Top Restaurant Architects in NYC – Best of 2026

By Shahe Demirdjian

02.18.2026

In This Article

A restaurant’s design sets the tone before a single dish leaves the kitchen. The lighting, the flow of the room, the materials underfoot—these details shape how guests feel from the moment they step inside. In New York City, where competition for attention is fierce and diners are famously discerning, the architecture of a restaurant can be the difference between a forgettable meal and an unforgettable night.

That same attention to space and atmosphere matters just as much at home. The way a well-designed kitchen draws people in or a thoughtfully lit dining area creates warmth—these are principles that translate directly from the commercial world to residential renovations.

The restaurant architecture firms featured here are among the most respected in New York City. Their work spans Michelin-starred fine dining rooms, buzzy neighborhood bistros, and sprawling food halls—and each one brings a distinct point of view to every project they take on.

Glen & Co. Architecture

An eclectic restaurant interior features tables with bright red chairs, banquette seating along a brick and dark wood paneled wall, a floor with a geometric pattern of tan and white tiles, and a colorful patchwork ceiling with a patterned design.

Glen Coben founded Glen & Co. Architecture with a belief that every restaurant should have its own soul—and that the best designs emerge from deep collaboration between architect and chef. Before launching his own firm in 2000, Coben worked on NIKETOWN stores and the Theater for the Academy Awards in Hollywood, experiences that sharpened his eye for immersive, narrative-driven environments.

The firm’s most celebrated New York restaurant project is the two-Michelin-starred Gabriel Kreuther restaurant in Midtown’s Grace Building, overlooking Bryant Park. Spanning 14,000 square feet across two levels, the space weaves reclaimed wooden timbers, old-world French references, and modern New York energy into an environment that earned the restaurant a place in Relais & Châteaux. Glen & Co. is also behind the interiors of Carbone, one of the city’s most in-demand dining reservations. What distinguishes the firm is its insistence on creating designs that feel like they could only belong to the restaurant they serve.

Areas in which this firm operates: New York City, Westchester

Restaurant projects on which they commonly work: Fine dining, upscale casual, hotel restaurants, chef-driven concepts

Website: https://www.glenandcompany.com

CCS Architecture

A restaurant interior features a long, live-edge wood dining table with an organic hole near one end, dark chairs, and a bar area with black stools in front of a white marble counter and arched wall niches holding liquor bottles.

Led by AIA Fellow Cass Calder Smith, CCS Architecture has been a defining force in restaurant design since the firm’s founding in 1990. With offices in Greenwich Village and San Francisco, the firm has earned recognition from James Beard, AIA Los Angeles, and the International Interior Design Association. Dwell, Architectural Record, The New York Times, and Metropolis have all published the firm’s work.

In New York, CCS Architecture is behind some of the city’s most recognizable dining spaces. They transformed a former steakhouse into the 16,000-square-foot Sarabeth’s Park Avenue South—now the brand’s largest location—with three private dining rooms and a richly textured interior of black tile, bleached wood panels, and geometric floor patterns. The firm also designed O Ya and Covina at the Park South Hotel, as well as the historic Vesuvio Bakery in SoHo and the sprawling Tin Building by Jean-Georges on the Seaport. Smith’s approach is rooted in strong conceptual thinking, and he works closely with chefs to make sure the architecture serves the dining experience rather than competing with it.

Areas in which this firm operates: New York City (Greenwich Village), San Francisco

Restaurant projects on which they commonly work: Restaurants, hotel dining rooms, food halls, bakeries, cafes

Website: https://www.casscaldersmith.com

Goodrich

An outdoor dining setting features a round white marble table set for a meal with pink glassware, surrounded by a deep green upholstered banquette and black and white patterned chairs, all nestled among lush tropical plants beneath a white gazebo.

Founded in 2017 by Matthew Goodrich—a veteran of both Rockwell Group and AvroKO—Goodrich is a hospitality design and branding studio based in Manhattan’s Flower District. Named Boutique Design’s 2024 Designer of the Year, Goodrich and his team of eleven designers and architects have quickly built a reputation for deeply researched, concept-driven restaurant environments.

The firm’s breakout project was Ci Siamo, the Union Square Hospitality Group restaurant designed in close collaboration with Danny Meyer. For this Manhattan West space, Goodrich created 51 schematic plans before landing on the final layout—a fire-inspired interior featuring glazed ceramic tile, forged metal, blown and slumped glass, and a charcoal terracotta mural by Colorado artist Meredith Feniak. The firm is currently at work on multiple new projects with Meyer’s team, along with hotel and restaurant commissions across the U.S. and South America. What sets Goodrich apart is its commitment to building a full narrative foundation—branding, interior design, and custom furniture—before a single material is specified.

