Who Owns the Polo Bar in NYC?
Marken Owens
Ralph Lauren has long been a designer who isn't afraid to step outside the fashion box, so it's no surprise that the famed designer has also started to expand his food service offerings. Currently, he has a restaurant in Chicago (RL Restaurant) and a cafe above his Fifth Avenue flagship called Ralph's Coffee.
When he opens his new NYC eatery, The Polo bar NYC, this week, it will be the designer's third food-service venture: an extension of his fashion empire that he's cultivated through years of expansion and expansionist design. It is also his first restaurant in Manhattan, which means it will be located just a few steps away from the famous Ralph Lauren Fifth Avenue flagship store on 55th Street.
The Polo Bar will serve up classic American fare, including the corned beef sandwiches that have become a staple at the restaurant and the signature $30 hamburgers. But the real draw here is the equestrian art and trophies scattered throughout the space, which looks like an aristocratic clubhouse that you might expect to find after a day at the polo field.
As the designer himself told us, his goal was to create a clubby Midtown Manhattan dining room that would feel "like it's been there forever." In other words, it will be a place where you'll run into your friends at every table, the maitre d' knows your favorite booth and a Manhattan neat will be at your elbow before you decide what to order.
You might have to go through a lot of hoops to get into this establishment, but once you do, the dining experience will be as much about the surroundings as it is the food. The wood-paneled walls are warm and welcoming, with a sculpted bar in the center of the room. Leather banquettes line the parquet floors, with an opulent collection of equestrian art to boot.
There's an upscale, yet not overly pretentious menu, with crowd pleasers such as the shrimp cocktails and BLT salads. But the roasted sea bream in banana leaf with coconut, curry, aloe vera and lime ($51) will make you want to keep going back for more.
This new restaurant from Ralph Lauren is the latest in a growing wave of designer-branded restaurants. Other recent entries include Louis Vuitton, which debuted Mory Sacko at Louis Vuitton in Saint-Tropez last year and the Four Seasons and Michael's, two Midtown Manhattan standbys that attract a media-heavy power lunch crowd.
It's a big step for the brand, which has been a little too flashy in its uptown restaurants and may have lost touch with the customer. But the owner of the brand, Ralph Lauren himself, said in an interview that he was proud to have opened the Polo Bar in Midtown, which he hopes will be "a destination" for diners who enjoy the company of others and want a warm, friendly experience.
With its swath of horse paintings and trophies, the Polo Bar is an homage to the aristocratic sporting lifestyle that has been synonymous with Ralph Lauren for generations. The Henry Koehler polo match-inspired mural on the exterior and the saddle leather and equestrian art inside are sure to have you feeling as though you're in a world class polo ring.