Where to celebrate a birthday in New York

Where to celebrate a birthday in New York depends on the trip as much as the venue. Pick a place a few minutes' walk from a station on the lines your guests already ride, then pick the kind of party. Your friends live in Brooklyn, Queens and New Jersey, and the group chat can't settle on one spot.

This post suggests eight places in Manhattan for an evening out, a brunch or a kid's party. Then it covers booking for a group, getting everyone home and planning it together. It is part of our guide to New York.

Where to celebrate a birthday so every guest can get there?

Pick an area on top of stations that most guests reach without a transfer. Four of these picks are a few blocks from Madison Square Park, where the 6, F, R and W stop along 23rd Street.

Our picks in New York

Chosen by the Where2Meet team. Photos, ratings and addresses load live from Google Maps.

• SPIN New York Flatiron

  A bar with ping pong tables on East 23rd Street, about a 1-minute walk from the 23 St station on the 6. A game gives guests who don't know each other something to do. Google lists it as taking reservations. It opens at 4 p.m. on weekdays and at noon on weekends.

• Slate

  A bar with pool tables on West 21st Street, about a 2-minute walk from the 23 St station on the F and M. Google lists it as taking reservations, so you can hold tables for the group before guests arrive.

• Oscar Wilde

  A restaurant with a full bar on West 27th Street, about a 5-minute walk from the 28 St station on the R and W. It serves dinner and cocktails, so a birthday dinner can turn into drinks without moving. Google lists it as taking reservations.

• 230 Fifth Rooftop Bar

  A rooftop bar entered at 1150 Broadway, about a 2-minute walk from the 28 St station on the R and W. It suits a birthday toast with a skyline view after dinner nearby. Ask on its own site about space for a group.

• The Skylark - Rooftop Bar

  A cocktail lounge on the 30th floor at 200 West 39th Street, about a 1-minute walk from the Times Sq-42 St station. Google lists it as taking reservations. It's open from 5 p.m. to midnight on weekdays and shows as closed on weekends, so plan a weeknight party here.

• RH Rooftop Restaurant at RH New York

  A rooftop restaurant at RH New York on Ninth Avenue, about a 4-minute walk from the 14 St station on the A, C, E and L. It takes reservations and opens at 10 a.m. on weekends, so it suits a birthday brunch. It closes at 10 p.m.

• Color Factory NYC

  A museum of hands-on color installations at 251 Spring Street, about a 4-minute walk from the Houston St station on the 1. Entry is by ticket, and it works for a daytime birthday with kids or adults. It's open until 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

• The Gazillion Bubble Show

  A family bubble show at New World Stages on West 50th Street, about a 6-minute walk from the 50 St station on the C and E. Tickets sell through Telecharge, and Google lists shows on Wednesdays, Fridays and weekends, so it suits a kid's birthday.

Google Maps

The Flatiron picks also give you a backup. If the first place is full, the next one is a short walk away, and nobody has to take another train.

For guests coming by bus from New Jersey, Midtown is closer. The Port Authority Bus Terminal is at 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue, a few blocks from Times Square. For a dinner-only plan downtown, see how to pick a restaurant for a group dinner.

What kind of birthday plan works for a mixed group?

Choose the plan by who's coming. A game suits guests who don't know each other, a long table suits close friends, and a daytime ticket suits kids.

At a game bar, guests mix between rounds. For a sit-down dinner, ask for one table instead of two pushed together, so the birthday person can hear both ends. For a party of two, our date night bars in Manhattan work as well.

A daytime show or museum fits a kid's birthday. It ends at a set time, so parents can plan pickups. Buy all the tickets at once, so the group enters together.

Should you book ahead for a birthday group?

Yes. Book a table or tickets as soon as you know the date and a rough headcount, then confirm the final number with the venue a day or two before.

When you book, ask three things:

• whether a large group needs a deposit or a minimum spend
• whether you can bring a cake, and whether there's a fee to serve it
• how long you can keep the table

How do guests get home after a late birthday?

Check the venue's closing time and the late-night trains together. Some lines stop late at night, and guests from farther out need the last train they can catch.

Late at night, the R and W don't stop at 23 St or 28 St, and the N and Q stop there instead. The 6, F, A, E, L and 1 run all night. The C stops at about 11 p.m. PATH's 23 St station closes from midnight to 5 a.m., as the PATH schedules say, so New Jersey guests walk to 33 St. The MTA's late-night subway map shows every line that runs overnight.

How to do it in Where2Meet

Where2Meet lets the group choose the birthday spot together from one shared link.

1. Open Where2Meet, type Birthday in the first box, and set the day and the time.
2. Send the link to the guests. Nobody needs an account.
3. Each guest adds where they're coming from. An approximate area is enough. For a surprise, the organizer adds the birthday person's area instead of sending them the link.
4. Search for places around the group, or look one up by name. Compare each guest's travel time by transit, walking, car or bike, and see the routes on the map.
5. Vote on the places you like. The organizer picks the final spot, and everyone sees it without a refresh.

Common questions

Where can I celebrate a birthday with kids in Manhattan?

Pick a daytime place with tickets and a set end time. A museum or a family show on a weekend afternoon works, and both of the family picks here are within a 6-minute walk of a subway station.

Can I bring my own birthday cake to a restaurant?

Ask the venue when you book. Some allow it and some charge a fee for each guest to cut and serve it, so get the answer before you buy the cake.

Which area is easiest for guests from Brooklyn, Queens and New Jersey?

Try the Flatiron District around 23rd Street. The F, R and W connect it to Brooklyn and Queens, and PATH trains from Hoboken and Jersey City stop at 23 St on Sixth Avenue.