If you tried to keep track of every brand new restaurant in New York City, your head might spin. So just read this list instead. These are the new restaurant openings that seem like they have the most potential—although keep in mind, for the ones we haven’t tried, we make no promises. Go forth and be a pioneer.
May
There’s a new modern French restaurant on East 4th Street, and it looks like a top contender for Annoying Reservation of the Summer. Ella Funt serves updated takes on French classics in an East Village space with themed bathrooms, a multicolored ceiling, and an abundance of wall art. Eventually, there will be a club downstairs that you can visit after you finish your sweetbreads and uni-burrata tartine.
Twenty Three Grand does a burger topped with prime rib, and a caviar service that comes with spicy tuna and tater tots. That might sound gimmicky, but if you have a 2,700-square-foot space that features multiple terraces and a dining room with a retractable roof, what else are you supposed to serve? The rest of the menu at this glitzy Soho restaurant is slightly less over-the-top, with some vaguely Mediterranean food like pasta, various carpaccios, and bone-in veal milanese. Entrees mostly hover in the $30-$40 range.
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The people behind Mariscos El Submarino just opened a new Mexican restaurant in Greenpoint. Mitica bills itself as a cantina, but no new place joining the trendy lineup of restaurants on this block is going to be your run-of-the-mill, unlimited-chip-refill cantina. This sit-down spot serves tomahawk steaks, duck risotto, and mashed potatoes in addition to the team’s famous aguachiles.
The Golden Swan
The now notorious West Village townhouse that used to house the Spotted Pig has transformed into the Golden Swan. This clubby restaurant is from the team behind Tiny’s and the Bar Upstairs, and is named after an Irish tavern in New York from the early 1900s. Downstairs, The Wallace Room lounge serves small plates and variations on classic cocktails. Upstairs, a dining room has “elevated classics” from the former chef at Bâtard, which recently closed after nearly a decade.
Libertine is a French bistro, and it has the decor to prove it. Burgundy banquettes? Check. Globe lights? Naturally. Poster of Serge Gainsboug? Yes, of course. But this isn’t just another Balthazar wannabe. From a chef who recently worked at Rose’s Luxury in Washington, D.C., this West Village restaurant is serving food inspired by bistros of the French countryside. Expect things like broiled scallops, lobster chou farci, and the sausage-and-mashed-potatoes dish known as saucisse purée, which is hard to find in New York City.
Radio Bakery
Radio Bakery’s sourdough croissants are made with locally milled flour and come in on-trend flavors like “spicy ‘nduja” and “twice-baked pistachio,” which means you can expect to stand in line to snag one. This little bakery in Greenpoint from the Rolo’s team also makes breakfast and lunch sandwiches on their sourdough, and is a rare place where you can find maritozzi—an Italian pastry that’s approximately 85% whipped cream.
Need an egg sandwich and a cup of coffee at 3:30pm? Check out Fort Greene’s Fat Rabbit, which took over a space that was earlier occupied by pandemic casualty Mega Bites diner. Fat Rabbit still looks like a diner, but one that got a serious makeover, with black tiles, maroon and cream-colored booths, and art that may remind you of a tropical rainforest. They serve classic diner fare like omelets and pancakes, but also have a portobello hoagie and ricotta toast, as well as cocktails, wine, and beer.
The space on top of the Pod 39 hotel in Murray Hill has changed hands once again. Previously associated with Empellón, the rooftop bar is now being run by the folks behind Freehold. The outdoor patio, with its brick archways and bar under a striped awning, should be a good spot for post-work drinks.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s isn’t just a song, book, or movie anymore—it’s an actual meal you can experience for yourself. Everything in this newly revamped, Daniel Boulud restaurant is 1837 Blue (aka “Tiffany Blue”), and designed to make you feel like the main character in a Truman Capote novel. Breakfast is served all day, and the $58 set comes with things like a caviar-topped soft scrambled egg served in the shell, and a glass of citrusy “Golightly Juice,” all served on a silver platter. You can also get afternoon tea, or choose from an à la carte menu of things like halibut, vichyssoise, and full caviar service.
photo credit: Malibu Barbie Cafe
Malibu Barbie Cafe
We hear there’s something Barbie-related happening this summer. If July 21 seems too far away, a meal at this South Street Seaport cafe operating until September 15 might ease the wait. Expect pink things, painted palm trees, surfboards on the ceiling, and more pink things. Each seating has a strict 90-minute time limit, and you can pick from entrées like a “CALI-flower Bowl” and “Pacific Paradise Rainbow Pancakes” during the prepaid reservation process.
Boon Dee Moo Ka Ta
If you’re reading this guide, you’re probably the person who chooses new places for your entire friend group to try. Boon Dee should be on your radar. This Flushing restaurant specializes in moo ka ta, a Thai style of communal eating that's part-hot pot and part-grill. For $40 per person, you select as many meats, seafood, veggies, and sauces as you please from the self-serve, AYCE bar, and cook them back at your table.
photo credit: Patrick Dolande
Café Mars
This Gowanus spot is the latest maximalist Italian restaurant in town and, like that other place, also serves roni cups with ranch (but adds grilled octopus). Café Mars’ whimsical dining room and "unusual Italian" menu will undoubtedly draw hoards of New Yorkers who want to post photos of olives suspended in cubes of negroni gel. It’s fully booked for the next month, but you can try your luck with the waitlist.
Bar Valentina
If the other bars (Kind Regards, Ding-a-ling) from the team behind this spot are any indication, we expect a constant line of people who never venture above 14th Street outside Bar Valentina, or “Val’s.” This LES cocktail bar focuses on martinis and spritzes, and has $10 espresso-amaro shots to keep you going. They serve food until late from the “somewhat Mediterranean” menu, which includes seafood fritto misto, lamb meatballs, and more.
Mushrooms are having a moment. Maitakes, oyster, lion’s mane—these fungi are jockeying for steak’s position like steak just died in the bathroom of its own private jet. Nowhere’s going harder than Overthrow Hospitality’s new rotating popup concept &Beer, a small space in the East Village with basic bar seating, an eccentric beer selection, and—at least for this summer—a fully mushroom-centric menu.
