5 MD Restaurants Among Country's Best For Group Dining

On Thursday, most Americans will come together with their friends and family and enjoy a Thanksgiving meal — some homemade, some potluck feasts and some at a restaurant. The tradition kicks off the holiday season, a time of group gatherings, holiday parties and fun festivities.

Food, of course is a big part of these group celebrations, and many of them will happen at a restaurant to save everyone some work. Just in time for the holiday season, the popular dining website OpenTable has released a list of the country's best restaurants for groups.

Good news for Maryland diners who are planning group outings this holiday season: Fiveof the top restaurants are right here. (Full list below)

"Celebratory gatherings among friends and family are a highlight of the holiday dining season, and when it comes to welcoming diners at these restaurants, it's absolutely a case of the more the merrier," said OpenTable Chief Dining Officer Caroline Potter. "These honorees each have a festive, energetic ambiance, warm hospitality, and crowd-pleasing menus that make them perfect for groups."

According to OpenTable, the 100 Best Restaurants for Groups in America list was created by analyzing more than 10 million verified OpenTable diner reviews collected between October 1, 2016 and September 29, 2017.

All restaurants with a minimum "overall" score and qualifying number of reviews were included for consideration. Qualifying restaurants were then scored and sorted according to the percentage of reviews for which "great for groups" was selected as a special feature, OpenTable explained.

Here are the Maryland restaurants that made the list:

• Bluestone, Timonium
• Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant, Annapolis
• Maggiano's, Columbia
• Stanford Grill, Columbia
• Tower Oaks Lodge, Rockville

Click here to see the full list.

SEE ALSO:

• Giant, Wegmans, Whole Foods: Thanksgiving Grocery Store Hours
• Thanksgiving 2017: This Is Maryland's Favorite Side Dish

Includes reporting by Patch Editor Kara Seymour
Photo via Shutterstock