(212) 333-1220

9 W 53rd St (nr. Fifth Ave.)
New York, NY 10019 40.760525 -73.976094

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Neighborhoods: Midtown Center, Midtown

themodernnyc.com/

Years in business

Established in 2004

Hours:

Bar Room Hours:

Mon - Thu: 11:30 am - 10:30 pm

Fri - Sat: 11:30 am - 11:00 pm

Sun: 11:30 am - 9:30 pm

Dining Room Hours:

Lunch:

Mon - Fri 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Dinner:

Mon - Thu 5:30 pm - 10:30 pm

Fri - Sat 5:30 pm - 11:00 pm

Closed Sunday

Price:

$$$$

Last updated 4.14.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, Discover, Diners Club, MasterCard

Bar & Pub Special Features:

Bar Menu

Restaurant Special Features:

Special Occasion Dining, Fine Dining, People Watching, Business Dining, Lunch Spot, Dine At The Bar, Notable Wine List, Prix Fixe Menu

Cuisine:

Traditional American, Seafood

Notable Chef:

Gabriel Kreuther

Editor's Tips

What People Are Saying About The Modern

Featured Review

Allison Austin

Contributor

The Scene – Hidden from the adjoining Bar Room by a wall of frosted glass, the dining room is an airy, light-filled expanse overlooking the sculpture garden. Sleek leather banquettes and chairs by a collection of Danish modernist designers provide clean lines and understated luxury; tabletops set with Bernardaud china and Robbe and Berking silverware enhance the impression. Service is excellent, particularly the personable wine director, Stephane Colling. – – The Food – Chef Gabriel Kreuther's French-New American cooking is simply outstanding. He's having fun, tarting…

