Thanksgiving Dinner for a Large Group in NYC: Party Limits

Thanksgiving dinner for a large group in NYC hits a printed ceiling early: Union Square Cafe’s holiday page books parties of up to 8 and Ci Siamo’s up to 10, while the other three restaurants checked print no cap at all. A party of 11 or more has to ask, and each restaurant’s private-dining page shows which rooms to ask about. Terms below come from each restaurant’s own website, checked in October 2026.

Thanksgiving terms at five NYC restaurants, as of October 2026

Thanksgiving Day is Thursday, November 26, 2026. The table gives each restaurant’s terms as its own pages print them in October 2026, with the party-size cap last.

Restaurant	Address	Thanksgiving terms as printed	Party cap printed
Union Square Cafe	101 E 19th St	Four-course, family-style; 12:00 pm - 7:30 pm; $185 per person; no date printed	Up to 8
Ci Siamo	440 W 33rd St, Suite 100	Three-course; 12:00pm - 7:30pm; $155 per person; no date printed	Up to 10
The Modern	9 W 53rd St	Bar Room three-course at 145 per person; dining-room tasting menu at $275 per person; no date or hours printed	None printed
The Smith	Four NYC locations: NoMad, Lincoln Square, Midtown, East Village	Thursday, November 26th, 12pm - 9pm (printed above the city sections); three-course; New York menu PDF prints 88	None printed
Talia’s Steakhouse & Bar	668 Amsterdam Ave (92nd - 93rd Sts)	Prix fixe, $118; Thursday, November 26, 2026; five sittings, the first at 12:00 PM and the last at 9:00 PM	None printed

Only The Smith and Talia’s print the date. Union Square Cafe and Ci Siamo print hours but no date, and The Modern prints neither, so confirm the day when you book. The Smith’s hours sit above its city sections, and its page does not say which of its four New York locations take Thanksgiving tables. The Modern prints its Bar Room figure without a currency sign, and The Smith’s menu PDF prints a bare 88 with no currency sign or per-person label, so neither is treated as a dollar price here; confirm both units before comparing. Ci Siamo and The Modern label their posted menus as samples that may change with the season.

What is the largest party a restaurant will take on Thanksgiving?

Ten is the highest party size any of the five holiday pages prints. Ci Siamo’s cap is 10 and Union Square Cafe’s is 8, both worded “now booking for parties up to,” and neither page says what happens one guest above. At $155 against $185 per person, Ci Siamo has the higher cap and the lower price of the two, with three courses to Union Square Cafe’s four. The Modern, The Smith and Talia’s print no number, which is not the same as no limit: none of their pages says a table of 12 will be seated.

Union Square Cafe repeats the up-to-8 wording on its Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve listings; The Birthday Table’s December birthday dinner in NYC covers those two nights for birthday parties.

What can a group of 11 or more ask about instead?

Each of the five also has a private-dining or group-dining page with printed capacities, as of October 2026. None says whether a room is sold on Thanksgiving Day, or whether the holiday menu is required in it, so both are questions for the events team.

• Union Square Cafe. On its private-dining page, the semi-private Alcove seats up to 10 at a single oval table, which covers the 9 and 10 the holiday page does not. The Park & Irving Room takes up to 40 seated or 45 standing, and a buyout up to 100 seated or 200 standing.
• Ci Siamo. Its private-dining page lists a private dining room for up to 50 seated or 75 standing, and a restaurant buyout for up to 100 seated or 250 standing.
• The Modern. The private dining room holds a maximum of 30 guests at one long table, 64 seated or 80 standing, and is “available to reserve Monday through Sunday for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.” A buyout takes up to 100 seated or 250 standing.
• The Smith. Its private-dining page lists Lincoln Square at up to 25 guests and East Village, Midtown and NoMad at up to 75 each. Its brochures show 75 is the cocktail count; family style is 60 at East Village and Midtown, 50 at NoMad.
• Talia’s. The group-dining page is general, not Thanksgiving-specific: no fully private indoor room, but a separate, unenclosed section “for groups of 60 guests or less,” and an entire restaurant of “about 70 seats.” Ask whether the $118 prix fixe is what a large party would order.

A party of 11 is the first size neither holiday page takes. The smallest room either restaurant lists for 11 is the Park & Irving Room at 40 seated for Union Square Cafe and the private dining room at 50 seated for Ci Siamo. Ask what the room costs on that date, whether the Thanksgiving menu is required, and what headcount to guarantee. The guide to Midtown private dining rooms by published capacity sets Ci Siamo, The Modern and The Smith’s Midtown room beside seven other restaurants.

