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The Garden Bar, MoMA's seasonal outdoor cafe tucked inside the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden, has brought back its ice cream cart for the season and, this year, the flavors are as art-inspired as the galleries themselves.
Located just steps from The Modern restaurant, the open-air bar overlooks one of the city's most beloved sculpture gardens, offering a surprisingly peaceful escape from Midtown's usual chaos. Along with beer, wine, cocktails and light snacks, visitors can now cool off with a trio of specialty ice cream flavors created by The Modern's executive pastry chef, Charlotte Brecher.
The lineup includes Untitled, a vanilla bean flavor inspired by sculptor Lee Bontecou's 1959 work of the same name. Chocolate lovers can opt for Duchomp, a chocolate-chunk creation that tips its hat to MoMA's current exhibition dedicated to pioneering artist Marcel Duchamp. Then there's Vincent Man-Gogh, a dairy-free mango-passionfruit sorbet designed to pair nicely with a visit to one of the museum's most famous residents, The Starry Night.
The playful flavors feel perfectly on-brand for a museum that has never been afraid to blend high art with a sense of humor. They're also a welcome excuse to spend a little extra time in the sculpture garden, one of Manhattan's great hidden urban retreats.
The Garden Bar itself operates as a seasonal pop-up serving drinks, snacks and frozen treats in the heart of the museum's outdoor space. While the menu changes throughout the season, visitors can expect a casual mix of refreshments ranging from cocktails and wine to coffee, pretzels and soft-serve. The specialty ice cream flavors will be available throughout the summer and are priced at $8 each.
The Garden Bar is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 am to 5 pm and Fridays from 11 am to 7 pm, weather permitting. MoMA members receive a 10% discount at the museum's cafés, including the Garden Bar.
For anyone looking to turn an afternoon of modern art into a full sensory experience, this might be the sweetest exhibit at MoMA this summer.