Someone from Lamoon, one of our favorite restaurants in Elmhurst, just opened this huge new Thai spot and movie theater in Bushwick. Mao Mao has two floors filled with mismatched rocking chairs and vintage theater seats where you can order Thai drinking snacks like chicken wings, chive dumplings, and fried squid roe. The restaurant is open for socially-distant indoor and outdoor dining from 5:30-11pm daily, but it’s also a venue for comedy shows and film screenings that you can read more about on Instagram.

In more Bushwick restaurant news, a dreamy-looking taco spot that specializes in birria has opened on Irving Avenue. We’re talking birria tacos, birria pizza, birria ramen, and quesabirra tacos served between two homemade corn tortillas and smothered in cheese. Nene’s Deli Taqueria is right around the corner from Maria Hernandez Park and operates for takeout from 12-11pm daily.

Right next to Szechuan Mountain House, home to some of The Best Mapo Tofu In NYC, the same team has opened Cheli. This new East Village Shanghainese spot has high ceilings, long wooden booths, and paper lanterns hovering over its dining room. And it’s menu involves dishes like spicy frog legs, a whole crab soaked in wine, and sea urchin egg tofu stew, all of which are available for indoor dining, outdoor dining, and takeout.

Le Grande Boucherie is a big flashy French restaurant in Midtown from the team behind Boucherie, another huge French restaurant in the middle of the West Village. And if you’re favorite food group involves burgers and steak, you’ll be happy to know that a chef who used to cook at Minetta Tavern is now preparing dishes like steak frites, duck confit, and a wagyu burger here.

Gray Hawk Grill is a new American restaurant on the Upper East Side that falls somewhere between the perfect place for a casual weeknight dinner and a low-key date night. It’s got white table cloths and there’s a filet mignon on its menu, but like many great neighborhood spots, Gray Hawk Grill also serves family-style portions of things like cacio e pepe, caesar salad, and other dishes we find ourselves craving on the average weeknight.

Ending a year like 2020 on a high note requires that you eat lots of top-notch noodle soup. If you live on the Upper West Side, Miss Saigon can give you that and more. This new casual Vietnamese spot on 106th Street and Amsterdam Avenue also serves a bunch of different curries, banh mi, and spring rolls from 11:30am to 10:30pm daily. And if you want more options for noodle soup, check out this guide.

Bowls of udon made with ingredients like parmesan cheese, grass-fed ribeye, and uni cream are the focus at this new casual noodle shop in Bayside, Queens. Sen Udon mashes up Italian, Japanese, Indian, and Korean ingredients to create udon noodle dishes that you won’t find anywhere else in the city, and they’re all available for takeout or indoor dining from 5-9pm Monday through Thursday and 11am-9pm Friday through Sunday.

Imagine spending a rainy Monday night at home. Now imagine that same night with a few pieces of smoky tandoori chicken on your kitchen table. Did that make things better? Then you should know that Anar, a new Indian spot on the Upper West Side, specializes in tandoori meats and curries you can order for takeout delivery every day.

At J-Spec, the new Japanese restaurant that opened in the old Jewel Bako space, wagyu beef is both the opening act and the featured headliner. They serve cuts of this high quality steak in everything from sliders to hand rolls layered with uni and caviar. This East Village spot is BYOB for now, and open for dinner from 5-10pm, Tuesday through Saturday.

A chef who most recently led a pastry pop-up at Maison Yaki during its Black Entrepreneur Series is now serving things like miso toffee chip cookies and guava cream cheese brioche doughnuts from the back of a vintage pickup truck in front of The Musket Room every Friday and Saturday. This Nolita pop-up will also offer a few menu options from The Musket Room, like miso sausage and egg sandwiches for breakfast, pork katsu sandwiches for lunch, and to-go cocktails during Happy Hour.

In other Manhattan pop-up news, Thaimee Love just started its six month-long run in the West Village serving a rotating menu of Northern Thai dishes like pork laab and khao soi with kale noodles and honeynut squash. Each month of this pop-up corresponds with a theme, like “Mid-Winter Beach Party” or “Thai New Year” and all of the food will be available for limited indoor and outdoor dining, as well as takeout and online delivery. For the month of November, this casual BYOB spot on Hudson Street will be open from 11am-3:30pm and again from 5-10pm, Wednesday through Sunday.

Since June, Pulkies has been serving a mashup of Jewish and American BBQ at Chelsea Market. But this casual, counter-service restaurant just opened its second location in Brooklyn’s Dekalb Market Hall, which means its slabs of brisket, pulled turkey, and cinnamon babka bread pudding are all available in a new borough just in time for Thanksgiving. And you can order them all hot or ready-to-heat if you want to see what that new toaster oven can really do.

Chocolate and coffee are the title roles at this new Italian dessert shop on Grant Street in Williamsburg. And whether you’re looking for someplace to pick up a chocolate croissant before taking your dog on a walk in Domino Park, or sip a cappuccino on an enclosed curbside patio this winter, Brosalia looks like a great neighborhood option to know about.

When you walk into this new hand roll bar on 2nd Avenue in the East Village, you’ll feel like you just entered the cafeteria in a cylindrical spaceship. The cave-like dining room has LED lights lining its walls and shiny, gold stools tucked underneath a reservation-only sushi counter. But if you’d rather order your raw fish to-go, they’ve got a bunch of combo box sets that include up to 24 pieces available for takeout and delivery. And no matter what you order, you should take some time to appreciate that this spot has created sushi Tik Toks to the tune of Ariana Grande’s new album, Positions.

Over the last several months, this Texas-style Mexican restaurant has hosted weekend pop-ups at places like Doris in Bed-Stuy, Dame in the West Village, and Trans Pecos in Ridgewood. But now, Yellow Rose has its own brick and mortar space on 3rd Avenue in the East Village. Expect a menu of spicy hominy soup with long fideo noodles, micheladas, and delicious tacos that might temporarily make you angry to be an East Coaster.

