While romance blossoms over an intimate meal, family ties intertwine at group gatherings. Let these Summit County restaurants with group tables set the atmosphere and please the palate while you curry valuable face time with far-flung relatives and friends, or just local folks you haven’t seen in a while.

The upper deck at the Island Grill at Frisco Bay  It doesn’t get any better than summer supping on the shore, and where better to gather for a sunset feast than on Lake Dillon? The crow’s-nest deck at the Frisco Marina accommodates about forty people with views of sailboats cruising in and out, cyclists spinning by on the bike path, and a ring of mountains around the reservoir. Live music on Fridays complements tropical drinks, sandwiches, and salads to make it a full festival for large groups. For a quieter affair, a picnic table below on the marina deck seats six to eight and is still on the water in the heart of the action. 900 E. Main St. at the Frisco Marina, 970-668-9999

Teppanyaki tables at Nozawa Sushi & Teppanyaki and Ultra Lounge The action is live and hot at Nozawa’s teppanyaki tables, where you and fifteen of your closest friends can start the evening with artful presentations of sharable sushi. The show continues as the huge table becomes a stage. The players: knives, flames, and the skilled handiwork of grill chefs conducting hot morsels into the open mouths of a drooling audience. Stay late to dance when the dining room melts into the Ultra Lounge after 9 p.m. 282 Dillon Ridge Road, Dillon, 970-262-6600

Community table at Amazing Grace  Come home to the heart of a historic ski town in this cozy little house-cum-restaurant. Next to a beckoning wood stove, a farmhouse oak table seats a progressive party of six to eight characters in an ever-evolving family. Share a meal with the mayor, your ski buddies, neighbors, and whoever is cooking. The flavors of wood smoke, strong coffee, and chocolate chip cookies make it hard not to linger and see who comes by next. 213 Lincoln Ave., Breckenridge, 970-453-1445

Tatami room at Kemosabe Private back rooms at Kemosabe seat eight to twelve for an authentic Japanese-style meal. Just past the sushi bar, remove your shoes and enter either of the intimate, elegant spaces, and ease onto sunken cushions at the traditional low table. The quiet, sleek space enhances tastes and conversations. 605 Main St., Frisco, 970-668-2100

Alfresco family table at the Arapahoe Café  Follow the smoke signals to the A-Café. The owner may be out wood-smoking award-winning barbecue on the patio, so pull up a chair at a big round table. Surrounded by fragrant blossoms of summer flowers, the café’s six-person patio table is the perfect platform for alfresco family meals or a get-together with friends. 626 Lake Dillon Drive, Dillon, 970-468-0873