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Clemente Bar

New York

• Three Cents Best New Opening Award 2025

New Entry

Daniel Humm needs little introduction in the world of hospitality. When the visionary chef behind New York fine dining institution Eleven Madison Park reached out to Italian artist Francesco Clemente, he simply wanted to collaborate on the creation of a single cocktail for the restaurant. What followed was a fast move into a full partnership and the opening of a whole new bar one floor above EMP’s dining room.

The first impression Clemente Bar makes is its crowning glory. The Neapolitan artist’s masterful touch is manifest throughout the space, from the breath-taking ceiling fresco above the entrance stairwell – painted directly on-site by Clemente – to the two murals that sweep around the perimeter of the main bar area. Clemente has substance under the surface, too, with a drinks programme masterminded by beverage director Sebastian Tollius that pulls from its sister restaurant’s penchant for explorative flavours. The result? Cocktails that effortlessly toe the line between layered complexity and elegant simplicity. Take the Clemente Martini, for example, where the team have delicately imbued the timeless classic with aromatics of green curry and saffron, or the Harvest Highball, where Japanese whisky is combined with pale cream coffee, pistachio and tonka.

In addition to the main bar room, Clemente Bar also offers an omakase-style five-course tasting menu experience in The Studio, where picture-perfect, plant-based bites, such as the agedashi tofu handroll and maitake mushroom skewer come paired with a curated selection of cocktails. Since opening its doors just last year, Clemente Bar has quickly become one of New York’s hottest cocktail destinations, earning it the Three Cents Best New Opening Award 2025.

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