Amor y Amargo just opened a cocktail store right next door to their bar in the East Village, and it’s stocked with bottled Negronis, premade Manhattans, bitters, and a bunch of cocktail-making tools for your bar cart at home. Behind the store, they’ve hidden a new reservation-only cocktail bar that has a menu of upscale vegan small plates you can try on Wednesday-Sunday nights.

This huge food hall just opened on the first floor of a skyscraper in Long Island City, and it’s home to new locations of some spots you’ve probably heard of, like Fieldtrip, Taim, Crif Dogs, Beebe’s, and Kissaki. But there’s also a new counter-service Chinese restaurant called Lotus + Cleaver from the people behind Wayla and Kimika. They specialize in build-your-own noodle bowls topped with meat options like BBQ pork, crispy fish, and ginger chicken.

This new LES cocktail bar and restaurant started out as a traveling pop-up in a yellow mystery machine van. Now, Double Chicken Please serves batched cocktails on tap in a dark bar with dim neon lighting, along with a few different kinds of fried chicken sandwiches topped with things like honey, Thai basil, and salted duck egg. They’re open for limited indoor dining from 12-10pm Tuesday-Sunday, and just in case you and meat are on a break right now, they have a fried tofu sandwich with peanut butter sauce that looks promising.

Winona’s looks like the kind of light wood-covered Williamsburg cafe that early ’00s bloggers would have claimed to have discovered, but it’s actually an all-day European restaurant that reopens as a natural wine bar every Wednesday-Sunday night. You can order breakfast, lunch, and dinner options like salmon tartine and lamb belly fritters for takeout at the counter up front. But you’ll need a reservation to visit the private dining room in the back, which will serve an upscale prix-fixe dinner every Thursday-Saturday night.

All of the sandwiches at King Wang’s, a new sit-down spot in Bushwick, have Korean, Japanese, or Chinese influences. There’s a spicy chicken sandwich with Sichuan slaw and a bulgogi cheesesteak that’s been marinated in an Asian pear sauce. Plus, they serve loaded ramen fries topped with bacon bits and housemade instant ramen powder. Whenever you’re ready, you can stop by for limited indoor dining or place a takeout order online.

If tea parties have become a thing in your apartment, or if you’d like to pretend to be the kind of person who always eats a tower of cucumber sandwiches on a Sunday afternoon, you’ll be happy to know that this new Prospect Heights cafe is doing tea party brunch service every weekend. Each 75-minute tea experience at Brooklyn High Low comes with a bunch of scones, mini tarts, and sandwiches that you eat in an outdoor garden or a vintage furniture-filled dining room on Vanderbilt Avenue.

A chef who used to run Fred’s at Barneys’ kitchen just opened a new bakery and restaurant right by Madison Square Park. From dinner options like lasagna della nonna and roast chicken to brunch dishes like a stacked turkey sandwich and a smoked fish platter, Mark’s Off Madison will offer a variety of the chef’s all-time favorite dishes for limited indoor dining, takeout, and delivery very soon. But for now, you can DM the restaurant on Instagram to place a pick-up order for fresh bagels and bialys.

Joe’s Steam Rice Roll has a cult following, homemade Cantonese cheung fun, and a new location on the UWS. Its menu ranges from silky rice rolls filled with things like shrimp or curry fish balls to thick Chinese crepes topped with sausage or pork floss - and nothing costs more than $10.

This healthy-ish American spot just opened its eighth NYC location on the Upper West Side. So the next time you wake up after a Zoom Happy Hour in need of a BLT, cobb salad, or plate of fried chicken and cheddar waffles in the neighborhood, Friedman’s has you covered.

Yodeling in the Alps might not be in the cards for you this winter. But for now, Hutte’s outdoor restaurant experience made to feel like an Austrian ski lodge, might be your best bet. They built a heated tent and filled it with a bunch of antique tables and hanging antlers, so whenever you’re in the mood for fondue, game meats, or Austrian wine, throw on your favorite furry boots and try them all here.

Hamilton Heights has a new restaurant and beer bar that’s ready to send a truffle mushroom pizza and a hazy IPA straight to your apartment. The beer menu at Hamilton Hall includes drafts and cans from a bunch of local breweries, and the food is being managed by someone who used to work at Eleven Madison Park. They’ve got a covered sidewalk patio with dividers open for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch from 11am to 11pm daily.

If you’re bored of pasta, this new Italian spot in Flatiron looks like it could change that. Isabelle’s is serving things like pumpkin pappardelle, spinach and mushroom lasagne, and pork chop milanese for dinner, and a giant plate of chicken & waffles during weekend brunch.

A new bar from the people behind Amsterdam Ale House just opened on the UWS, and they serve everything from hot toddies to canned ciders on a sidewalk patio that’s right in front of a huge flat-screen TV. So if you live nearby, and need a new place to yell passionately at athletes who probably don’t know you exist, try The Upside.

It feels like new vegan restaurants are always opening in New York City, but this week it’s a new location of a well-known classic. Le Botaniste just opened its fourth outpost in the city on the Upper West Side, and they’ve got all the fresh carrot juice, organic wine, and spicy quinoa stew your plant-based heart desires.

Ridgewood has a new neighborhood bar that’s doing live music nights, vinyl sets, and hosting a Vietnamese pop-up with Beaucoup weekly from Thursday through Saturday. Stay up to date on Bar Freda’s latest performances, cocktail specials, and dishes like banh mi burgers and fried chicken banh mi tacos from Beaucoup, on Instagram.

There’s a new brick-oven pizza place in Greenpoint that’s run by a guy who has lived in the neighborhood for over 30 years. Mario’s has everything from prosciutto-topped pies to calzones filled with cheese and sopressata available for limited outdoor dining (last we checked, they only had one table out front), takeout, and delivery right now.

