The 10 Coziest Restaurants In America

Winter doesn't have too many perks. If you love skiing, that's one. The holidays are another one, but once those are over, there are still months until it's warm again. The one primary advantage that winter has over summer? The opportunity to get really, really cozy. And at these 10 restaurants, you'll be snug as a bug in a rug. 

Tucked inside a Federalist-period house in Georgetown, the six dining rooms that make up 1789 are furnished with antiques, Limoges china, and historical prints. Each room has its own character, but they all transport you back to an earlier, cozier time. 

A quintessential Chicago steakhouse, Bavette's is stylish and more casual than your usual white-tablecloth meatery. It has all the hallmarks of a really cozy spot: dark woods, exposed brick, dim lighting, plenty of candles, Chesterfield banquettes you can really sink into, and perfect steaks. 

This San Francisco landmark, going strong for more than 70 years, doesn't fit most standard definitions of cozy, primarily because it's massive. But the warren of dining rooms is decorated in the style of an English country cottage with dim lighting, ample fireplaces, and plenty of nooks and crannies to get comfy in. By the time the silver prime rib cart comes rolling to your tableside, you'll be in a state of full-on cozy bliss. 

The most romantic restaurant in New York City is the perfect spot to warm up on a blustery night. Tucked away on a West Village side street, this former carriage house and barn — originally owned by Aaron Burr and dating back to 1767 — opened its doors in 1973. Dark wood, chandeliers, white tablecloths, tall candles, a legendary beef Wellington... every aspect of this restaurant just screams romance and coziness. 

Going strong since 1967, this Sahara Avenue mainstay looks like it could have been plucked right from rural France and deposited in Sin City. Its Old World elegance, dim lighting, dark red carpet and walls, low ceiling, and exposed wood beams are enough to put you in a cozy mood even if it's 70 degrees outside.  

There's no other restaurant quite like Rolf's, in business since 1968. This narrow German eatery is snug and intimate all year round, but when it gets cold out it turns into a veritable winter wonderland with $60,000 worth of Christmas decorations hanging from the ceiling and adorning every square inch of real estate. If there's a restaurant in Santa's workshop, this is what it looks like. 

This upscale French restaurant is located in the dimly lit basement of the historic Hotel Del Sol, and has been going strong since 1969, when it was built by craftsmen who also worked on Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean ride. The elegance of old Europe combined with dim lighting, cave-like walls, archways, chandeliers, and fireplaces creates a sense of coziness that's downright intoxicating. 

Stephen Starr is one of America's most renowned restaurateurs, so when he set his sights on creating an upscale English-style gastropub, he did it right. The restaurant comprises several intimate and cozy bars and dining rooms, each with its own personality. Most English pubs are cozy by default, but this one takes the cake.  

This subterranean, fine-dining restaurant is the jewel in the culinary crown of The American Club, a five-star resort that was originally constructed in 1918 to house the immigrant workers of the Kohler Company. Each of the six dining rooms pays homage to the decorating style of Wisconsin's earliest settlers — the French, Dutch, German, Norman, Danish, and English — and each room is cozier than the last. 

A fine-dining Kennebunk Beach destination, the White Barn Inn is nestled inside two 1820s-era barns. The structure is wooden from top to bottom with plenty of exposed beams, rustic touches, and huge picture windows that let you look out to the winter wonderland beyond while you enjoy your meal, snugly burrowed into your leather armchair.