The story
On the second floor of Baccarat Hotel New York, the Grand Salon earns its reputation as the hotel's fashionable, humming heart. Designed by Gilles & Boissier, the room is dressed in pleated silk walls, parquet floors, and lush lounge-style seating upholstered in rich velvets and Jouffre silk. At its center hangs a 64-arm Baccarat chandelier — the kind of fixture that makes the room glow even before the first cocktail is poured.
The culinary program is shaped by Culinary Director Gabriel Kreuther, a Two Michelin-starred chef and James Beard Award winner — recognized as Best Chef NYC in 2009 — whose 30-year career also produced the eponymous French restaurant bearing his name. His influence here draws on Alsatian traditions rendered through a distinctly American-French sensibility: the same precision and regional depth that earned him his stars, brought to an all-day dining context.
The Grand Salon runs from 7 a.m. to late evening, moving fluidly through light lunches tucked into sumptuous banquettes, the signature Afternoon Tea service featuring boutique Mariage Frères blends paired with chef-selected canapés and house-made scones, and a full dinner menu. As evening sets in, the atmosphere shifts toward Parisian-style ceremony: specialty cocktails served in cut-crystal tumblers, premier spirits, and what the hotel describes as the largest Champagne list in the country — a claim that caught the attention of Wine Spectator, which recognized the program with its Best of Award of Excellence.
On Wednesday and Thursday evenings, the Mélodies series brings live jazz and soulful performance into the salon, adding another layer to what is already a carefully composed environment. For those seeking a quieter moment, The Library alcove — lined with over 250 white leatherbound books numbered from 1764 — invites guests to slow down and add their own note to the hotel's ongoing story.
Alongside the Grand Salon, The Bar offers the same access to Kreuther's American-French kitchen with a more informal register — craft cocktails, premier wines, and the full energy of a Midtown Manhattan evening compressed into an intimate, crystal-lit space.
Recognition
Ambience
Location