From notable chefs expanding their empires to newcomers launching for the first time.
Photo courtesy of Zou Zou’s
Needless to say, the pandemic has thrown restaurants no shortage of curveballs over the past 18 months. From constantly having to upgrade outdoor setups for the seasons to the city’s changing capacity restrictions, and finally, the news that NYC will require proof of vaccination for indoor venues including bars and restaurants, our favorite spots around the city have been more nimble than ever, and we keep going back to thank them for it.
But even amid all of the hurdles the pandemic has put in front of restaurants, there are still new spots opening all over town, and the fall will bring many more. Top-notch restaurateurs and chefs are expanding their empires with swanky spots in new neighborhoods and first-time owners will debut the concepts they’ve been dreaming up for years, and we can’t wait to check them out. While there are many upcoming restaurants that are already at the top of our to-eat list, here’s a roundup of some of the openings in NYC we’re most excited about.
Address: 520 and 522 Hudson Street, West Village
Opening date: September
The team behind beloved West Village restaurant, L’Artusi, is opening two brand-new concepts this fall. A new wine bar dubbed b’artusi will feature an extensive selection of wines by the glass and bottle with a focus on Italian varietals, as well as a menu of food by L’Artusi’s executive chef Joe Vigorito. Right next door, Via Porta will be open for breakfast and lunch and offer a selection of housemade pastries, sandwiches, salads, snacks, and meal kits from the team at L’Artusi.
Cha Kee
Address: 43 Mott Street, Chinatown
Opening date: September
With Cha Kee’s opening in Chinatown in early September, New Yorkers will essentially get not one, but three new restaurants on one short stretch of Mott Street. Cha Kee is a two-story space with a Chinese diner upstairs led by chef Akiko Thurnauer (formerly of Ivan Ramen and Mission Chinese), and a Japanese sushi and crudo bar downstairs from chef Takayuki Nakamura. The dual concept space is opening right next door to Basement, an aptly named subterranean bar also owned by Jimmy Fong and Ophelia Wu, and the duo also plans to open an izakaya-style spot on the ground floor above Basement later this fall.
Address: 109 E 22nd Street, Gramercy Park
Opening date: September
After postponing the expansion of this London-based restaurant in March 2020, owners Will Beckett and Huw Gott are finally ready to introduce New Yorkers to Hawksmoor. The expansive space in the historic United Charities Building is expected to hold 180 guests in the dining room and 50 at a massive bar. Hawksmoor’s first location in the states will follow suit with the rest of the chain with a menu of premium steaks, seafood, and bar snacks like cheeseburgers and triple-fried french fries.
Address: 518 W 27th Street, Chelsea
Opening date: September
Pronounced “home,” this 120-seat restaurant opening at the Selina Hotel Chelsea aims to serve as a gathering place for comforting Mesoamerican fare. The kitchen will be run by chef Byron Peñafiel (formerly of La Bilboquet and Rotisserie Georgette) and he plans to offer a slate of small and large plates for sharing inspired by the region that stretches from the Yucatan to El Salvador to Costa Rica. Rather than bread service, every meal starts with hot, crispy patacones (deep fried plantains) with a chili salt and mango chutney, and additional dishes include guava-glazed chicken, pupusas, and charred octopus with jalapeño hummus. Drinks will come courtesy of Daniel Bedoya (formerly of Lumo’s, a now-closed bar focused on the Chinese spirit baijiu) and will feature ingredients like strawberry vermouth and Guayusa-infused vodka.
Address: 1 Rockefeller Plaza
Opening date: September
Chef Ignacio Mattos, owner of estela and Altro Paradiso, is set to open an all-day cafe, bakery, and bar at Rockefeller Center. With Lodi, Mattos is aiming to create a space based on Italian aperitivo culture where guests can visit any time of day, from morning coffees or afternoon cocktails.
Jibs
Address: 350 11th Avenue, Hudson Yards
Opening date: Mid-September
Cobi Levy and Will Makris, the pair that transformed famed Lucali into a Carroll Gardens slice shop called Baby Luc’s earlier this year, will open an outdoor-only restaurant in Hudson Yards this fall. Jibs will be helmed by chef David Ladner, who has worked at top-notch seaside restaurants like Newport’s Spiced Pear, and his menu will cover full lobster bakes with all the fixings, lobster rolls, P.E.I. mussels, and more seafood shack favorites that the chef plans to dial up a notch. Located in Hudson Yards, the restaurant will have ample outdoor seating and sweeping views of the river.
Kaiseki Room by Yamada
Address: 145 West 53rd Street at 6 ½ Avenue, Midtown
Opening date: Mid- to late-September
Renowned chef Isao Yamada (formerly of Tribeca’s Brushbroke) is opening an 18-seat kaiseki restaurant that will operate as the sister spot to the West Village’s subterranean Omakase Room by Mitsu. Yamada is currently the only chef in NYC who has trained at an authentic kaiseki restaurant in Kyoto—which offers the highest caliber Japanese food through multiple elaborate courses—and he will take that experience to Kaiseki Room by Yamada for an ever-evolving, 11-course tasting menu with high-end touches and seasonal ingredients.
Address: 113 Mulberry Street, Little Italy
Opening date: Mid-September
Mulberry Street’s only slice shop is expanding to offer a little bit more. Roman Grandinetti (of the Lower East Side sandwich shop, Regina’s Grocery) and partners Nima Garos and Koorosh Bakhtiar (who operate Gelso & Grand, Galioto’s, and Jajaja) are teaming up to expand the space into a full-service red sauce joint inspired by the Italian-American neighborhood and the family recipes Grandinetti ate growing up in Brooklyn. Expect dishes like classic meatballs, a rotation of calzones, and Mozzarella en Carrozza, a fried cheese sandwich with mozzarella cheese coated in bread crumbs.
