[title]
Union Square is about to reel in a big-name opening. John McDonald, the longtime restaurateur behind Lure Fishbar, Bowery Meat Company, Bar Mercer and Cha Cha Tang, is launching Seahorse, a modern seafood brasserie set inside the newly reopened W New York – Union Square. The restaurant opens on Wednesday, September 24, at the landmark corner of Park Avenue South and 17th Street.
Seahorse takes over a 125-seat space that’s equal parts polished brasserie and maritime fantasy. Rockwell Group has designed the interiors with mother-of-pearl inlays, yacht-style wood, mermaid-green tile and a zinc-topped bar. A sweeping seafood counter anchors the dining room, framed by a 40-foot hand-painted mural from Brooklyn’s En Viu studio that ripples with surrealist waves and the energy of the East River.
The menu, created by longtime McDonald's collaborator Chef John Villa, leans into pristine seafood, a raw bar brimming with crudo and oysters and plenty of seasonal produce sourced from the Union Square Greenmarket just steps away. Highlights include tuna crudo with crispy caper parsley oil, Skull Island prawns brightened with burnt lemon and Calabrian chili and wood-oven roasted Shinnecock littlenecks slicked with ’nduja butter.
Not everything comes on ice or in a shell. Signature toasts make a splash—think sea urchin crowned with caviar, chilled lobster dusted in Old Bay and shrimp ajillo piled onto sourdough. House-made pastas like spicy Maine lobster cavatelli and corn raviolo with ricotta and pine nuts give carb lovers reason to cheer, while mains range from seared tuna au poivre with triple-cooked fries to oven-roasted branzino with salsa verde. A half duck à l’orange rounds out the menu with some land-based indulgence.
The drinks program is just as considered. The "Seahorse Martini" mixes Monkey 47 gin with Lillet and yellow chartreuse, the "Great Wave" stirs Toki Japanese whisky with yuzu and lemongrass syrup and the "Ideal Unwind" layers tequila, strawberry and sparkling wine for something light and bright.
With its Greenmarket ties, hotel-throughway energy and a dining room that feels like an Art Deco yacht club washed in downtown cool, Seahorse is poised to be Union Square’s newest draw—for seafood obsessives, cocktail seekers and anyone who likes their dinner with a little drama.