These Exquisite Restaurants Take an Artful Approach to Dining

There are restaurants that please the palate and those that please the eyes. These delectable destinations manage to do both by combining exquisite culinary presentations with art that hangs on the walls (or sits underfoot, as is the case Rashid Johnson’s mosaic floor at Mount Street in Mayfair). While this list is by no means comprehensive, here are just a few of the best art and design-filled dining destinations now.

1. La Colombe d’Or | St. Paul-de-Vence

Considered by many to be the pinnacle of an aesthetic dining experience, this beautiful cafe-cum-museum features works by Picasso, Matisse, and Calder, among many others. Over the past century, the restaurant and boutique hotel has welcomed the artistic community—many of whom paid for meals and stays with priceless paintings. The collection continues to evolve, with the latest piece—a large ceramic work—installed by the picturesque pool.  For fabulous foie-gras with a side of Chagall or Miró, book in at this Provençal gem toute suite.

2. The Dolder Grand | Zurich

This art-rich hotel features over 100 works, with both The Restaurant and the Rolf Sachs-designed, Saltz, among the finest design-led dining destinations in the Swiss capital. The 125-year-old hotel was last added to by Foster+Partners from 2004-2008, and its corridors now highlight Swiss icons such as Ferdinand Hodler, Urs Fischer, and Max Bill to dazzling effect. Dinner guests are greeted by Femmes métamorphosées—Les Sept Arts by Salvador Dalí at the entrance to chef Heiko Neider’s two-Michelin-star, The Restaurant, before tucking into the five-course amuse-bouche menu. Other notable artists here include Andy Warhol and Anselm Kiefer—among too many artists, across too many genres to mention.

3. Mount Street | London

Curated by Hauser & Wirth and the Artfarm hospitality arm (The Fife Arms, various Manuela restaurants), this Mayfair hotspot features approximately 200 works of art, including rare paintings by Lucien Freud and Henri Matisse. One of the more outstanding “pieces” is the graphic mosaic floor by Rashid Johnson, an Artfarm favorite (see Manuela). Classic British cuisine—steak and triple-cooked chips, bubble and squeak, smoked haddock—pairs perfectly with Picasso, not to mention the best people-watching in London.

4. Kronenhalle | Zurich

Enjoy a classic breaded veal escalope with traditional roesti potatoes while gazing upon the impressive paintings of Marc Chagall, Joan Miro, and more. A Zurich institution since 1924, the collection was amassed by owners who bartered art for meals and also bought what they could afford over time. Artists including Pierre Bonnard, Fernand Léger, Édouard Vuillard and Auguste Rodin feature prominently in the formal dining room, while a private room upstairs feature Swiss artists such as Giovanni Giacometti, Ferdinand Hodler, Sigismund Righini and Max Gubler. Don’t miss the chocolate mousse with double cream—an equally impressive work of art.

5. Osteria Francescana | Modena, Italy

The first trick is scoring a reservation at chef Massimo Bottura’s three-Michelin-star temple of Emilia-Romagna cuisine. Once secured, delight in the chef’s personal collection that lines the warm walls—including works by contemporary artists Maurizio Cattelan, Damien Hirst and Takashi Murakami, as well as Gavin Turk’s bronze Trash sculpture. Equally playful dishes tantalize the palate, too, with names like “Fast bees, slow honey,” “Jazz Duck: improvisation,” and “Onions Dreaming of Caviar,” all showcasing Bottura’s singular creativity.

6. Hélène Darroze at The Connaught | London

Set within the iconic Connaught Hotel, this warm, wood-paneled dining room by Pierre Yovanovitch is a special occasion without all the fuss. Chef Darozze’s three-Michelin-star namesake features inventive dishes—tandoori Isle of Mull lobster; mussels from the Shetland Islands with yuzu and Douglas pine—as well as Damien Hirst works throughout. The artist’s butterfly collages—Xanadu 2008 and Shangri-La 2008—add to the ethereal atmosphere. For more art, pop to the hotel’s Red Room bar where works by Louise Bourgeois and Bryan Clark set the scene.

7. Manuela | Soho, New York City

Art is at the heart of this restaurant that’s named after Manuela Wirth – co-founder of owner Artfarm, and one half of the gallery powerhouse, Hauser & Wirth. The plant-forward menu celebrates local growers and purveyors, and art is at the center of everything with New York artists including Rashid Johnson, Rita Ackermann, and Lorna Simpson on view, as well as Louise Bourgeois, Nicolas Party, and Cindy Sherman. Mary Heilman’s colorful tabletops decorate the bar and dining areas and add to the overall festive vibe.

8. Red Rooster Overtown | Miami

Much like the Harlem original, Red Rooster Overtown is a feast for all the senses with a pumping soundtrack, delicious smokestack ribs and cornbread, and works by such noted artists Kara Walker, Derrick Adams, Elizabeth Catlett and Rashid Johnson. For James Beard Award-winning chef Marcus Samuelsson, the arts always take center stage including at his restaurant in the Perelman Performing Arts Center in New York. The vibrant art that lines the walls explores themes of identity, culture and the history of art with highlights by Theaster Gates, Mickalene Thomas, Sanford Biggers and many more.

9. Atlas | Atlanta

Set within the St. Regis Atlanta, Atlas is equal parts fine dining restaurant and modern 20th century art museum with works such as Francis Bacon’s Study for Portrait and Picasso’s La Famille. Paintings are hung salon-style – in small groupings–with four figurative works by French-influenced Japanese artist Tsuguharu Foujita, a pre-Cubist portrait by Fernand Léger, drawings by Vincent van Gogh and Picasso, and a large Braque nude all part of the vast, private Lewis Collection. No less impressive are the tasting menus—including vegan and vegetarian versions–that feature everything from grilled “Forest” maitake mushrooms to sweetbreads with a sherry caramel.