Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Love Letter to New York, Written in Food

Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi is, in the chef's own words, "the food of my memories, in the place where it all started." Situated inside David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center Plaza, the restaurant draws its identity from the streets of the Bronx and the old neighborhood of San Juan Hill — Italian bakeries, Chinese takeout, Caribbean roti shops, corner stores, and local bodegas — all woven into a single, deeply personal menu.

The restaurant is named for Kwame's older sister Tatiana, who looked after him while their mother worked as a chef in New York City. She is the culinary muse behind everything here, and her name above the door carries genuine weight.

Afro-Caribbean Cuisine Rooted in Memory

The menu is organized around sharing, with small and large plates that trace Chef Kwame's Afro-Caribbean-by-way-of-the-Bronx heritage across every course. Small plates include Curried Goat Patties with green seasoning aioli and mango chutney, Egusi Tortellini with Dungeness crab and Nigerian red stew, Jerk Lamb Rib served with house pickles and milk bread, and Doubles — braised goat, chana, tamarind, and cucumber chutney — a direct nod to Trinidad's street food tradition.

Larger plates go further: Braised Oxtails with chayote squash and rice and peas, Mom Duke's Shrimp with creole butter and brioche, and a Short Rib Pastrami Suya on caraway coco bread. Desserts stay true to the neighborhood spirit — the Bodega Special pairs a cosmic brownie with powdered sugar donut ice cream, while the Golden Rum Cake arrives with honey sweet cream and blistered gooseberries.

The drinks program is equally considered. Cocktails like the POG Nutcracker (Appleton Reserve rum, passionfruit, orange, guava) and the Smoke Break (mezcal, amaretto, jerk bitters) echo the kitchen's layered approach to flavor. The wine list, recognized with a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, ranges from Champagne and orange wines to bottles from South Africa, New Zealand, and the Canary Islands — a global selection that mirrors the restaurant's own cultural breadth.

Community at the Core

Beyond the dining room, Tatiana Gives Back — a philanthropic initiative developed in partnership with Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and Restaurant Associates — supports the Public Housing Community Fund's beautification and culinary arts programs at nearby New York City Housing Authority developments. As Chef Kwame has put it: "Restaurants are supposed to be the cornerstone of the community."

The result is a restaurant that earns its place at one of New York's most storied cultural institutions not through spectacle, but through sincerity — Caribbean cuisine told as autobiography, served with care.