Marcus Samuelsson has never been shy about his identity. At Red Rooster in Harlem, he wears his heritage openly, cooking the food that shaped him. But at Hav & Mar, his new seafood restaurant nested inside The Hoxton hotel in Williamsburg, something more sophisticated emerges. The name itself—'hav' (ocean in Swedish) paired with 'mar' (honey in Amharic)—announces his intention: this is a love letter to two homelands, told through the grammar of refined seafood cooking.
Under the direction of chef Fariyal Abdullahi, Hav & Mar operates with a lighter touch than its Harlem sibling, though no less conviction. The kitchen has mastered the delicate work of letting raw seafood speak for itself, while cooked plates showcase technical precision. A snapper arrives slathered in salsa verde alongside fiery red accents—a dish that feels simultaneously grounded and unexpected. Crusted hake sits on a bed of lentils, the proteins speaking to each other across culinary traditions with genuine ease.
Then there's the Hav Bread Basket, which arrives at your table with the weight of a non-negotiable requirement. Order it. If it's available, order it immediately. The bread itself becomes the argument for why Samuelsson's presence in New York matters—it's not about celebrity or spectacle, but about the quiet authority that comes from knowing exactly what you're cooking and why.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch service means there's always a reason to return. The seafood program rewards multiple visits, revealing itself slowly rather than all at once. This is cooking that trusts you to keep coming back, that doesn't need to shout. In a city drowning in restaurant noise, Hav & Mar simply cooks. That's enough.