Daniel Boulud’s French-inspired dishes have been a staple on the New York fine dining scene since he opened his first restaurant there in 1993. He’s since made his mark on Miami, Dubai, Toronto, and more, with Michelin stars and awards to boot. Now, New England is in his sights, via a residency at Auberge’s Mayflower Inn.
Launched late July, the Café Boulud pop-up will run through the end of 2026, becoming the fourth active outpost of the chef’s flagship concept. Although billed as a ‘cafe,’ the restaurants are more upscale than their name lets on: the original was opened in NYC in the late 1990s, and has become a swanky mainstay for Upper East Siders.
The limited-time residency at Mayflower Inn will take over the hotel’s Garden Room – a light-filled dining room designed by New York-based interior designer Celerie Kemble of Kemble Interiors, where shades of yellow, green, and blue reflect the hotel’s 58 acres of manicured grounds and woodland. The space has become the home for several chef residencies since it first opened in 2020, including Cortney Burns and April Bloomfield.
Available for lunch and dinner, the all-new menu showcases the prowess of local ingredients, interpreted the Boulud way. Highlights include chilled corn velouté with Maine lobster, wild mushroom and truffle risotto, and Tournedos Rossini. For dessert, there is a peach and verbena île flottante.
Come evening, the residency also extends into the hotel’s The Tap Room – a more informal tavern-inspired dining room, where guests can order a small selection of Boulud signatures, alongside draught beers and international wines.
The arrival of Café Boulud at The Mayflower comes amid a swathe of news for the French chef, who grew up on a rural farm near Lyon, France, but has since become one of the US’s most celebrated chefs.
In 2026, what was launched as a temporary residency at the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong became rooftop bar Terrace Boulud, marking Boulud’s first permanent presence in Asia. Over in London, he forms part of a stellar culinary lineup shaping the new Waldorf Astoria Admiralty Arch, slated to open in late 2026. Boulud’s presence is set to come in the form of another Café Boulud outpost, as well as a rooftop bar with views over neighboring Buckingham Palace, while chef Clare Smyth will be opening a seafood-focused fine-dining restaurant on the hotel’s ground floor.
