In June,Eater reported that Ariel Arce and Max Katzenberg had taken over the former The Leopard at des Artistes space at 1 West 67th Street. Now comes the bigger reveal: They’re resurrecting Café des Artistes itself — and asking New Yorkers to help shape
its return.
Café des Artistes will reopen in early 2027 under AirMax Hospitality, the group behindTokyo Record Bar, Roscioli NYC, Pearl Box, Leonessa, and Big Pearl Caviar. The Hotel des Artistes board selected the group after a search for a new operator, according to the team.
An ad set to run in the New York Times on Sunday, September 27, invites former diners, staff, neighbors, and anyone else with a connection to Café des Artistes to send in memories, whether a story, photograph, painting, or something else entirely. (Submissions can also be sent to memories@cafedesartistesnyc.com.) Arce and Katzenberg’s AirMax Hospitality says it will draw on those responses as the restaurant takes shape for its new era.
For Arce, the revival is personal. She grew up in Hell’s Kitchen and celebrated her graduation from LaGuardia High School at Café des Artistes. Katzenberg was born a few blocks away; the two became business partners in 2023.
The original Café des Artistes opened in 1917 on the ground floor of the Hotel des Artistes, an apartment building built for artists, many of whose units had little or no kitchen space. What began as a dining room for residents eventually became a destination in its own right, particularly for performers, musicians, writers, and artists drawn to the Upper West Side and nearby Lincoln Center.
Its most recognizable feature remains intact: the murals of wood nymphs that illustrator and Hotel des Artistes resident Howard Chandler Christy began painting in 1934. They remained on the walls after Café des Artistes closed in 2009 and through the 15-year run of its successor, the Leopard at des Artistes, whichclosed in February.
Café des Artistes’ best-known era began in 1975, when George Lang and his wife, Jenifer, took over. The Hungarian-born restaurateur revived it for a new generation of performers and artists, with dishes including salmon four ways, pot-au-feu, and tarte à l’oignon becoming signatures. A chef for the upcoming revival has not yet been announced.