The people behind Gupshup just opened this new Indian takeout spot specializing in Bombay street food at Time Out Market in Dumbo. Butter chicken curry, masala fries, and Indian frankies (wraps filled with everything from beef pepper fry to chicken khurchan) are all available Wednesday through Sunday at this counter-service place.

This new Carroll Gardens restaurant just opened inside a historic bar space that formerly housed P.J. Hanley’s, an Irish tavern established in 1874 that also happens to be the place Al Capone hosted his wedding reception in 1918. Court Street Tavern serves dishes like French onion soup, roasted chicken, and a few different kinds of pasta on its heated outdoor patio, which the restaurant plans to convert into an outdoor ice-skating rink this winter.

Bored of eating different combinations of chickpeas and lettuce for lunch? Break up the monotony with one of Yuzu Kitchen’s Japanese izakaya rice bowls. This new counter-service spot in Bryant Park serves them with protein options like miso-glazed salmon, pork tonkatsu, and beef short rib, none of which will cost you more than $15.

If tacos are the fuel to the Ford F-150 you call your body, this new East Village spot will likely become your favorite gas station. Los Tacos NYC serves tacos de guisado, filled with rice and different meat stews like chile colorado and chicken mole, wrapped in yellow corn tortillas that are made in-house. Each one is $3.75 and available for takeout-only from this pink-and-white counter-service spot on E 7th Street.

If not Dunkin’, we’d argue that NYC runs on coffee and cocktails. Split Eights, a new drink spot in Fidi, wisely serves both in a two-story cafe with a long wood bar and a few small tables that’s open for limited indoor seating. So if you’re looking for a place to pick up a flat white in the morning and drink whiskey cocktails in the evening, congratulations. You did it.

Chip NYC, a chocolate chip cookie chain with locations in Manhattan and Queens, just opened its first Brooklyn outpost in Williamsburg. Along with its rotating weekly menu of gooey-centered cookie options like funfetti and butterscotch toffee, Chip NYC Williamsburg is the first location to offer vegan chocolate chip cookies.

Blue Willow is a new Chinese spot in Midtown that specializes in both Hunan and Szechuan dishes like sweet and sour pork, bang bang chicken, and Chengdu wontons. With its antique lamp shades and indigo velvet booths, the interior space at this sit-down spot looks like an old-school brasserie. If you’d rather stay outside, Blue Willow has a rain-proof outdoor patio, plus a takeout and delivery menu available for lunch and dinner every day.

This Harlem-based ice cream shop just opened a new location in Hamilton Heights that’s debuting flavors like blueberry cheesecake, guava quesito, and cinnamon hot honey. They’re closed on Monday and Tuesday, but planning every other day of the week around picking up a few scoops here is a very good idea.

The team behind Cơm Tấm Ninh Kiều, one of the best Vietnamese spots in the Bronx, just opened a new restaurant on the Upper West Side that’s currently using its space for a weekly food pop-up. In the past, Bánh Vietnamese Shop House has served everything from Bánh Cuốn Hà Nội (Vietnamese rice rolls) and Bánh chưng chiên (fried rice cakes) to Thịt Kho (pork belly and egg soup) and skewered Bún Chả (grilled pork), but you’ll have to check out the restaurant’s Instagram for the latest on this week’s pop-up menu.

We think of Birria-Landia’s truck in Jackson Heights as a New York City landmark. So the news about their second location in Williamsburg near Metropolitan and Meeker Avenue made us want to set off some kind of taco alarm to alert anyone looking for sustenance within a two-mile radius. Queen’s Birria-Landia serves the best birria tacos in NYC, and both the menu and the long lines look exactly the same at this Brooklyn spot.

Election season 2020 calls for meals that involve excessive amounts of melted cheese and Chito Gvrito is a casual, sit-down Georgian restaurant in Gramercy where you can make that happen. From adjaruli khachapuri (a bread boat that looks like a melted cheese jacuzzi) to doughy cheese blintzes, the lactose intolerant among you should come prepared with extra-strength dairy pills.

This popular brewery opened a Soho location back in May, which operated as a home base for their expansive delivery service. Now, Torch & Crown has officially opened this huge Lower Manhattan brewery for indoor and outdoor dining. Along with cream ales and double IPAs, they’ve got a bar menu with burgers, seafood, and salads available from 12 to 9pm Tuesday through Sunday.

The owner of Dough in Bed-Stuy, a doughnut shop that closed in February 2020, just opened this new bakery in the same space on Franklin & Lafayette. Fan Fan has a rotating menu of specialty pastries like salted brown butter caramel doughnuts, sticky buns, and five different kinds of fan-fans (a mashup between Long Johns and eclairs), topped with things like yuzu meringue, prickly pear glaze, guava, and more.

This year, we’ve learned to expect the unexpected. So when we heard that Russian dishes like mushroom and potato vareniki, pork pelmeni, apple rye cake, and pear upside down cake were being sold from someone’s fourth-floor walk-up in Bed-Stuy, we somehow weren’t that surprised. Dacha, the new Eastern European/Slavic pop-up in question, is run by two chefs who worked at Rezdora and Red Hook Tavern respectively before the pandemic hit. And if you want to find out which dishes from their rotating menu will be available this week, check out their Instagram.

Three friends who worked at Eleven Madison Park together just opened this new, counter-service Chinese spot in Flatiron. Milu mainly serves rice bowls that you can build with your choice of meat or plant-based protein like duck or cauliflower. Plus, they serve sides like pork and fennel wontons, which look like the perfect meal to eat between your 1pm and 3pm Zoom meetings.

The UWS has a new French bistro where eating steak frites in the middle of the day like a writer in Paris during the 1920s seems highly encouraged. Manny’s will have an awning over its sidewalk patio soon, but for now, their dining room covered in marble tables and antique burlesque show posters is open for full-service indoor dining.

