Long Island restaurants offering private dining experiences amid coronavirus

Gone are the days when extra room in restaurants was used as office or storage areas. In the age of COVID-19, space has taken on added importance as restaurateurs navigate how best to use it. Meeting state guidelines is one thing — reduced capacity, distanced tables, mask-wearing — making patrons feel comfortable dining out during a pandemic is quite another.

Enter the new era of private dining, with restaurants carving out all sorts of intimate indoor spaces catering to couples or families who want to forego the main dining room.

Mirabelle Tavern in Stony Brook converted one of its hotel rooms into a private dining experience. For $150, guests get a bottle of Prosecco and can spend two hours in the space with its own bathroom while ordering a la carte from the restaurant's menu of French classics and American comfort food.

"We had to look for innovative ways to create a space for people to feel safe dining inside," said operations manager RaeMarie Renna, especially as "reservations started to decline with people being uncomfortable dining inside."

In New Hyde Park, Park Place turned an unused conference room into "The Reserve Room," where diners can eat their way through a high-end steak.

Here’s a look at some of Long Island’s private dining experiences — from eating in a secluded basement room to having an entire restaurant to yourself:

That Meetball Place (206 Main St., Farmingdale): This two-story gastropub has a "secret" VIP room in the basement, meant for six to 14 people. Two tables — a large rectangle one that seats 10 and a smaller round banquet that seats four — plenty of reclaimed barn wood and brick walls offer a warm, rustic vibe, and the space has its own bathroom. For $125 a person ($170 includes alcohol), guests can choose from a tasting menu of 18 to 22 items. Highlights include short rib tacos, truffle macaroni and cheese, lobster fried rice, rice crispy shrimp, loaded baked potato shooters and braised lamb ossobuco. More info: 516-586-8880, thatmeetballplaceli.com

Prohibition Kitchen (115 Main St., Port Jefferson): Owner Lisa Harris has created a private space in the back of the restaurant where two to eight people can tuck into Instagram-friendly eats such as an over-the-top pretzel, crispy sticky ribs, banana pudding pancakes or Fruity Pebble waffles. For this area, there’s a $50 per person minimum for a 90-minute reservation. When the restaurant is closed — Mondays to Wednesdays — it offers a more upscale private dining experience for as few as eight guests with a $60 per person menu, which includes wine and beer. More info: 631-473-0613, prohibitionpj.com

Maroni Cuisine (54195 Main Rd., Southold): The North Fork outpost of the eatery known for its meatball pots offers its entire dining room for private dinner parties for 10 to 20 people on Tuesday nights. For $200 a person (includes drink, tip and tax), guests nosh on 18 eclectic items--signature Grandma’s meatballs, caviar-topped potato chips, truffle grilled cheese and lobster bisques. Reservations run up to 2 1/2 hours. Likewise, the original Northport restaurant can accommodate private dining for parties of 10 people. More info: 631-757-4500, maronicuisine.com

The Garden Grill (64 North Country Rd., Smithtown): This historical landmark, a Victorian home-turned-restaurant, includes several separate dining areas, such as the Turret (six to eight people) and Victorian (between 12 and 15) rooms, which are booked for a single reservation at a time. There’s no time limit or spending fee to reserve a room and customers have the option to order soup, salad, sandwiches, pasta, steak, fish and more a la carte or by opting for the two-course menu ($37-$39), which includes an assortment of bread, an entree and dessert, plus drinks. More info: 631-265-8771, thegardengrill.com

Mirabelle Tavern (150 Main St., Stony Brook): The hotel room-turned-private dining space is dubbed "The Lodge," and for $150 can be booked for two-hour reservations Wednesdays through Sundays. Guests can order French bistro classics tied in with American comfort food from the regular menu or create a custom one. Reservations, $150, include a bottle of Prosecco, plus a private bathroom and Bluetooth capabilities to control music in the space. More info: 631-751-0555, lessings.com

Milleridge Inn (585 North Broadway, Jericho): There are at least five private dining options on the grounds of this 12-acre historic property--from the hunting lodge-themed Theodore Roosevelt Room (for groups of two to 10) to the second-floor Director's Room decorated with antiques. For a standard reservation, guests can simply order off the a la carte menu; menus for coordinated affairs start at $35 for a salad, pasta, entree and dessert. Choices include sandwiches, pasta, duck, chicken pot pie and other long-running classics. More info: 516-931-2201, milleridgeinn.com

The Chef's Table (5 Birch Hill Rd., Locust Valley): Chef Gary Lanza only takes one three-hour reservation at a time for his dinner experiences, which start in the venue's kitchen for prep and cooking demos before migrating to the dining room to feast on meats, cheeses, steaks, fish, pastas and vegetables. Menus range from $85-$250 a person, plus a $195-$225 venue fee. Bring your own wine (no corkage fee). More info: 516-376-8700, thechefstable15.com

Macari Vineyards (150 Bergen Ave., Mattituck): How about a private dining experience at a winery? Six to 12 people can gather around a farmhouse table for a five-wine flight of Macari's greatest hits, including the 2016 Dos Aguas Re (blended red), 2019 Lifeforce (sauvignon blanc) and 2019 Horses (sparkling cabernet franc). Food comes via nearby Lombardi's Love Lane Market: Mediterranean grazing board, fresh-baked bread, artisanal baguette sandwiches, salad, gourmet macaroni and cheese and dessert. The room comes "preset," meaning you won't interact with any staffers. The experience costs $150 a person with reservations available daily from 2 to 5 p.m. More info: 631-298-0100, macariwines.com

Prime 1024 (1024 Northern Blvd., Roslyn): This glitzy Italian steakhouse has waived its minimums for small group use of its party room, which can accommodate up to 10. Guests can hang out for three hours while feasting on mini crab cakes, pizza, pappardelle ragu, branzino and chicken diavolo. Three-course meals start at $50 per person and tap out at $135. The room comes with a $250 fee. More info: 516-621-1024, prime1024.com

Limani (1043 Northern Blvd. Roslyn): The ambience is high at this Greek-Mediterranean restaurant, which offers a private three-course menu that starts at $90 in its glass-enclosed room that can host up to 10 people. There's no minimum party size or reservation fee besides, except for Saturday nights. More info: 516-869-8989

Park Place (1218 Jericho Tpke., New Hyde Park): The eatery's speakeasy-inspired room is located behind closed doors off the bar, catering to diners who want to feast privately. The $195 a person menu involves a successive series of dry-aged steaks so diners can "see the difference in aging and the flavor that it brings on to the steak," said co-owner Patrick O’Halloran. The evening includes cold seafood and a wedge salad, among other fixings, dessert and a decanted bottle of scotch or red wine. The room can accommodate six to 10 people. More info: 516-775-9004, parkplacefp.com