Editor's Tips

Know Before You Go:
The restaurant offers three tasting options: three courses for $85, chef's seven-course tasting menu for $125, and a seven-course seasonal tasting menu for $138.
The Extras:
Don't forget the reason why a restaurant is here in the first place.
Where to Sit:
For window-side viewing of the sculpture garden and for prime Picasso and Elsworth Kelly proximity, request tables 17, 18, 19, and 21-27.
ambiance
80.0% positive
  1. “The food, the service, the ambience, everything was excellent and I'm looking forward to going again.”
  2. “The food was amazing befitting the decor, ambience, and service.”
  3. “great atmosphere, pretty good food”
  4. “I'd be hard pressed to come up with a better place for a romantic first date dinner.”
  5. “Though the dining room looks out over the MOMA sculpture garden, it is true that one doesn't get a great view at night, which is a shame.”
  6. “When we sat down, we got the full effect of the place - dark but not in a romantic way, more grey and uninviting.”
  7. “It's very spacious and the tables and chairs are comfortable and easy on the eyes.”
  8. “The food was great, the service was excellent and the restaurant itself was lovely, quiet and comfortable.”
  9. “The food is uniformly good, plated beautifully, the service is impeccable, and tables with views of the garden are to die for!”
  10. “but suffice it to say that the ambiance is amazing, the service impeccable, the rabbit terrine and the beef tenderloin will melt in your mouth, and the wine.”
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. “The food is really good, but I was surprised the desserts weren't better than they were, an.”
  2. “If you want to make your three course meal into a four course meal, get the excellent cheese plate as a dessert course, because wonderful sweet things appear after with the coffee.”
  3. “EVERY dish, from appetizers to entrees to desserts, were unique and totally satisfying.”
  4. “absolutely love the beignets for desert!”
  5. “The food was excellent and innovative - from appetizer to dessert to drinks - both of ours (my fiancee's and mine) menu choices - just perfect.”
  6. “My favorites: warm veal with goat cheese (just melts in your mouth), the gnocchi with crab meat, and for dessert - the beignets are unbelievable.”
drinks
92.30999946594238% positive
  1. “The bar is beautiful and the drinks were great.”
  2. “When you walk in, you pass the lively bar scene, much younger and a great place for after work drinks.”
  3. “Suggestion: try the bar, they have a full menu.”
  4. “The food was excellent and innovative - from appetizer to dessert to drinks - both of ours (my fiancee's and mine) menu choices - just perfect.”
  5. “really great cocktails.”
  6. “If you want to make your three course meal into a four course meal, get the excellent cheese plate as a dessert course, because wonderful sweet things appear after with the coffee.”
  7. “have always enjoyed all my meals and I've probably had everything more than once easily, my only 'complaint' is that it's prices in the Bar Room (cocktails and food) have steadily increased, you will spend a nearly $30 for one drink and a soup before tip ”
  8. “Always a crowded scene in the bar room, and a wonderful wine list.”
  9. “Their wine list is extensive and the somelliers are very helpful in choosing the right wines to suit your food.”
  10. “It was a 3 hour 45 minute experience of amazing, imaginative food, great drinks and superb, understated service.”
  11. “The bar scene, though, is cool.”
  12. “highly recommend the tasting menu with the wine pairings.”
  13. “but suffice it to say that the ambiance is amazing, the service impeccable, the rabbit terrine and the beef tenderloin will melt in your mouth, and the wine.”
food quality
86.96000099182129% positive
  1. “For a pricey meal, you expect the highest level of service.”
  2. “My favorites: warm veal with goat cheese (just melts in your mouth), the gnocchi with crab meat, and for dessert - the beignets are unbelievable.”
  3. “EVERY dish, from appetizers to entrees to desserts, were unique and totally satisfying.”
  4. “The food was excellent and innovative - from appetizer to dessert to drinks - both of ours (my fiancee's and mine) menu choices - just perfect.”
  5. “the food was ok (i'd recommend the duck confit, although its not fantastic) but the best part is the interior, its sexay in a museum opening kind of way.”
  6. “The food is always delicious, inventive, and well-executed.”
  7. “yes its upscale, i really dont mind paying well 4 decent food that this city sometimes confuses with "HYPE”
  8. “If you want to make your three course meal into a four course meal, get the excellent cheese plate as a dessert course, because wonderful sweet things appear after with the coffee.”
  9. “the mushroom soup with toasted chorizo ravioli is amazing, and the scallop/oxtail combo was a revelation.”
  10. “Three were interesting: Arctic char tartare, scallops and salmon.”
  11. “My boyfriend's squab and foie gras was delicious but my beef filet ordered medium rare was more medium with a stringy consistency.”
  12. “Honestly, what could be bad about eating great food while looking out onto The MoMAs sculpture garden?”
  13. “tasty food and anything else but very SLOW.”
  14. “The food was delectable.”
  15. “Beautiful space, amazing food”
  16. “The space was cold, the food salty and "over-engineered”
  17. “Went there for a birthday - The food was fabulous - We sat in the Bar Room - not the main dining room - It is actually much nicer than the picture even shows on their website!”
  18. “but suffice it to say that the ambiance is amazing, the service impeccable, the rabbit terrine and the beef tenderloin will melt in your mouth, and the wine.”
  19. “The food was fantastic - smaller portions which can be shared.”
  20. “have been dining at The Modern since they opened, have been a huge fan of the food and ability to have a quality meal on the way home from work and not commit to a table.”
  21. “The food is uniformly good, plated beautifully, the service is impeccable, and tables with views of the garden are to die for!”
  22. “have to say that we had thoroughly enjoyed our meal and our were bellies were fully satisfied.”
  23. “Wonderful food.”
  24. “The food, the service, the ambience, everything was excellent and I'm looking forward to going again.”
  25. “great atmosphere, pretty good food”
  26. “I'm reluctant to go to expensive restaurants because so often you're paying for everything but the food.”
  27. “have always enjoyed all my meals and I've probably had everything more than once easily, my only 'complaint' is that it's prices in the Bar Room (cocktails and food) have steadily increased, you will spend a nearly $30 for one drink and a soup before tip ”
