A Guide to New, and Creatively Designed, Restaurants in New York City

May brings thousands of visitors to New York City for art and design fairs and related events. The largest and most established include two major art fairs, Frieze New York (Thursday through Sunday), and TEFAF New York (Friday through Tuesday), the NYCxDesign Festival (May 15-21), the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (May 18-20) and a new design fair, Shelter by Afternoon Light (May 17-19).

But fairs and galleries aren’t the only places to see remarkable design in the city. Restaurants, for example, have become as serious about design as they are about the food (and sometimes even more so). Hundreds of dining establishments opened last year in New York City, many of them featuring impressive art, flattering lighting, high-end finishes and furnishings and, of course, at least a few Instagram-worthy backdrops.

The ones highlighted below have opened in the past year. They were not chosen for their culinary or cocktail offerings but for their standout design, with interiors that are intriguing and engaging. Some were designed by professionals, others by industry veterans taking matters into their own hands, and one by a film industry power couple. Scoring a coveted reservation during a time when leagues of art and design types flood the city will probably not be easy, but a curious visitor might be allowed to pop in for a peek.

Clemente Bar

This intimate bar above Daniel Humm’s Eleven Madison Park has garnered buzz for its original art, created by the man for whom it was named, Francesco Clemente. But it was Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works, the architect responsible for the 2017 redesign of the three-Michelin-starred restaurant, and Rachel Massey, his associate principal, director of interior design, who created the interiors.

When Humm approached Cloepfil about designing a bar for Clemente’s works, he cited Kronenhalle, an elegant, old soul of an establishment in Zurich, as potential inspiration. Kronenhalle’s restaurant has wood-paneled walls clad with pieces by the likes of Marc Chagall and Joan Miró.