Sometimes you visit a museum for its art, and other times, for the food. Musement shares eight of the world’s best museum restaurants.
As museums start to reopen following their COVID-19 closures, their restaurants follow suit. Some museums, though, boast restaurants so exquisite that they’re a destination in and of themselves—some even hold a Michelin star (or three) to prove it. From Milan to Singapore to Paris, here are eight of the world’s best museum restaurants.
1. Enrico Bartolini, MUDEC, Milan
Chef Enrico Bartolini’s restaurant sits on the top floor of the Museum of Design and Culture, or MUDEC, in Milan. One of 11 restaurants in Italy to hold three Michelin stars, the chef’s namesake restaurant offers guests a choice of classic and contemporary tasting menus, with some à la carte options available as well. Signatures include beet and gorgonzola risotto; anchovies, oysters and caviar; and cheese “pearls.: Website
2. The Modern, MoMA, New York
Chef Thomas Allen oversees the menu at The Modern, restaurateur Danny Meyer’s contemporary American spot on the ground floor of New York‘s MoMA. Holding two Michelin stars, the Modern features refined preparations such as Eggs on Eggs on Eggs, a mix of egg sauce, soft boiled egg yolk, sturgeon caviar, and pickled shallots, as well as a foie gras tart glazed with Granny Smith apples and maple. The front Bar Room area offers a less formal menu. Website
3. Odette, National Gallery, Singapore
This contemporary restaurant at the Singapore National Gallery holds three Michelin Stars. Julien Royer, the chef at the helm, named Odette after his grandmother and has crated a French menu undercut with the occasional Japanese influence, with his signature undoubtedly the seasonal iteration pigeon. Odette currently holds the top slot on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Asia list.Website
4. Le Frank, Foundation Louis Vuitton, Paris
Jean-Louis Nomicos, chef of the Michelin-starred Nomicos in Paris, creates sophisticated contemporary French cuisine in this Frank Gehry-designed museum (the restaurant’s namesake). A school of fish, also crafted by the architect, dangles over the light-filled dining room illuminated by floor-to-ceiling glass windows by day. The menu includes veal chop au jus with mushrooms and apple sauce and egg parfait with celery, parmesan cheese, and tonka bean. Website
5. Nerua, Guggenheim Musuem, Bilbao
Another superb chef in another superb Frank Gehry-designed structure. Chef Josean Alija, whose resume includes a stint at the epic el Bulli, serves excellent seasonal Basque fare at this Michelin-starred restaurant in the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum. Named for Bilbao’s Nervión River, Nerua showcases a minimalist interior. Txitxarro (jack mackerel) in an olive brine and foie with lentils and chard are among the dishes on offer. Website
6. RIJKS, Rijkmuseum, Amsterdam
Amsterdam’s iconic Rijksmuseum underwent a 10-year revamp that completed in 2013. The following year, RIJKS opened Phillips wing. Chef Joris Bijdendijk oversees this Michelin-starred restaurant which showcases fine local ingredients, such as trout from ‘t Smallert with kohlrabi, horseradish, unripe gooseberry, and razor clams with melon, lavender (from their garden) and long pepper. Website
7. The Rex Whistler Restaurant, Tate Britain, London
This restaurant opened in 1927 and features murals painted by its namesake artist. The menu of traditional British fare at this London mainstay rotates regularly, but, for wine lovers, the cellar is the true lure as it’s one of the best in town. Website
8. Café Sabarsky, Neue Galerie, New York
If you’re a fan of Vienna’s coffee houses, then Café Sabarsky will make your heart sing. Named for Neue Galerie founder Serge Sabarsky, the cafe features a menu from Michelin-starred Austrian chef Kurt Gutenbrunner. Take your pick from the chef’s contemporary take on sweet and savory Viennese classics in an old-school backdrop marked by dark stained wood and banquettes outfitted with 1912 Otto Wagner fabric. Located on Museum Mile, the Neue Galerie features German and Austrian art from the early 20th century, including Klimt’s legendary Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I>. Website