'Love Island USA' Winner Amaya Espinal Dances with Knicks Dancers at NYC Restaurant

Amaya Espinal got a hero's welcome in the Big Apple after her winning run on "Love Island USA" ... including shaking it with a few of the New York Knicks' finest.

The 'LI USA' season 7 winner pulled up to Sei Less -- a fine-dining Asian Fusion restaurant in Midtown Manhattan -- Friday night after months in the villa ... and, she and some friends decided to go all out at the celeb hot spot.

Our sources say Sei Less is one of Amaya's fav restaurants, a place she frequented before achieving fame on 'Love Island' ... but, yesterday was a change for Espinal, who got a private dining room and was mobbed by fans while walking through the joint.

Always polite, Amaya stopped to take photos and sign autographs for everyone who wanted one ... including the restaurant's cofounder, Ivi Shano -- who has been a pal of Amaya's even before she left for the villa.

While in her private area, a few dancers for the New York Knicks stopped by to move and groove with her for a minute ... and Espinal showed a little skill on the impromptu dancefloor -- so maybe a more formal invitation to Madison Square Garden could be in her future.

The restaurant had a few special surprises for her -- including rolling out the "Amaya Papaya" menu ... named specifically for her.

We're told Amaya and her friends arrived at 10 PM and dined on rock shrimp, chicken satay, spicy tuna crispy rice ... and they downed a few Lemon Drop Martinis, too.

Our sources say Amaya's been raving to a ton of her 'Love Island' costars about the place BTW ... so, there could be more famous faces coming soon.