WALDORF ASTORIA: LEX YARD

Our work at the Waldorf Astoria spans several projects across the property. Serving as architect of record, we were asked to transform its storied restaurant The Bear and Bull, birthplace of the Waldorf salad, into Lex Yard. The new restaurant is twice the size and spans two floors, working from an interior design vision developed by AvroKO. Beneath the scale of the space sits an unusually complex program: private dining rooms, secure areas built to accommodate high-profile guests, and a kitchen serving both the restaurant and the hotel at large, all layered with the mechanical, electrical, and life-safety systems a space of this size and sensitivity demands — engineered to be deliberately invisible.

The result is a restaurant that reads as effortless. The space is comfortable at full capacity without ever feeling crowded, and generous without losing intimacy. Working alongside chef Michael Anthony's kitchen in one of the most scrutinized addresses in New York left no room for error. The final space has more than met the moment, taking its place in a part of the city, and the world, that carries real historical weight.

Completed in 2025
Interiors: AvroKO
Photography: Joe Thomas