Museum Restaurant: 11 of the Best Museum Restaurants Worldwide

These days museum restaurants are capable of making as much noise as a food destination as the exhibitions that they house.

Attracting top chefs and offering unique dining locations, the museum restaurant has embraced someting of a culinary renaissance in the past years.

Whether you're in London or Tokyo, there's an exciting food destination to be found in many leading museums where we wouldn't blame you if you were tempted to head straight for dinner and skip the art altogether.

Take a look and see which restaurant will entice you across the threshold of your nearest museum soon.

1) In Situ, SFMoma, San Francisco

Housed inside the SF Museum of Modern Art is Corey Lee’s Michelin starred “culinary museum” offering a unique array of more than 100 iconic dishes from top chefs around the world inlcuding Chefs Thomas Keller, Albert Adrià, and David Chang.

In Situ
151 Third Street San Francisco, CA 94103
Website

2) Odette, Singapore

Housed insided the National Gallery in Singapore is modern French restaurant, Odette which sits at no.9 on Asia's 50 Best Restaurant List 2018 with chef Julien Royer at the helm.

Odette
1 St Andrew’s Road #01-04 Singapore 178957
Website

3) Otium restaurant at The Broad, LA

Set next to the Broad expect plenty of artistic influences in this LA instiution with chef Timothy Hollingsworth delivering relaxed casual dining at its best.

Otium
222 S. Hope St. Los Angeles, CA 90012

Website

4) Lysverket at KODE, Norway

This restaurant and bar can be found at the art museum KODE 4 in the heart of Bergen, Norway where they present modern Norwegian cuisine with focus on local seafood. Whether you want a snack, a glass in the bar, a casual dinner or some of the best cocktails in town, this is the place to be.

Rasmus Meyers allé 9, Inngang gjennom KODE 4, Bergen
Website

5) Nerua, Guggenheim, Bilbao, Spain

Chef Josean Alija is at the pass of this acclaimed Basque kitchen in the famous Frank Gehry designed Guggenheim museum of art. The unusual entrance to the restaurant is via the kitchen, which seems fitting given Alija’s creative approach to cooking which chef Paul Bocuse identified as "one of the best cuisines in his life."

Photo: Courtesy of Nerua

Nerua
Guggenheim Bilbao Museoa. Av. Abandoibarra (in the bottom of the bridge La Salve, riverfront). 48009 Bilbao, Spain
Website

6) Untitled, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

Chef Michael Anthony is at the helm of this Danny Meyer’s fine dining restaurant found inside the Whitney Museum. Garnering critical praise for his quintessential American cooking chef Anthony brings his experience with him from the beloved New York institution, Gramercy Tavern.

Photo: Courtesy of Untitled

Untitled
99 Gansevoort Street New York, NY 10014, USA
Website

7) The Modern at The Museum for Modern Art, New York City

This Michelin-starred contemporary American restaurant also hails from Danny Meyer's group housed inside the Museum for Modern Art. Helmed by Executive Chef Abram Bissell, the restaurant features refined yet playful dishes based on seasonal ingredients.

The Modern
9 W 53rd St. New York, NY 10019, USA
Website

8) Le Frank, Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris

Michelin starred chef Jean-Louis Nomicos and owner of 'Les Tablettes' creates sophisticated French cuisine served at this newly opened French art museum. Guests are seated in the spacious light filled dining room seated beneath Frank Gehry fish suspended from the ceiling.

Photo: Courtesy of Le Frank/ Facebook

Le Frank
8 Avenue du Mahatma Gandhi, 75116 Paris, France
Website

9) RIJKS, Rijkmuseum, Amsterdam,The Netherlands

Executive chef Joris Bijdendijk reflects the philosophy of the RIJKS® museum by letting his food tell the story of the Netherlands on a plate with foreign influences both near and far.

Photo: Courtesy of Rijks

Rijks
Museumstraat 2 1077 XX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Website

10) Café d’Art, Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan

This contemporary art museum promotes new talent in the contemporary art world as well as in their pastry kitchen. Not only is the museum's Café d’Art worth a visit for its views over the Hara’s sculpture garden, it also comes with a quirky menu that changes along with the museum exhibits. The pastry chefs create an every evolving “image cake” which is inspired by the exhibiting artist's work.

Photo: Courtesy of Hara Museum of Contemporary Art

Café d’Art
4-7-2-5 Kitashinagawa, Shinagawa, Tokyo 140-0001, Japan
Website

11) The Rex Whistler Restaurant, Tate Britain, London

Originally opened in 1927, diners at the Rex Whistler Restaurant will enjoy what is known as ‘The Most Amusing Room in Europe’, owing to the specially commissioned mural on the walls of the dining room. A robust menu features British fare which changes monthly. Wine connoisseurs will be twice as eager to visit in the knowledge that the restaurant is also known for having one of the finest wine cellars in the capital.