Motel Morris

"Motel Morris, located in Chelsea, is running an all-day happy hour from noon until 10:30 p.m. on Election Day, featuring $10 wine, $8 beer, $12 Tom Collins, and $12 gin and tonic cocktails." - Alexis Benveniste

"Motel Morris is a great-looking restaurant with dark blue walls and velvet banquettes, and their menu is exactly what you'd expect to find at a New American-inspired place that worked with an interior designer. They serve stuff like roasted chicken, heirloom carrots, and salmon with charred broccolini, and you can pretty much always get a reservation. Stop by whenever you need a nice last-minute spot that isn't too stuffy. The cocktails are great, and the bathroom has a fun pink color scheme." - bryan kim, neha talreja, hannah albertine, sonal shah

"Looking for a good last-minute spot where you eat a solid meal without spending half your department’s quarterly budget? Try Motel Morris. You can always get a reservation at this little Chelsea restaurant, which looks like it should be in the lobby of a cool downtown hotel. The room has deep-blue walls and velvet banquettes, and the broadly American menu is full of dishes like grilled trout, white lasagna, and octopus with chimichurri. This is a very pleasant place for a nice-yet-casual meal, and your clients will appreciate the Pepto Bismol-pink bathroom. " - Team Infatuation

"If Motel Morris were a person, it would dress in well-tailored jeans, occasionally listen to a top-50 playlist, and spend at least one weekend every summer sitting around a pool in the Catskills. In other words, this place isn't the most exciting, but it's a little bit cool, and it's a useful spot to know about for a last-minute meal in Chelsea. You could take your grandparents here, or you could bring a date who insists on eating at "super cute" restaurants. The space is nice and attractive without feeling stuffy, and the menu mostly adheres to the basic steak-pasta-and-seasonal-vegetables formula. The food is exactly what you think you'd find at a New American-inspired place that worked with an interior designer. They serve octopus and grilled asparagus, as well as salmon tartare, steak with fingerlings, and some crispy, golden-brown roast chicken. None of these things will change your life, but the dishes are well-executed, and they're better than you'd expect from a place with wide-open reservations. photo credit: Noah Devereaux Settle in and enjoy your predictable-yet-pleasant meal in a dining room that looks like the the lobby of a hotel for young business travelers who’ve seen a Wes Anderson film or two. The room is dark blue with brass accents, the furniture is plausibly Swedish, and the Pepto Bismol-pink bathrooms bring the whole old-school-motel theme together. Motel Morris is a safe choice, and your reaction to it will range from lukewarm to enthusiastic, depending on your needs. If you’re looking for a place to get rowdy with friends, this isn’t it. And if you’re looking for a dish so good you’ll need to order seconds, you probably won’t find it here. But if you want a cute spot that's easy to get into and serves reliable food that works for a number of dietary restrictions, Motel Morris fits the bill." - Team Infatuation

"For those clinging to their summer Fridays for dear life, Motel Morris in Chelsea is now doing Friday brunch starting at 11 a.m." - Luke Fortney