Websites
The Best Restaurant Websites in New York City
August 3, 2022
NYC restaurants are using BentoBox to grow their brands and increase their revenue. Here are some of our favorite examples.
Across the country, restaurant operators are adjusting to the "new normal" — and New York City restaurants are leading the way.
To do this, many restaurants are creating best-in-class websites that meet the challenges — and seize the opportunities — of the current moment. They're investing in custom design to leave a strong, brand-first impression on future diners. They're setting up online commerce stores to diversify revenue and fight back against third-party commissions. And they're integrating websites with other technology to streamline workflows and operate with fewer, higher-paid staff members.
Want to see how that looks in action? We curated some of the best NYC websites built on BentoBox, the premier online marketing and commerce platform for restaurants. Check them out below.
Gage & Tollner
Opened in 1879, Gage & Tollner led as an example of restaurant excellence and top-notch hospitality for 125 years until closing in 2004. New ownership brought it back in April 2021, restoring a pillar of the Brooklyn community and honoring its legacy with new ambitions and traditions. Its website highlights its history with past and present photography, a creative timeline and custom design nods to its art-deco past. Its nautical-themed cocktail bar, Sunken Harbor Club, has a dedicated page that gives the upstairs bar its own identity but remains part of the Gage & Tollner brand. In short, its website celebrates its legendary reputation and upholds its standard of excellence for the modern-day.
Los Tacos No. 1
With five locations across NYC, Los Tacos No. 1 brings authentic Mexican tacos to the east coast. Its website captures visitors' attention with vintage-washed photography and vibrant bodega typography. Animated illustrations bring elements of its storefronts to life, breathing energy and personality into its online presence. In addition to helping visitors find a location near them, its website generates thousands of dollars per month via swag from its merchandise store and staffed catering options from its pre-order & catering store.
Loring Place
Loring Place is the culmination of award-winning chef Dan Kluger's story and culinary journey, celebrating the bounty of New York's greenmarkets with refined yet approachable dishes. The website replicates the restaurant's minimalist and modern interior design with a textured linen background, black and white fonts and a pop of color with its peach-colored monogram. It also immerses visitors in the menu with a high-quality banner video of a dish being plated with finesse. Beyond setting the tone and expectation for diners, it also drives significant monthly revenue by offering digital gift cards.
Fish Cheeks
Fish Cheeks in NOHO recreates the convivial and communal dining in Thailand with contemporary Thai cuisine in a vibrant atmosphere. Its website replicates its bright interior design with its signature red, green and yellow tones and fish scale pattern. The logo atop the page gets the animated treatment, adding a playful and casual vibe that evokes the flashing street-stall signs in Thailand, while high-resolution food photography invites visitors to explore its menu. In addition to setting the vibe and expectations for diners, its website drives revenue with pre-order & catering for boxed lunches and larger gatherings.
The Meatball Shop
Childhood friends Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow dreamed of opening a restaurant together when they were delivery boys on the Upper East Side. In 2010, The Meatball Shop materialized and became an instant hit. In the 12 years since, The Meatball Shop has expanded to three locations, published a cookbook and become a recognized brand with tomato sauces in grocery stores nationwide. The easy-to-navigate website and the use of homepage pop-up alerts keeps visitors up-to-date on restaurant happenings. More importantly, its website has a merchandise store, pre-order & catering and direct online ordering, which drives tens of thousands of dollars per month.
Learn how Seamore’s, another Chernow restaurant, has driven success with BentoBox.
Gramercy Tavern
Union Square Hospitality Group operates several restaurants in New York City — all built on BentoBox — but Gramercy Tavern’s website stands out. Its clean and simple design matches the restaurant’s elevated dining experience, and high-resolution photography captures the refined beauty and execution of its menu. To help with navigation, its website separates its three dining experiences — The Tavern, The Dining Room and the Garden — as separate headers. This alleviates confusion by clearly explaining each area’s separate hours and menu offerings.
Black Seed Bagels
Led by James Beard-nominated Executive Chef and Head Baker Dianna Daoheung, Black Seed Bagels is an artisan bagel shop taking NYC by storm. The bold photography and block coloring on its website help it stand out as a modern-day New York bagel shop. With nine locations (two more coming in late 2022) and frozen bagels for purchase at Whole Foods, its website also details the many places visitors can find its delicious bagels. It also uses a carousel banner to keep its increasing followers up-to-date on new locations, menu items and partnerships.
One White Street
Located in a historic Tribeca townhouse, One White Street serves globally inspired dishes two ways: downstairs with an a la carte menu and wine bar and upstairs with a six-course tasting menu. The townhouse-turned-restaurant merges fine-dining and casual-fine dining with its sophisticated yet cozy interior and neighborhood vibes. Its website captures this essence with clean lines; sharp, almost art-like photography and charcoal and white tones. Its simple navigation guides visitors through the ethos of One White Street, giving future diners a glimpse into its dining experience.
Verōnika
Named after the patron saint of photography, Verōnika is an escape to an elegant, art-filled European night. On the second floor of Fotografiska New York, Verōnika offers two experiences: Bar Verōnika for pre-dinner cocktails and The Restaurant for elegant brasserie-style dinners. The interior spares no expense to set a sophisticated dining tone, with velvet furniture, ornate chandeliers and rotating photography installations. Its website is designed to replicate this with rich dark tones, dimly lit photography and delicate ivory typography. Its custom design sets a mysterious mood, which draws website visitors in to experience Verōnika in person.
Naked Tomato
Naked Tomato is an elevated Israeli skewer restaurant from celebrity chef Eyal Shani. Unlike Shani's fast-casual restaurant Miznon, which is known for its portable pitas, Naked Tomato is about gathering around the table and connecting over a shared meal. The homepage uses a carousel of banner photography, showing hands selecting mezzes and a variety of skewers in a shared setting. The custom design has a casual yet refined feel with warm shades of tomato red, clean lines and bold photography — but despite that boldness and artistry, the layout is also seamless for visitors to absorb in a continuous scroll.
Peachy Keen
Opened in June 2022, Peachy Keen brings retro '70s vibes to Hell's Kitchen. The concept from HK Hospitality is all about fun, disco and over-the-top nostalgia. Its website reflects this immediately with a banner photo of its electric-colored interior, and it continues being bold and having fun with bright, layered splits and an animated disco ball. Large section buttons grab website visitors' attention and its "Happenings" page keeps the information up-to-date. In short, its website offers a unique style embellished with over-the-top design and photography, which sets the tone for what guests can expect when dining at Peachy Keen.
Lilia
In a rehabbed Williamsburg auto-body garage, Lilia serves handcrafted pasta and classic Italian cocktails. Considered one of Brooklyn's best restaurants, Lilia creates the same best-in-class experience online for website visitors. With olive green and slate tones, its website creates a relaxed and calming vibe, while, its easy-to-navigate header guides users to critical information. Additionally, its website drives significant revenue with direct online ordering and digital gift cards.
Learn more about how Lilia partners with BentoBox to grow its bottom line.
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