The Modern

The story

The Modern, New York City: Two Michelin Stars at MoMA

The Modern is a contemporary American restaurant at 9 West 53rd Street in New York City, holding two Michelin stars in 2026 for what the guide calls excellent cooking. It sits on the ground floor of the Museum of Modern Art, with a street-level entrance between 5th and 6th Avenues.

Chef Thomas Allan's kitchen

Executive Chef Thomas Allan cooks in a refined, unexpectedly playful style built on seasonality and exceptional ingredients. The Modern opened in 2005 under Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group. Its American kitchen has since collected three stars from The New York Times and four James Beard Awards, among them Best New Restaurant and Outstanding Restaurant Design.

Three ways to sit down

The main dining room serves a prix fixe menu overlooking MoMA's Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden. The Bar Room next door offers à la carte dishes at a marble bar, in the lounge or at tables, and takes walk-ins. The Kitchen Table seats up to four guests inside the kitchen for an enhanced tasting menu at 345 per person. In season, The Terrace serves the Bar Room menu outdoors.

Service and wine

Forbes Travel Guide gave The Modern four stars in 2026, noting a team that knows every detail of every menu. Decanting, carving, cheese and chocolate carts circulate through the dining room at dinner. The wine program holds a Wine Spectator Grand Award (2016), and Jan Van Heesvelde, MS, leads the beverage side.