In a past life, dining options at museums and galleries were austere affairs. Weak coffees and a piddly selection of stale sandwiches designed to be eaten at plastic tables served to quite literally perpetrate the starving artist stereotype while also playing into the notion that cultural institutions should be solely for those with a niche interest in and conversance with the subject matter at hand. However, the same institutions have rightly deduced that this kind of attitude isn’t conducive to long term viability, with museums and galleries seeking to offer their visitors a more holistic experience. The Venn diagram overlap between food lovers and art lovers is not insignificant, with a heady new crop of flourishing museum and gallery restaurants.
Some of the best museum and gallery restaurants, such as Loulou in Paris’ Musée des Arts Décoratifs, on this list provide an enticing gustatory offering amidst captivating art and exhibits. Others, like the Faro Bar + Restaurant in Tasmania’s MONA, turn the dining experience into an exhibition of their own. Either way, our list of the best museum and gallery restaurants acts as a checklist for food and art lovers alike, with each experience offering the opportunity to satiate your physical and cultural appetite.
1. RIJKS in the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Opened in 2014 following a decade-long renovation of the Rijksmuseum that was completed a year prior, the RIJKS restaurant is located in the Philips Wing and is helmed by Joris Bijdendijk—alongside sous-chefs Ivan Beusink and Yascha Oosterberg—who draws inspiration from traditional Dutch flavours. While the museum it inhabits is home to Dutch classics like Rembrandt’s The Night Watch and van Gogh’s self-portrait, RIJKS elevates dishes like red beetroot mille-feuille and pickled herring elevated to the status of culinary artwork through progressive molecular gastronomy adjacent techniques.
Address: Museumstraat 2, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2. Crafted by Matt Moran in the Art Gallery of NSW (Sydney, Australia)
Matt Moran’s Crafted restaurant compliments the exhaustive selection of Australian art—from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art to 20th-century modernist works that have shaped the contemporary works of today—at the Art Gallery of NSW with a similarly localised experience. Mediterranean-style cuisine makes use of fresh seasonal produce, with simple yet well-executed fare like Sydney rock oysters, burrata with figs, and market fish with potatoes and brussels sprouts working to place the emphasis squarely on the local ingredients at hand. Overlooking Woolloomooloo’s Cowper Wharf and the Sydney Harbour, the establishment is one that lends itself to breezy long lunches and mid-day imbibing.
Address: Art Gallery Rd, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Check out and book Crafted by Matt Moran.
Related: Our Favourite Casual Restaurants In Sydney
3. Loulou in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Paris, France)
Sitting in an enviable location overlooking the gardens of the Palais du Louvre, Loulou manages to be both remarkable and familiar. Housed in a space designed by French architect Joseph Dirand, the restaurant within the Musée des Arts Décoratifs is set over two floors, with Dirand fostering intimacy by making use of the low ceiling and dividing the vast space into several smaller ones, creating a series of spaces that resemble rooms within a private art collector’s home.
A panoramic oil painting depicting a trompe-l’oeil landscape encases the space, making for an all-encompassing feeling, while instantly recognisable designs like Eero Saarinen Tulip chairs and Philippe Anthonoiz lighting add a sense of familiarity. Overseen by chef Benoit Dargère, the menu reflects French and Italian riviera influences, with highlights including Sicilian pistachio pesto Mancini linguine and truffle alfredo tagliatelle.
Address: 107 Rue de Rivoli, Paris, France
4. Le Frank in the Fondation Louis Vuitton (Paris, France)
Conceived to showcase the works of contemporary masters like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jeff Koons, Gerhard Richter, and Ellsworth Kelly, the Fondation Louis Vuitton opened its doors in 2014. Architect Frank Gehry, for whom the restaurant is named, was responsible for designing not only the building in which the Fondation Louis Vuitton resides, but the dining room for Le Frank.
Under the watchful eye(s) of Frank Gehry’s iconic Fish Lamp and overseen by Michelin-starred chef Jean-Louis Nomicos, Le Frank dishes out contemporary French cuisine that changes and evolves as the day passes; subtle, delicate compositions for midday fare and a refined lucullan experience with a story to tell after nightfall.
Address: 8 Av. du Mahatma Gandhi, Paris, France
5. Faro Bar + Restaurant in the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) (Tasmania, Australia)
You don’t simply dine at Faro Bar + Restaurant, you sign your life away. Literally. Diners are asked to sign waivers upon arrival, providing permission for them to be ‘experimented on’ and acquitting MONA from any potential injuries or conditions that develop as a result of said experimentation. Don’t expect to simply be led to a table by a nice waiter, no, the dining experience here is prefaced by a trip into a giant eyeball (Unseen Seen by James Turrell) where the prospective diner’s own eyeballs will be blasted with a series of flashing lights and ‘extreme darkness’. The eyeball installation, and the rest of the restaurant, is set in the newest wing of the museum overlooking the bay. Once one’s ocular and auditory senses have been put through the wringer, the gustatory work of art begins. Using locally sourced Tasmanian ingredients, Faro Bar + Restaurant sees plates draw from Spanish and French influences, with hints of Asian flavours.
Address: 655 Main Rd, Berriedale, TAS, Australia
Check out and book Faro Bar + Restaurant.
6. Odette in the National Gallery (Singapore)
In a word: pretty. More words? Since opening at the end of 2015, Odette has amassed three Michelin stars under the stewardship of chef Julien Royer. Located within the architectural marvel that is Singapore’s National Gallery, home to two centuries worth of Southeast Asian art, Odette is a jewel in the gallery’s crown. The soft pink interiors by Universal Design Studio craft a hushed, whispered sense of refined elegance that befits the contemporary French cuisine Royer crafts. Naturally, morsels act as diminutive works of contemporary art, with the heirloom beetroot well-equipped to stand in as an abstract work.
Address: 1 St Andrew’s Rd, National Gallery, Singapore
7. Bar Luce in the Fondazione Prada (Milan, Italy)
Wes Anderson’s signature colour palette and satisfying symmetry is in full force in Bar Luce, with the director recreating the atmosphere of traditional Milanese cafes within the Fondazione Prada in Milan. Formica furniture, a shameless use of veneer, retro pinball machines and a jukebox, and pastel hues contribute to the feeling that Bar Luce is something of a liminal space. In addition to classic Italian cafe fare such as paninis, pastries, tiramisu, and gelato, there’s also a comprehensive selection of cocktails and wines should you wish to imbibe.
Address: Largo Isarco, 2, Milano, Italy
8. Nerua in the Guggenheim Bilbao (Basque Country, Spain)
Like Le Frank, Nerua is a restaurant located within a dramatic sculptural Frank Gehry-designed building; with the Guggenheim Bilbao defined by its undulating forms clad in glass, titanium, and limestone. At the Michelin-starred restaurant, chef Josean Alija seeks to cultivate his own style of cooking based on aroma, beauty, texture, and flavour, while the seasonal nature of the menu respects the terroir of the land. Diners enter through the kitchen, turning the act of cooking into something of a performance, while the deliberately sparse and minimal dining room seeks to place the focus on the food; think tuna with txipiron garum and green pepper, and marinated anchovies with eggplant, peppers, and basil.
Address: Abandoibarra Etorb., 2, Abando, Bilbo, Bizkaia, Spain
Words by John Deckard
