Just months after opening inside one of the Upper East Side’s most recognizable buildings, a new neighborhood restaurant has quietly picked up one of the dining world’s most sought-after nods.
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That restaurant is Marcel, the French spot inside the landmark Breuer building at 945 Madison Avenue (between 75th and 76th streets), which was among the newest batch of New York additions to the Michelin Guide. The listing is a recommendation rather than a star — Michelin’s starred selections for New York are typically revealed later in the year — but it’s a notable early vote of confidence for a restaurant that only opened its doors in April.Marcel comes from Roman and Williams, the design studio founded by Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch that’s behind SoHo’s acclaimed La Mercerie, and it’s led by chef Marie-Aude Rose, who has helmed La Mercerie’s kitchen since 2017. Housed in the Brutalist landmark that previously held the Whitney Museum and the Met Breuer before Sotheby’s took it over, the restaurant has been positioned as the elegant uptown counterpart to its downtown sibling, serving French brasserie classics in one of the most striking dining rooms in the city.
Michelin’s inspectors singled out the roast beef tartine with cornichons and dressed greens, which the guide says “channels the spirit of a Left Bank cafe.”
Marcel was one of several New York newcomers added to the guide in this round — part of a wider wave of spots across the city that Eater rounded up neighborhood by neighborhood.
For a corner of the neighborhood that already claims some of the city’s most decorated French kitchens, it’s another sign that the Upper East Side’s dining scene is only getting stronger.
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