Jaffa Cocktail & Raw Bar opens at the Hoxton Hotel in Williamsburg this week, just in time to become your new summer sundress-plus-crudo spot. Sprawling across the second-floor outdoor patio, Jaffa is from the team behind Laser Wolf and K’Far in the same hotel. Expect octopus shakshuka, oysters with passionfruit mignonet, and frozen cocktails. They’ll even bring you one of those big buckets of Miller High Life if you’re in the mood to turn your table-service cocktail hour into a real open-air rager.
The Restaurant at Gilder
Part of the charm of the Museum of Natural History is the fact that it’s an artifact in itself. Now it has a modern new addition, the Gilder Center for Science. This curvy concrete building looks like a high-end condo on Tatooine, and it’s home to a contemporary American restaurant where you can eat a 40-day dry-aged burger and pretend you’re a Galactic Senator in the pre-Palpatine era. Ingredients are sourced from local, minority- and women-owned businesses, and you’ll need to purchase admission to the museum to eat here.
If you ever wished the folks at Parcelle would apply their obsession with wine to beer, that’s exactly what’s happening at next-door Pig Bar. (Maybe try wishing for a reservation at Café Mars next?) This Dimes Square spot with a vintage meat slicer and colonial-looking furniture offers hard-to-find craft beers, as well as charcuterie, cheese, sandwiches, and salads.
photo credit: Andrew Sokolow
Rocco's Sports & Recreation
Sports bars tend to lean pretty hard into the whole “unglamorous room that smells like stale beer” thing, but Rocco’s is a different sort of place. A new spot in Noho from the people behind Bandits, it has a retro theme with leather furniture and a menu of ambitious bar food like BBQ oysters and a porterhouse for two. If you want to engage in some recreation, there are a few Pop-A-Shot basketball machines in the corner.
When Donna closed in 2020, Williamsburg lost one of its top cocktail destinations. But the bar is back—this time, worker-owned—in a West Village space with white brick walls and pink banquettes. The signature frozen brancolada is still on the menu, and you can get some pupusas and tostadas to enjoy alongside it.
photo credit: Lovely's Old Fashioned
Lovely’s Old Fashioned
There are 10 seats at Lovely’s Old Fashioned, all of them at a counter where you can sit and watch someone in a paper hat cook thin beef patties on a griddle. Burgers are the focus at this old-timey Hell’s Kitchen spot (inspired by the chef’s grandmother), but they’re also serving bundt cake, a patty melt on rye, and onion rings that arrive in a paper coffee cup. Pop in for some quick nostalgia.
Following in the tradition of Californians who can’t decide where they’ll live when their state inevitably sinks into the Pacific, this West Coast transplant is part of a mini-chain that has locations in places like Vegas and Denver. Its first New York outpost will have two floors, Taco Tuesday specials, and—given the proximity to Madison Square Park—probably a lot of tourists.
photo credit: Alice Gao
ElNico
You’re finally heading out of the house without a jacket, which means rooftop spots are in your near future. ElNico is a shiny new one on the 11th floor of the Penny Williamsburg hotel, with a plant-and-cacti-filled dining room, two terraces, and space for live performances. Some of the Mexican dishes have unexpected elements, like tlayuda with tzatziki, and a vegan mole made with beets and tahini.
Greenpoint just got a queer Irish Pub where the rainbow flag is at full staff. Mary’s is the sister bar to Ginger’s, which was the last remaining lesbian bar in Brooklyn until last year. (We now also have Oddly Enough and a recent opening, The Bush.) They aren’t taking the Irish pub label lightly either—Mary’s recently made a post on their Instagram calling for queer artists with traditional Irish music experience, so check back for more Celtic fun in the future.
Mabu Cafe
Mabu Cafe is a popular cha chaan teng in Toronto, and they’ve just opened one of their signature Hong Kong-style cafes on Doyers Street. Mabu is in a soft opening phase until May 18, but there’s already a consistent line outside it. Expect to wait around an hour to eat things like over-the-top French toast, jazzed-up instant noodles, and milk tea with teddy bear-shaped ice.
Tucked behind Taiwanese snack shop Gulp, 929 is a retro cocktail bar tuned to the frequency of Mando- and Canto-pop from the 1980s to early 2000s. A vinyl collection from this era provides the soundtrack, and the drinks menu is conceived as a playlist with craft cocktails that incorporate tea, herbal syrups, and other Chinese ingredients. A few bar snacks from Gulp are also available.
A New American spot from a TV-famous chef, Restaurant Marc Forgione in Tribeca recently reopened after renovations. The chef’s flagship restaurant will be serving a collection of its greatest hits (pastrami hanger steak, chili lobster with Texas toast) until closing again to reopen in a new location later this summer.
Williamsburg has yet another rooftop bar with views that we can only assume are stunning and worth several million dollars. Located at the top of the new Moxy hotel, Lillistar is from the team behind Broken Shaker, who also opened Levantine restaurant Mesiba in the same hotel (see below). Lillistar blends “contemporary Indo-Aussie style with Brooklyn energy,” with a menu of snacks like porgy lumpia and chicken tandoori. There are plenty of reservable tables both indoors and outdoors.
The chef behind Appas spent over two decades working for Pizza Hut in South Korea, and it shows. At this East Village spot with yellow polka dot tables, you can get bulgogi pizza, potato pizza, and shrimp and sausage pizza with sweet potato mousse around the edges. The space has a cheery fast-food feel, with a few touchscreen kiosks where you place your order.
From the people behind Fausto and LaLou, Bar Vinazo in Park Slope has over 150 biodynamic, organic, and natural wines to go with its Spanish tapas, conservas, cheeses, and meats. The light wood-clad interiors are giving Scandi sauna vibes, and we have a feeling people will be flocking to the large patio, which is enclosed by tall, vine-covered walls.
photo credit: Brasserie Vietnam
Brasserie Vietnam
This French-Vietnamese “brasserie” in the West Village has the feel of an indoor garden. From the owners of South of the Clouds, Brasserie Vietnam serves sochu cocktails with ingredients like pandan and fermented rice juice, and shareable plates, as well as a $78 chef’s tasting option. Fusion starters include filet mignon bánh mì sliders, while braised short rib with lemongrass sauce and duck à l'orange are among the larger plates.
