Marcel, the Roman and Williams-designed restaurant tucked into the lower level of Sotheby’s Breuer building, is set to open this Thursday on Madison Avenue with a continental menu, a patisserie counter, and outdoor seating in the revived sculpture garden. Inside, the room leans into midcentury New York formality and downtown craft: walnut-paneled dining rooms, mohair banquettes, and a mirrored bar set the scene. Chef-partner Marie-Aude Rose will lead the kitchen, bringing her La Mercerie sensibility to the Upper East Side crowd.
Design and partners behind the idea
The project is a collaboration between Sotheby’s and design studio Roman and Williams, who describe Marcel as a modern continental dining room carved into the Breuer’s lower level. According to Roman and Williams, the interiors are meant to marry the building’s brutalist concrete shell with warm, tactile furnishings and a curated display of works and objects. Inside the restaurant, La Mercerie Patisserie will operate as an all-day counter for viennoiserie and tarts.
Kitchen, pastry and the menu to expect
Per The New York Times, Marie-Aude Rose will run the kitchen, while Rae Gaylord is on board as pastry chef for the patisserie counter. The Times outlines a broadly continental lineup, from confit de canard and gratin de cabillaud to côte de boeuf, alongside simpler fish and tartine preparations, all grounded in classic French technique. That structure puts Marcel in the city’s lane of formal, ingredient-forward dining rooms that come with a serious pastry program attached.
Wine, art and dining under one roof
Sotheby’s says Marcel will draw on unprecedented access to the auction house’s wine cellar, which will allow vintages normally held back for sales to be poured at table service. According to Sotheby’s, the dining room will also showcase rotating artworks and design pieces from the auction floor, so guests will be eating among items that are literally on the market. The plan to bring the Breuer sculpture garden back to life for outdoor seating is intended to give Upper East Side diners an al fresco option that is still relatively rare on this stretch of Madison.
How Marcel fits into the cultural dining trend
Marcel slots into a broader trend of cultural destinations pairing up with high-end restaurants, a pattern that local coverage has tracked as museums and institutions tap noted restaurant teams. Eater NY pointed out that the La Mercerie team’s move into Sotheby’s follows the same playbook of design-forward restaurants anchoring institutional spaces. For the Upper East Side, Marcel effectively imports a downtown aesthetic and pastry pedigree into a neighborhood better known for quieter, more traditional dining rooms.
Reservations, hours and what to know
Reservations are available through the restaurant’s booking page, and Sotheby’s lists the lower-level dining room as operating Wednesday through Sunday evenings. Booking details and information on walk-up patisserie service are outlined on the Roman and Williams reservations page and the Sotheby’s restaurant listing. For now, the team expects to concentrate early service on dinner seatings while they ramp up full programming for daytime and outdoor dining.
Whether Marcel turns into a regular haunt for collectors, neighbors, or both will hinge on how the food, pastry work, and auction-house crossover feel once guests are in the seats. Early buzz suggests the Upper East Side is getting a rare, formal new option that blends art, wine, and continental cooking, as the Breuer’s latest chapter as part gallery, part auction house, and part restaurant comes fully online this week.
