The Modern

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Founded by Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group and open since 2005, The Modern occupies a singular address: the ground floor of the Museum of Modern Art on West 53rd Street, with its main dining room looking out over MoMA's Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden. The setting, designed by New York-based architecture firm Bentel & Bentel, offers a composed retreat from Midtown — quiet enough to hear a sommelier explain a wine selection, lively enough to feel like the city is still very much present.

Chef Thomas Allan and the Kitchen

Executive Chef Thomas Allan leads a kitchen known for refined, unexpectedly playful contemporary American cooking built around exceptional ingredients and strict seasonality. His menus evolve continuously, and the team around him — including Chef de Cuisine Sarah Hsieh, Executive Pastry Chef Charlotte Brecher, and Beverage Director Jan Van Heesvelde, MS — reflects the depth of experience the restaurant brings to every service.

Three Ways to Dine

The restaurant offers three genuinely distinct experiences under one roof. The Modern itself presents a bold prix fixe menu in the formal dining room overlooking the sculpture garden — the setting that earned two Michelin stars, a three-star review from The New York Times, and four James Beard Awards, including Best New Restaurant and Outstanding Restaurant Design. The wine program, recognized with Wine Spectator's Grand Award, spans classic and emerging regions with exceptional diversity.

The Bar Room takes a more relaxed approach: à la carte, vividly seasonal contemporary American plates, and a full cocktail program, with seating at a marble bar, an adjacent lounge, or at tables. Walk-ins are welcome. When the weather cooperates, The Terrace extends the Bar Room experience outdoors, directly above the sculpture garden.

For something rarer, The Kitchen Table seats up to four guests inside the working kitchen itself, where Chef Allan prepares a bespoke enhanced tasting menu. It is as close as a diner can get to the actual craft of the kitchen without putting on an apron.

Service as a Signature

Forbes Travel Guide, which awards The Modern a Four-Star rating, singles out the service as "proficient and extremely knowledgeable," noting that staff members can speak to every detail of every menu and do so with genuine enthusiasm. The tableside rituals — a decanting cart, a carving cart, a cheese cart, a chocolate cart making their rounds through the dining room each evening — are a deliberate nod to classic New York fine dining, executed without a trace of stuffiness.