Café Carmellini brings old New York into the present

The highly anticipated Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City has thrown the doors open to Café Carmellini, a classic Manhattan brasserie helmed by the much-loved chef Andrew Carmellini. Installed within a contemporary Gilded Age interior designed by Martin Brudnizki, the restaurant faithfully upholds the historic grandeur of the hotel, itself a landmark having previously been the mansion and carriage house of Ms. Charlotte Goodridge, a society fixture from the Gilded Age. 

Like the rest of the building, which was originally designed as a five-storey palazzo by the iconic McKim, Mead & White, Café Carmellini exudes old-world elegance. Double-height ceilings, two sculptural trees and balcony seating hark back to an era when Carmellini’s own grandfather, an immigrant and coffee import business owner from Tuscany, first stepped foot on American shores. This personal connection for Carmellini runs especially deep in this venture, not only through paying homage to his family history but by looking back at his culinary mentors as well.

Café Carmellini is chef Andrew Carmellini's love letter to New York City

‘Café Carmellini is New York at heart and Italian and French in spirit. My career began in fine dining at era-defining restaurants in New York City,’ says Carmellini, whose other ventures such as The Dutch, Locanda Verde, Lafayette and Bar Primi are city stalwarts. ‘After focusing successfully on more casual dining for 15 years, I felt a calling to return to fine dining. Café Carmellini is the most personal restaurant of my career and the sum total of everything I am passionate about. Nestled in a magnificent and historic New York landmark, Café Carmellini is my love letter to New York City. I want it to become a destination for New Yorkers and visitors to the city to feel transported, celebrated and warmly welcomed.’

Armed with a menu filled with new, yet familiar classics such as lobster cannelloni, a red snapper meunière carpaccio, scallops Cardoz – a tribute to chef Floyd Cardoz, whom Carmellini worked with in the 1990s, and a risotto del giorno that simply celebrates great cooking, Café Carmellini effortlessly captures the essence of New York City – an uncomplicated desire to simply enjoy the best.

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