East Village coffee fans have yet another new cafe in the neighborhood serving high-quality flat whites and pastries from Balthazar Bakery. For now, All The King’s Horses is a mostly takeout spot with limited outdoor seating, but the sign on the building next door says they’ll be expanding in Spring 2021.

Chinatown has a new micro-brewery on Madison Street that serves draft options like lychee red ale and snacks like fried pickles. The indoor space is about the size of a studio apartment, but That Witch Ales You has a huge backyard patio with games you can use to lighten the mood at your table.

If you’re looking for a spacious back patio in Kips Bay to host a birthday party or to celebrate the fact that you’ve kept your spider plant alive for the last six months, Sunday’s Well has you covered. This new bar has a big backyard patio, daily Happy Hour with discounted beer and cocktails, plus comfort food like hush puppies, popcorn chicken, and skillet mac and cheese.

One of our favorite West Village counter-service spots, Manousheh, just opened its second Manhattan location on the LES. Unsurprisingly, this Lebanese spot specializes in manousheh, a doughy flatbread topped with different meats and vegetables, but this new spot has an expanded menu of salads, mezze, sides, and sweets like ashta merry cream (booza soft serve).

Rosella is a new sushi place in the East Village with a tasting menu option, plus a full menu of a la carte dishes like laksa soup and ceviche available for takeout, delivery, and outdoor dining. In favor of sustainability, most of the restaurant’s wine is from Brooklyn’s Rooftop Reds and many of the restaurant’s key ingredients, like its fish and miso, come from U.S. farmers.

City Winery just opened a huge new wine bar in Chelsea where you can sip rosé and stare at the sun setting over the Hudson River. The indoor space has floor-to-ceiling windows facing New Jersey and seats up to 200 people at socially-distanced tables. If you’d rather sit outside, there’s a full-service waterfront patio where you can try some of the new additions to their extensive wine list.

In 2014, Eric Ripert and Aldo Sohm teamed up to open Aldo Sohm Wine Bar in Midtown, just across the way from Le Bernardin. Now, they’re opening Aldo Upstairs on the second floor of the same bar. It’s essentially a socially-distant wine cellar where you can get all of the same wines and snacks from the first floor, plus some exclusive options from a rotating list of wines curated by the bar’s team of sommeliers.

There’s a new takeout-only sandwich shop hidden underneath the Manhattan Bridge that’s serving everything from mortadella sandwiches and lasagna squares, to caviar pizza and matzo ball soup. The sign out front at this Chinatown spot says “Tony’s Brick Oven Pizza,” but walk in and check L’itos’ menu board for the latest on what’s available.

Since June, this Nigerian grocery store in Astoria has been serving dishes like egusi soup with salmon and yassa, red stew with chicken, and jollof rice from a takeout-out counter inside the market. So whether your crockpot is on the fritz or you’re in the mood for some West African soups or stews in Queens, Nneji has you covered.

Chilo’s in Bed-Stuy has been our go-to taco truck for years. And they’ve just opened a second location in Greenwood that looks like it has the same fish tacos, smoked beef tortas, and nopales tostadas we’ve always loved. With more outdoor seating in a fenced courtyard, the new Chilo’s might just be one of the best new places to eat tacos and drink mezcal in the city.

This new delivery-only dumpling spot just opened three locations in Soho, Flatiron, and on the Upper West Side all at the same time. We’re just passing this along in case you live nearby and want handmade dumplings filled with things like pork & chives, lamb & cilantro, or chicken & broccoli delivered straight to your door with minimal effort on your part.

The team behind The Handpulled Noodle just opened a new Chinese noodle shop in Harlem where you can pick between classic, thick, sweet potato, and rice hand-pulled noodles to pair with things like spicy cumin lamb stir fry or ginger chicken soup. This casual, counter-service place is only doing takeout and delivery right now, so head to their website and place your order online.

All summer long, this delivery-only Mexican restaurant made taco feasts with homemade corn tortillas and other dishes like duck confit and green pumpkin seed mole accessible outside of your average fine-dining experience. And if you haven’t tried them out, their pre-order meals are still available for delivery within Brooklyn on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, and they each include a pamphlet explaining the cultural context of every dish, plus a QR code that opens a curated playlist to go along with your meal.

Vestry is a new upscale American restaurant at the Dominick Hotel in Soho where things like beets and carrots seem to be getting just as much attention as the scallops and wagyu beef. In addition to several vegetable-focused small plates, Vestry’s menu includes things like tempura, handrolls, salmon, and roasted chicken, all of which you can eat on their plant-covered outdoor patio, or inside their socially distanced dining room right now.

Take a moment to reflect on your favorite NYC bars. If any of them require a secret passcode or hushed volume inside an unmarked door, you’ll probably like the Lab at Patent Pending. It’s a new, 40-seat speakeasy in a private room behind Patent Pending in Nomad, serving things like bacon grilled cheese and caramel rum gelato in addition to cocktails from 4pm to midnight daily.

The Upper West Side has a new neighborhood pizza place that should have something for just about everyone you know. From NY style and Sicilian pies topped with chicken cutlet or caesar salad, to vegan Nutella pies topped with strawberries and bananas, Sforno is like a variety show with entertainment you can eat.

Whether you’re vegan or not, you should know about Fat Choy - a new plant-based Chinese spot from someone who used to cook at Golden Diner. This LES takeout spot serves things like rice rolls, sticky rice dumplings, and sesame pancake sandwiches with mushrooms that you can pick up from 12 to 8pm, every day except Monday.

We checked out Fat Choy and added it to our list of The Best New Restaurants on the Lower East Side.

One of the people behind LA food truck Carnitas El Momo, home to some of Best Tacos In Los Angeles, just opened a new taco spot in the East Village with the Nai Tapas team. If you squint, Amigo By Nai kind of looks like a dance club with its pink neon sign and matte black patio tables - but it’s actually a cocktail bar on 2nd Ave that likely serves the kind of carnitas you’ll find yourself thinking about in the shower.