Areas in which this firm operates: New York City (projects nationally and in South America)

Restaurant projects on which they commonly work: Restaurants, hotel dining, food and beverage branding, sports and entertainment venues

Website: https://goodrich.nyc

Richard H. Lewis Architect

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Founded in 1982, Richard H. Lewis Architect has quietly shaped some of New York’s most iconic dining rooms for over four decades. Richard Lewis takes a hands-on approach to every project, and the firm’s restaurant work spans legendary New York institutions and exciting newcomers alike.

The firm’s resume is staggering in its range: Balthazar, one of the most enduring restaurant designs in the city; Tavern on the Green, the Central Park landmark that underwent a celebrated grand reopening; Agern inside Grand Central Terminal; Mark’s Off Madison; and Oxomoco in Greenpoint. Lewis also designed Eataly’s Manzo restaurant and the Urbanspace Vanderbilt food hall. If you’ve eaten your way through New York, chances are you’ve sat inside one of his spaces. The firm’s strength lies in its ability to serve both high-concept fine dining and high-volume casual concepts with equal skill.

Areas in which this firm operates: New York City

Restaurant projects on which they commonly work: Restaurants, food halls, bakeries, retail, high-end residential

Website: https://www.richardhlewis.com

Stonehill Taylor

A rustic and cozy lounge features a seating area with various sofas and chairs, a low wooden coffee table on casters, and a fireplace set into a prominent brick wall, all beneath a slatted wood ceiling.

Stonehill Taylor is a hospitality-focused architecture and interior design firm founded in New York City in 1986. Led by founding partner Paul Taylor, the firm is unique in the industry for maintaining fully integrated architecture and interior design studios that inform each other’s work. Their portfolio includes some of the most recognized hotel projects in the country: the TWA Hotel at JFK, the NoMad Hotel, the Ace Hotel New York, the Whitby, and the Moxy Chelsea.

While Stonehill Taylor is best known for hotels, their restaurant work is equally strong—and the two often go hand in hand. The firm designed the Southgate Restaurant & Bar at the JW Marriott Essex House, which won the Hospitality Design Award for Best Casual Restaurant. More recently, they reimagined the classic New York diner at Arlo NoMad’s NoMad Diner, pairing 1950s nostalgia with modern materials like polished chrome, warm oak paneling, and bold stone bar tops. The NoMad Hotel itself, designed with Jacques Garcia, features a skylit atrium restaurant and the now-iconic Library lounge. If your restaurant lives within a hospitality project, Stonehill Taylor is one of the strongest choices in the city.

Areas in which this firm operates: New York City (projects nationally and internationally)

Restaurant projects on which they commonly work: Hotel restaurants, bars, adaptive reuse dining spaces, food halls

Website: https://stonehilltaylor.com

bonetti/kozerski architecture

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Founded in New York City in 2000 by Italian-born Enrico Bonetti and British-born Dominic Kozerski, bonetti/kozerski architecture has built a reputation for warm minimalism and understated luxury across hospitality, residential, and cultural projects. The duo met while working for Peter Marino and have since attracted a roster of high-profile clients including hoteliers André Balazs and Ian Schrager, fashion designers Donna Karan and Diane von Furstenberg, and Pace Gallery, for whom they designed the eight-story Chelsea headquarters.

Their restaurant work favors restraint over spectacle. For Sant Ambroeus, the beloved Italian café brand, bonetti/kozerski designed the Upper East Side Coffee Bar within the ground floor of the firm’s own Hanley Building—featuring silver travertine floors, walnut paneling, and custom fluted red Verona marble tiles crafted in Italy. Their design for The Noortwick in the West Village was a finalist for the NYCxDesign Award for Best Small Restaurant. They also created the restaurant, terrace bar, and basement nightclub for Schrager’s Public hotel on the Lower East Side. The result is always spaces that feel considered and confident without trying too hard.

Areas in which this firm operates: New York City

Restaurant projects on which they commonly work: Restaurants, cafés, hotel dining, bars, nightclubs

Website: https://www.bonettikozerski.com

Meyer Davis

A private dining area features a light wood oval table set with tableware and a plant centerpiece, surrounded by black, angular dining chairs with brass accents, all situated on a dark wood floor and framed by black-grid glass and translucent panels that open to reveal hanging moss installations in the background.

