The Bar Room at The Modern — Restaurant in New York

I've made several visits to The Bar Room over the past couple of years and I've never been disappointed. The classics (Tarte Flambe, Charred Avocado, Steak Tartare, Carrot Rillettes) are obviously great choices and worth having if you only get to make one visit. But on my latest visit I was astounded by just how great everything was. If I have a meal where one of the dishes is a Religious Experience, I consider myself lucky. But when I have a meal where dish after dish after dish is an R.E. (Yes, the Bar Room delivered on that)? I must have died and gone to heaven.

Appetizers: The Shaved Fennel Salad (smoked salmon and grapefruit) was dressed perfectly and demonstrated solid taste and texture complexity in every bite. This is not just some fennel, salmon, and grapefruit thrown in a bowl and tossed with some dressing. It is ultra refinement of exactly the right pieces, sizes and quantity of fennel, with exactly the right pieces, sizes and quantity of smoked salmon (with equally top drawer execution of the smoking), with exactly the right pieces, sizes and quantity of grapefruit... dressed perfectly. That's a lot to say about one little salad, right? Yeah, but it was one heck of a salad. An R.E. White Asparagus Soup: ultra refined tastes and textures. Yes, I'm saying that about a mere soup. Morel Mushroom Fricassee: each bite was different: Sometimes subtle sweetness from the corn and sometimes interesting acidity from the pickled shallots, but always beautiful textures on the palate.Caviar Soldier: maximum indulgence. But every appetizer always has ultra refined tastes and textures (are you sensing a common theme here?).

Entrees: I'll skip the entrees because they were all great. That's not to undermine them either. They are all worth having.

Desserts: the menu seems to change fairly frequently with no one recurring signature dish. But trust me that this is a good thing, not a bad thing, and I don't mean that in a negative way either. Every dessert I've ever had at the Bar Room, bar none (pardon the pun), has been excellent. So why is it a good thing that they change the dessert menu relatively frequently? It's simple: It's practically a sport to see what incredible creations the evil geniuses will come up with next. Most recently, the Rice Pudding (rhubarb and jasmine ice cream) was mind blowing with ultra refined tastes and textures (I know, I know, I sound like a broken record). I recall a Sweet Potato Parfait some months ago, which on the surface sounded mundane, but was a religious experience. These are not sloppy, in-your-face sweet, throw it down on the plate, desserts cooked up by some pastry chef who is not the equal of the Executive Chef. These are ultra refined, complex tastes and textures that are the equal of every dish you've had leading up to the finale.

Service: excellent of course. You wouldn't expect anything but warm, attentive, down-to-earth, sincerely friendly, and knowledgable from a place of this caliber. The wait staff, Somms, bus-people, runners were all consummate professionals.

Tipping: I have to say that although it has taken some getting used to on my part, and although I know the front of the house doesn't like it, Danny Meyer's "Hospitality Included", No Tipping policy at all of his properties is a big bonus for the customer. In a traditional tipping environment, it's always awkward to know how much tip to leave on the wine portion of the bill vs the food. And should one include the all-too-many state and local extras (e.g. SF's living wage tax) in the calculation? It's much easier if the restaurant just tells me how much to pay, end of story.

The staff clearly understands the idiom of "the customer is always right" and never bats an eyelash when I make seemingly goofy requests. The scene in the Bar Room is casual and quite diverse ranging from the midtown locals who come in for a high end whisky with friends after work; to the tourists who bring their 2 year old and stroller just to get a rare whack at some New York City Michelin-starred food; to the...

Had lunch at The Bar Room at The Modern during NYC Restaurant Week and I have to say — it might be the most worthwhile fine dining experience of the season.

The Bar Room is the more casual space attached to the two-Michelin-starred The Modern, located inside MoMA. The atmosphere is modern, relaxed, and polished — the kind of place where both sneakers and blazers feel equally appropriate. Service was professional but not overbearing, and the open kitchen setup (visible from the entrance) adds a nice behind-the-scenes vibe.

