Anniversary Dinner in NYC: Celebrate at AYZA

An anniversary dinner NYC couples remember is rarely the most expensive one. It is the one where the table was right, nobody was rushed, and there was something on it worth lingering over. After a certain number of years, the point is not novelty. It is an evening that feels like yours.

This guide covers how to plan one at AYZA Wine & Chocolate Bar in Midtown, including which room to ask for, what to order, and when a table for two should become a private booking.

Table for two, or something larger

The threshold worth knowing is six. Below that, a regular table works. At six and above a restaurant table becomes two separate conversations, which is not what an anniversary dinner is for. Group dining or a booked space solves it, and capacities are on the private events page.

Booking, and what to put in the notes

Two to three weeks ahead gets you the time you want rather than what is left. Book early in the evening if you want quiet, later if you want atmosphere. AYZA opens at 4 pm, and between 4 and 6 pm the room is at its calmest.

Use the notes field properly. Say it is an anniversary, say which one if it is a milestone, and say whether you would prefer somewhere quieter or the garden. None of it is guaranteed and all of it is read. If the seating is genuinely central to the evening, call (212) 714-2992 rather than relying on a note. And if you want anything arranged, flowers on the table, a dessert brought out at a particular moment, ask in advance rather than on the night.

Which room to ask for

The indoor dining room sits under 33 handmade iridescent glass lights created by artist Sinem Disli. The effect is closer to sitting beneath a night sky than to dim lighting, and the practical part is that you can still see each other, which is not true of every restaurant that markets itself as romantic.

The heated garden behind the dining room is filled with flowers, quieter than the main room, and usable well into the colder months. For an anniversary, the choice usually comes down to whether you want the room around you or a conversation you can hear. Neither is wrong; ask for the one that matches the evening you have in mind.

What to order

Start with a board and let it sit on the table for a while. The Fromage Board is $35 with Tête de Moine, French Brie, Parmigiano Reggiano and Shropshire Blue; the Maison Board is $39 and adds Prosciutto di Parma and bresaola. Either takes 15 percent off any bottle of wine, which is the best value on the menu and the reason to order it first.

From there, keep it to one main each. The Braised Short Rib at $33 with port wine jus and the hand rolled Pici Cacio e Pepe at $24 are the two dishes couples most often end up sharing across the table. The Empire Steak Tartare at $21 is the more interesting starter if you want something beyond a board, and the Cauliflower with Wild Mushrooms at $25 is vegan and gluten free rather than a token option. Current dishes are on the dinner menu.

Tell the server you are not in a hurry. It is the single most effective request in a restaurant and almost nobody makes it. Two courses over two and a half hours is an anniversary. Three courses in ninety minutes is a Tuesday.

What to drink

The wine list runs about $13 to $21 by the glass with bottle prices shown alongside, so a shared bottle is easy to justify once you have ordered a board. For something with a story attached, the New York section includes a Bully Hill Cabernet Franc from the Finger Lakes at $59 a bottle, a Brotherhood Riesling at $61, and a Keuka Cayuco Classic Brut at $69 if you want to start with a toast.

Chocolate Martinis are the house signature and have been since 2007: Classic, Espresso, Raspberry and White Chocolate at $19, the No. 19 at $26, or Six Mini Chocolate Martinis for Two at $57. If one of you is not drinking, the Floral Spritz and Midnight Bloom mocktails are $14 and made to order.

The dessert that makes it an occasion

This is a chocolate bar as much as a wine bar, and dessert is where that shows. The Sweet Treats menu has two fondues for two: the First Date Fondue at $31 with strawberries, banana, candied orange, French brie, Castelvetrano olives, Espelette pepper and Maldon salt, and the Rosé Fondue at $29 with Sicilian pistachios and organic rose buds. Choose Belgian milk, Belgian white or 70 percent Ecuadorian dark chocolate for $4 more.

A fondue takes about half an hour and is designed to be eaten slowly, which makes it the right shape for the end of an anniversary dinner. The alternative is a pairing flight: the Rosé Experience at $42 with three rosés and Jacques Torres bonbons, or the NY Pairing Collection at $44 with three New York wines and three chocolates made in house. Both are shared, which is the point.

Order it before the kitchen closes rather than after. Fondue is prepared to order, and last orders are 9:30 pm Sunday to Wednesday, 10:30 pm Thursday and 11:30 pm Friday and Saturday.

Marking a milestone year

For a tenth, twenty fifth or fiftieth, a table for two often is not enough. Private events start at $69 per person and hold up to 20 guests seated or 40 standing, with customisable menus including vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options, and your own décor, photography and music permitted with advance coordination.

A guided wine tasting works well as the structured first hour of a family celebration, because it gives a mixed age group something to do together. Sessions run one hour from $59 per person with minimums of six or eight guests. Book three to four weeks ahead, and earlier for weekends and the October to December period.

Practical details

Two notes. AYZA does not open before 4 pm, so this is an evening restaurant. And if either of you has an allergy, raise it when you book and again when you order, since the chocolates contain nuts and dairy.

Anniversary dinner NYC: FAQ

Book the table

An anniversary dinner NYC restaurants get right is one that is booked early, timed deliberately and finished slowly. Pick your slot, mention the occasion in the notes, and leave room for the fondue.

Menu items, prices, capacities and hours were checked against ayzanyc.com on September 9, 2026.