Events at Thirds — Attraction in New York

Food 100/10; Atmosphere 100/10; Service 100/10!!

I really can’t say enough about Rule of Thirds. I was searching for somewhere in NYC to kick off my Bachelorette evening, and a friend of mine who lives in Brooklyn recommended Rule of Thirds. I was looking for great food, great vibes, and friendly service. Rule of Thirds delivered on all fronts and exceeded my expectations in every possible way. I never thought I would be able to find a private dining option in NYC that wasn’t ludicrously overpriced, but Rule of Thirds gave me the elegant, whimsical bachelorette party of my DREAMS, and I am so grateful to the entire team who made it possible.

About the service: I probably emailed 20 different restaurants when I started planning, but as soon as I heard back from Rule of Thirds (within 24 hours!) I knew I had found my spot. Paige and Cassandra were super helpful from the start, answering all my questions, sending me sample menus, and sharing pictures of the spaces they had available. Their kindness and professionalism made me feel comfortable throughout the entire process, from signing the event contract, to paying the deposit, to making my final menu selections. And as soon as we arrived for dinner, I could tell that the attention and courtesy I received ahead of time was present in the servers as well. Everyone who waited on us that night was friendly and accommodating, demonstrating the highest standard of service I have experienced in NYC, a city renowned for exemplary service.

About the food: it was incredible. And it just kept coming. We had chicken meatballs, hot honey gem salad, miso soup, mushroom stew, fried chicken, wagyu steak, and white sesame ice cream. There was so much food, and it was SO GOOD, that we basically rolled to our next destination. And it wasn’t your standard fare either – each dish was inventive, and interesting, and beautifully plated. My friends are STILL talking about food at Rule of Thirds and how it doesn’t compare to anything we’ve had before. We also ordered punch bowls for the table, and they were HUGE! There were 11 of us and we couldn’t finish them. The flavors were incredible too – one had Pear Brandy, Plum, Grapefruit, Lemon, and Chamomile Tea; the other had Japanese Gin, Shochu, Cantaloupe, Red Pepper, Suze, and Shiso Tea. These were not your average cocktails! They were quirky and playful and absolutely delicious.

About the space: It was perfect. I ended up booking a private dining room that seated up to 12 people. The décor was warm and elegant, with lots of wood and a cute little sculpture hanging from the ceiling. And the lighting was wonderful – golden and flattering to everyone (we don’t talk enough about lighting!!). The room was the perfect size for us, and everyone was seated around one large table, which made conversation easy. Unlike in some restaurants where the private dining room is isolated in the back, Rule of Thirds has a row of private rooms right off the main floor of the restaurant, so we were very much immersed in the festive atmosphere of the restaurant while also having our own space.

It has been over a month since my bachelorette and my friends are still texting me things like “can’t stop thinking about that fried chicken” and “I wish more restaurants had punch bowls.” I can’t recommend Rule of Thirds enough for a birthday, holiday party, or any other special moment in need of celebration. I can’t wait to book my second event – I know my friends can’t either  THANK YOU FOR...

This review is for our Wedding that we had at Rule of Thirds.

Where to even begin! First off, my wife and I had a fairly large wedding for NYC, roughly 200 people, so when we started to look at venues, we were so nervous about what we would find. Rule of Thirds was actually the first venue we saw, and we were blown away by the space. If you’re renting out the full venue, you get access to the entire restaurant, plus the event space, as well as the outdoor area. It makes the flow of the wedding so nice, so everyone wasn’t crammed into one space as they were trying to flip it for the ceremony, dinner, and dancing. We were also able to rent out the photo studio attached to the sake shop to get ready in, so we were on-site all day, which was AMAZING. We could easily discuss things with our day-of coordinator, florist, etc., and the space was so large and had impeccable light (our makeup artist and hair stylist were super happy with it!).

We chose to use the venue coordinator, Julie, as our day of coordinator, and we cannot say enough good things about her. She was incredibly responsive, super organized, and comes from the wedding industry, so she brought up things that we didn’t even think to consider for the day of that were so helpful. Beyond that, she was so pleasant to work with and just had an amazing, chill vibe that everyone wants from their coordinator on the wedding day. It was also amazing that she works at the venue, so she knew all the ins and outs of the space and could easily coordinate with our other vendors. She helped ensure the bridal party was in the right places at the right time, moved people from room to room when needed, and helped us stay on track with the flow of the wedding, which was perfect and so seamless. She and the ROT team set up the entire space exactly as we envisioned, and everything looked beautiful!

The venue is honestly perfect for a wedding. We were able to use private dining spaces in the venue for a photobooth and coat closet, plenty of bathrooms (not something you think about until you go to a wedding with too few!), an amazing outdoor space for guests to cool down/get away from the noise, a huge dance floor area, spacious dining room, and so many bars for our guests to go to. The staff were all amazing, endlessly refilling drinks and food, and everyone was incredibly nice.

Even after all of the amazing things above, the best part about Rule of Thirds is the food. From the cocktail hour to the dessert, this food is amazing and well beyond typical wedding standards. We had so many guests tell us how good everything was, and we were told this was the first wedding at the venue where every single canape and raw bar item was eaten, so our guests were very happy! (if you can, splurge on the raw bar because it was so good!!) After the ceremony, they set up a spot for us to sample all the canapes and raw bar items, which we were super thankful for since we would never have eaten anything otherwise. We also had a very specific request for a mazeman noodle dish we had eaten when we toured the space a year prior, and the chef and team made it happen for us, which was AMAZING and so incredibly delicious.

If you’re looking for a wedding venue and considering Rule of Thirds, DO IT! We wish we could relive the day all over again because it was so amazing, and we will forever be hoping someone else we know gets married here so we can experience something...

My wife and I chose to have our rehearsal for 20 guests at Rule of Thirds, and it inadvertently resulted in one of the highlights of the entire experience. As Brooklyn residents with an eye for good food, no matter where it takes us, we’ve enjoyed RoT on several occasions before, albeit on a much smaller scale (outings with just a few friends, mum-in-law’s birthday, etc.). I don’t need to tell you that there is, nevertheless, a chasm’s difference between serving a somewhat manageable table and providing a veritable FEAST—which, make no mistake, is what they pulled off.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t begin by thanking Sydney and Cassandra, the administrative team who were so quick and efficient about booking us and making space for our party. They ended up placing us in one of their beautiful outdoor cabins (Japanese style, for lack of a better term), where we were all seated along a wide rectangular booth, with the servers coming in and out in the middle. In particular, Cassandra made it so that the menu we had constructed with them would be printed out on cards with our own little special title in them! It was little details like that which really set the ambience and the tone of the whole affair.

Then, of course, there was the food itself. Under the gentle and delightful care of Hayley, we were treated to some delightful bites, some old, some new. The karaage is, naturally, an enduring classic. We had the privilege of trying the egg Sandro for the first time, an immediate hit (several of which we still have in our fridge!). And, oddly, the salad! So simple, so flavorful! The coup de grace was the procession of hottokeki’s that dotted our booth for the guests to share. It’s a French toast/pancake hybrid by way of Nippon that has to be seen and tried to be believed.

The staff were warm, knowledgeable, and impressive in their ability to turn over the table and prepare us for the next course. If it hasn’t been made abundantly clear yet: this is a special place, with a special team running it. You don’t get this every day, so if you have a Special Day coming up, to not consider RoT would be a tragic mistake that will leave you with significantly less hottokeki in your life.

Thank you for...