Margot is yet another cute Brooklyn restaurant serving pasta and seasonal small plates. And it looks pretty interesting. The menu is vaguely French, with dishes like carrot tortellini in green curry butter and beef tartare with huckleberry harissa. The Fort Greene dining room seems to be going for a chic, minimalist wine bar thing, and we’d bet several dollars that all of the little marble tables will be packed in the very near future.
It’s always exciting to see a new West Village opening that isn’t revamping red sauce yet again, and rare finds in the neighborhood, like Filipino food, are especially welcome. Choly lives in what used to be a basement cocktail bar called Railway NYC. They kept the railroad dining car design, but now you can eat food that primarily represents cuisine from the southern Philippine region.
photo credit: Morgenstern's Bananas
Morgenstern’s Bananas
The line at Bananas, the new dairy-free outpost of Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream, is likely to be the longest of Summer 2023. The place is already swamped with selfie-takers posing with swirls of soft-serve in 12 rotating flavors—all variations of banana, chocolate, citrus, and coconut. Current options include sumo yuzu (try it with pickled mango tapioca) and banana caramel with a chocolate ash dip.
April
Cédric Vongerichten has a pretty famous dad, but he’s doing his own thing with Wayan in Nolita, and now Ma-dé, a “global” restaurant right next door. Decked out in rattan, rope, and pastel greens and blues, Ma-dé has breezy seaside vibes and an emphasis on seafood and vegetables. You’ll find dishes like lobster dumplings, deconstructed shrimp toast, and mushrooms with parmesan cream.
Located next to Transmitter Park in Greenpoint, Lingo calls itself a Japanese-inspired New American restaurant. To translate: their menu includes things like a smoked tamago sando with salmon roe and chives, and arctic char with sake beurre blanc. The subdued olive walls and minimalist furniture recall a Goop-endorsed spa, and the food looks both elegant and comforting.
Superbueno in the East Village conjures up the streets of Mexico with a New York slant. From some of the people behind Katana Kitten, this agave-focused bar makes cocktails like mole negroni and mushroom margarita. With private banquettes, and a bar lit with changing colors, Superbueno looks like a promising spot for your next fun, tequila-fueled night out. A birria grilled cheese is among the intriguing food options.
A self-proclaimed “dyke bar for the queers,” The Bush is a new spot in Bushwick with a disco ball, neon accents, and DJs. It promises to be a fun place to do a lot of drinking, and maybe a little dancing too. All the house cocktails have creative names, like Guest Star, with mezcal and passion fruit, or Basic Bish, a pick-me-up with cold brew coffee.
A new speakeasy with a 17-course, $185 sushi omakase, Himitsu is located within Siam Thai, a restaurant that opened in Flushing last year. Look for some uncommon, seasonal sushi, like gnomefish and halfbeak, which you’ll eat at a long counter kitted out with neat, ice-chilled sake dispensers.
Alex Stupak, the chef behind all the Empellón spots around the city, has opened his first non-Mexican restaurant, in Midtown. Mischa serves New American food, and many of the dishes have unexpected twists. The chili dog is made with dry-aged brisket, and there's a patty melt with mushrooms instead of beef. Inspired by the 1970s, the sleek space has a long bar with deep orange chairs and a dining room filled with blue semicircle booths.
Bookmark this Hudson Yards spot for your next anniversary or birthday, because it has “special occasion” written all over it. From the chef behind Loring Place, Greywind shares a focus on seasonal produce, but the space is more polished, with gray marble, navy blue paneling, and gilded accents. You could make an entire meal out of fancy snacks, like the housemade “cheese-its” and ricotta focaccia so pretty it looks like it belongs in a Chelsea art gallery.
Congrats if you were one of the lucky 20 who won free food for a year from the first US location of this Taiwanese chain. Chunky Boss shares its small, bright yellow space in Midtown with a Tiger Sugar and basically serves two things: Taiwanese fried chicken and fries. You can get fried chicken sandwiches, tenders, or cutlets that look like supersized nuggets. To customize, pick a flavored powder (pepper, plum, etc.) and a sauce (cheese or mango, for example).
Ursula makes one the best breakfast burritos in NYC, and they recently moved from Crown Heights to Bed-Stuy. Unlike the original, the new spot has indoor seating, a backyard, and dinner. Those burritos and other favorites like the green chile cheeseburger will still be available, as well as new items like blue corn pancakes and chilaquiles for brunch. For now, there are only bar snacks and drinks at night, but a full menu will be available soon.
photo credit: Noah Fecks
Knock Knock
A flashy newcomer in Long Island City, Knock Knock has two bars (one for coffee, another for cocktails), an enclosed backyard, and a bi-level dining room with rattan furniture and a teal color scheme. The menu was inspired by the owners' childhoods and travels in Asia, and it features dishes like Hong Kong noodle soup, fried chicken bao buns, and chicken truffle dumplings with miso mustard. You can stop by for coffee starting at 8am.
The Good Good
Need a rum and Ting? Head over to The Good Good, a new cocktail lounge in East Harlem. In addition to rum and grapefruit soda, this place is serving a few classic cocktails and a full dinner menu with codfish fritters, kifto tartare, a burger, and hot honey fried chicken. The room has some big, patterned booths and the sort of mellow mood lighting that seems to work well for romantic scenarios. To guarantee yourself a seat, make a reservation.
Revelie Luncheonette
The owner of Raoul's has taken over a space on the opposite side of Prince Street in Soho and turned it into what looks like a little retro diner. Unlike Raoul's, Revelie Luncheonette isn't serving classic French bistro food. Expect things like clams casino, chicken tenders, a green chile cheeseburger, and milkshakes. This place is only open for lunch (11am-3:30pm) at the moment, but they'll be serving dinner soon.