  28. “The food is really good, but I was surprised the desserts weren't better than they were, an.”
  29. “It was a 3 hour 45 minute experience of amazing, imaginative food, great drinks and superb, understated service.”
  30. “On the other hand, food and service in the Bar room is outstanding.”
  31. “We went back a couple weeks later for lunch in the more formal part and while the food was good, we were very disappointed by the slow, slow, slow service.”
  32. “The service was so slow that I don't think that I could do another seven course meal!”
  33. “The food was very good, but not great.”
  34. “The food was great, the service was excellent and the restaurant itself was lovely, quiet and comfortable.”
  35. “The food is pricey, but for a special occasion, it's worth the splurge.”
  36. “The petits amuses bouches were less than spectacular and the soup just warm enough to momentarily ward off our chill.”
  37. “The food was delicious, from an amuse bouche of salmon tartare to the tartare of yellowfin tuna and diver scallops to the perfectly cooked beef tenderloin in a black truffle blue cheese sauce.”
  38. “Nonetheless, as usual with tasting menus you could die of starvation, but the food was excellent with foie gras, pheasant and other interesting selections.”
  39. “They provide wonderful little concoctions prior to the meal and palate cleansers as well as a nice petite fours spread.”
  40. “The food was perfect, lovely to look at , beautifully presented, cooked exactly right, delicious.”
  41. “For this amount of money, I expect very good food or very good service.”
  42. “Their wine list is extensive and the somelliers are very helpful in choosing the right wines to suit your food.”
  43. “Foie Gras was amazing and served with fresh toast.”
  44. “ordered the winter tasting menu for $155 only to be told that the exquisite dish was the regular tasting menu which is what the "chef loves to do" and is $125.”
  45. “The food was amazing befitting the decor, ambience, and service.”
  46. “All the lovely little additions of palate cleansers and aperitifs was a lovely addition to the already perfect meal.”
menu variety
88.88999938964844% positive
  1. “ordered the winter tasting menu for $155 only to be told that the exquisite dish was the regular tasting menu which is what the "chef loves to do" and is $125.”
  2. “This is a unique menu and has a variety of offerings.”
  3. “highly recommend the tasting menu with the wine pairings.”
  4. “LOVE this place, but have only eaten in the area closest to the entrance, and I've heard the menu by the windows is even more fantastic.”
  5. “Their wine list is extensive and the somelliers are very helpful in choosing the right wines to suit your food.”
  6. “Suggestion: try the bar, they have a full menu.”
  7. “The food was excellent and innovative - from appetizer to dessert to drinks - both of ours (my fiancee's and mine) menu choices - just perfect.”
  8. “highly recommend the tasting menu.”
  9. “Nonetheless, as usual with tasting menus you could die of starvation, but the food was excellent with foie gras, pheasant and other interesting selections.”
overall
100.0% positive
  1. “When you walk in, you pass the lively bar scene, much younger and a great place for after work drinks.”
service
72.5% positive
  1. “We were greeted graciously and our waitress was a calm professional.”
  2. “Hosts were pleasant, service was great otherwise but, our waiter was highly condescending which I found very irritating.”
  3. “Great service!”
  4. “The food is uniformly good, plated beautifully, the service is impeccable, and tables with views of the garden are to die for!”
  5. “The food was great, the service was excellent and the restaurant itself was lovely, quiet and comfortable.”
  6. “don't understand the reviews saying that the service was snooty.”
  7. “Slow service”
  8. “The food was amazing befitting the decor, ambience, and service.”
  9. “The service was very good.”
  10. “The food, the service, the ambience, everything was excellent and I'm looking forward to going again.”
  11. “We went back a couple weeks later for lunch in the more formal part and while the food was good, we were very disappointed by the slow, slow, slow service.”
  12. “The service was excellent and it takes a lot to impress me.”
  13. “The restaurant is chaotic, service is rude and arrogant, my monkfish was rubbery and flavorless, and they take small portions to a new demension.”
  14. “but suffice it to say that the ambiance is amazing, the service impeccable, the rabbit terrine and the beef tenderloin will melt in your mouth, and the wine.”
  15. “The service was so slow that I don't think that I could do another seven course meal!”
  16. “For this amount of money, I expect very good food or very good service.”
  17. “For a pricey meal, you expect the highest level of service.”
  18. “On the other hand, food and service in the Bar room is outstanding.”
  19. “It was a 3 hour 45 minute experience of amazing, imaginative food, great drinks and superb, understated service.”
  20. “The bartenders are professional, friendly, and efficient.”
value
50.0% positive
  1. “The restaurant is chaotic, service is rude and arrogant, my monkfish was rubbery and flavorless, and they take small portions to a new demension.”
  2. “have always enjoyed all my meals and I've probably had everything more than once easily, my only 'complaint' is that it's prices in the Bar Room (cocktails and food) have steadily increased, you will spend a nearly $30 for one drink and a soup before tip ”
  3. “I'm reluctant to go to expensive restaurants because so often you're paying for everything but the food.”
  4. “have been dining at The Modern since they opened, have been a huge fan of the food and ability to have a quality meal on the way home from work and not commit to a table.”
  5. “For this amount of money, I expect very good food or very good service.”
  6. “The food is pricey, but for a special occasion, it's worth the splurge.”
  7. “For a pricey meal, you expect the highest level of service.”
  8. “The food was fantastic - smaller portions which can be shared.”
wait time
50.0% positive
  1. “We went back a couple weeks later for lunch in the more formal part and while the food was good, we were very disappointed by the slow, slow, slow service.”
  2. “It was a 3 hour 45 minute experience of amazing, imaginative food, great drinks and superb, understated service.”
  3. “The service was so slow that I don't think that I could do another seven course meal!”
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