Are private dining rooms available on Thanksgiving Day?

No page checked answers this directly, but two publish open dates. Ci Siamo’s page says its “current dinner availability in our private dining room is limited to the dates list below,” and Gramercy Tavern, which is left off the table because the pages checked print no Thanksgiving terms, does the same for its room of up to 20. As of October 22, 2026, Ci Siamo’s list shows Wednesday, November 25 and then Friday, November 27, and Gramercy Tavern’s shows Tuesday, November 24 and then Sunday, November 29. Neither includes Thanksgiving Day itself. Both say to inquire for lunches and later dinner dates.

Both lists change without notice, so read the dates above as a snapshot from October 22 and recheck each page before planning around one. The December availability snapshot records the lists as read that day, and the holiday party venues guide covers rooms for December parties.

How much is Thanksgiving dinner at an NYC restaurant per person?

Adult menu prices printed with a dollar sign run from $118 at Talia’s to $275 for the dining-room tasting menu at The Modern, which is 2.3 times as much; Ci Siamo prints $155 and Union Square Cafe $185. Two more figures print without a dollar sign: 145 per person for The Modern’s Bar Room, and 88 on The Smith’s New York menu PDF, which has no per-person label either. Both are quoted as printed and kept off the dollar scale. The dollar figures are not on the same footing. Ci Siamo and The Modern say beverages, tax and gratuity are extra, Talia’s says an 18% service fee and tax will be added, and Union Square Cafe’s holiday page says nothing either way. Talia’s also lists a Thanksgiving kid’s menu at $59 for ages 10 and under. Ask each restaurant for an all-in figure per guest.

How far ahead should you book Thanksgiving dinner in NYC?

None of the five prints a booking deadline, a release date or a lead time for Thanksgiving tables. What the pages do show, as of October 2026, is that Union Square Cafe and Ci Siamo are already “now booking,” and that Talia’s takes reservations with a “non-refundable deposit of $50 per TABLE (not per person)” that is credited to the bill for diners who attend. Because the deposit is per table, a large party seated at several tables should ask how it is counted. For a private room, the signal is the open-date list above.

Is a Friendsgiving before or after Thanksgiving Day easier to book?

None of these pages says a nearby date is easier to book. The caps of 8 and 10 are printed on the Thanksgiving listings, and nothing checked here says whether they apply on another date, so a larger Friendsgiving is a question for the restaurant or its events team. As of October 22, the open-date lists above include dates on both sides of Thanksgiving Day, and The Modern’s private room can be reserved any day of the week. The private-dining pages do not say what a nearby evening costs, so ask what it includes.

Method and limits: a restaurant is in the table when its own website prints Thanksgiving terms, such as a price, hours or a party size. Restaurants without published terms are left out, so this is a sample of five, not a list of who is open on the holiday. Open-date lists and “now booking” notices can change at any time, and every date and figure here is as of October 22, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Can you make a Thanksgiving reservation for a large group in NYC?

Yes, within limits at two of the five restaurants checked. As of October 2026, Union Square Cafe’s holiday page books parties of up to 8 and Ci Siamo’s up to 10, while The Modern, The Smith and Talia’s Steakhouse print no cap. A group of 11 or more should ask about a private room: Union Square Cafe lists one for up to 40 seated and Ci Siamo one for up to 50 seated.

Are private dining rooms available on Thanksgiving Day?

No restaurant checked says so directly. As of October 22, 2026, the open-date lists at Ci Siamo and Gramercy Tavern skip Thursday, November 26, and both say to inquire about dates that are not shown. Those lists change, so recheck the pages. The Modern says its private dining room can be reserved Monday through Sunday, without mentioning Thanksgiving.

Is there a kosher Thanksgiving dinner for a large group in NYC?

Talia’s Steakhouse & Bar, at 668 Amsterdam Avenue, calls its cuisine Glatt Kosher and says families and groups are welcome to celebrate Thanksgiving there, with a prix fixe on Thursday, November 26, 2026. As of October 2026 the prix fixe is $118, with five sittings (the first at 12:00 PM, the last at 9:00 PM) and a $50 per table non-refundable deposit. Its group-dining page says a separate, unenclosed section can be set aside for groups of 60 or fewer. Confirm kosher supervision and any dietary needs with the restaurant before booking.