VIBE

The Bar Room at The Modern is crowded with a chic group of MoMA-goers hankering for a tipple or two. The menu offers 30 or so small plates and succulent mains meant to tease the taste buds, while the equally gourmet drink list offers over 900 international wine selections and handful of inventive cocktails, like the house signature, mixed cilantro-infused gin. With black twirling chairs, blonde wood finishes, and the rumble of many an art connoisseur conversation, the space is both cosmopolitan and current.

WHAT WE WOULD WEAR

Casual elegant; pair a chic blouse with slacks, fancy flats, and a vibrant accessory or two.

GO HERE WITH

Clients or colleagues; significant other; a couple of girlfriends

CROWD

Couples, refined out-of-towners, post-MoMA browsers, and Midtown office types.

WHY WE LIKE IT

This is a great spot for a chic yet casually cool cocktail in Midtown. And while many museum cafes around the world skimp on food quality, the Bar Room at The Modern does the small plate just right.

WHAT WE WOULD CHANGE

While the hours are extended beyond museum hours, we wish the spot stayed open just a bit later: it would be a great choice for a post-dinner cocktail in a neighborhood with minimal options on that front.

GOOD TO KNOW

Keep a lookout for its own street-level entrance, separate from the museum entrance (though it can be accessed from there, too). The restaurant is open beyond museum hours including Tuesdays (when the museum is closed). Reservations can be made four weeks in advance.

CLOSEST COMPS

The Modern (New York); AOC (Los Angeles); Restaurant Georges (Paris)

Click here for our full-form mobile travel guide, The Purple Passport to New York City.