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Nevermind a cube of cheese. On The Devil Wear Prada 2, officially out in theaters today, it’s all about the carbs. Specifically, fingerling potato wedges.
The food takes center stage in a scene towards the end of the sequel, when Emily Blunt’s character Emily and Anne Hathaway’s Andy catch up over a bite to eat at Marlow East, an upscale Upper East Side restaurant at 1022 Lexington Avenue near East 73rd Street. Time Out exclusive learned that the actors sat at table number 68, just in case you’re into dining at very specific movie locations.
But how did the seemingly anonymous New American restaurant land in the much-anticipated movie?
Folks connected to the eatery gave us the scoop.
According to sources, the building’s landlord renovated the space several years ago, after another restaurant shut down at the address during the pandemic. Marlow East, with executive chef Braxton Decker at the helm, took over the space and was just days away from opening to customers, with neighborhood buzz already building. A preview shoot with The New York Times had been scheduled for May 13, 2025 to capture the food and ambience for a forthcoming feature. Right around then, a man knocked on the door, eager to see inside. The owner, Elena Ristovski, let him in to take a peek—at which point, she says, he called in a few more people to tour the restaurant, who turned out to be the Devil Wears Prada 2 production team.
“One of them was the director, apparently, and right there on the spot decided this is where they're going to do the reunion lunch [scene] between Blunt and Hathaway,” recalls Ristovski, specifically noting that the eatery’s sophisticated and bright ambiance helped seal the deal.
The massive floor-to-ceiling windows on the second floor (and their view) were a major selling point as well. The restaurant overlooks the exterior of a building that stood in for Runway editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly’s (Meryl Streep) townhome. According to Ristovski, the brownstone is owned by a 92-year-old Turkish businessman who is “very nice, but not there often,” so the production team had to wait for him to walk them through the property. Once they finished, the director turned around and spotted the restaurant.
The film shoot was scheduled for August, 2025. Outside were droves of fans trying to catch the stars in action. The team was adamant about authenticity: they wanted the room to feel like a real service at Marlow East, not a generic “movie restaurant.” They kept the eatery’s actual table layouts, used its real dishware and worked from the existing food and beverage program.
They even pulled in members of the actual staff to work behind the scenes and appear on camera: one server pouring water at the stars’ table, another serving guests at nearby seats. Most of the staff was on standby, ready in case the director decided to swap them into the frame.
The production team also dictated what the on-camera diners would be served: Caesar salads, market greens with dressing on the side, croquettes, corn, potato wedges, Dutch runner beans, plus chicken, burger and courgette entrées for background tables.
Behind the scenes, actress Simone Ashley, of Bridgerton fame, was watching from set. In The Devil Wears Prada 2, she plays Amari, Priestly’s new first assistant.
“No one recognized her,” Ristovski says, noting that Ashley was dressed casually in jeans and a simple T-shirt.
Perhaps even more surprising was the amount of food prepared for a single scene: Blunt and Hathaway were served six portions of both regular and sweet fingerling-style potato wedges to nosh on while filming the same moment at least 20 times, according to Ristovski.
Clearly, the potatoes are doing more than just playing a supporting role. And if you’re curious to try the now–big-screen-famous dish for yourself, you can: those same potato wedges are on the menu as a $14 side during brunch, offering a decidedly more accessible way to taste a little piece of movie history—no camera crew required.