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The Metropolitan Museum of Art is preparing a major culinary transformation. According to The New York Times, which first reported the news, the museum has tapped acclaimed chefs Rita Sodi and Jody Williams to oversee a complete reimagining of its food and beverage program.
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The West Village power duo — best known for their celebrated restaurants Via Carota, I Sodi, Buvette, Bar Pisellino, and The Commerce Inn — will partner with Restaurant Associates, the company that currently manages The Met’s dining operations. Together, they’ll refresh existing cafés and restaurants and develop entirely new dining concepts across the museum’s Fifth Avenue flagship and The Met Cloisters uptown.As Eater noted in a follow-up report, the overhaul is part of a broader renovation of the museum’s 83rd Street and Fifth Avenue entrance, which includes redesigned retail and dining spaces. The new concepts are expected to begin debuting in 2027, with later phases extending to the Trie Café at The Met Cloisters.
The partnership brings one of New York’s most influential culinary teams to one of its most visited cultural destinations. Sodi and Williams — who together earned the 2019 James Beard Award for Best Chefs in New York City and whose Via Carota recently landed on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list — have shaped the dining identity of the West Village. Their involvement at The Met signals an effort to bring that same creative sensibility to museum dining, from casual cafés to full-service restaurants.
The Met Dining Room, which previously offered a fine-dining experience overlooking Central Park, has closed permanently as part of the transition.
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