NYC Restaurant News

The Most Popular Seating in Town Is the Blue Banquette

Chances are, you’re sitting in one right now

by Stefanie Tuder@stefanietuder Feb 2, 2018, 3:25pm EST

A table covered in white tablecloth is set for service in an ornate dining room decorated with mini lamps — Eleven Madison Park’s blue, blue banquette

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

Motel Morris

Scampi

Eleven Madison Park

A high-ceilinged, elegant dining room with a blue painting hanging in the back.

Nishi