting, and this very antiquated, old-man vibe.\u201d<\/p>\n Shtick is the opposite of a stuffy, formal Shabbat dinner. Sasha Frumin<\/p>\n Her goal was to flip that narrative by celebrating what she calls the \u201cfeminine, sexy, soul-food elements of Jewish hospitality.\u201d<\/p>\n At a Shtick NYC dinner, guests can expect soft lighting, taper candles, moody florals and curated d\u00e9cor \u2014 an atmosphere most would expect in an upscale NYC restaurant.<\/p>\n \u201cWe like to have sexy parties,\u201d Lobel said, laughing, \u201cbut also have rabbis hanging on the wall.\u201d<\/p>\n Theme nights<\/p>\n Sarah Entwhistle of Suppers by Sarah wanted to create a space that brought people from different walks of life together. Olga Ginzburg for the N.Y. Post<\/p>\n