As far as political uncouplings go, the breakup of David Cameron and Boris Johnson was a fairly spectacular public affair.

But it seems they might have buried their Brexit hatchet and resumed the schoolboy friendship split asunder by European tensions – thanks to a shared dinner in New York City on Thursday night.

The pair were photographed on the streets of Harlem after dining together at the popular Red Rooster restaurant.

Joanna Geary, who works for Twitter (and is a former Guardian journalist), tweeted two blurry photographs of the pair as they left.

Boris Johnson and David Cameron leave a restaurant in Harlem, New York, after having dinner together. Photograph: Joanna Geary/The Guardian

Geary told the Guardian she had been walking home after work to her apartment in Harlem when she noticed a number of black SUVs parked outside Red Rooster.

“As I passed … I instantly recognised the famous mop of hair belonging to Boris Johnson. I said: ‘Hello Boris!’”

Geary shook Johnson’s hand and told him she had moved to New York from England in November. “He said: ‘Well then, you’ll recognise my friend David,’ and pointed to Cameron, who had followed in a separate group out the door.”

Geary said she believed the two left in separate SUVs.

According to its Twitter profile, Red Rooster “celebrates the roots of American cuisine with a lively atmosphere and eclectic mix of live music”.

Geary said she had spoken to another diner in the restaurant, who said: “Everyone realised they were important, but had no idea who they were … ‘They were just bopping along to the music like the rest of us,’ he said. I said: ‘Were they dad-dancing?’ He laughed and said: ‘That’s about the size of it.’”

But a spokesman for Johnson said the claim that the foreign secretary was dancing in the restaurant was “a total lie”.

It is understood that Cameron and Johnson agreed to meet up at short notice after Cameron, who was in New York, realised that Johnson was at the UN for a meeting. They arranged by text to meet for dinner and were together for about an hour.

A source said they were just catching up and it was “nothing more than that”.

Cameron has been on a speaking tour in the US and Johnson arrived on Wednesday to attend a counter-terrorism conference. He later met the US vice-president, Mike Pence, after news broke of the terror attack in Westminster.

On Friday he led the United Nations security council in a minute’s silence for the victims of the attack, which he had earlier said was “heartbreaking”.

Humbling to lead the #UN Security Council in a minute's silence for the victims of yesterday's #London attack while chairing today's session pic.twitter.com/Vs0E2ANG4d — Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) March 23, 2017

Johnson had earlier tweeted that the “UK US #SpecialRelationship remains strong”.

His special relationship with Cameron, however, has been sorely tested over Brexit, with the former prime minister reportedly still bitter at Johnson’s decision to campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.

Cameron campaigned to remain in the EU, admitting at the time it was damaging his relationship with Johnson: “We are still friends – just not such good friends.”

He later resigned as prime minister over the referendum result.

Just two months ago, Cameron revealed that he named the pheasants he shoots “Boris” or “Michael”, after Michael Gove, another leave supporter.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos in late January, Cameron said he was spending life after No 10 rediscovering his love of game shooting. “I find that when I shoot a few Borises and Michaels I feel a whole lot better.”

During his US trip Johnson’s team announced that he wanted make sure his travelling entourages always includes women and make sure that no Foreign Office panels were all male (so called Manels).

“He did a women’s empowerment event in New York and announced no more all male cabals – diversity is the future,” said a source.