Founded in 1999 by Will Meyer and Gray Davis — both Auburn University architecture graduates who relocated to New York — Meyer Davis has grown into one of the most decorated design studios in the country. The firm was named 2025 Design Firm of the Year by Hospitality Design magazine, inducted into the Interior Design Hall of Fame, and honored with the Hospitality Design Platinum Circle. Their restaurant work earned a James Beard Award for the design of St. Cecilia in Atlanta, and they've received further recognition from Interior Design's Best of Year Awards, Boutique Design's Gold Key Awards, and the LOOP Design Awards.

What sets Meyer Davis apart in the restaurant space is the caliber of chefs and restaurateurs who seek them out. The firm's client list includes Andrew Carmellini (Locanda Verde at the Greenwich Hotel), Daniel Boulud, Tom Colicchio, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and Noho Hospitality. More recently, they designed Bar Primi Midtown, which won the 2024 LOOP Design Award for Best Interior Restaurant & Bar, as well as Harrods Brasserie in London. Their approach balances proportion, materiality, and light — creating environments that feel refined without being stiff and energetic without being loud. With over 70 staff across offices in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London, and Dubai, Meyer Davis operates at a scale that few boutique-minded firms can match while maintaining a hands-on design sensibility.

Areas in which this firm operates: New York City (offices also in Los Angeles, Miami, London, Dubai)

Restaurant projects on which they commonly work: Fine dining, hotel restaurants, bars, chef-driven concepts, branded restaurant rollouts

Website: meyerdavis.com

Perfect your New York restaurant’s design with the right contractor from Block

Studying the work of these firms can do more than inspire a restaurant buildout. It can sharpen your eye for what makes any space—including your own home—feel polished, intentional, and alive.

Many of the principles these architects use in restaurants apply directly to residential renovations: thoughtful material selection, smart spatial flow, lighting that creates mood, and finishes that stand up to daily life. A well-designed kitchen or bathroom at home borrows from the same playbook that makes a great restaurant work.

If you’re planning a renovation and want to bring some of that intentionality to your own kitchen, bathroom, or living space, Block Renovation can help you find the right contractor to execute your vision. Block connects homeowners with vetted, licensed professionals who understand how design and construction come together. From your first project plan to your final walkthrough, Block gives you the tools and guidance to renovate with confidence.

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Commercial Restaurant Architects

Written by Shahe Demirdjian

Shahe Demirdjian

Shahe supports clients and builders throughout the full project lifecycle, from early planning and scoping through execution and closeout, ensuring clear communication, alignment on timelines, and successful delivery across both residential and commercial projects.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to hire a restaurant architect in NYC?

Restaurant architecture fees in New York typically range from 8% to 15% of total construction costs, though flat fees and hourly rates are also common depending on the scope. Total construction costs can run anywhere from $150 to $500+ per square foot, depending on the level of finish, the condition of the existing space, and how much mechanical and plumbing work is involved. A restaurant architect's fee on a $500,000 buildout, for example, might fall between $40,000 and $75,000. Smaller firms and design-build outfits sometimes offer more competitive pricing by combining architecture and construction management under one contract. For a deeper look at how restaurant renovation budgets break down, see Block's guide to restaurant renovation costs.

How long does the restaurant design and buildout process take in NYC?

Plan for 6 to 18 months from initial design through opening day, depending on the complexity of the project. The design phase alone—schematic design, design development, and construction documents—can take 2 to 4 months. Permitting in New York City often adds another 2 to 4 months, sometimes longer if your project requires a change of occupancy or triggers a Landmarks Preservation Commission review. Construction for a full gut renovation typically runs 3 to 6 months. Many restaurateurs underestimate the permitting timeline, so building that into your schedule from the start is critical.

Do I need a separate kitchen designer, or will my architect handle the kitchen layout?

Most restaurant architects will create the general kitchen layout as part of their scope—establishing where the kitchen sits in the floor plan, how it connects to the dining room, and how the flow of service works. However, a dedicated kitchen or food-service consultant is usually brought in to specify equipment, finalize the mechanical layout, and coordinate with your chef on workflow. If your restaurant features an open or exhibition kitchen, the architect will typically lead that design since it's part of the dining experience. For bakeries or quick-service restaurants with specialized equipment needs, a food-service consultant is especially important.