Address: 113 Franklin Street, Greenpoint
Opening date: Mid-September
This airy, elegant space within the historic Pencil Factory building will soon be Greenpoint’s go-to spot when Sereneco takes over in September. The restaurant is designed to be an elevated neighborhood gathering place with 70 seats inside and a 25-seat sidewalk cafe. The eatery will be open all throughout the day with an all-day menu available from 9 am to 3 pm, dinner service, and weekend brunch, along with a takeout window for grabbing sandwiches, salads, and sides on the go. Executive chef Dennis Hong will take his experience from places like Le Bernardin to create dishes that rely on high-quality seasonal ingredients like a pork chop paired with focaccia panzanella salad and polenta fresca with local corn, smoked mozzarella, and thyme. The restaurant is also leaning in to the neighborhood vibe in the beverage department, where Bushwick’s Spectrum Coffees; tea from In Pursuit of Tea, Matchaful, and Dona; and kombucha courtesy of Greenpoint neighbor, Mombucha, will be available alongside cocktails, local draft beer, and organic wine.
Address: 236 North 12th Street, Williamsburg
Opening: Early fall
After a lauded debut about two years ago in the West Village, Nami Nori is headed to Brooklyn. Owners Taka Sakaeda, Jihan Lee, and Lisa Limb—who previously worked together at Masa in Tribeca, which offers omakase with a price tag well into the triple digits—will continue to offer affordable temaki hand rolls the spot has become known for, as well as fresh sashimi, crispy rice dishes, and an extended bar program, including a sake bar, at the new location.
Sweetbriar
Address: 127 E 27th Street, NoMad
Opening date: Mid- to late-September
Known for his time at Betony and Eleven Madison Park, executive chef Bryce Shuman is opening two new concepts within the Park Hotel South in NoMad this fall. The first of which will be Sweetbriar, a restaurant that will focus on live fire cooking with wood and charcoal, seasonal vegetables, and prime meats. Later in the fall, look out for a yet-to-be-named Japanese-inspired restaurant to open up at the hotel as well in the former O Ya space.
Address: 85 Manhattan West Plaza, Chelsea
Opening date: September
From the team behind favorites like Don Angie and Smith & Wollensky, Zou Zou’s is a lively Eastern Mediterranean restaurant by chef Madeline Sperling and Juliana Latif, who met working in the kitchen at The Nomad. The duo will serve up a menu that celebrates the flavors of the Mediterranean region, including Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, and others, through dishes like spreads and fresh-baked flatbreads; cured local fluke with z’houg and pickled radishes; and a lamb tartare with merguez spices, bulgur, and mint. The menu will also feature an entire section dedicated to dishes prepared on the restaurant’s open hearth like lobster tagine, smoked cherry lamb chops, and duck borek.
Address: 818 Franklin Avenue, Crown Heights
Opening date: October
The young chef who worked his way up from line cook to executive chef at The Eddy by the age of 24 will soon open his own spot in Crown Heights. Jeremy Salamon’s first solo venture, dubbed Agi’s Counter, will be an all-day cafe with Jewish and Eastern European fare inspired by the chef’s grandmother. The cafe’s main menu will feature dishes like leberkase (pork pate) with roasted apricot jam and fried egg on a soft potato bun; and palacsinta, which are rolled crepes with fresh cheese, brown butter, and toasted caraway. The spot will also offer ready-to-take pastries, a selection of Hungarian and Austrian wines, and specialty cakes, challah, and shabbat dinner packages.
Address: 458 West 17 Street, Chelsea
Opening date: October
The team from the Upper East Side’s Sushi Noz is headed downtown to open what will perhaps be NYC’s most exclusive restaurant. With just seven seats, this Edomae-style sushi bar will offer 20- to 25-course tastings of nigiri and other small bites by chef Junichi Matsuzaki, who currently oversees The Ash Room at Sushi Noz. The meal will run at $395 per person before beverages and tax.
Address: 365 Fifth Avenue, Park Slope
Opening date: November
Restaurateur Roni Mazumdar and chef Chintan Pandya are a winning duo. First working together at Rahi in the West Village before peppering NYC with top-notch Indian spots Adda and Dhamaka, the pair is at it again with a new restaurant opening in Park Slope this fall. After more than a decade on the Lower East Side, Masalawala is moving to Brooklyn, where it will feature beloved dishes from Mazumdar’s hometown of Kolkata, India, along with regional Indian fare from Pandya. In addition to the restaurant, Masalawala will also act as a market selling spice blends and other specialty indian products.
Urbanspace Zero Irving
Address: 124 E 14th Street, Union Square
Opening date: November
On the ground floor of Zero Irving, a 22-story office building located one block from Union Square Park, a 10,000-square-foot food hall with 13 different vendors will open this fall. Currently, confirmed shops for the space include Summer Salt, a Southern California-inspired taco spot with crispy fish tacos and burritos stuffed with french fries; plant-based comfort food restaurant Plant Junkie; juice, smoothie, and acai bowl shop Daily Goods; and Pita Yeero, a restaurant that intends to reimagine New York’s quintessential street food with french fry-stuffed gyro. A quarter of the spots will be from first-time entrepreneurs or start-ups that have been operating for fewer than four years.
Address: 100 Manhattan West Plaza, Chelsea
Opening date: Late fall
This fall in Chelsea, Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group is getting its first NYC new addition in more than three years. Chef Hillary Sterling (formerly of Vic’s and now-closed A Voce) is heading the kitchen, which will center around Italian dishes prepared through live-fire cooking, and will base the menu on her extensive travels and seasonal ingredients. Located at the sprawling Manhattan West development, the main dining room will seat 125 guests and the restaurant will also have an outdoor space for 40 guests and a 40-person private dining room on the third floor.