Wd~50, Molecular gastronomy restaurant in Lower East Side, Manhattan, US
wd~50 was a 70-seat restaurant on the Lower East Side that combined experimental dishes with scientific techniques and traditional cooking methods. The menu featured surprising creations like pickled beef tongue with fried mayonnaise and other compositions using laboratory-like procedures.
The restaurant opened in 2003 under chef Wylie Dufresne and earned a Michelin star in 2006. It closed in 2014 as a result of real estate development in the area.
The restaurant played an important role in bringing scientific cooking methods into American fine dining. Visitors could experience how traditional ingredients were completely reimagined through unconventional techniques here.
Since the restaurant closed in 2014, it cannot be visited anymore, but its influence on modern cooking remains visible throughout the city. Many former staff and chefs who trained there now run their own restaurants in New York.
The restaurant was more than just a dining place—it was a school for innovative chefs who later found success elsewhere. Many cooks who worked there carried the learned techniques into their own culinary projects.
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