Image via Complex Original
Long before Jeremy Scott was combining gum drops and ball gowns on the runway for Moschino, food and fashion were first paired together in the form of the in-store restaurant. After the rise of department stores at the end of the 19th century, retailers figured out a way to keep customers hanging around even longer by opening tea rooms and eventually full-on dining establishments.
Fast forward to the 21st century, and in-store restaurants have become more than just a rest stop during a full day of shopping. Now destinations in their own right, the new class of retail dining spots map out their menus as thoughtfully as they curate the corresponding shop's merchandise, rotating both seasonally. It’s made for a more well-rounded IRL shopping experience—and a necessary one, as more and more shoppers are turning to their browsers instead of brick-and-mortar boutiques. Here are 10 Men's Clothing Stores With Amazing Restaurants in Them, so you can chow down next time you cop up a storm.
Fred Segal
Restaurant: Umami Burger
Burgers are probably the last thing that come to mind when you’re shopping for new duds, but Umami, at the famed Fred Segal in Santa Monica, is not just any burger. These bad boys are among the fancier burgers you can get in LA—without any air of pretension. With an Asian lean (the name is Japanese for the hard-to-pin-down fifth food taste that’s often described as “savory”), Umami specializes in thick burgers done up with spicy ketchup and gourmet toppings, finished off with an airy bun that’s branded with a “U.” Do yourself a favor and get the cheesy “tasty tots” and “Manly Burger,” a generous patty dressed with beer-cheddar cheese, smoked-salt onion strings, and bacon lardons. And make sure you size up after you slam this delicious meal down.
Ikram
Restaurant: Ikram Cafe
Chicago’s most upscale local retailer Ikram—the Midwest's answer to Dover Street Market—didn’t invent in-store dining, but they’ve pretty much perfected it. The intimate eatery sits amid the store’s selectively-curated home section and art pieces on the top floor, looking out upon the tree-canopied Huron Street. The menu is concise, eccentric and updated seasonally, much like Ikram’s incredible clothing selection. Standouts include the omelette—served anytime of the day with a latke and mixed green salad—and the salad trio.
colette
Restaurant: Le Water Bar
It’s only fitting that Paris’ go-to concept store—where you can find everything from Maison Martin Margiela to Hood by Air—has extended its artistic vision to food. Its cafe, Le Water Bar, holds its offerings to the same standard as the store’s sartorial selection. Nestled in the retailer’s basement, the restaurant is known for its super fresh salads and menu that switches up daily. Pro tip: get your shopping done before 1 p.m. if you want to finish off a flex-worthy day with a delicious meal.
Dover Street Market
Restaurant: Rose Cafe
Whether you're at the New York, London, or Tokyo locations of Dover Street Market, you're definitely going to need to add on an extra hour or so for a visit to each shop's Rose Bakery. After winding through the store’s mini boutique-like corridors, where you’ll find a super wide-ranging list of brands that's unique to each location, do yourself a favor and end your day recuperating at the famed Rose Bakery. The Paris-based restaurant’s menu changes daily but count on their savory tarts, pastries, and other treats you can take on the go.
Barneys
Restaurant: Freds
Barneys didn't invent the department store restaurant—who did is still up for debate between Macy's, Marshall Field's, and Wanamaker's—but the sartorial institution has perfected the modern take on it. Barneys' restaurant Freds, which you can find in NYC, Chicago, and L.A., is as sleek and progressive as everything else the shop does. Lunch is its calling, and you can't go wrong with any of the salads. But the crown jewel of them all has to be the warm lobster salad, which is served with a hefty portion of meat on top of green beans, new potatoes, and scallions, and finished off with a French mayonnaise. Once you're down treating yourself on the designer floor, continue the pampering with a luxe meal at Freds.
Ralph Lauren
Restaurant: RL
Few design houses do American heritage better than Ralph Lauren, and the same can be said of its Chicago restaurant. RL has the feel of a library you’d find in a Hamptons manor, complete with book cases, cognac-colored tufted leather chairs, Persian rugs, and Mahogany-paneled ceilings. The luxe old worldly feel is carried throughout everything from the fireplace-adjacent lounge to the menu, which is full of classics like tableside steak Diane, lobster bisque, and foie gras. The world of Ralph is an all-American bonanza that extends to the dining room, too.
Louis
Restaurant: Sam's
Just like Louis, Sam’s is a rite of passage in Boston. Not only does the restaurant have one of the best patios in the city, located right on the harbor, its menu perfectly complements the store’s envelope-pushing mix of designers (at least for the Brooks Brothers-clad Ivy League set), like Marni, Dries van Noten, and Proenza Schouler. Try the restaurant's signature baked halloumi cheese sprinkled with charred green garlic, apricots, and toasted pine nuts or their muddy buddy sundae—an over-the-top dish of vanilla ice cream covered in nutella popcorn and salted caramel sauce that will make you question all other sundaes. Just be careful not to drip on your newly acquired goods.
Secret Location
Restaurant: Tasting Room
As evidenced by Secret Location, Vancouver knows how to do a concept store right. The retailer, whose roster of men’s and women’s designers rivals Opening Ceremony’s, went all out when developing its restaurant, Tasting Room. It’s as fancy and whimsical as retail dining gets, with three different prefix options ranging from three courses to ten. If you want to save your splurging for the store, opt for brunch instead of dinner and order the signature lobster hash, which comes with two hollandaise-topped poached eggs on a bed of brussel sprout leaves. Then get to copping if you're not in a food coma.
Urban Outfitters' Space Ninety 8
Restaurant: The Gorbals
When Urban Outfitters unveiled its plans to open a 37,000-square-foot mega concept store in Williamsburg dubbed “Space Ninety 8,” reactions ranged from disaffected to optimistic. But five months later, the verdict is in—at least when it comes to the dining and drinking-equipped rooftop, and Williamsburg on the whole is into it; at least, enough so to give the restaurant four stars on Yelp. While sitting in what's called The Gorbals, you might almost forget that it’s positioned atop a chain retailer that sells hip to the masses. When you're done perusing the massive space, don’t pass up chef Nueske’s decadent bacon-wrapped Matzoh balls or the chicken schnitzel, claw intact—because The Gorbals' menu items might make you come back even when you're not shopping.
Armani
Restaurant: Armani Ristorante
Armani Ristorante is just about as luxe as in-store dining gets. While there are a bunch of Armani cafes at store locations around the world, the stunning restaurants are located in Istanbul, Tokyo, Milan, and New York City. In the NYC location, the Armani-clad servers look more like models and the minimalist low-lit space is perched atop a winding futuristic staircase that leads down to the Fifth Avenue store. Food-wise, the menu plays up to the brand's Italian heritage. Opt for the Branzino fillet or the risotto nero once you're done getting suited and booted.