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The Upper East Side is about to get a very chic dose of French flavor. When Sotheby’s opens its new global headquarters at 945 Madison Avenue this November, it won’t just be art lovers lining up at the Breuer building—it’ll be diners. The legendary auction house has teamed up with Roman and Williams, the design studio behind some of New York’s most beloved restaurants, to create Marcel, a French restaurant opening in spring 2026, alongside La Mercerie Patisserie, a café and bakery tucked inside.
The new dining duo comes from the same team behind SoHo’s acclaimed La Mercerie, hailed by the New York Times for its “classical precision” and by the New Yorker as the “epitome of luxury.” Chef and partner Marie-Aude Rose will lead the kitchen at Marcel, joined by La Mercerie’s executive chef Heloise Fischbach. Expect the group’s signature blend of refined French technique and warm, tactile design—only this time, in a Brutalist icon.
The restaurant’s name nods to architect Marcel Breuer, who designed the building in 1966. Downstairs, La Mercerie Patisserie will serve as both coffee bar and pastry counter, offering croissants, tarts and espresso to-go or a sit-and-stay experience inspired by the cafés of Paris and Vienna, according to East Side Feed.
For those keeping score of the Breuer building’s cultural reincarnations, this is its latest life after housing the Whitney Museum, the Met Breuer and, most recently, the Frick Collection. Sotheby’s purchased the landmark for roughly $100 million in 2024 and is transforming it into a multi-level art, design and dining hub—complete with galleries, auction spaces and now, a restaurant pedigree worthy of the address.
Roman and Williams, led by Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch, has long blurred the line between architecture and atmosphere. The pair’s past projects include Le Coucou, The Dutch and the Standard Grill, all celebrated for their cinematic style. With Marcel, the duo is once again setting the table where design meets desire.
Spring 2026 can’t come soon enough—this is one auction where New Yorkers will be hungry to place their bids.