Adrian Gaut/Courtesy of Lincoln Center and Modellus Novus/Courtesy of Tatiana. A long time coming, James Beard Foundation Award-winning chef Kwane Onwuachi’s Lincoln Center restaurant finally opened at the end of 2022. Named after his sister, the menu features dishes inspired by Onwuachi’s childhood in the South Bronx, like truffled chopped cheese buns with dry-aged ribeye, smoked mozzarella, and taleggio; Egusi soup dumplings stuffed with crab and served with Nigerian red stew; Wagyu short rib pastrami suya; and mushrooms with scallion pancake, plum sauce and pickled ginger.

For the acclaimed restaurateur and author, Kwame Onwuachi, Tatiana marks the Bronx native’s first NYC restaurant. Named after his sister and helmed in collaboration with chef de cuisine Kamat Newman, the menu is rooted in flavors of Afro Caribbean cooking, the American South, and New York City. New menu items include the Andouille Sausage with Creole mustard; Cornbread & Cod with smoked jerk cod; Curried Snow Crab; and Shawarma Roasted Chicken with turmeric lamb rice.

Like a ’90s nightclub plopped into the middle of Lincoln Center, Tatiana glows blue and chain-link gold, blasts Lauryn Hill and Biggie, and serves the most exciting food we've tasted at a fancy restaurant, ever. You’ll have just as much fun clocking tracks on the throwback playlist as you will dissecting all the menu’s references to NYC classics, from Afro-Caribbean hot bars to Chinese take-out. You’ll even find a nod to the Cosmic brownies at corner bodegas.

Go ahead, ask Resy to ping you when a table at Tatiana becomes available. You might as well learn Icelandic while you’re at it, because you’re going to be waiting a while. Deep into its second year, after much of the hype about Mr. Onwuachi’s spirited rundown of Black cooking styles in New York (Southern, Caribbean, West African, bodega-esque) has blown over, Tatiana remains among the very few places in town where reservations are truly hard to come by.

Everybody loves Afro-Caribbean restaurant Tatiana—and for good reason. While reservations might seem nearly impossible to come by, it’s worth the wait to try chef Kwame Onwuachi’s take on New American food. Share curried goat patties, crispy okra and piri piri salad, then order the tender, decadent short rib pastrami that has become a fixture on the menu, though its preparation frequently changes.

In recent years, the fairly staid and hallowed institution of Lincoln Center has done its best to evolve. Tatiana, Kwame Onwuachi’s restaurant in the reopened David Geffen Hall, is a triumph in staying relevant while fitting into the broad category of performing arts: all restaurants are theatrical, of course, but eating here is like watching Onwuachi deliver a controlled and electric autobiographical monologue. The menu traces a childhood spent in the Bronx and in Nigeria and a career that began in the galley of an oil-spill-response vessel off the coast of Louisiana (his mother’s home state) before leading him to the Culinary Institute of America and then to Per Se, Eleven Madison Park, and the TV show “Top Chef.” The most obvious showpiece is the short-rib pastrami suya, a single, hefty blackened rib, seasoned at the intersection of Jewish deli and northern-Nigerian barbecue, accompanied by caraway-coconut Parker House rolls.

Bronx-raised Nigerian-American chef Kwame Onwuachi has reimagined the cooking of New York City’s black Southern, Caribbean and West African communities in a glass-enclosed space in the Lincoln Center, without sacrificing any of the essential spirit of the cuisines. Portions are large and the combinations inspired: the signature dish of short-rib pastrami suya transforms the deli classic into spice-dusted Wagyu with red cabbage and caraway coco bread. Many New Yorkers reckon that Tatiana is the best restaurant in the city, which means that tables are snapped up the moment reservations go live at midday 28 days in advance; get ready to hit that Resy refresh, or arrive early and eat at the no-bookings bar or patio.

Chef Kwame Onwuachi’s ode to New York City’s Black Caribbean cultures occupies a glass-walled space in Lincoln Center – diners dress up for the opportunity to share elegantly plated dishes in the mod, bustling dining room. It's one of Manhattan's most challenging reservations to secure, which, depending on your personal worldview, may, in fact, make tucking into the extraordinarily creative menu all the more satisfying. Portion sizes are large, and there are too many good dishes to choose just one or two, so the best way to tackle the menu is to come with a group and share.

Opened in 2023 by James Beard winner and star chef Kwame Onwuachi, Tatiana is his self-proclaimed “love letter to New York.” The menu isn’t exclusively Caribbean—his inspo comes from the diverse culinary tapestry of his Bronx upbringing—but you’ll find dishes like egusi dumplings, curried goat patties, oxtail and crab rangoon and brown stew chicken on the menu, alongside reimaginations of NYC staples, like short rib pastrami suya and truffle chopped cheese. “The space is so gorgeous,” Maida says, adding that it’s “chic and lively.

Located in the legendary David Geffen Hall among Lincoln Center’s renowned performing arts venues, the newly opened Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi offers an exciting selection of Afro-Caribbean cuisine. At midnight, toast to the New Year with McBride Sisters’ sparkling wine and rosé, which Tatiana is featuring in support of working with underrepresented winemakers. Menu highlights include wagyu short rib pastrami suya, aged ribeye truffle chopped cheese, hamachi escovitch, jerk BBQ scallop pinchos and rainbow cookie panna cotta.

The restaurant that generated the most excitement last year (it was actually established in 2022) is as exceptional as you have heard and potentially even better. Its ethereal environment, which is as coolly grand as it is comfortable, is illuminated by light fixtures modeled after clouds, which allow sunlight to pour in during the day. Its Afro-Caribbean-influenced menu is a veritable feast, with its short rib pastrami being the must-try dish in New York City.

This Lincoln Center standout serves bold, flavor-packed dishes that pay homage to Afro-Caribbean and New York culture. The “take-out” mushrooms with scallion pancakes are a total standout, and the braised oxtail with creamy coco bread is pure comfort on a plate. With its vibrant energy, killer playlist, and excellent food, wine, and cocktails, Tatiana is a spot you’ll want to keep coming back to—and bringing all your friends.

Best for: A fine dining meal to remember in Lincoln CenterAddress: 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023Price: N/A. Bronx-born chef Kwame Onwuachi is only 33 years old, but has lived more lives than most of us. He sold candy on the subway to raise money to open a catering company at 21, competed on Top Chef, ran two restaurants in Washington D.C., wrote a memoir and a cookbook, and launched a nail polish line.

At Lincoln Center's Tatiana restaurant, the GOAT on the menu doesn't stand for Greatest Of All Time. It stands for, well, goat. As in the bleating ruminant that hasn't been a widely available source of protein in this neighborhood since about 1959, when the performing arts complex…

Tatiana’s is where “From Russia with Love” meets a wild Vegas performance!. That’s because you can enjoy dinner and a show in this Russian restaurant and nightclub. So, watch in awe as performers bring color, music, and trapeze acts to Brooklyn.

Tatiana was named the #1 best restaurant in New York City by Pete Wells in the New York Times in both 2023 and 2024. The food here is exquisite, and it’s worth going out of your way to come here. If and when you do, save room for dessert!.

Immerse yourself in a vibrant celebration of Afro-Caribbean cuisine at this critically acclaimed newcomer. Prepare for a theatrical dining experience with bold flavors, vibrant presentations, and impeccable service.