If you head to Yard Sale Cafe, a new coffee shop in Park Slope, just to pick up a slice of chocolate babka cake and a flat white with almond milk, you’d be missing the point. This neighborhood spot doubles as an antique shop where everything on the shelves lining the walls inside is available to purchase. Think of it as a never-ending estate sale full of vintage, one-of-a-kind dinnerware that also happens to have a working espresso bar.

Ursula is a new cafe from some of the people behind Bushwick’s Awkward Scone, which closed in May. Best known for their New Mexican-style breakfast burritos, the team has brought even more green and red chile-stuffed options like sopaipillas and an egg sandwich on brioche to this new Crown Heights spot, which is now open Wednesday through Sunday.

Mika is a new beer bar in Bushwick where you can play shuffleboard on a huge outdoor patio or hang out in a giant space bubble they call the “VIP lounge.” Since July, the bar has been hosting socially-distant omakase sushi dinners, chef pop-ups, movie nights, and more, so if you want to know what’s coming up at this overachieving neighborhood place, check out their Instagram.

The people behind Williamsburg’s newest outdoor-only spot N 11th Street Cookout just opened a new indoor beer bar with axe-throwing right down the street. While it might not be the safest place to decompress after a 12-hour work day or an insomniatic episode, you can still try this place out Thursday to Sunday.

This popular counter-service Israeli spot with a location in Chelsea Market has made its way to Brooklyn in Dekalb Market Hall. And if you’re ever had a falafel craving in Downtown Brooklyn, you know that this is a big deal. Miznon will deliver its steak-stuffed pitas and rotisserie chicken plates straight to your apartment if you live nearby, or you can pick it up from their new spot and present it to your housemates as a just-because gift on a random weeknight.

If you’ve ever wondered what a vegan Mekelburg’s might be like, check out Guevara’s. This new neighborhood cafe from the Mekelburg’s team is serving things like plant-based nachos, lox bagels, and coffee from women and trans-owned coffee roasters just a few feet away from their Clinton Hill location.

East Williamsburg has a new sit-down spot from the people behind The Meat Hook, where things like pork steak, tomato tartine, and pickled baloney are served outside on a covered patio with the kind of mid-century modern dining tables that seem to only exist in Blue Dot ads.

Bar Dalia is a new tapas bar in Astoria from the team behind Mosaic, a popular cocktail bar in the neighborhood. You’ll find things like crab cakes with corn relish, chicharron, and dulce de leche-covered churros on their menu, which you can try indoors or on their spacious back patio.

Popular Nolita lunch spot Noodlelove just transformed into a sit-down Korean restaurant serving fried chicken bao buns, bulgogi cheeseburger dumplings, and wonton noodles with clam sauce. Umma by Noodlove has 24 sidewalk seats along Kenmare street where you can have a casual dinner outside right now, plus eight indoor seats that’ll be available as soon as restaurants can reopen for indoor dining.

In Guyana, German’s Soup is a restaurant staple for Guyanese and Caribbean dishes like pepperpot and cow heel soup. The first U.S. location opened two years ago in Crown Heights, and it just moved to a bigger space on Utica Avenue that’ll open for indoor dining on September 30th. In this larger space, German’s Soup will serve new hearty soup options, barbeque chicken, roti, and more.

If you haven’t taken the subway through Manhattan in a while, let us remind you about that food market in the Columbus Circle subway station where you might have picked up a few dumplings or bubble tea back in 2017. Well, that place has a new paella spot called EZ Paella that serves microwavable orders to-go. Whether you want seafood, chicken, or vegetable paella for dinner, you’ll find it here along with a few other Spanish and Venezuelan dishes like meat skewers and empanadas from 10am to 8pm daily.

Since July, this wine bar has been open for evening pours on the Lower East Side in a space it shares with Broome Street Bakery. But recently, Somm Time opened a second location on the Upper East Side that serves cheese, charcuterie, pasta, and other small plates you’ll want to snack on while sipping a glass of Nebbiolo on a weeknight.

This Clinton Hill Mexican spot quietly opened back in March, which obviously means it closed soon afterwards. Now Tarachi is back with its barbacoa tacos, empanadas, and margaritas available for takeout, which you can either eat at one of the seat-yourself tables on its sidewalk patio or take back to the folding table in your living room.

The people behind Chinese Tuxedo just opened a new cafe in Soho serving Singaporean, Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, and Pakistani mashup dishes. The Tyger’s huge sidewalk patio has a bunch of wicker patio furniture where you can lounge all night and try things like squid ink fried rice, crispy lamb ribs, and steamed halibut to your heart’s content.

There’s a new Mexcian street food pop-up right outside of Cevicheria El Rey on Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights that specializes in tacos Arabes and cemitas. Served with cochinita pibil (roasted pork) on a giant tortilla, the food at Tlaxcal Kitchen traces back to the city of Puebla, where 19th-century Arab immigrants introduced kebabs and shawarma into central Mexican cuisine. Check out their Instagram information for more information on hours and specials.

A Long Island-based winery just opened a new outdoor tasting room in Williamsburg that’s focused on wine made in New York State. If you regularly talk about varietals like celebrities in a pop culture segment, the barrel-barricaded leather chairs on Hound’s Tree’s sidewalk patio are calling your name. And even if you’re still trying to figure out what exactly a tannin is, you can order a few glasses with some oysters and a charcuterie board from 5 to 11pm on weekdays and 12 to 10pm on weekends.

Carreau Club is a new bar pop-up in the courtyard at Industry City where you can play a socially-distant game of Pétanque while sipping on a can of beer. Reserve a court here for up to six people ahead of time or just stop by in-person to sign-up. They also have sandwiches and snacks available through October 31st.

