Printemps isn’t just one of the most beautiful department stores in New York City. It’s also a stellar downtown dining destination, boasting five different food-and-beverage concepts from James Beard Award winner and two-time Top Chef finalist Chef Gregory Gourdet. Whether you’re shopping, browsing or just want to get a glimpse of the spectacular Red Room, you’ll definitely want to grab a drink and a bite at one of these spots.
Or, heck, hit up all five — we recently indulged in a complete day of dining at Printemps, starting with our mid-morning coffee and ending with a delicious dinner at Maison Passerelle, Gourdet’s newly opened French Creole fine-dining restaurant on the ground floor. You can follow our lead and make a whole day of it using the guide below (and be sure to watch our Reel at the end of the post for the full experience) or choose your favorite location for a special meal. Bon appetit!
Start with…coffee and pastries at Café Jalu
Named after Printemps founders Augustine and Jules Jaluzot, Café Jalu is an all-day cafe serving up delicious pastries, coffees, pressed juices, and other casual drinks and fare. Copy us with a Haïtien Chocolate (coconut milk, cinnamon, star anise, vanilla), Sunset Juice (pineapple, ginger, carrot, orange) and a scrumptious cream-filled pastry.
For lunch…oysters and a prix fixe at Salon Vert
Meander through Printemps’ main floor and make your way upstairs, where you’ll find the bistro-esque Salon Vert tucked away in a windowed corner. Opt for the daily oyster selection and the creole shrimp cocktail along with the Salon Vert seasonal prix fixe (foccacia, summer berry salad, yellowfin tuna, potato salad, summer squash, lemon sorbet), which is easily shareable and worth the splurge.
While shopping…a glass of champagne from the Champagne Bar
Here’s a fun secret about Printemps: the entire space has a liquor license, so you’re welcome to walk around with a glass of wine or bubbly while you shop. The Champagne Bar, conveniently located in the beauty department, is a great spot to grab a drink while perusing the wares, with a range of champagnes and wines for purchase. Pro tip: Take your bevvy into the neighboring Boudoir for a glimpse of some gorgeous vintage and designer threads.
Before dinner…cocktails and bar snacks at the Red Room Bar
Located just outside the eponymous Hildreth Meière-designed Art Deco masterpiece, the Red Room Bar is a whimsical cocktail den that’s perfect for a post-shopping, pre-dinner aperitif. We opted for a few bar snacks — crispy black eyed peas and plantain chips — along with the tasty Pink Pony Club (Rosaluna mezcal, clarin, guava, strawberry, soda) and Hildreth’s Room* (Domaine de Montreuil Calavados, chamomile, yellow chartreuse, absinthe), an aptly picturesque ode to the artist herself.
The pièce de résistance…dinner at Maison Passerelle
If you can snag a reservation at Maison Passerelle (and have some cash to burn), this is THE place to go in Printemps. Chef Gourdet blends classic French dishes with ingredients and techniques sourced from Haiti and other nations in the French diaspora, yielding creative and masterful entrees and appetizers. We opted for the plantain bread and butter (a must-have), smoked beet salad, petite salad and the roasted farm chicken, with a Haitian chocolate ganache for dessert, though there’s no way to go wrong here with the menu. Note that everything in Maison Passerelle is gluten-free, making it a friendly place for folks with gluten intolerances.
photos: Heather Willensky