Remember Candle? Unless you just arrived in this city with a LinkedIn profile and a dream, you probably do. All three longstanding Candle locations (Candle Cafe, Candle Cafe West, and Candle 79) closed a few years back, but now there's a new outpost in Kips Bay. Like the originals, this restaurant specializes in plant-based food made from organic and/or local produce. Dinner options include seitan al pastor tacos, a mezze platter, and mushroom ravioli with cashew parmesan.
By our count, there's somewhere between 10 and several hundred wine bars in the West Village. Justine's on Hudson, an upscale spot with velvet banquettes, is the latest to open—and it looks like it could be a nice addition to the scene. The menu here is a mix of French- and Filipino-inspired dishes, and the wine offerings include bottles from the cellar of the owner's father, who happens to be one of the biggest wine importers around. (You've seen his name on the back of a bottle.)
Superiority Burger
Superiority Burger has returned, and you can trust that it'll be packed for the foreseeable future. The original location of the popular vegetarian restaurant had a counter-service setup in a closet-sized space on 9th Street, but the new one (just around the corner on Avenue A) has a big diner-like space with plenty of seating. They're still serving veggie burgers and burnt broccoli salad, alongside some sandwiches and small plates like sweet and sour beets with fried pretzels and cream cheese. Superiority Burger also has a full bar now, and they're open until 2am Thursday through Monday.
At the back of Williamsburg's Super Burrito—the second location of a counter-service spot from Rockaway Beach—there's a sign that says "cocktails." Head through the door beneath that sign, and you'll find a little '70s-inspired bar with wood panelling, orange vinyl booths, and a poster for Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. 320 Club has a brief cocktail list of spring break-appropriate drinks, and you can enjoy a foil wrapped burrito alongside your beverage.
Amadou Ly, who worked at Arcade Bakery for a half a decade, has opened his own bakery in Chelsea Market, and the pastries look fantastic. Inspired by traditional French boulangeries, ALF Bakery is offering everything from brioche, croissants, and babka to laminated baguettes and loaves of sourdough. There are also a few sandwiches available, like one with Tunisian tuna.
March
Opening April 1, this food hall is located where the Hudson River meets 15th Street. It's part of a redeveloped facility that includes a rooftop park and community spaces that will be used to "foster learning and discovery." The James Beard Foundation consulted on the selection of the 16 vendors, which include popular spots like Ras Plant Based, Zaab Zaab, and Bessou, which closed its original Noho location last spring.
Panzón is a bar in Greenpoint that serves food inspired by Mexico City. There are only about 10 dishes on the menu, and they include a tlayuda with cactus, smoked pablano guacamole, and fried onions with crickets. For something bigger, you can get a mushroom quesadilla or a torta. Mezcal flights and natural wine are also available, and you can drink these things at the long wooden bar in the minimalist room with concrete floors.
Carriage House
Jordan Andino, who's been on Selena + Chef and other shows, has opened an upscale "modern American" restaurant in a West Village space that used to be a police carriage house. At the start of every meal, each table gets a complimentary butter candle. As it melts, you dip focaccia into the resulting pool of "wax." Dishes include shaved brussels with feta, pasta with uni butter, and a pork chop with apple chutney. If you're one to snap photos of your food, you should know flash photography is prohibited.
Seoul Salon
The duo behind Atoboy and Atomix has opened another Korean restaurant—this time in Koreatown on 33rd Street. You'll see orange accents and neon green lights behind the bar at this two-story spot, which is modeled after drinking establishments that you'd find in Korea. The dishes are designed to go well with soju, and they include fried shrimp with cheese and corn, a spicy ramyun soup with brisket, and a plate with five different kinds of raw seafood.
Döner Haus
You won't have to do too much decision-making at Döner Haus in the East Village. This place only has three menu items: a döner kebab, fries, and a box with meat and veggies over a bed of fries. All the meat is shaved from a vertical spit, and your two choices are chicken or beef (with a vegan option coming soon). There's nowhere to sit here, so just look for the yellow "Big Döner Energy" neon sign and order what you want to go.
Started by sisters Hannah and Marian, Mimi Cheng's is a Taiwanese dumpling spot where you can get chicken-and-zucchini dumplings like their mom used to make, as well as scallion pancakes, three cup chicken with rice, and spicy dan dan noodles. This Cobble Hill outpost (opening April 1) is the third overall and the first in Brooklyn. The new space has a blue and white color scheme with light wood furniture, and there are stools along one wall in the long, narrow room.
Before it closed at the start of 2022, Virginia's was one of our favorite spots for an impressive meal that you didn't have to book three months in advance. It was also home to one of the city's best burgers. Now, the American restaurant is back in a new East Village location, and, fortunately, the burger is still on the menu. The reboot is a little bigger than the original (which was also in the East Village), but it has the same cozy earth-tone feel.
If you're looking for a new place to bring clients in Midtown, try Anto. At this upscale Korean steakhouse from the people behind Antoya, a server in a suit will cook meat on a bronze grill at your table. You can choose from cuts like filet mignon and ribeye—with a few Wagyu options, in case you prefer to buy your beef by the gram—and the menu also has some raw bar items and shareable plates like rock shrimp sundubu jjigae. With 60 seats across two levels, this should be a good spot to bring a group.
Mesiba is a Levantine restaurant in the new Moxy Williamsburg hotel from the team behind Broken Shaker. The dining room features a big curvy marble bar, as well as several booths and hanging greenery. Expect breads baked in a clay oven in addition to lamb neck served with Yemeni pancakes and vegetarian kreplach filled with ricotta, hazelnuts, and leeks. This same team has also opened Bar Bedford, an all-day cafe and cocktail bar, in the hotel.
Stretch Pizza—named for their process of stretching dough instead of tossing it—was a pop-up from Wylie Dufresne operating out of Breads Bakery in 2021. Now, a permanent location is open in Flatiron, and all of their pies are 12 inches. They come in varieties like plain, pepperoni, and smoked cheese/ham/horseradish. Other items on the menu include a salad with homemade vinegar potato chips and chickpea fries.
