Live in New York long enough, and you’ll collect star-sighting stories—like the time you saw a legendary rockstar walking down Bleecker Street, or ran into a supermodel at the bar. For New Yorkers who lived in the city during the 1990s, spotting John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy around town became something of a sport.
Their goings-on captivated the city and the world, whether they were going to get brunch or a burger down the street, or just stepping out of their Tribeca apartment to walk their dog, Friday. When they weren’t at parties, charity events, fashion shows (for the collections of Bessette’s boss, Calvin Klein), or taking walks, they enjoyed visiting restaurants around the city, building up a roster of go-to spots.
In the first episode of Love Story, Ryan Murphy’s new television series about the couple, they go to what appears to be Panna II, one of the string light-adorned Indian restaurants on First Avenue in the East Village, for their first date. While it’s unclear whether or not they truly went there, the show does depict some of the real restaurants where they spent time.
Kennedy and Bessette-Kennedy were New York icons, known to take advantage of all the city had to offer. Elizabeth Beller’s book Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, which is the source material for the show, also mentions the now-closed nightclubs that Bessette frequented before meeting Kennedy, like Tunnel, Nell’s, The Limelight, and Palladium.
Below, Vogue takes a look at some of the restaurants the couple was known to visit, all of which are still open today.
Walker’s
Next door to Kennedy and Bessette-Kennedy’s former loft at 20 North Moore Street is Walker’s, a classic neighborhood bar where they sometimes went. The tavern opened in 1987 and is still well-known for its burger (and for being one of the more relaxed places in the neighborhood).
The Odeon
The Odeon is a downtown institution, a starry hotspot for artists, writers, actors, and more since 1980. In the restaurant’s early years, the cast of Saturday Night Live was known to hang out here late into the night after shows. Scenes in Jay McInerney’s novel Bright Lights, Big City take place here. According to People, Bessette-Kennedy “loved hamburgers at Odeon in Tribeca (with sautéed spinach on the side instead of fries).” To this day, it’s an ideal spot for a martini-fry situation, followed by sugar cinnamon doughnuts and profiteroles (and a proper Guinness pour).
Bubby’s
Kennedy and Bessette-Kennedy were known to frequently have breakfast at Bubby’s, a popular brunch spot that opened in 1990. Known for classic American fare, Kennedy’s usual order is said to have been oatmeal and a café latte. And he was an early customer: “He came in on the second day that we were open,” owner Ron Silver once told New York magazine.
Nobu
The couple was sometimes seen going to dinner at Nobu, Chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s sushi restaurant founded by Robert De Niro and Drew Nieporent—possibly for new-style sashimi and other signature dishes by the famed chef.
Indochine
The French-Vietnamese restaurant in Noho was (and still is, to an extent) a fashion hangout. Bessette-Kennedy was photographed at Indochine multiple times, for different events, such as a party for Kelly Rector (then Kelly Klein, Calvin Klein’s wife), and dinner with Kennedy when they were newlyweds.