Greenpoint has a new neighborhood bar that serves a mystery cocktail called “Pond Water” and you should probably dare someone in your life to try it. If no one takes the bait, you can still have a $4 hot dog or a New Orleans-style frozen drink on the curbside patio at Minnows everyday from 2-11pm.

Starting September 26th, Bronx Night Market will be back every weekend from 12 to 6pm at Fordham Plaza through November 1st. You’ll need to reserve a free ticket here if you want to visit the outdoor food fair and consume several orders of jerk pork tacos, arepas, kebabs, and plump bao buns within a two-hour span.

The East Village has a new plant-based smashburger spot that serves an Impossible double-patty burger you’ll probably see walking down a saucy runway in a future hunger dream. Like most vegan fast food places, they also have a bunch of desserts like soft serve and doughnuts available for takeout and delivery Tuesday to Sunday from 12 to 10pm.

In more vegan-related East Village news, Saramsam is now serving vegan Filipino dishes like mushroom adobo and pancit with Impossible ragu over on 7th Street. This new spot has a small curbside patio with a few umbrella-covered tables you can visit from 5 to 11pm Wednesday through Saturday and 12 to 11pm on Sunday.

The people behind Tacuba have opened a new seafood spot right next door to their Astoria location just in time for you to eat lobster bisque and mourn the end of summer. El Fish Shack also has lobster rolls, lobster mac and cheese, and lobster waffles that all look good enough to cry over.

This high-end sushi spot with locations in the East Village and Midtown now has a space on the UWS as well. The new location has omakase boxes that cost up to $150 each, but you can also eat a la carte options like spicy tuna maki rolls and hamachi nigiri on their sidewalk patio while people-watching along Columbus Avenue.

Since June, one of our favorite Thai restaurants in the city has been serving crab rangoons, fish sauce-coated chicken wings, and green papaya salad down at the Seaport in Fidi. And unlike the original Brooklyn location, Thai Farm Kitchen’s new Manhattan location has a covered patio, large cocktail menu, and vegan dishes that are probably good enough to make you question everything you thought you knew about tofu.

If you’ve been longing for a place to get bao buns and pan fried dumplings in South Slope, your prayers have finally been answered. Mr. Bao on 5th Avenue has a huge menu of handmade dumpling options filled with things like fried shrimp, boiled beef, and blue crab. Many of them are multicolored, but every single one is available for pick up from their takeout window and can be eaten at one of the seat yourself sidewalk tables in front of the restaurant.

Clinton Hill has tons of brownstones and corner cafes, but you’ll have a much harder time finding good Mexican food in the area. Ojala looks like it might change all of that with Oaxacan dishes like tortas, tamales, and chicken mole poblano. Try them all for takeout, delivery, or on their big backyard patio from 12 to 10 pm daily.

Since August, Bilao has been making the UES a better place with its Filipino food and covered sidewalk patio that you can eat on even when it might randomly rain for 20 minutes. Whether you’re looking for breakfast options like kare-kare for lunch or lechon kawali for dinner, you might want to give this spot a try.

You might know Nora Allen, the owner of this new bakery on the LES, as the lady helping people diagnose their struggling sourdough on Instagram earlier this year. Well, now this bread expert has opened a new weekend-only sourdough spot serving chocolate croissants, poppy miche loaves, and more from 8am to 3pm.

If you couldn’t make it out to The Hamptons this summer, head to this new nautical-themed rooftop bar at the Hilton Fashion District Hotel in Flatiron. On its reservation-only terrace 23 floors above ground, Sand Bar has swing seats and wicker chairs where you can trade oysters and ocean views for pinsas and a good look at the Empire State Building.

The UES has a new cafe serving things like sushi tostadas, fig leaf burrata, and short rib pie made with ingredients from a bunch of local farms. During the day, stop by Festivál for pastries, coffee, and cocktails on a wooden sidewalk table along 2nd Avenue. But for dinner, expect to eat a wide range of dishes from scallop sashimi and nori biscuits to flatbread melanzana and steak tartare.

Veeray da Dhaba is a new Punjabi restaurant in the East Village that specializes in things like paratha, butter chicken, curry, and paneer makhani for takeout or delivery. And if you’re looking for a new lunch spot in the area, they’ve got individual meal sets called “tiffin,” each of which includes a meat or vegetarian entree, vegetables, dal, rice, and naan for $14.

This new Hawaiian restaurant on Vanderbilt Avenue in Prospect Heights is serving poke bowls, fish tacos, and french toast to-go right now. So if you’re looking for somewhere new to eat spicy salmon and mango, stop by and seat yourself on their small curbside patio.

For Burmese groceries and dishes like beef tripe soup, tea leaf salad, and a seafood salad with octopus and shrimp, try Yun Café and Asian Mart - a new restaurant inside the 74th St Roosevelt Ave subway station in Jackson Heights. This tiny, counter-service spot is takeout-only, but there are a few outdoor tables just a few feet above ground in Diversity Plaza.

Chelsea is now home to the very first New York City location of Sush1, a global chain that’s known for its affordable sushi rolls. Their menu has a range of combos, plus a build-your-own sushi box that you’ll probably want to fill with a bunch of $1 sushi roll, nigiri, and sashimi options.

Bapbap is a counter-service Korean spot inside Flushing’s New Age Market where you can pick up seaweed rice rolls filled with things like bulgogi and squid, ube soboro bread, grilled banana leaf soft serve, and more. Everything on the menu costs less than $15, and if you live nearby, you can also order their dishes for delivery.

Williamsburg has more rooftop bars than parks, and Talk Story at The McCarren Hotel is the newest one to add to the list. You’ll find a menu full of tropical cocktails, salads, sushi, and poke available for walk-in from 3pm-11pm daily. So far, it seems less crowded than some of the others spots with views of the Manhattan skyline in the area.