The Red Pavilion
There's a lot going on at The Red Pavilion in Bushwick. This place is a Chinese teahouse and apothecary by day, and at night it's a "neo-noir" nightclub that looks like the setting for a scene in the next Nicolas Winding Refn movie. Depending on the night, there might be a dance party, live jazz, cabaret, or something else going on. On Sundays, they serve a dim sum-inspired tapas brunch with things like sticky rice shumai and patatas bravas with tofu aioli.
The team behind The Musket Room has opened this all-day Italian and French bakery and cafe in Nolita. For now, they're only serving dinner with dishes like beef tartare, lamb malfaldine, and sfincione (Sicilian pizza) made in a cast iron skillet. You'll eventually be able to stop by for pastries, canelés, and other baked items during the day. The dimly-lit room with white tablecloths looks semi-formal, so you might want to book a table here to celebrate your next promotion.
Nan Xiang Express
Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao, which started in Flushing in 2006, opened a second restaurant in Midtown last summer. Now they have a fast-casual concept with plans to open about 30 locations across the Northeast. This first NYC outpost is in Forest Hills, and you can get the same signature soup dumplings that they're know for as well as crispy noodles, rice cake bowls, various kinds of dim sum, and more.
Pinky Cole's massively popular counter-service chain Slutty Vegan started in Atlanta, but she opened her first spot, Pinky’s Jamaican & American Restaurant (which closed after a fire in 2016), in Harlem. Now, she's back in the neighborhood with the second NYC location of Slutty Vegan. Come by for a plant-based cheesesteak or a burger topped with vegan bacon, faux shrimp, and Slut Sauce.
Principe is a new Italian restaurant in Soho, and it's already tough to get into. The space on West Broadway has mother-of-pearl accents and Venetian glass chandeliers, and the menu—from a chef who used to work at The Nomad and Eleven Madison Park—has an extensive raw bar, seafood-heavy pastas, and a few mains like beef loin with marrow gravy and olive-encrusted branzino. Book a table while you still can.
Estiatorio Nisí
Astoria is already home to a ridiculous number of Greek restaurants, many of which are destination-worthy. Now, it has one more. Nisí Estiatorio has a coastal-themed dining room with over 100 seats and a big menu that features a few types of crudo, small plates like saganaki and grilled octopus, and a bunch of different mains that include everything from lobster pasta to a bone-in ribeye. This place is open for lunch and dinner daily.
photo credit: Hassan Mokkaddam/HMPhotoshoots
Trust Bae
A new concept from the restaurant group behind Sushi by Bou and Omakaseed just launched its first location in Nomad. Trust Bae has an eight-seat counter where Top Chef alum Frances Tariga is serving a 16-course Japanese and Filipino-inspired tasting menu. Each $150 meal lasts 90 minutes and features dishes like botan ebi tartare and lumpia with oxtail and truffle cream. Eventually, there will be new locations run by different chefs, all of whom will receive mentorship from Rachael Ray (yes, that Rachael Ray).
photo credit: Brooklyn Winery
Rosette at Brooklyn Winery
Brooklyn Winery is in a new location on the border of Williamsburg and Greenpoint just off of McCarren Park, and they now have a restaurant named Rosette. Some dishes here, like the braised short rib with celeriac purée and the $140 ribeye tomahawk steak, are made with house-made wines. Rosette also has cheese and charcuterie boards and shareable plates (grilled oysters and fluke ceviche, for example). There's greenery hanging off a brick wall and very long communal tables that will work well for big groups.
The Wallace Lounge
There's a new cocktail lounge and piano bar at The Wallace Hotel, and it looks pretty fancy. The Wallace Lounge features a marble fireplace and a grand piano from 1926, and they're serving Petrossian caviar in addition to small bites like smoked beef tartare and tempura shrimp. Swing by to catch some live music and drink a martini the next time you're seeing a show at Lincoln Center.
Duomo 51
Located on the seventh floor of a DoubleTree hotel in Midtown, this big Tuscan restaurant looks like a good place to get great views of Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick's Cathedral in the comfort of an enclosed glass terrace. (It also has a retractable roof.) Inside, the carpeted dining room is filled with white tablecloths and velvet seating, and you'll see salads, pastas, seafood, and steaks—including a $125 T-bone for two—on the menu.
photo credit: Steve Hill
Ueki
The Blue Ribbon team has opened this Japanese restaurant in honor of the late Toshi Ueki, who founded Blue Ribbon Sushi. There are only 12 seats (eight at a counter and four at two small booths) at this Greenwich Village spot, and just one seating per night at 6:30pm that lasts about two-and-a-half hours. Your only option is a $195 omakase, which isn't exactly the same from night to night, but it always includes some appetizers, edomae-style nigiri, and temaki.
Tivoli Trattoria
Tivoli Trattoria has a pretty simple concept. They're serving chicken parm, roasted branzino, and some pizzas and pastas that start around $15. The West Village space used to be a slice shop, but now it has a renovated dining room with potted plants, woven light fixtures, and Italian travel posters. This place (from the Baby Brasa people) looks pretty casual, and it should be a good option for some wine and pasta on a Monday night.
Named after the inventor of the pre-cut cardboard box (who used to run a printing business in the space), Gair is an upscale Dumbo cocktail bar with a focus on "exceptional spirits that people may not recognize right away." There's a big U-shaped concrete bar in the middle of the space, with leather, ceramic, and blackened steel accents throughout. In addition to some intricate-sounding cocktails made with ingredients like nori and persimmon, this place has low and zero-ABV drinks, as well some food that includes a smashburger, Japanese yams, and steelhead trout tartare.
This Korean-influenced dessert spot in Flushing has a variety of natural wines, over-the-top sweet creations, and coffee drinks—some of which look like tropical cocktails. The room downstairs feels like a blend of a cafe and a whimsical art gallery, and that vibe is fitting for desserts like a black tea cheesecake topped with a colorful mushroom landscape and a croffle with grated Norwegian brown cheese and vanilla ice cream. Upstairs, there's a retro-looking sound system, and the space looks more like a bar.
