Le Bernadin folds in added space at 155 West 51st Street

Star chief Eric Ripert's eatery takes more space in Axa Tower

From left: Le Bernadin head chef Eric Ripert, the eatery's main dining room and the exterior of 155 West 51st Street
From left: Le Bernadin head chef Eric Ripert, the eatery's main dining room and the exterior of 155 West 51st Street

Three-Michelin-starred seafood restaurant Le Bernadin has expanded for the first time into a spot called Privé on the second floor of the AXA tower it occupies at 155 West 51st Street.

The spot, previously home to Italian restaurant Piano Due, can seat 150 to 170, the New York Post reported. Revamped by Bentel & Bentel Architects, the space imitates the Le Berandin’s original dining room with teak wood, spiraling metal artwork and a surf image on the dining room’s rear wall.

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Bernadin Chef Eric Ripert and co-owner Maguy Le Coze declined to disclose how much the expansion cost, but real estate insiders told the Post that the total buildout likely ran the famed restaurant around $8.5 million. The duo are also quiet about their arrangement with landlord AXA, but rumor has long held that Le Bernadin pays the landlord a percentage of gross revenue rather than a set rent. [NYP]Julie Strickland