I opted for the $60 menu (two courses + dessert) and ordered:

🥬 Gem Lettuce & Kale Salad with Smoked Sturgeon Tonnato Plating was beautiful — every leaf aligned in one direction, with the sauce hidden underneath. The tonnato was rich and complex, with a slightly unusual smoky flavor that might not be for everyone, but definitely felt high-level.

🐟 Chilled Tuna with Shiso, Peppers & Aji Verde This was classic Michelin-quality execution: clean, cold, balanced. The shiso added freshness while the green sauce brought subtle heat and depth. Elegant and very well done.

🍝 Spring Onion Rigatoni with Burrata, Pine Nuts & Summer Truffle Light, creamy, and comforting. The rigatoni was perfectly cooked, the burrata added richness without overwhelming the dish, and the pine nuts gave just enough texture. A solid and satisfying vegetarian pasta — not flashy, but deeply enjoyable.

🐠 Monkfish Roasted on the Bone with Summer Squash & Grapefruit Vierge This was interesting — not the bouncy, chicken-like monkfish you might expect in Japanese hot pot. This version was roasted and fell somewhere between monkfish and cod in texture: softer, flakier, still flavorful. The squash and grapefruit vinaigrette lightened the dish up nicely.

🥤 Drinks Although the bar program looked excellent, I wasn’t in the mood for alcohol at lunch. I asked for a non-alcoholic beverage, and what they delivered was thoughtfully crafted and genuinely delicious — not just an afterthought.

🕰️ One note: service can get a bit slow when the room is full, likely due to the open kitchen and high volume. If you’re on a tight lunch schedule, keep that in mind.

💡 Overall take: • High-level food, understated and thoughtful • Incredible value for $60 — especially given it shares the same kitchen system as the Michelin-starred dining room • Perfect for a quiet, unpretentious lunch with exceptional quality • I’d happily return during the next Restaurant Week — or even outside of it

Highly recommended if you want to dip your toes into fine dining without the full tasting menu commitment. This is casual...

2 Michelin star meal for $100 including tip in NYC (no drinks). Some of the best service I have seen in my life. Modern restaurant attached to MoMa, brilliant menu, fantastic ambience. I am still gushing!!

The chilled tuna, spicy lamb, and grilled octopus dishes were soaking with interesting flavours and seriously some of the most delightful things I’ve eaten. Grilled octopus with ricotta dumplings in a duck broth were in particular unique and well-executed.

We had the Tarte Flambee which was nice - just less impressive than the rest. Frankly I would trade it for the fries or fried chicken bar snack / appetizer (they looked so. Good.)

For desert peanut toffee pudding w banana miso ice cream was so well done. All the dessert looks / sounds amazing, you can’t go wrong. Great twists on things, well balanced, unique and impressive.

Beyond 5/5 great food dishes, the servers were exceptional. The waiter was kind and directive without being pushy. He really helped with selection! The tables were cleared with perfection - not too rushed - but not leaving dirty plates for so long. Each dish was presented by the person placing it on the table. Water refill was done automatically. It really felt like our dinner was being handled so masterfully in the background, never had to lift a finger.

There’s a great vibe to this spot. Something about serving fried chicken & fries at a two-star Michelin restaurant - it feels very warm, people-oriented and just not snobby.

The drinks menu is inspired by a current exhibit. Really neat idea that weaves the concept well. The food they produce feels like modern art.

The complementary bread and butter were worth writing home about. It was seriously a culinary highlight. Served perfectly warmed and toasted, it was an excellent way to begin the night. I would come back just for the bread.

Lighting is really nice - it feels like the room itself is a piece of art and you are dining within it. The volume is “perfect” for conversations.

I just love this place. Will be back. They have good bar snacks, great cocktails, fabulous wine selection (including dessert wines), amazing entrees, and the most seamless service. Have not been this blown away in...