In October 1985, Danny Meyer opened Union Square Cafe with chef Ali Barker.[citation needed] In December 2015, The restaurant's lease at 21 E 16th Street ended.[2] In December 2016, Union Square Cafe reopened at Hotel on Rivington, 101 East 19th Street.[3][4][5]
Design
The original restaurant was designed by architect Larry Bogdanow.[6] The new location is designed by architect David Rockwell.[7]
Awards and accolades
The restaurant has won multiple awards and honors since its inception,[8] including the ranking of "Favorite New York Restaurant" in the Zagat Survey in the 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2008 editions. Notably, the restaurant did not receive a Michelin star during Michelin's 2005 review of New York restaurants, leading to concerns that the guide might be biased towards French cuisine or restaurants that "emphasize formality and presentation".[9]
The 2016 novel Sweetbitter features a protagonist who works as a waitress in a fictionalized version of the restaurant; Vanity Fair referred to the novel as a "love letter" to Union Square Cafe.[10]
^"Union Square Cafe". Zagat. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
^Li, David K. (June 24, 2014). "Danny Meyer's famed Union Square Cafe to close". New York Post. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
^"Danny Meyer's Union Square Cafe Reopens in New Location on 19th Street". DNAinfo. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
^Filloon, Whitney (December 2, 2016). "Danny Meyer's Iconic Union Square Cafe Has Been Reborn". Eater. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
^"Union Square Cafe". Hotel on Rivington. September 9, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
^Grimes, William (June 29, 2011). "Larry Bogdanow, 64, Dies; Crafted Cozy Restaurants". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 30, 2017.
^Kimmelman, Michael (September 6, 2016). "The Same, Only Different: Designing a New Union Square Cafe". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 6, 2016.
^Union Square Cafe Awards. Union Square Cafe. Retrieved January 14, 2008.
^Kurutz, Steven (November 13, 2015). "She's a Belle of the City, but the French Are Blasé". The New York Times. Retrieved January 14, 2008.
^Vitale, Julia (May 23, 2016). "11 Questions for Sweetbitter Author Stephanie Danler, Union Square Cafe's Most Successful Alumnus (sic)". Vanity Fair. Retrieved July 17, 2016.