Skyllar Hughes is the Executive Chef at The Westmoreland, located within The Frick Collection in New York City. She leads the culinary program for Union Square Events, a hospitality group founded by Danny Meyer,...
The Westmoreland is the full-service café located within The Frick Collection on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It offers visitors a beautiful, elegant, and light-filled respite among the galleries, designed by Bryan O'Sullivan Studio as part of Selldorf Architects' renovation. Reservations are required.
Customer perception is mixed. Many praise the stupendous quality of the food, the stunning and elegant ambiance, and the attentive service (when received). Specific dishes like the croissant, cheese plate, trout, chicken Milanese, pasta, and salads receive positive mentions. However, a significant point of contention is the extraordinarily high pricing and small portion sizes, leading some to feel it's overpriced. The reservation process and occasional service inefficiencies (long lines, slow service, forgotten items) are also common complaints.
Additional Details
The café is situated on Floor 2, overlooking the galleries of The Frick Collection. It was the first café established inside the storied institution as part of a major renovation project.
Reservations are required, suggesting it can be busy. It is a popular spot for lunch and afternoon tea, especially in conjunction with a visit to The Frick Collection.
Google
3
This restaurant in the Frick has stupendous quality food, attentive service, and stimulating atmosphere. The question is: are these the only qualities that drive a rating to 5 stars? No! Given the portion size and fair market value, this venue cannot achieve but only 3 stars. They are robbing their patrons with shrink-flation and extraordinarily high prices. For example, for a single expresso they charge $8.00 while in comparison the Nice Matin will charge $6.00 for a double expresso. Cocktails are $21.00. Two rolls with butter is $12.00. A small bowl of chicken soup is $24.00. One dessert is $22.00. The business model reflects Henry Clay Frick’s Barron Robber attitude. What a shameful sham at Westmoreland. It’s not worth your hard earned money. Definitely eat somewhere else but here.
To begin with the reservation process needs to be improved.
After waiting weeks on Resy the main lunch hours from 12:00 till 2:30 were unavailable even though I tried the same day the reservations became available.
On site one can still request a reservation for those hours that were unavailable on Resy, but the day we went the system was down so we had to make another line once we were indoors (after being on the outdoor line for ticket holders for more than 1/2 an hour).
The whole process is unnecessary stressful.
At the appointed hour we showed up and there was another long line just to get to the host in a crowded waiting area. Once we were seated there were several empty tables with the waiting area even more crowded than when we arrived.
Anyway was all this tumult worth it?
Not so sure. It took a good 15 minutes to see our dedicated waiter again after he brought us water. We had to ask other server to please take our order but he had to go find our waiter.
We ordered two harvest salads, one with chicken and the other with chicken and avocado. Guess what? On the second one they forgot the chicken! The manager was gracious enough to bring the missing morsels.
Presentation was on the bright side as well as the dressing…bread was warm and delicious; but efficiency in both reservations and service needs big improvements.
Not a place I would go back.
This review is specifically for the afternoon tea:
Service and ambiance were great and the noise level was very manageable - easy to have a conversation. Everything was presented beautifully.
The 3 star food rating is not for quality, but for portion vs. price.
Each $65 tea set ($83 all told!) came with:
- 1 tiny scone (half-size in comparison to normal; came with spreads)
- 5 very small finger sandwiches (~1x3" each)
- 1 macaron & 1 tiny pastry
This is a VERY scanty amount of food for afternoon tea. We've been to a lot of NYC teas and it is *very* rare that we leave hungry, but I left the Frick hungry. At the very least, I would expect another mini scone + double the tea sandwiches -- or, larger sandwiches and a regular-size scone.
Other notes:
- For 3 people they gave us two teapots (we chose 2 teas), but when they came out, each pot was only half-full. They did refill the pots mid-meal. Our party's tea snob was disappointed to see that they used teabags instead of loose-leaf tea.
- Scone and bread were good but not great. No dry tea sandwiches here, but no warm scone, either.
- Some of the flavors of the finger sandwiches were a little strong (dill) or oversalted (cucumber) or strange (citrus cream cheese on the smoked salmon??). But we did appreciate the creative touches on what would otherwise have been standard fare, and they were presented beautifully.
Overall: It was nice, but for $83, I expect to enjoy myself AND leave satiated!
We would not come here for tea again unless we hear that they have enlarged the portion sizes (or knocked the price down to ~$40). But if you have money to burn or a really small stomach, enjoy!
I sat at the bar by myself at Westmoreland at The Frick and was taken care of by Ricardo, who was absolutely wonderful. The space is stunning and elegant, light-filled, and beautifully designed, with every detail feeling thoughtful and refined. I had a Cosmopolitan and a croissant, which was the best I’ve ever had. The atmosphere is both sophisticated and welcoming, and Ricardo’s attentive service made the experience exceptional. A perfect spot to unwind and enjoy something truly special.
Came in for drinks and bites after an afternoon checking out the new Frick. Enjoyed our cocktails and whatever the cheese plate was incredible. Each bite and nibble so flavorful. Would love to come back and try more of the menu.
My friend’s specialty cocktail looked great and my rose was nice and crisp.
