Point Seven is giving Midtown diners an elevated taste of the sea.
Led by renowned chef Franklin Becker, Point Seven is a seafood-focused restaurant that boasts diverse preparations of local ingredients. The restaurant first opened in September 2023 with Becker planning on using the space to pay homage to the ocean.
“We named it Point Seven because 70% of the Earth is actually covered by water. I wanted this approach to seafood that was global, but I wanted to use local, sustainable ingredients wherever humanly possible,” said Becker. “Even when it comes down to building the restaurant itself, the floors are reclaimed stone, the walls are reclaimed wood upstairs, stone downstairs; and the plastic water bottles recovered from the ocean.”
Point Seven offers three different dining experiences, each catering to different diners’ needs. The first experience is a casual concept, available on the first floor, which leans into the everyday dining/bar night out. The second is a more fine dining experience, which takes place on the second floor of the restaurant, and the third is an omakase experience led by Chef Robby Cook.
“I wanted to make sure that at all costs, people had options. I feel as though when people are dining, sometimes they’re in the mood for a fine dining experience and sometimes they’re in the mood for a more casual experience. So we created a space that was bi-level; the upper level is the dining room, which has a little bit more of a formal tone, and the lower level has more of a bar feel, casual and airy,” said Becker. “The omakase experience [is a] celebration of Japanese ingredients and sensibility. It’s more intimate and it’s just luxury at its finest with 17 courses.”
Regardless of what experience you dine in for, Becker and his team pride themselves on preparing locally sourced seafood for each dish, with the exception of a few ingredients, with catches ranging from the shores of Montauk down to the Carolinas. The breakfast, lunch and dinner menus each feature an array of seafood dishes, with twists on classic dishes.
Becker told amNewYork that another important aspect of the menu is that it is seasonal, with Becker often swapping out menu items (fish and non-fish alike) depending on what’s in season.
“I always use, as much as possible, sustainable ingredients to tell my story. I also wanted to cook seasonally, which is super important to me, making sure that all the ingredients are hyper fresh and hyper focused and detail-oriented,” said Becker. “It’s the only way to cook, in my opinion. There are certain fish that pretty much swim year-round, and of course, they’re on my menu, but I changed the set to be hyper-seasonal.”
The restaurant is just a few blocks away from Grand Central Station, making it a central point for locals and commuters alike. Regardless, Becker and the Point Seven team aim to make each dining experience phenomenal.
“We offer an exceptional experience with high-quality seafood and produce in a beautiful room. We’re centrally located, we’re steps away from the Theater District. You can commute via Grand Central, so Long Island and Westchester are a hop, skip and a jump away,” said Becker. “The area is burgeoning right now. I think as more and more people come back to work, you’ll start to see more and more people dining here.”
Point Seven is located at 200 Park Ave. For more information, visit pointsevennyc.com.
