The 10 NYC Restaurants Where Celebrities Actually Eat in 2026, According to Deuxmoi
If you’re optimizing for a chance encounter with Taylor Swift, Timothée Chalamet or Rihanna, the data is in — and it’s coming from your fellow diners.
Celebrity gossip platform Deuxmoi has rounded up the New York City restaurants generating the most star sightings heading into 2026, based on reader-submitted tips to its Instagram account and the newer Deuxmoi World app, which tracks celebrity-frequented restaurants, hotels and hotspots. The list skews downtown and Italian, with a few old-school holdouts proving that some scenes never really go out of style.
Here are the 10 spots worth knowing about — whether you’re booking a reservation or just want to be ahead of the next reservation drop.
Via Carota
The West Village darling from chefs Rita Sodi and Jody Williams built its reputation on simple, near-perfect dishes — Meyer lemon risotto and fried rabbit among them. Once strictly walk-in, it now offers some reservations. Spotted: Jon Hamm, Taylor Swift, Kaia Gerber, Stephen Curry, Sophie Turner and Sarah Jessica Parker.
Polo Bar
Ralph Lauren’s 2015 American restaurant is the rare reservation-required scene that has only gotten harder to crack. Classic dishes, bar bites and a Ralph-curated atmosphere keep the A-list rolling in. Spotted: George Clooney, Travis Kelce, Kourtney Kardashian, Blake Lively, Taylor Swift, Lindsay Lohan and Jennifer Aniston.
Bowery Hotel
Technically a hotel, but the cocktail bar Gemma has become a magnet for celebrities passing through the Lower East Side — both as guests and as drop-ins. Spotted: Jennifer Lopez, Barry Keoghan, Camila Cabello and Charli XCX.
Balthazar
The SoHo French brasserie remains the city’s reigning brunch institution, with oysters, fries and a happy hour that pulls in fashion power players and movie stars in equal measure. Spotted: Chris Rock, Anna Wintour, Matthew Gray Gubler, Florence Pugh and Emma Stone.
Pastis
The Meatpacking District bistro practically invented the phrase “downtown cool,” and its second life has only made it harder to get a table. Spotted: Jennifer Lawrence, James Marsden, Ethan Hawke, John Mayer, Dua Lipa and Rihanna.
Waverly Inn
High-end American comfort food in a clubby West Village setting — the kind of place where the lighting is forgiving and the tables are positioned for privacy. Spotted: Zoë Kravitz, Adam Sandler, Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift, Gigi Hadid, Drew Barrymore and Timothée Chalamet.
Carbone
The Greenwich Village Italian-American spot favored by Beyoncé and Jay-Z is still the reservation everyone’s trying to get. The spicy rigatoni vodka has its own cultural footprint at this point. Spotted: Hailey Bieber, Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Bad Bunny and Ed Sheeran.
Bar Pitti
Open since 1992, this Greenwich Village Tuscan staple is cash-only, sidewalk-heavy and unapologetically old-school. The casual outdoor tables are ground zero for “see-and-be-seen” energy. Spotted: Dave Chappelle, Jacob Elordi, Camila Cabello, Dakota Fanning and Olivia Rodrigo.
The Odeon
The Tribeca modern French restaurant defined 1980s downtown — Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Robert De Niro all hung out here — and the next generation has kept it on the map. Spotted: Ben Affleck, Bradley Cooper, Demi Moore and Marcello Hernández.
Ray’s
The upscale dive bar plays it loose, with a disco ball, a pool table, beer and craft cocktails. It’s where stars go when they don’t want to be at a “scene,” which has, predictably, made it a scene. Spotted: Dua Lipa, Chase Stokes, Callum Turner and Jacob Elordi.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