Named after the owner's grandmother, Lula Mae is a Cambodian restaurant in Clinton Hill with a menu comprised of several small plates that are designed to be shared. Expect things like papaya salad with lemongrass beef jerky and tamarind-soy-and-lime-pepper fried chicken, as well as bottles of wine that mostly cost around $50. The dining room looks like a bistro filled with high tops and bar seating, and there's a lounge area with leather couches in the back that's open later (2am) than the restaurant.
February
photo credit: Pro-Tech
Kebaya
The team behind Laut and Singlish has opened this new spot near Union Square specializing in Peranakan cuisine. Some of their dishes are based on recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation, and they include kuih pie tee filled with jicama, egg, and shrimp and kway chap with pork intestine, stomach, and ear in a soy ginger sauce. The room has carved wooden walls, chandeliers, and a huge mural of koi.
Jac's on Bond is the latest cocktail bar from the group behind Pebble Bar and Ray's. It's located in a Noho townhouse (the former home of The Smile), and you can stop by and play pool while you a drink pistachio-beet-dill cocktail. There's also a food menu curated by the duo behind Wildair with meatball skewers, tuna sandwiches, and a creamsicle pie.
This slice shop near Times Square is run by the same people behind Steak Frites, who seem to do small, focused menus very well. We've already checked this place out, and the cheese pizza with slightly sweet tomato sauce is our favorite thing here. But you should also try the Zillionaire slice, which comes with sausage, pepperoni, and banana peppers.
Okonomi Market
Osakana, a Japanese fish market in East Williamsburg, has transformed into Okonomi Market. (This place is affiliated with Okonomi + Yuji Ramen, which is just down the street.) The new concept offers bento boxes, donburi, and mazemen along with sashimi, speciality Japanese groceries, and more. On Fridays and Saturdays, the market closes early to make way for a $150 multi-course tasting menu, and seatings are already booked until mid-March.
Pappas Taverna
Pappas Taverna in Greenwich Village is a reboot of the first Greek restaurant in NYC, which was open from 1910 to 1975. Todd English is in charge of the menu, which features soups and salads, meat and fish prepared in a wood-burning oven, and various small plates like lobster roll spanakopita and zucchini kebabs. The large, mostly white space features a Medusa wall sculpture. If you place a takeout order, you'll pick up your food from a locker without having to deal with any humans.
Bobby’s Night Out
This bar on the corner of Avenue C and 9th has black-and-white checkered floors, red leather banquettes, and several large projector screens and TVs to watch games. Interestingly, this place serves brunch every day from noon to 5pm. During this time, you can get breakfast burritos and chilaquiles in addition to their all-day menu items like wings, calamari, and tacos.
Located in The Mark Hotel on the Upper East Side, Caviar Kaspia is a restaurant that started in Paris in 1927 and has locations in Los Angeles and other major cities around the world. Their signature dish is a baked potato topped with caviar, and you can also buy caviar (and gourmet things that people eat with caviar) to take home from their boutique. They have an "elegant dress code," so don't plan on popping in right after a workout.
Moody Tongue Sushi
Chicago-based brewery Moody Tongue is bringing beer and sushi to the West Village. At Moody Tongue Sushi, you can get à la carte nigiri or go the tasting menu route, and there are 16 beers on tap to pair with your food. It's a unique concept, and the space with leather stools and parquet floors looks like a good venue for a fun date night. If you don't want to drink beer, they also have wine and cocktails.
Petite Patate
Japanese/French restaurant Maison Yaki has closed, and the owners (who also run Olmsted and Patti Anne's) have replaced it with a spot that's 100% French. With its wicker chairs and Art Nouveau posters, Petite Patate is going for a classic bistro look, and it has a very on-theme menu. Expect things like escargots, raclette with duck fat potatoes, and a burger au poivre.
Anixi will be serving a 100% plant-based menu influenced by Greece, Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon. The Chelsea restaurant—decorated with 18th-century marble and crystal chandeliers—will have cured "fish" and faux steak shish kabobs, as well as house-baked breads and various mezze. The owners also run vegan chain Beyond Sushi and a few other plant-based spots around town.
Bad Roman
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The most exciting thing about the Time Warner Center is no longer the fact that they have public restrooms. Now, the huge Midtown mall is home to Bad Roman, the latest spot from the people behind Don Angie, Zou Zou's, and Quality Italian. The "playful Italian" restaurant has floor-to-ceiling windows with views of Central Park and a menu of dishes like roasted garlic babka, tiramisu ice cream cake, and filet mignon topped with a giant raviolo.
photo credit: Michael Tulipan
Goa New York
Located in a bi-level space in Tribeca (formerly the home of Tetsu), Goa NYC is the first NYC restaurant from Toronto chef Hemant Bhagwani. As the name suggests, some of the food is Goan, but there are a bunch of other influences as well. In addition to dishes like prawn curry and Goan-style slaw, they have an interesting mix of stuff like burrata chaat, steamed lamb bao, and vindaloo-glazed short ribs. The dining room appears to have a loungy, upscale feel, with plenty of bar seating and colorful bird-themed art.
H&H Reserve
H&H is a new bar in Williamsburg, and we're already excited about it—because they're serving hot dogs from Dog Day Afternoon. They also have a weekday Happy Hour and a few alluring beer-and-shot specials, and the space looks like a fancy gastropub from 1970s.
Located in the back of Oiji Mi in Flatiron (which opened last spring), Bōm is a fine-dining take on a Korean steakhouse. This place only has two seatings at a counter each night, and you'll get 13+ courses for $325 and a chef telling you tidbits about the ingredients and cooking techniques used along the way. The tasting menu includes banchan, seafood, vegetable, and meat courses, the last of which is prepared on a grill right in front of you.
The Last Call
This bar in Wiliamsburg is mainly about two things: music and yakitori. There's a high-fidelity sound system and DJs on Fridays and Saturdays, and the menu includes 20 rotating kinds of yakitori and about 20 different varieties of sake, too. The space looks kind of like an old-school diner, but one with red lamps and a disco ball. Brooklyn Ramen pops up here Monday through Wednesday, and if you work in the industry (i.e., at any bar), you can take advantage of Happy Hour all night on Mondays.
