Located in NYC’s Tribeca district, this 48-seat restaurant was opened in 2022 by Japanese-born, French-trained chef Mitsunobu Nagae along with his business partner Rahul Saito. While Nagae’s cooking is rooted in the classic French tradition —he is an alumnus of Joël Robuchon, having worked for the highly influential chef in both Tokyo and New York—he also takes inspiration from his Japanese heritage, from the cultures of his diverse team, and above all from the seasons, sourcing fresh produce locally where possible. L’Abeille is best known for its tasting menu, but the restaurant also offers a selection of à la carte dishes, as well as an award-winning wine and cocktail program.
Perched on the corner of a tranquil cobbled street in upmarket Tribeca, L’Abeille boasts a long, elegant dining room embellished by a stylish marble bar that looks onto its open kitchen. The space is illuminated by French windows and beautiful brass lighting fixtures. Its seats are cushioned with plush green velvet, and its tables are set with stunning Christofle cutlery. Every course is served on a different plate or bowl, each one designed to highlight and enhance the essence of the dish in question. It is this attention to detail, a legacy of Nagae’s years in Robuchon restaurants around the world, that has helped secure L'Abeille’s reputation for providing a true fine-dining experience in a bistro setting.
Nagae’s nickname, Mitsu, means ‘honey’ in Japanese—hence the name of the restaurant. When Mitsu first started cooking as a teenager, it was out of necessity: growing up in a single-parent household, he would regularly prepare lunch and dinner for his sisters. But this duty soon became a passion, one that would take him to France, birthplace of his hero Joël Robuchon, where he graduated as Student of The Year from Lyon’s Tsuji Culinary Institute. This status earned Nagae the opportunity to go straight to a job at three-Michelin-starred restaurant Régis et Jacques Marcon. His impressive career progressed with stints in some of the world’s top restaurants, including Château Restaurant Joël Robuchon in Tokyo, where he was mentored by chefs Alain Verzeroli, Christophe Bellanca, and Yuichiro Watanabe. After that, Nagae continued to hone his craft at Michelin-starred restaurants like Etc in Paris, L’Osier in Tokyo, and L’atelier Joël Robuchon in New York, before being taken on by Verzeroli at Shun in New York. Shun had time to earn a Michelin star before being forced to close its doors during the pandemic. It was Shun’s closure that led Nagae first into a private cooking arrangement for businessman and regular customer Saito and later into discussions that would culminate with them co-founding L’Abeille, a first venture into restaurant ownership for both parties.
Their project turned out to be an almost instant success. L’Abeille was awarded its first Michelin star just months after opening in 2022 and was named one of New York City’s Best New Restaurants in both Forbes and The Infatuation the same year.