The team behind Osamil just opened this new Korean-American spot in Gramercy Park, where you can eat fried chicken or pork belly confit on a patio nice enough to host the world’s first curbside wedding reception. Although Cafe Salmagundi is somewhat fancy and can seat up to 40 people outdoors, you can also come here for a casual drink and some bar snacks from 5-10pm, Wednesday through Sunday.

Even if you somehow have a backyard, you’ll still want to have your backyard barbecue at North 11th Street Cookout soon. This new beer garden has a huge, turf-covered patio where you can bring your dog and eat a cheeseburger, hot dog, or some elote at a picnic table in the shadows of The William Vale Hotel. On Fridays and Saturdays, this spot is open till midnight, and on every other day (except Tuesday), they’re open till 11pm.

The name ‘For All Things Good’ might ring a bell if you’ve seen any of the pop-ups this Oaxacan spot has done at restaurants like Dame NYC in the West Village. Now, the people behind it have opened a cafe in Bed-Stuy where you can get dishes like tetelas, memelas, and tlayudas. All of the tortillas here are made with fresh masa that’s been ground in-house, and you can try them everyday except Monday at their sidewalk patio on Franklin Avenue.

The East Village has a new Caribbean spot serving Dominican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban dishes like yucca fries with truffle and parmesan, chimi burgers, mofongo, and more. And whether you want to enjoy them on a patio table above astroturf or on your couch three stories above Avenue B is up to you - they’re open for takeout and outdoor dining till 11pm every day.

For Thai tapas-style dishes like beef and liver sausage, fried banana flower, crispy catfish with mango salad, head to the outdoor patio at this new Bushwick spot. Tong is BYOB for now, while they work on getting a liquor license, and everything on their menu is made to share while drinking and commiserating with friends.

In Greenwich Village news, there’s a new Indian spot that has a bunch of different types of biryani you can order for takeout and delivery in the neighborhood. Whether you’re craving chicken, lamb, shrimp, or vegetable biryani, you can place an order on Biryani Kitchen’s website to have someone bring it to your doorstep between 12-11pm daily.

Once a pop-up bringing high-quality caffeine to events across the city, Blank Street Coffee is an outdoor cafe on Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg. Imagine a small parking lot filled with trees, potted plants, and DIY patio furniture, like cushioned-topped milk crates. That’s what you’ll find if you plan on hanging out here.

It’s not hard to find an Australian cafe that serves grain bowls and cold brew in NYC. But Gertrude on the Upper West Side also serves slices of zucchini bread with cheese and capers, free cappuccinos for kids, and more stuff that you probably won’t find anywhere else in the city.

Given that Wayla was one of our Best New Restaurants of 2019, it’s likely that this new Japanese-Italian spot from the same team will be at the top of your list this summer. Expect to eat things like uni flatbread, spaghetti made with four different types of roe, and eggplant katsu, while sitting in a wicker chair on their sidewalk patio - they’re open for outdoor dining every day from 5-10pm.

A new soul food spot on Orchard Street in the LES, Oola’s Kitchen was supposed to open before the pandemic, and they’re now officially serving food like deep fried ribs, watercress and beet salad, and a smashburger. You can stop by for outdoor dining Tuesday-Friday , or check out their website for takeout and delivery orders.

The Murray’s Cheese team has opened a new shop and restaurant - essentially a modern-day cheese emporium - in Long Island City where you can get a cheese plate, grilled cheese, and anything else that would make your lactose-intolerant friends cringe. Both spots open at 12pm every day for dine-in, takeout, and delivery, so you can put down the store-bought cheese slices and plan a meal here soon.

In rooftop news, you can now visit a bar in Bushwick called Runaway Roof. This new spot is serving cocktails and summer bar snacks like salt and pepper ribs and a tomato-watermelon salad, and they’re also hosting weekly bingo nights that are first come, first served.

The Momofuku team quietly opened outdoor dining at a new restaurant in the old Ssäm Bar space in the East Village called Momofuku 207. They’ve been doing takeout since July, but only began outdoor dining with a special patio menu, featuring spicy gochujang fried chicken, smoked pork burnt ends, and roasted peach ice cream, in mid-August. Find all the details here.

If you’re looking for something new on the UES, Horn’s Hook Tavern recently opened on 1st Avenue and 83rd Street. It’s vaguely Revolutionary War-themed, which means there are menu items like “Declaration fries,” “Lafayette’s beignets,” and, uh, “Freedom chips.”

Ramen Danbo just opened a new West Village location that has a bunch of sidewalk seating and big red umbrellas to keep you and your noodles from getting soggy. They’ve got lots of options, including several vegan ramen bowls and gyozas, available for takeout, delivery, and outdoor dining from 11am-11pm daily.

Once a tiny taco spot hidden in the back of an East Village cocktail bar, Borrachito has now moved out front with a bright-orange sidewalk patio on Avenue A. They’ve also added some new options to their meaty taco menu, including rib eye and bone marrow, adobo chicken, and carnitas. The new and improved Borrachito is open for outdoor dining and takeout from 2-11pm daily.

The Junzi Kitchen team has opened a new takeout-only spot inside of their Greenwich Village location where you can get dishes like orange chicken and beef lo mein for lunch or dinner, Wednesday- Sunday, 11:30am-9pm. Place your order through their website, or stop by in-person.

There’s a new Lebansese deli in Greenpoint serving things like za’atar breakfast empanadas and muhammara from a to-go window on Meserole Ave. You can also head inside to grab something from their mezze fridge or scan their chalkboard for specials like stuffed cabbage. And if you have any trouble finding Edy’s Grocer, just look for a corner spot with a giant lemon attached to it.

If eating high quality sushi out of a martini glass has always been a dream of yours, you can make it a reality at Kintsugi. This new upscale Soho spot has a $95 omakase, plus a few sushi sets and a la carte options, available for lunch and dinner on their outdoor patio. Walk-ins are accepted, but you can also book a table here.

Big news: One of our favorite Tibetan spots in Jackson Heights has opened a new location in the East Village with outdoor seating on First Avenue and 11th Street. This means you should probably stop by for some beef momos in the very near future.