The menu at this new spot in Ridgewood is Italian-American, with things like a roast pork sandwich and different types of pizzas. They also have entrées like rigatoni and kale alfredo, pasta limone, chicken Milanese, and more. The spacious restaurant also offers canned cocktails ($16), which you can enjoy while playing nine ball on their pool table.
Even if cordyceps end up ravaging civilization, there will probably still be sushi omakase spots opening in the East Village. Sushi Fan is on Saint Marks, and they're offering a 12-course $65 menu that features nigiri with "fusiony" toppings like banana peppers, plum paste, and garlic butter. It's BYOB for now, so bring your favorite bottle of sake.
Midtown has a new Georgian restaurant near Grand Central, and it looks like a good option for a pre-theater dinner. Expect fried eggplant and walnut rolls, five different kinds of khinkali, and 10 varieties of khachapuri. The wine cellar is on display behind a set of glass doors, and it stores a bunch of varietals from Georgia.
January
photo credit: Max Flatow
Balkan Streat
There's a new counter-service spot in the West Village with a menu inspired by Balkan street food and the family recipes of co-owner William Djuric. They're serving cevapi and pjesckevica (in addition to sides and specials), and you can pair these kebabs and Balkan-style burgers with baked goods from the former head baker of one of the top hotels in Belgrade. The 20-seat space on 6th Avenue has a street-vendor feel with neon lights and geometric benches, and it looks like a good place for a quick, casual meal.
The Office Of Mr. Moto
Once you make a reservation at this speakeasy-style sushi omakase spot in the East Village, you'll be sent an email with a riddle you have to solve in order to get the password. Themed around 19th-century Japan and a fictional character named Mr. Moto, this place appears to be a whole production. It has two dining areas (The Gallery and The Counter), both of which offer a 21-course menu for $185. The bi-level restaurant features Victorian-era paintings, a six-foot-long replica of a 19th century ship, and a lounge where you can listen to jazz from a self-playing piano.
Outer Heaven
Outer Heaven is a new "microclub" on the Lower East Side with a Japandi-style interior and a sound system designed by the founder of Cielo and Output. The space is split into two small rooms: a sleek bar area with a subtle anime theme and a loungy space with a dance floor and a DJ booth. There are also a few vintage arcade games tucked to the side, and you'll see a comic book stand at the entrance. Make a reservation online, and inquire about bottle service if you want the whole (micro)club experience.
Witch Topokki
Want some all-you-can-eat rice cakes? Head to the recently-opened Witch Topokki in Flushing for a buffet-style experience with bottomless topokki, noodles, and toppings like fish balls and cabbage that you can heat in a broth at your table. There's also a hot bar with fries, pizza, and mozzarella sticks. For $25.95 (or $22.95 at lunch), you'll get 90 minutes of unlimited food. Witch Topokki also has another location in Bayside.
This bakery in Gowanus specializes in unique and colorful cakes. The name of the place refers to the owner, Clio Goodman, who comes up with creative flavors like gooseberry fennel, earl grey and grapefruit, and braised daikon (made with chocolate shoyu and toasted sesame frosting). The cakes range from $30 to $60, and you have to order them at least two weeks in advance.
It's a big week for new bakeries. This one is operating out of a storefront near Tompkins Square Park. Like ByClio, this place specializes in cakes, and yes, the owner is named Lucie. Mini cakes—in flavors like pumpkin apple and brown butter carrot—cost around $18 and eight-inch ones are around $100. Every cake is topped with fresh (inedible) flowers, and by the looks of it, this bakery is already popular.
Foul Witch
The team behind Roberta's has opened an Italian spot in the East Village with a focus on natural wines and dishes reminiscent of what's served at their tasting-menu restaurant, Blanca (reopening soon). The à la carte menu centers around a wood-fired oven, and you can expect dishes like grilled tripe with pecorino and mint in addition to housemade pastas, breads, and salumi. This place has an eight-seat chef's counter, and the bar area is reserved for walk-ins.
Located at the northern edge of Nomad on 30th Street, Olle is serving homestyle Korean food, and it's our new favorite place to linger over a bottle of soju with a group of friends. The minimalist space has black and gold accents, and standout dishes include galbi-jjim, bossam with fermented spicy octopus, and skate steamed in a soy-garlic vinaigrette.
Tangram Food Hall
Tangram, a huge mixed-use development in Flushing, now has its very own food hall. The neon-filled space is modeled after open-air markets that exist throughout Asia. For now, you can get frozen ube treats, several fried chicken items, bánh mì, and more from various vendors. More spots (Zaab Zaab, for example) are scheduled to open in the spring.
This tiny spot at the corner of Clinton and East Broadway has some of our favorite new tacos in the city. Start with the duck carnitas taco with jicama slaw, then move on to some seafood items. We like the seasoned fish and shrimp al pastor—both served in a crispy, griddled tortilla. You should know this place has no tables and fits maybe five people, so plan accordingly.
Hainan Chicken House
Hainan Chicken House is a new Malaysian restaurant in Sunset Park, and you can probably figure out what their specialty is. Other than their namesake item, they have curry laksa mee and prawn noodle soup, and most things on the menu cost around $12. The casual-looking space is filled with hanging plants and wooden tables and benches.
Parashades Pizza & Cocktails
Again, we think you can figure out what this place in Prospect Heights is all about just by looking at the name. Expect mozzarella sticks, garlic knots, grandma pies, and several varieties of round pizzas like white, pepperoni, Buffalo chicken, and something called The Chix (roasted chicken, blue cheese, hot sauce, and scallions). You can get any kind of pizza here by the slice.
photo credit: Belle Morizio and Julia Stevens
Caleta
Caleta is one of the more fascinating openings in recent memory. An ice cream shop by day, this little place turns into a bar at night, serving a very short menu of tapas-like dishes including a watercress caesar and fingerling potatoes with romesco and trout roe. The service is dive-bar casual, and the soundtrack is mostly punk and post-punk. If you stop by, take a moment to admire the original Cramps poster on the wall.
