Diners at the W New York – Union Square NYC Can Experience Meals Cooked by Chefs From Other W Hotels Properties
A Taste of W is a pilot program bringing W Hotels’s talented chefs to other properties
W Hotels pioneered a fresh take on hip lifestyle hotels in the late 1990’s, creating properties with social spaces as a focus and a home for those seeking a more stylish, hip vibe at an accessible price on their personal and work trips. The brand has been on a much needed and warmly welcomed journey of evolution, updating properties like the W Austin and W New York – Union Square with a focus on creating social spaces and rooms that resonate today along with a fresh take on their properties’s dining and lounge spaces. “A Taste of W” is a clever year-long pilot program starting at the Seahorse restaurant at W New York – Union Square, where its talented chef John Villa hosts and collaborates with chefs from other properties to create unique tasting menus with beverage pairings that serve as an opportunity to introduce diners (it’s open to the public) to local specialties.
The program launched in March 2026 with Chef Ivo Benídio of Tratto from W Florence, where guests (including CH) enjoyed a four course meal of Blue Fin Toro, 50 Layers Pasta All’Uovo, Bistecca Fiorentina and an olive oil cake. The chefs spoke about the menu and visited guests, sharing stories about the importance of regional specialties and flavors.
“Both Florence and New York share a deep appreciation for bold flavors and vibrant dining culture, so bringing W Florence to W New York – Union Square for the first Taste of W collaboration felt like a natural exchange. It’s exciting to cook alongside Chef John Villa and the Seahorse team to showcase dishes that reflect Florence’s culinary roots while engaging with the creativity and energy of New York,” says Chef Ivo Benídio, Executive Chef at W Florence.
The global culinary series continues this spring with Tanit from W Sardinia – Poltu Quatu, followed by highly anticipated collaborations with Zatinya and José Andrés Group from W Nashville, as well as Rubra by Chef Daniela Soto-Innes from W Punta de Mita.
George Fleck, Senior Vice President and Global Brand Leader, W Hotels adds that “W Hotels has a long history of shaping cocktail culture, and as the brand continues to push forward, our culinary ambition has evolved with it. Our restaurants are true cultural destinations, rooted in the cities they live in and driven by world-class culinary talent. A Taste of W brings that creative exchange to the forefront by connecting chefs, ideas, and global influences, inviting our guests to experience this next chapter of W Hotels through bold, distinctive dining.”
A Taste of W featuring Tanit from W Sardinia – Poltu Quatu is on 5 May 2026, and will be available for booking at Seahorse on Resy.
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