Forget the usual pre-theater dinner of chicken, pasta and a strategically timed glass of wine. At Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi, dinner at Lincoln Center is practically part of the performance.
Located inside David Geffen Hall at 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, Tatiana is the celebrated Afro-Caribbean restaurant from James Beard Award-winning chef Kwame Onwuachi. The menu draws from his West African, Caribbean, Creole and New York influences, creating a restaurant that feels less like a single cuisine and more like the city itself on a plate.
And there’s a fascinating detail behind the name. Tatiana is named for Onwuachi’s older sister, who looked after him while their mother worked as a chef. His childhood food memories became the foundation for the restaurant, making the name far more personal than your typical restaurant branding exercise.
Another piece of Tatiana’s story runs even deeper. Onwuachi has said he looked at the history of the land beneath Lincoln Center and saw San Juan Hill, the predominantly Black and Afro-Latin neighborhood that was displaced before Lincoln Center was built. The restaurant, in part, is his way of reconnecting the space with the people and cultures that helped shape New York.
Then there is the food.
Signature dishes include egusi dumplings, short-rib pastrami suya, curried goat patties and braised oxtail, with big flavors and plenty of New York personality.
Tatiana has also become one of NYC’s most talked-about restaurant reservations, while its location makes it an obvious choice before a performance at Lincoln Center. It currently serves dinner Tuesday through Saturday from 5–10 p.m.
So yes, you can come to Lincoln Center for the opera, ballet or orchestra.
But at Tatiana, the dinner deserves an encore, too.