Gab's, a new West Village restaurant, is going for a 1970s-dinner-party feel. It has orange banquettes and colorful little vases on every table, and it's decorated with abstract paintings (made by the owner). The food, from a chef who used to work at Mimi, is advertised as "seasonal New York cuisine," and you can expect globally-influenced stuff like an uni tartlet with aji amarillo, spätzle with Burgundy truffle, and a burger with gruyere.
Opened by three NYC chefs who used to run the bacon-focused Landhaus at Smorgasburg, Three Maples is a bar in Bed-Stuy serving a brief menu of American food like a burger, a fried chicken sandwich, and a couple of salads and sides. Everything on the menu is under $20, there's a daily Happy Hour, and the attractive space has a long bar and pink banquettes.
Sushi On Me
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The ever-popular and always-rowdy Jackson Heights omakase spot Sushi on Me has a new location in Williamsburg. Like the original, this one features bottomless sake and a partytime atmosphere, complete with a disco ball and loud music. The price ($129) is a little higher here, and there are four hour-long seatings per night starting at 5pm.
photo credit: Ill Gander
Upstairs at Public Records
One of the best hangs in the city, Gowanus bar/restaurant/music venue Public Records recently launched an upstairs lounge and listening space. It's called Upstairs, and it's open Fridays and Saturdays. The space is minimalist, with some armchairs and white banquettes, and you can stop by for equally-minimalist cocktails and an impressive sound system. Make a reservation if you want to guarantee yourself a seat.
It's too early to say for sure, but there could be a Thai restaurant renaissance happening in Hell's Kitchen. Last year's Lumlum was a great addition to the neighborhood, and now there's Chalong, a new spot focusing on Southern Thai food. The menu is packed with seafood (crab curry, grilled hor mok, etc.), and the earth-toned space has an upscale feel.
Sushi Nikko
Long Island City food hall Jacx&Co has a new sushi place from the folks behind Greenwich Village's Sekai Omakase. They're serving à la carte nigiri in addition to a $68 omakase, and you can reserve your counter seat online.
If you've ever had conversations about LA restaurants, there's a good chance Gjelina came up at some point. Known for their pizzas and vegetable small plates, this popular Venice restaurant now has a second location with a huge space in Noho. They're serving 10 varieties of pizza with toppings like lamb sausage and bottarga, in addition to salads, sandwiches, and larger plates that include skirt steak and roast chicken. For now, Gjelina is only open for walk-ins during breakfast and lunch.
Meju
Located inside Little Banchan Shop in Long Island City, Meju is from the chef behind Danji and Hanjan and bills itself as a "Korean fermentation studio." You have one option, which is a seven-course $185 tasting menu with simply-described courses like "gochujang + hwe" and "ssamjang + beef." A 20% service charge is added to everything you order, which might include some of the first single malt whiskeys ever made in Korea (available here in three varieties).
Kebab aur Sharab
The chef behind Laut and Singlish has another spot on the Upper West Side serving dishes inspired by food you'd get from street carts in India. The menu includes a bunch of things cooked over coal (lamb chops, river prawns, and baby goat, for example) as well as speciality naan and roti made in a custom clay tandoor oven. The space has teak wood paneling throughout and a skylight with a peacock mural.
Jelas, located downstairs from Singlish in the former Chard space, is a new bar specializing in milk punch cocktails with Southeast Asian flavors. You'll find a fruity Singapore Sling made with clarified milk punch and a take on a whiskey sour made with red wine foam. This place has no seating and fits about 12 people, and if you get hungry you can choose from a few snacks like summer rolls and dumplings.
Hunny is a Korean spot in Long Island City where you can get tteok-bokki with fish cakes and tofu pockets stuffed with rice and imitation crab (both $9). For something larger, choose from entrées like soft tofu stew and galbi with rice and french fries drenched in a spicy sauce. This place is operating as a ghost kitchen, so it's delivery and takeout-only.
After operating for two months then abruptly closing for three months because of necessary repair work, one of our favorite openings of 2022 is finally back. This restaurant is still doing fine dining "for Queers and everyone else" in a tiny space in the East Village, but now you can choose between a three-course meal for $95 or a five-course one for $155.
With multiple locations throughout upstate New York and New Jersey, this Moroccan restaurant now has a new outpost in Tribeca. The long, narrow dining room is littered with red roses, greenery, and ornate hanging lamps. In terms of food, expect mini lamb meatballs and harissa-marinated olives as well as a long list of meat, seafood, and vegetarian tagines.
White Olive
You'll see cream-colored leather seating, gold accents, and mostly high tops at this Mediterranean restaurant in Midtown. The largely Greek and Turkish menu has items like melitzanosalata, pan-fried red snapper, baby lamp chops, and some pastas. This place is only open for dinner right now, but lunch service will be starting soon.
photo credit: Corse Design Factory
Essex Pearl x Midnight Cafe
Essex Pearl, a Southeast Asian seafood spot at The Market Line, is doing a residency at Midnight Cafe in Manhattan West. This pop-up of sorts will operate as an all-day cafe closing at 7pm with a Happy Hour featuring $1 oysters and drink specials from 4-7pm. You can order things like crab, shrimp, and lobster rolls in addition to a red curry lobster bisque and a seafood tower. (There's no firm end date for the residency yet, but it will last "for at least a few months.")
Glizzy’s
With all the bars in Williamsburg, opening a hot dog joint that's open until 4am on the weekends isn't a terrible idea. And that's exactly what the owner behind Lucy's Vietnamese has done. This small place has a counter for standing (no seating), and you can choose from 11 different varieties of hot dogs such as the Sean Paul with jerked smoked brisket and the OG Lucy's with bánh mì-inspired toppings.
Sweet Chick
This mini-chain's fifth NYC location has opened in the former Coffee Shop space (RIP) just west of Union Square. Unlike their other outposts, this one is fast casual. But you can still get all the same Southern food-like chicken and waffles, spicy honey butter biscuits, and mac and cheese.
