A Food Lovers Guide to the Best Restaurants for Food & Culture
How to dine with Damien Hirst sculptures in Miami, a Yinka Shonibare installation in London, or a hidden Rashid Johnson in New York.
As I wash the subway off my hands at Carbone in New York, I catch a glimpse in the mirror — a small Rashid Johnson hangs just above the toilet. Johnson’s work holds an average sale price of $371K (per Artsy), so it’s an unexpected placement, to say the least.
I’m thrilled to have a moment alone with the piece, however, I can’t help but wonder what their insurance provider thinks.
This moment, along with two gorgeous cocktails in New York this past weekend, got me thinking about the connection between art and food.
When a restaurant has an incredible art collection, it transforms the experience. Suddenly, you’re not just dining, you’re immersed in a cultural moment, distracted (in the best way) by the artwork surrounding you.
Art and dining have long been intertwined, but it wasn’t until the 20th century that restaurants began actively incorporating contemporary art into their identity. The best ones don’t just hang paintings on the walls; they create environments where food, design, and visual culture merge seamlessly. As chef Massimo Bottura put it in in a 2024 interview with
:“…imagine this context: they see fast cars, slow food, they go to visit the acetaia, and they see all this contemporary art from Italy and the United States. ... So they say, ‘Wow! Incredible! How much culture there is in this place.’ So maybe they stay another day...”
This is the magic of restaurants that take art seriously. They’re not just places to eat, they’re places to linger.
A Brief History of Art History Lesson: Art & Hospitality
The tradition of art in dining spaces has deep roots. In 1927, La Coupole in Paris set an early precedent, commissioning artists like Marc Chagall and Fernand Léger to paint murals for its grand interior. By the 1960s, Mr. Chow took this concept further, transforming his London and New York restaurants into extensions of the contemporary art world, with guests like Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat dining beneath cutting-edge works.
In 1959, The Four Seasons Restaurant in New York redefined luxury hospitality by integrating art into its architecture. Originally designed to feature Mark Rothko’s murals (which he ultimately withdrew), the space became a showcase for artists like Alexander Calder and Pablo Picasso.
Today, this legacy continues. Restaurants, chefs, and artists collaborate to create immersive dining experiences where food and art exist in perfect harmony.
Carbone, for example, is part of Major Food Group, which also owns Sadelle’s—where New York diners sit near paintings by Jo Baer and Jen Guidi—and The Grill, a reincarnation of the aforementioned Four Seasons. Their art program is carefully curated across all their coveted spaces, in collaboration with gallerist Vito Schnabel, son of renowned painter Julian Schnabel.
Where to Dine with Art
If you enjoy good food and great art, below you’ll find some restaurants where art takes center stage.