New Museum's Oberon Restaurant Blends Sustainable Dining with Art

Oberon, the New Museum's ground-floor restaurant designed by OMA, opened in New York City as a plant-focused dining destination with carbon-negative operations. The 120-seat venue functions as a café by day and a cocktail bar by night, accessed via a graffiti-clad alleyway. OMA wrapped the interior in biodegradable cork from Portuguese manufacturer Sofalca, including a large domed ceiling and CNC-milled domes finished with silver leaf. New York-based Korean furniture designer Minjae Kim contributed hand-sculpted ash tables and resin-dipped fiberglass light fixtures. Artist Ian Cheng created a video piece titled 'Shrine Oberon' that uses agentic AI to generate an ever-evolving animation, serving as both artwork and bar lighting. Guests receive a chocolate by artist and musician Laurie Anderson at meal's end. The restaurant is operated by the Oberon Group, which runs carbon-negative hospitality ventures, and sources ingredients locally from the Hudson Valley.