Vox Media

2022-06-18 22:38:14 By : Mr. Jack Wang

A weekly updated roundup of new restaurants in New York City

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Nearly two years into the coronavirus pandemic, restaurants across the city continue to open their doors, sometimes because their concepts could be adapted to the new normal, but more often because their owners saw no other choice but to forge ahead. Since March 16, 2020, when the state first temporarily closed indoor dining, hundreds of new restaurants have opened, including a Southeast Asian dessert bar with hookah, Sands of Persia, the relocated luxe sushi den Noda, and Chicago empanada import Cafe Tola.

Here’s a round-up of the restaurants and bars that opened in January. This list will be updated weekly. If there’s an opening in your neighborhood that we’ve missed, let us know at tips@eater.com.

Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; it may pose a risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial COVID transmission.

Battery Park: Those who have returned to work in or near Brookfield Place can now try a new option in its Hudson Eats food court, already humming with food from Dos Toros and Parm. As the name suggests, Ani Ramen has several different ramen options on its menu like shoyu and spicy miso, as well as crispy tofu bao. This is the team’s first New York restaurant, with other locations in New Jersey. 230 Vesey Street, near West Street

Bed-Stuy: Vietnamese spot Lucy’s has opened its third Brooklyn location (there’s also a location in Bushwick and Williamsburg). The menu includes three protein options: brisket, chicken, or a vegan chicken that can be ordered in pho, banh mi, or vermicelli noodles. 1111 Bedford Avenue, at Gates Avenue

East Village: EV Grieve reports that Hekate Cafe & Elixir Lounge is now open. The new spot comes from Lucky Bar owner, Abby Ehmann and the founder of Brooklyn Roasting Company, Jim Munson. Standard coffee drinks — using Brooklyn Roasting Company beans, of course — are to be expected, but there’s also a list of “magical elixirs,” too. 187 Avenue B, between 10th and 11th streets

East Village: Ruben Rodriguez’s tapas bar, Nai, which has been in the neighborhood for a decade, has moved across the street to bigger digs. The Galician native’s menu has about twenty different tapas, as well as a mostly Spanish wine list. Emilia by Nai, another restaurant of his, will open this February. 84 Second Avenue, at Fifth Street

Greenpoint: A new coffee shop with vinyl records, fittingly dubbed For the Record opened in North Brooklyn at the end of last year. 1107 Manhattan Avenue, near Clay Street

Hamilton Heights: Lizzy Okpo, one of the designers behind the acclaimed fashion line William Okpo, now has a cafe and design shop in Harlem’s Sugar Hill neighborhood. The Oma features home goods with an eye for BIPOC, LGBTQ, and women-owned companies. On the food and beverage side of things, there are pastries supplied by Colson and a rose milk latte, among other coffee drinks. 1707 Amsterdam Avenue, near West 144th Street

Hudson Yards: The multi-billion dollar complex saw several shutterings during the pandemic at its glitzy mall, but that hasn’t stopped Magnolia Bakery from bringing its beloved cupcakes and banana pudding to the premises. 55 Hudson Yards, at 34th Street

Meatpacking District: Italian spot La Pecora Bianca is expanding again with its fifth location. At this Meatpacking District restaurant you’ll find garganelli with pesto, roasted cauliflower with mascarpone, linguine with clams, and more. 817 Washington Street, near Gansevoort Street

Midtown: Several big-ticket food vendors are now operating out of a new food hall at Penn Station’s Moynihan Train Hall. The vendors, located on the train station’s first floor, include Japanese ramen chain E.A.K. Ramen, Upper West Side restaurant Jacob’s Pickles, and a bar run by the team behind acclaimed cocktail hangout the Dead Rabbit. 351 West 31st Street, between Eighth and Ninth avenues

Midtown West: Hidden in bustling Times Square is a new underground bar located in the subway. The new speakeasy, Nothing Really Matters is located underneath the Duane Reade, in its former storage unit, just before the turnstyle at the 50th Street 1 train stop. Nothing Really Matters is operated by Adrien Gallo (who ran now-defunct cocktail bars Double Happiness and Palais Royale), with capacity for 74 seats. According to the New York Post, the bar is one of three operating bars in NYC subway stations, save for the food court-type offerings at Grand Central and Penn Station. 1627 Broadway, at 50th Street (enter through subway)

Nolita: In 2020, Marc Forgione took over the acclaimed, 22 year-old Nolita restaurant Peasant. Now, the spot is getting a new sibling downstairs. Its adjacent wine cellar has now transformed into its very own bar. Peasant Wine Bar is co-run by beverage director, Scott Woltz. At the heart of the menu is wood-fire cooking, as is the case upstairs. The wine bar highlights Roman-style cooking with an eye for offal: there’s a pig’s head terrine and a chicken mousse, among the lot. 194 Elizabeth Street at Prince Street

Nomad: A new fast casual bowl spot, Scen has launched in Manhattan claiming to be entirely “zero-waste.” 1165 Broadway, near West 27th Street

Soho: While the bar and nightclub will remain downstairs, restaurateur Jon Neidich has turned the restaurant portion of Acme into an entirely new venue. The Nines (which is a part of Golden Age Hospitality, a group that also runs buzzy Le Crocodile) is intended to have the feel of the supper club. The kitchen is led by Nicole Gajadhar of Saxon & Parole acclaim, while the beverage director is Ashley Santoro, who co-owns a Chinatown natural wine shop called Leisir. The menu features luxurious items like caviar, tuna tartare, uni with lemon butter, and more. 9 Great Jones Street, near Lafayette Street

