16 Ways to Get the Iconic Look of Your Favorite Restaurant at Home

No reservations required.
Russ and Daughters
Courtesy of Russ & Daughters Cafe

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With some restaurants temporarily shuttering (and others sadly gone for good), we’re especially missing gathering in a cozy eatery over a glass of Chianti more than ever. But that doesn’t mean you can’t replicate a restaurant’s ambience—and menu!—as you shelter in place. In fact there’s never been a better time to create your favorite spot’s feel right at your own table.

Whether you have a grand dining room that seats 12, a charming kitchen nook, or that one IKEA table that does double duty as desk and canteen, get inspired by these iconic Big Apple dining rooms for your next meal at home. Attempting their cuisines—or just, you know, ordering in—is up to you.  

Made in Americana 

Polo bar
Courtesy of the Polo Bar

Hankering for the old-school country club charm of Ralph Lauren’s Polo Bar? Translate the warmth of the cognac leather banquettes, hunter green walls, and equine-themed decor by layering your table with dapper tartans, sumptuous forest-inspired hues, and a hint of glamorous gold. Top it all off with polo mallet cocktail picks that are practically begging for a 5 p.m. three-olive martini. 

Staub Mini Cocotte

Sir La Table
$90.0

Kipton Cocktail Picks with Holder by Ralph Lauren

$125.0

Peugeot Gold Plated Salt u0026 Pepper Grinders

Food 52
$199.0

Welliver Plaid Napkin Set By Millwood Pines

$64.0

Brasserie Beauty

Odeon
Courtesy of Odeon

Jazz up a decadent steak frites (or diner burger) by taking a page out of Tribeca’s favorite French-inspired neighborhood bistro, the Odeon. With rattan chairs, vintage match strikers, and sleek fluted flatware—all in a forever-chic palette of black and lipstick red—you can bring that Parisian je ne sais quoi to your very American dining room.  

 

Bernadotte cutlery set

Finnish Design Shop
$298.0

French Bistro Match Strike Malette

Etsy
$36.0

Chambord 34 Ounce French Press by Bodum

Crate u0026 Barrel
$40.0

Riviera Dining Chair

Serena u0026 Lily
$298 $223

Lox to Love

Russ & Daughters
Courtesy of Russ & Daughters Cafe

Right now we could all use an endless supply of the bagels and matzoh ball soup served at Russ & Daughters Cafe, an extension of the 107-year-old appetizing store on the Lower East Side. But we also would flock there for its interior design, a modern azure-themed spin on a ’50s luncheonette. In your own kitchen, go for a mix of diner-inspired pieces, like rustic wood serving boards (perfect for slicing and serving), chunky cooler glasses, banded porcelain dinnerware, and schmear-ready ramekins.  

Walnut Board

Farmhouse Pottery
$55.0

Stackable Ramekin

Le Cruset
$16.0

Blue-Banded Porcelain Plate

Williams Sonoma
$65.0

Gibraltar Cooler Glass by Libbey

Bed Bath u0026 Beyond
$5.0

That’s Amore

Carbone
Courtesy of Carbone

Make Sunday’s spaghetti supper worth dressing up for by emulating the sophisticated throwback vibes of the Italian-American red sauce joint Carbone. Set the scene with hand-painted ceramics, an ornate set of beautifully detailed silverware, and San Marzano–red checkered napkins that can double as a liner for the bread basket. Buon appetito! 

Italian Serveware

Raffaello, Food 52
$38.0

Bread Plate

Italian Pottery
$50.0

Persimmon Napkins

Heather Taylor Home
$82.0

Alfredo Bread Basket

Georg Jensen
$69.0

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