08/25/11

Excellent!

by TheHotShopper at Citysearch

Beautiful, delicious, classy and just perfectly amazing!

4 Star Rating: Recommended

01/12/11

fancy

by JDoming at Citysearch

Well the experience was good. The food looks almost as a piece of art but the bread was not so good, the olive oil was not so good and the staff was "cold". But ok: the three courses were good.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

08/11/10

Perfect Restaurant Week Experience

by caryn donohue at Citysearch

For two years and four Restaurant Week experiences, I've been trying to get reservations to The Modern. Hailed by many as one of the best deals and RW experiences in the city, it can be very difficult to get a reservation at a reasonable time. Luckily I signed up immediately once RSVPs opened and I scored a 7 pm seating.

There are so many good things about this place so I'm just going to list them:

--Location/decor is lovely!

--Service is top notch - they may have as many wait staff as they do patrons which is a little intimidating, but everyone was so kind and gracious even if you were ordering off the RW menu.

--My friend and I couldn't get over the RW menu selection! With 10 app, 10 entree and 6-7 dessert options, you really are dining from the normal menu - a pleasant change of events with RW menus. I like that I can actually sample a restaurant vs trying whatever leftovers the chef whips up for RW diners.

--And the food was sooooo good!

I opted for the caramelized onion creme fraiche tart with bacon or prosciutto which was about 10 inches in diameter (huge, rich, delicious!), then the grilled yellowfin tuna with veal sweetbreads (the tuna was perfect and the sweetbreads were interesting. not sure I'd try them again) and finished off with some chocolate hazelnut concoction (absolutely decadent).

My friend had the LI duck (as good as all the reviews promised!), then the pappardella with saffron and rabbit (very good, but nothing earth shattering) and the grilled pineapple with ice cream (refreshing and sweet).

We were so pleased with our meal and highly recommend this RW to each and every person!

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

12/05/09

Wonderful dining experience!

by lcrobe at Citysearch

I have been here on a few occasions and each time has been top-notch. I first dined here for Valentines Day and truly enjoyed every aspect of my dining experience. The food is uniformly good, plated beautifully, the service is impeccable, and tables with views of the garden are to die for! I highly recommend the tasting menu with the wine pairings. It is worth every cent!

  • Pros: Excellent food, service and ambiance
  • Cons: None
3 Star Rating: Average

11/15/08

Yessss Yesss... JAMES BEARD N ALLL!

by GluttoNoire at Citysearch

Absouletely fabulous interior place... does MoMa proud. The courses are long in the main dining room and Gentlemen please wear a jacket unless you want to end up wearing one of theirs..

The bar room (the only part of the restaurant that has a "a la carte" menu) has very innovative and well balanced food, all small plates. yes its upscale, i really dont mind paying well 4 decent food that this city sometimes confuses with "HYPE".

What i do mind is the vagrant snobbery with a dash or racism !! I dined at both the dining room and the bar room. The first time I thought i was being over sensitive and that I should check the chips on my shoulder. however the third time around had me fuming. Did not expect this from one of Mr.Meyer's place's.

BTW: the bar room/bar is quite free of such upityness! + really great cocktails.

  • Pros: great place for a proper dinner/lunch
  • Cons: I found the dining room managers a bit snobby .. not the servers/ect

The Details on The Modern

Place Categories:

  • excellent good food
  • excellent service
  • soooo amazing interior place
  • always enjoyed meal
  • romantic first date dinner
  • highly recommend tasting menu
  • chaotic restaurant
  • cold space
  • comfortable tables
  • great dining experience
  • professional bartenders
  • totally satisfying every dish
  • comfortable chairs
  • great drinks
  • elegant dining
  • really great desserts
  • like modern
  • amazing mushroom soup
  • pricey food
  • excellent chocolates
  • not great view
  • great publicity
  • absolutely love beignets
  • beautiful main dining room
  • full effect
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