If you’re looking for a new rooftop brunch spot in Lower Manhattan, try this upscale restaurant on top of The Beekman Hotel. You can eat things like brioche french toast, shakshuka, and lobster salad here while surrounded by rose bushes that’ll make you miss the vibrant garden you’ve never even had. They’re also open for dinner on weeknights, and you can book a reservation online.

Brooklyn Roots is a new red sauce Italian spot where you can eat spaghetti bolognese and burrata-topped meatballs in Sunset Park. Their curbside patio is open every day except Monday, but if you’d rather enjoy specials like lamb lollipops, tiramisu, or a porterhouse steak on your couch, you can place a takeout or delivery order through their website.

Drinking a matcha boba on a garden patio in Park Slope sounds like the premise of a food-centered romcom that we’d like to audition for. And this is exactly the kind of thing you can do at One More Charm, a new Thai spot in the neighborhood. In addition to their colorful milk tea options, this takeout place also has things like beef salad, fish cakes, and lava cake on its menu.

Greenwich Village has a new Chinese spot where you can pick up guokui (giant, crispy flatbread filled with things like spicy beef or pork) and take pride in the act of consuming something larger than your own head. Crop Circle also has steamed dumplings and rice noodle rolls available for takeout from 11:30am to 10:30pm, Tuesday through Sunday.

South African meats, chutneys, beers, cheeses, and more are available for pick up in-person and nationwide shipping from New York Biltong in the Greenwich Village. If you’re the kind of person who likes to impress your friends with non-boring picnic contributions, this new spot looks like a great option for you.

No promises, but there’s a good chance the vegan pasta at this new East Village spot from the team behind Plant Food + Wine will be worth your time. So if you’re looking for an upscale restaurant that treats plant-based options like the protagonist, rather than a one-dimensional supporting character, try some vegan bucatini and meatballs or spinach ravioli on Sestina’s outdoor patio soon.

The people behind Extra Fancy in Williamsburg (which closed back in February) have a new project - a Mexican spot in Long Island City. Just like at the old Brooklyn spot, Top Quality in Queens has a big back patio covered in spaced out picnic tables, and it looks like a great spot to eat chicken tamales and write a thank-you note to whoever invented umbrellas.

There’s a new upscale Williamsburg spot that serves bar food from all over the world, including things like oysters, fish and chips, spaghetti with clams, pork cheek vindaloo, and a katsu fish sandwich. You can try them all on their garden patio, which is green enough to pass for a nursery. If you decide to stop in over the weekend, expect brunch dishes like sourdough cinnamon toast and semolina pancakes.

If someone asks you, “What makes NYC special now that you’re mostly stuck indoors?” You should reply, “I can get a chicken cutlet sandwich with fresh mozzarella and roasted red peppers delivered straight to my apartment.” That’s thanks to Cutlets Sandwich Co., a new delivery-only deli that you can order from online every day except Sunday. Check out their full sandwich menu and delivery details here.

If you’re not into the whole meat thing, there’s a good chance you’ve grown tired of choosing between boring bodega sandwiches and falafel. Thankfully, this new vegan sandwich shop in Dumbo serves options like a “chopped cheese” with plant-based beef, a jackfruit cuban sandwich, and even a philly cheesesteak with seitan for takeout from 11am to 10pm daily.

Time Out Market in Dumbo has reopened with seven food vendors and two bars (including Jacob’s Pickles, Fish Cheeks, and Ice & Vice). You can eat your takeout at one of the outdoor tables on their roof, or hang out in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

There’s a new live music bar in Crown Heights called Wild Birds with outdoor tables and different performers every night. Wild Birds is also hosting oyster and jazz nights on Thursdays from 4pm to 10pm where you can get a half-dozen oysters for $15 and drink frozen cocktails while you bob your head along to a saxophone solo. Check out their menu and schedule here.

The Island Oyster team (who specialize in serving oysters and cold beverages next to water that leads to the Atlantic Ocean) have a new waterfront restaurant in the West Village called Drift In. It’s right on the Hudson River path across from Christopher Street Pier, and while they’re still waiting on their alcohol license, you can stop by for a wagyu beef hot dog or a lobster BLT.

Even when it’s raining, summer days in NYC are best experienced with something ice-cold in hand. And if you want that cold thing to be Italian ice, you can try flavors like “Strawberry-Blueberry Lemon Swirl” and “Pink Peach” from The Bronx Ice, a frozen dessert takeout window with new locations on the Upper West Side and in Greenpoint. For more information on specials, hours, and new flavors, check out their Instagram.

This new beer bar in Hamilton Heights has plenty of sidewalk tables where you can drink an IPA that’s more experimental than your new summer knitting hobby, and snack on things like sandwiches, salads, and charcuterie boards. Right now, they have 16 beers on tap and they’re open every day for you and your beer drinking friends.

If you’re looking for a new restaurant where you can show off your new haircut wearing something other than running shorts, the Wicked Jane in the West Village might be your best bet. This upscale American spot is open for outdoor dinner service Tuesday through Saturday, looks perfect for a special occasion outdoor meal, and you should head to their Instagram if you want to know more about dishes like their monkfish and cauliflower puree.

You can’t tell us that a pita filled with greek sausage, fries, onions, and tomatoes doesn’t sound like something you should probably eat this summer. Unless of course, you’re vegetarian. In which case, you can try the veggie skewers or one of the loaded salad options at iSouvlaki, the new Greek takeout spot on East 12th Street in the East Village.

This new Jamaican pop-up at Bunton’s World Famous in Bed-Stuy looks like the exact place you should be eating jerk chicken tacos with sweet plantains, jerk cheese nachos, and fried fish every Sunday in Brooklyn. Not convinced? The new taco-inspired rap single they just dropped on their Instagram should do the trick. You’re welcome.