Flora Bar

"Ignacio Mattos’s creative take on classic starters like steak tartare made his downtown restaurant Estela a breakout hit. In 2016, he and partner Thomas Carter brought that successful recipe to the Upper East Side by opening Flora Bar at the Met Breuer. It exemplifies the trend of museum restaurants that are destinations in their own right (see also Untitled). The small plates menu is seafood heavy, with a few tapas-inspired options. Standouts include raw yellowfin tuna with toasted flax seeds and fried shallot; potato and raclette croquettes; and a purple endive salad with pecans and blue cheese. The intensity of these flavors—and the formidable wine and cocktail list—suit the hulking modernist space, outfitted in marble and dark leather."

"So special and so of its place; it always felt like an occasion, even at lunch time." - Eater Staff

"Restaurateur Ignacio Mattos’s fine dining spot Flora Bar at the Met Breuer permanently shut down in February after keeping its doors closed since March." - Erika Adams

"Upper East Side: Flora Bar, the upscale, critically acclaimed seafood-centric restaurant from chef Ignacio Mattos, is closing its doors after a four-year run. Mattos announced the news on his Instagram account on February 9, but did not disclose further details about the closure." - Luke Fortney

"Like Flora Bar (below the Met Breur on the Upper East Side) and Otium (next to The Broad in downtown L.A.), Mina’s is the latest museum restaurant to assert itself as a dining destination in its own right—no museum admission required." - ByAliza Abarbanel