Six of the best museum restaurants around the world
Dine while you admire MOMA's culture garden or devour cake inspired by art in these gourmet eateries combining good food and culture
Monsieur Bleu, Palais de Toyko, Paris
As well as avant-garde exhibitions, the Palais de Tokyo also caters for the appetites of the art world's movers and shakers with three eateries including the delectable cuisine at Monsieur Bleu. See French performance artist Abraham Poincheval attempting to hatch a chicken egg in his unorthodox exhibition at the museum before heading to Monsieur Bleu's terrace overlooking the Seine and the Eiffel Tower. Inside the restaurant, a grand Art Deco ceiling umbrellas the elegant restaurant where you can dine on such French delicacies as caramelised black cod, fillet of beef or vanilla and bourbon millefeuille, while supping on fine wine.
monsieurbleu.com; palaisdetokyo.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The National Cafe, The National Gallery London
Whether you're feeling peckish after admiring Michelangelo and Sebastiano's The Raising of Lazarus – part of the Credit Suisse exhibition at The National Gallery – or wandering Trafalgar Square looking for a bite to eat, newly opened The National Cafe offers a refined dining experience. Choose from a selection of delectable dishes from the British European menu designed by Oliver Peyton and executive chef Richard Oxley, including Cornish squid with puntarella and organic Sicilian lemon and Goosnargh duck and pistachio terrine with blood orange salsa. With an interior by Belgian designer Remy Fischer in a muted palette of blush pink and grey, the restaurant features intimate booths, a private dining area and a self-service grab-and-go area.
peytonandbyrne.co.uk; nationalgallery.org.uk
Terzo Piano, The Art Institute Chicago
Located in the modern wing of Chicago's Art Institute, Terzo Piano serves authentic Italian dishes with a Mediterranean flair under the direction of award-winning chef Tony Mantuano. Order the smoked salmon tartine, chicken croccante or braised octopus paired with one of the restaurant's high-quality American wines. Open for lunch everyday and dinner on a Thursday evening, the dining hotspot harnesses local, organic and sustainable ingredients and is the perfect place to work up an appetite to marvel at such famous works as Grant Wood's much-parodied American Gothic or Charles Demuth's …And The Home Of The Brave.
terzopianochicago.com; artic.edu
Spring at Somerset House, London
It was under chef Skye Gyngell that Petersham Nurseries flourished into a must-visit foodie destination, and since setting up Spring at Somerset House she has garnered just as much critical acclaim. Gyngell is known for her focus on seasonal produce – so much so that the restaurant features a daily changing menu to make the most of ingredients at their prime. The inventive and fresh cuisine on offer is the perfect fit for Spring's light and airy interior, situated in an elegantly restored 19th-century drawing room that had previously been closed to the public for 150 years.
Cafe d'Art at Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo
The presentation of today's cuisine often draws heavily from the world of contemporary art, but this cafe's interpretation is more literal than most. The destination offers everything from a leisurely brunch to intimate candlelit dinners, but the focus is really all on the dessert. To accompany each of the museum's exhibitions, it creates a special "image cake" inspired by the works on display. Previous examples include a head-shaped black sesame mousse modelled on Jonathan Borofsky's Chattering Man and an intricately formed coconut concoction depicting a self-portrait of Yasumasa Morimura disguised as Frida Kahlo.
The Modern at MOMA, New York
Danny Meyer, one of the Big Apple's leading figures in fine dining, is behind the two-Michelin-starred restaurant The Modern, which serves up some of the best contemporary American fare in the city. It offers three distinct dining experiences depending on how much time you have to spare after taking in the MOMA's extensive collections. Opt for the prix fixe menu in the dining room for a table overlooking the museum's sculpture garden, go a la carte in the more casual Bar Room or take a front-row seat at the Kitchen Table. With the latter, not only will you witness the culinary workings of head chef Abram Bissell and his team up close, but they can also create a bespoke menu tailored to your tastes.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Last hopes for justice for UK's nuclear test veterans
Under the Radar Thousands of ex-service personnel say their lives have been blighted by aggressive cancers and genetic mutations
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
'It may not be surprising that creative work is used without permission'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
5 simple items to help make your airplane seat more comfortable
The Week Recommends Gel cushions and inflatable travel pillows make a world of difference
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Black Venus: Reclaiming Black Women in Visual Culture review
The Week Recommends This ‘riveting’ exhibition at Somerset House explores the representation of the black female body in art
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sport on TV guide: Christmas 2022 and New Year listings
Speed Read Enjoy a feast of sporting action with football, darts, rugby union, racing, NFL and NBA
By Mike Starling Published
-
The Horror Show! at Somerset House: ‘riotous, anarchic fun’
The Week Recommends ‘Unironically terrifying’ exhibition charts how horror has impacted pop culture since the 1970s
By The Week Staff Published
-
House of the Dragon: what to expect from the Game of Thrones prequel
Speed Read Ten-part series, set 200 years before GoT, will show the incestuous decline of Targaryen
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
One in 20 young Americans identify as trans or non-binary
Speed Read New research suggests that 44% of US adults know someone who is transgender
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Turner Prize 2022: a ‘vintage’ shortlist?
Speed Read All four artists look towards ‘growth, revival and reinvention’ in their work
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
What’s on TV this Christmas? The best holiday television
Speed Read From films and documentaries to musicals for all the family
By The Week Staff Published
-
Coco vision: up close to Chanel opticals
Speed Read Parisian luxury house adds opticals to digital offering
By The Week Staff Published