Cafeteria — New York, USA

Fifteen years after it opened as Chelsea’s first ‘designer’ diner, Cafeteria has received a subtle yet substantial (and much-needed) makeover. Along with ‘refreshing’ the restaurant’s main dining room, bar area and lower-level lounge, New York-based architect Anurag Nema of Nemaworkshop - who worked with Cafeteria’s original designer, Studio Gaia - added a cosy, yet groovy, private dining room. The 20-seat space conforms to Cafeteria’s existing retro vibe with stainless steel and brown leather walls, creamy terrazzo floors, and a central butcher-block table, crafted from tropical Wenge wood. Similarly-styled tables fill the main dining room - which pours onto buzzy Seventh Avenue - along with white wall panels and cream coloured custom banquettes. Downstairs, Nema added brown chocolate floors and additional banquettes to create a sense of low-lit loucheness to Cafeteria's lounge. There's new food too: comfort classics such as shrimp and grits for breakfast and pulled-pork sliders for dinner. And out front, Cafeteria's new façade is punctuated with garage-like, industrial-styled windows that help prevent heat loss and perfectly frame the restaurant's pretty, young diners.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
119 7th Avenue
New York
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
Inside Frank Lloyd Wright’s Laurent House – his only project built with accessibility at its heart
The dwelling, which you can visit in Illinois, is a classic example of Wright’s Usonian architecture, and was also built for a client with a disability long before accessibility was widely considered
-
YZ Kami's meditative, architecturally inspired ‘Domes’ take over Gagosian Beverly Hills
A collection of the artist’s ‘Dome’ and ‘Messenger’ paintings inspires moments of contemplation in LA
-
The EU backs a major overhaul of passenger rights, including free hand luggage
The proposed legislation sets clear luggage limits, guarantees seating for children, and extends protections for vulnerable travellers and multimodal journeys
-
Meet artist Michael McGregor, using hotel stationery as his canvas
Michael McGregor unveils an exclusive postcard set made with notepads from The Luxury Collection properties in Minneapolis, San Francisco and Savannah
-
Home is where Beethoven Market is – a joyful Italian restaurant in LA’s Mar Vista
In Mar Vista, a historic space is reborn as a modern-day gathering spot, an Italian-infused restaurant where rotisserie chicken, handmade pasta and tableside tiramisu welcome you like family
-
Aman New York unveils exclusive US Open-themed experience
Aman’s ‘Season of Champions’ pairs Grand Slam action with personalised recovery and performance treatments designed by Novak Djokovic and Maria Sharapova
-
Caribbean cool meets mid-century glamour at this new LA hotspot
From golden mirrored chambers to jerk-spiced tomahawk steaks, Lucia reimagines Afro-Caribbean dining and design
-
Classic New York restaurants for delicious food and inspired design
From Michelin-starred fine dining to reimagined retro diners, these are the most emblematic (and easy-on-the-eye) places to eat in the Big Apple
-
Inside Hotel Chelsea’s secret basement sushi restaurant
Teruko, a new Japanese restaurant and sushi bar in Hotel Chelsea, marks the final jewel in the hotel’s years-long transformation
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Fouquet’s New York: a lush, urban cocoon for the 21st century
Set in the heart of Tribeca, Fouquet’s New York balances French-inspired refinement and cosiness
-
This surreal new seafood restaurant in LA is the stuff of mermaid’s dreams
At Cento Raw Bar, delectable fare is complemented by playful, oceanic interiors by Brandon Miradi