Fashion Icon Louis Vuitton and Owner of Le Coucou Debut a Midtown Cafe

Stephen Starr and his restaurant group, behind blockbuster New York spots such as Le Coucou and Pastis, have been working with fashion house Louis Vuitton on a restaurant at 6 E. 57th Street, at Fifth Avenue, on the fourth floor of the brand’s Manhattan location, opening tomorrow.

Called Le Cafe Louis Vuitton, it displays a library theme — stocked with over 600 books— and offers a menu they’re calling “luxury snacking.” It seems to be aiming more for more than just a “ladies who lunch” crowd, by bringing in a chef of Michelin caliber: Chef Christophe Bellanca, of Essential by Christophe, oversees the savory dishes. Pastries come from Mary George, former head of pastry at Daniel.

Starr describes the food as “fine food, beautifully prepared, not super precious, and not tweezer food.” He told Eater the group looked at chefs from the U.S. and abroad for months before deciding on Bellanca. “He could pivot to taking off his fine-dining hat,” to do what they were looking for, Starr says. The cafe is in collaboration with Louis Vuitton’s consulting chefs, Arnaud Donckele (who runs two three-star Michelin restaurants in France) and pastry chef Maxime Frédéric, who will feature a chocolate shop, Chocolat Maxime Frédéric, his first in the U.S.

The New York Times reports the restaurant will run only a couple of years while the brand demolishes its current Manhattan location to build a larger store; no word yet on whether the restaurant will carry over to the renovated space. The entrance features an installation of Louis Vuitton trunks stacked toward the ceiling, designed by Shohei Shigematsu, an architect at the Office for Metropolitan Architecture.

Louis Vuitton

The project has been years in the works, with the fine-tuning coming together over the past several months. Starr says the partnership “is different for me but I feel happy and proud to be a part of it.” He cited the pleasure of having the iconic fashion brand steer aesthetic decisions on plates, staff attire, and room design. “Usually,” he quips, “I have to collaborate with landlords.”

It’s the first Louis Vuitton restaurant in the States, with others in France, Chengdu, and Bangkok. It’s a sleeker version of the department store restaurant, such as the five tucked away in Nordstrom, located nearby. It’s one example of an uptick in designers getting into restaurants, with Giorgio Armani’s opening soon.

Branding adorns the plating, with fancy dishes like a monogram waffle with caviar and creme fraiche ($48) and monogram flower ravioli. Other dishes include a Caesar salad, scallop soufflé, a cheddar burger ($32), and black bass with razor clams.

The restaurant debuts at noon on November 15, with reservations available on Resy starting November 16. The cafe will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday; it offers breakfast, lunch, and tea.

Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton