This is apparently the most beautiful restaurant in New York City
New York City is full of drop-dead gorgeous dining rooms, from scenic spots like Tavern on the Green to French stunners like Le Coucou (which, along with being très jolie, was recently found to be one of the most popular restaurants in the world). But out of the thousands of restaurants in NYC, which is the most beautiful? In honor of the 50th anniversary of PEOPLE magazine, the editors at OpenTable and PEOPLE paired up to crown the most beautiful restaurant in each state.
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The list of the 50 Most Beautiful Restaurants in America featured such beauts as The Restaurant at Auberge du Soleil in Rutherford, California; Tillie’s in Dripping Springs, Texas; Everett’s 8,800 in Big Sky, Montana and the Crow’s Nest at Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage, Alaska. But in our neck of the woods, the New York City venue that is turning heads as the Empire State’s most beautiful restaurant is Verōnika, the romantic Rose Hill eatery tucked inside the 19th-century Park Avenue South building that houses the Fotografiska Museum.
With its luxe, Roman and Williams-designed interiors—per the designers, they “re-envisioned with respect and innovation the historical 1894 Beaux-Arts Church Missions House” for the restaurant’s look, with high ceilings, gilded accents, ornate brass chandeliers, a Black St. Laurent marble bar, mohair seating and trimmed archways—it’s not a surprise that Verōnika would grab the attention of the list makers. “Curvaceous and deep mohair seating with an arched back hugs you and references the architecture of the room. Polished, elegant hued Rosa Perlino marble tabletops are graced with custom egg-shaped lights,” the Roman and Williams crew wax poetic about their design work.
The sprawling restaurant was initially opened by celebrity restaurateur Stephen Starr—who knows his way around a well-appointed dining room, being behind such New York heavy-hitters as Pastis, La Mercerie, Buddakan and the aforementioned Le Coucou—in 2020 but post-pandemic, is now operated by CultureWorks, the owners of NeueHouse and Fotografiska. The elegant room is complemented by continental European cooking: lobster omelets, Dover sole Meunièr, a salt-crusted porterhouse and the like.