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Trend alert: Restaurants are opening at an alarming rate with blue banquettes flanking the walls. The warm-toned, couch-like seating has been popping up at a number of restaurant openings and renovations in recent months, from places as high-profile as Eleven Madison Park to fashion-forward cafes like La Mercerie.
What’s with the zeitgeist? Restaurant-goers know that red banquettes were all the rage in the Keith McNally heyday (see: Balthazar), but as restaurants have moved beyond brasserie and gastropub decor, mid-century modern design has taken over. (As has Instagram bait, like neon and millennial pink — but that’s another story.) Warm woods, gold accents, and, yes, blue banquettes now reign supreme.
Here’s where they can be found, though restaurants take note: As soon as a trend is labeled as such, it’s time to move on.
Gloria
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Motel Morris
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Scampi
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Eleven Madison Park
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Nishi
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La Mercerie
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Baar Baar
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Salinas
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La Pecora Bianca Midtown
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Due West
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