Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images
Like anyone else, celebrities have certain spots they frequent — especially when it comes to restaurants. Leonardo DiCaprio is known to be a frequent visitor of Nobu in Malibu. Wolfgang Puck’s Spago is a favorite of Tom Hanks and Reese Witherspoon. Carbone and The Corner Store in New York City are both celebrity hotspots. Then there’s La Mercerie, a French-inspired restaurant and popular bakery tucked inside a furniture store in the SoHo district of New York City. If you ever have a chance to visit La Mercerie, there’s a decent chance you might see none other than the famous author and media personality, Martha Stewart.
The restaurant, helmed by executive chef Marie-Aude Rose, is a thoughtful reimagining of French cuisine in which Rose balances her classical training with avant-garde practices, according to its website. La Mercerie offers three menus — lunch, dinner, and apéro (small bites) — with classic French appetizers and entrees like pâté en croûte, beef bourguignon, Dover sole meunière, and filet au poivre. All of these come at a price point which, by New York City standards, isn’t over the top. The menu certainly sounds delicious, but what makes it so special that keeps Martha Stewart coming back?
La Mercerie isn’t just a Martha Stewart favorite
When Martha Stewart visited La Mercerie in early 2025, she wrote about the experience on The Martha Stewart Blog and referred to it as “the most delicious meal.” Her group enjoyed phyllo-wrapped shrimp with seaweed and caviar, French onion soup, gratin dauphinois, sole meunière, filet of duck served in a cherry sauce, beef bourguignon, and several delicious desserts.
La Mercerie opened in 2018, and the restaurant has had its fair share of praise beyond Martha Stewart. La Mercerie is also a favorite of Food Network star, Ina Garten. And Resy — the popular online restaurant reservation platform — called it one of the best patios for people watching in New York City. The restaurant was featured in a season 2 episode of HBO’s “And Just Like That,” starring Sarah Jessica Parker. Vogue labeled La Mercerie as one of the 28 most romantic restaurants in New York City, and it made the New York Times’ list of the 100 best restaurants in the city.
In just seven years, the restaurant has obviously made its mark in New York City, which is no small feat. Of course, it never hurts to have the blessing of two culinary queens like Martha Stewart and Ina Garten. That’s why, next time we’re in SoHo, you can bet we’ll reserve a table at La Mercerie to see for ourselves why the restaurant has become such a local favorite.
Dining and Cooking