HUMM in NYC's West Village: Daniel Humm Opens His First Namesake Restaurant on Hudson Street

Chef Daniel Humm now has a restaurant that carries his own name. HUMM opened on October 10 at 435 Hudson Street in the West Village. On Instagram, Humm said he had dreamed about the place for years, and that building it from the ground up with his closest friends turned out better than he had imagined. A week after opening, he posted again, thanking everyone who helped create the restaurant and everyone who has come to the table, and saying he was proud of the space and the team.

The room covers roughly 7,000 square feet and is anchored by a large wood-burning oven. In his welcome note on the restaurant's website, Humm describes a warm, inviting place for gathering over food and drink. The food is casual Modern American, served à la carte. The approach is stated plainly: start with the best produce, fish and meat, and don't get in the way of their taste. After a long career, he writes, simplicity is what he values most, both in how he cooks and in how he wants to eat. A martini cart adds a bit of theater to the evening.

The space was shaped with some of his closest friends, among them designer Pierre Yovanovitch and artists Francesco Clemente and Rashid Johnson. Natural materials and simple forms define the room, and site-specific murals and paintings act as decorative elements that complement the menu. Humm has praised Yovanovitch for the way he combines color, form and materials, calling the collaboration an experience that will stay with him. The project continues Humm's long exploration of the line between chef and artist.

The kitchen is led by Executive Chef Dmitri Magi, who is originally from Estonia. He joined elevenmadisonpark in 2011 and rose from line cook to Chef de Cuisine, helping the restaurant reach the top spot on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list in 2017. He later served as Executive Chef at Davies and Brook in London, then returned to New York as a Managing Partner of Daniel Humm Hospitality.

HUMM is open every day from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm, with reservations through Resy. For Japanese-speaking New Yorkers looking for a dinner that pairs serious cooking with a strong art and design sensibility, it is a new West Village address worth knowing.