Hogwarts in New York! Inside the hidden Manhattan restaurant you enter by stepping behind a PAINTING

It’s best to arrive in good time for your table at Frevo, in New York’s Greenwich Village, to allow for walking straight past it a couple of times, as I do on a dark and drizzly Saturday evening.

For this one-of-a-kind restaurant has a cunning disguise – it lies hidden behind a discreet art gallery.

And to gain access, you step behind one of the genuine works of art, Hogwarts-common-room-style (you don’t need a password, though).

MailOnline’s Ted Thornhill is shown to the secret door in the (real) art gallery, which leads to the speakeasy-style eatery (above). Ted reveals that he missed the gallery altogether the first time around

Ted writes of Frevo: ‘Behind the art is a moodily lit 14-seat counter wrapped around a spotless stainless-steel kitchen, where a tightly choreographed brigade of highly talented chefs produce an avant-garde tasting menu of the highest calibre’

The art gallery features rotating solo exhibitions from established and up-and-coming artists such as Brooklyn-based Khari Turner and French abstract painter Toma-L.

Behind the art is a moodily lit 14-seat counter wrapped around a spotless stainless-steel kitchen, where a tightly choreographed brigade of highly talented chefs, led by Brazilian Franco Sampogna, produce an avant-garde tasting menu of the highest calibre.

I perch at the end and notice that every person who enters is giddy with excitement.

And so they should be, because Frevo is surely one of Manhattan’s choicest places to dine.

Ted perches at the end of the counter (above) and notices that everyone who enters ‘is giddy with excitement’

Pictured left is Ted’s wild strawberry dessert, and on the right one of Frevo’s crab dishes

Harry Potter characters step through paintings at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to access their common rooms (above in movie still)

Ingredients from Ossetra caviar to Colorado lamb and from turbot to wild strawberries, are pushed to the limits of their versatility in a series of delightfully delectable dishes – a flight of fancy for the tastebuds.

And, if you have the wine flight, courtesy of award-winning French sommelier Quentin Vauleon, there’s a bonus odyssey for the palette thanks to seven interesting offerings by the glass, from a white Santorini Familia 2020 by Hatzidakis to an Uivo rose from Portugal.

The restaurant says: ‘The hidden door comes as a tribute to the rich speakeasy cocktail bar scene of New York City. The idea is to play with guest’s expectations, making the experience start before the first bite and setting up the mood for the fine dining experience.’ 

It’s art on the outside, culinary artistry on the inside.

Frevo, 48 W 8th St, New York, NY 10011. Visit www.exploretock.com/frevo to book. Visit the restaurant’s Instagram page here.

The art gallery features rotating solo exhibitions from established and up-and-coming artists such as Brooklyn-based Khari Turner and French abstract painter Toma-L