Union Square Cafe

New York, NY

Restaurant

What if a cherished neighborhood institution could begin a new chapter?

Union Square Cafe is beloved for its quirky, comfortable charm and dishes featuring ingredients sourced from the nearby Union Square Greenmarket in Manhattan. When Danny Meyer's 30-year-old institution needed to move a few blocks away, he called on Rockwell Group to preserve the familiarity of the original restaurant, while imagining something brand new.

Client: Union Square Hospitality Group

Project Category: Restaurant

Union Square Cafe Emily Andrews (6) — The main dining room is warm and inviting, with a wide-plank cherry wood floor and green and white concrete tiles surrounding the bar area.

“Where everyone knows your name.”

Inspired by the old location, the new bar design includes a mahogany top, cherry and walnut front paneling, and an antique bronze inlay and green leather accent. Custom, spun metal pendant lights with a burnished copper finish come to same height as the original USC pendants.

Union Square Cafe Emily Andrews (16) — A smaller bar on the mezzanine level is an important artifact, incorporating a 12-foot length of the original USC bar and original glass pendant lights.

Just like the artwork, we reframed and rethought every moment and detail.

A kitchen on the mezzanine level helps ensure that meals arrive tableside for guests in the private dining room and wine room at the perfect temperature.