Tribeca: Chef Victoria Blamey, who built up a reputation for ambitious, inventive fare at the cozy pub Chumley’s and a short-lived reboot of Gotham Bar and Grill, is focusing more on her South American heritage, on her own terms, with her debut solo project. The restaurant, Mena, which is named after her Chilean-born aunt, features dishes like scallops with squash leche de tigre and monkfish with adobo mezcal. 28 Cortlandt Alley, at Broadway

Union Square: Top Chef alum Spike Mendelson is taking his vegan restaurant chain PLNT Burger to Manhattan, its first New York location. 139 Fourth Avenue, at East 14th Street

Upper East Side: Noglu, a gluten-free, French bakery from Frédérique Jules opened its first New York outpost in 2015. Now Jules is relocating the bakery a few doors down. The new location has triple the seats with a menu that features eclairs, scones, madeleines, salads, sandwiches, and more. 1260 Madison Avenue, at 90th Street

Upper West Side: Chef Rafael Hasid’s Park Slope spot, Miriam is headed across the bridge. At the new location, the Israeli restaurant will keep crowd favorites such as its Jerusalem bagel and flatbreads with dips, as well as its falafel with tahini and crushed tomatoes and pomegranate meatballs. But for the first time, once the license is approved, Miriam will offer a full bar menu as well. 300 Amsterdam Avenue, at West 74th Street

Williamsburg: A new Brazilian restaurant has landed in North Brooklyn, near McCarren Park. Santo Parque is owned by the team from Santo Brúklin, a restaurant in Carroll Gardens that opened in 2022. Here you’ll find pão de queijo, the Brazilian cheese bread, as well as the black bean stew with pork, called feijoada do santo. 232 North 12th Street, at Union Avenue

Astoria: The chain of California-infused Mexican restaurants Calexico has landed in Astoria. This is the first Queens outpost for Calexico, which has several other NYC locations in Brooklyn and Manhattan, as well as an out-of-state restaurant in Detroit. 32-07 30th Avenue, near 32nd Street

Bayside: Queens halal restaurant Off the Bone has opened its doors. Behind the green-and-black checkerboard ordering counter, there’s burgers and chicken shawarma as well as menu items that deviate from Middle Eastern flavors like crepes and boba. 213-02 42nd Avenue, at 213th Street

Bayside: La Mezcla, which fittingly means mix, features a menu that combines Mexican, Colombian, and American comfort food staples, like arepas and bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches, in this Queens kitchen. 201-09 Northern Boulevard, at 201st Street

Bay Ridge: With so many diners closing in the five boroughs, it’s not often new ones try their luck. Enter Mr. Chips, a new Brooklyn comfort spot with diner classics like Greek salad, burgers, chicken caesar wraps, and more. 7506 Third Avenue, near Bay Ridge Parkway

Bay Ridge: Generally speaking, omakase spots are lesser-seen this south in Brooklyn. But Gohan Sushi, which opened at the tail end of December 2021, hopes to fill that void with its new restaurant. No dine-in price is currently listed on the website, but an 11-piece, takeout omakase set served with five pieces of toro futomaki, edamame, and soup, costs $49. 533 86th Street, at Gelston Avenue

Bed-Stuy: Local coffee shop owner Ayo Balogun, who is behind the neighborhood’s Council cafe, has a new project under his belt. Dept of Culture is a rare tasting menu spot focused on Nigerian cooking, especially highlighting dishes from Balogun’s native North Central region. Three courses plus dessert is $60; reservations can currently be made via Instagram DMs. 327 Nostrand Avenue, near Quincy Street

Brooklyn Heights: A taste of Tuscany, complete with spinach and ricotta ravioli and baked penne with blue cheese, is what’s available at Felice Montague, which opened earlier this week. This is the eighth restaurant for the Italian-focused SA Hospitality Group, with a forthcoming Hudson Street location to follow. 84 Montague Street, at Hicks Street

Chelsea: Top Chef alum Fabio Viviani has opened his latest restaurant, Bar Cicchetti at Motto Chelsea, a new hotel in Manhattan. At Viviani’s first New York City establishment, the chef is serving up dishes such as fried burrata, n’duja pizza, and a salad with pomegranate and duck cracklings. 113 West 24th Street, near Sixth Avenue

Chelsea: A new omakase called Sanyuu West is now open for service in Manhattan. For $78, diners can enjoy a 15-course experience that includes creative combinations like fluke served with ume and shiso or an artfully plated pickled tomato. Reservations are only available via texting 347-725-6580. 228 West 18th Street, between Seventh and Eighth avenues

East Village: An internationally-focused sandwich chain Coddiwomple — with a tagline, “travel by sandwich” — has opened its third outpost (you can also visit locations on the Upper East Side and Hell’s Kitchen). According to EV Grieve, sandwiches have names like the “Roman Holiday” with mozzarella and pesto on a ciabatta, or the chicken salad “Savannah Smash.” 213 First Avenue, between 12th and 13th streets.

East Village: A new restaurant with a sibling location in Long Beach, Long Island, opened its doors at the end of last year. Ugly Duckling’s name is most apparent through the duck-themed decor that pops up throughout the restaurant. But the menu isn’t exclusively featuring birds: rather you’ll find steak tacos, burrata, three-cheese mac and cheese, and more. 106 Third Avenue, near East 13th Street

Elmhurst: A Chinese restaurant by the name of C Bao has opened its third location in the Queens Center Mall food court in Elmhurst. 90-15 Queens Boulevard, at 59th Avenue

Flatiron: Mala House is Manhattan’s latest Szechuan restaurant, with dan dan noodles, pork dumplings with chile oil, and dry pepper-style chicken among the range of options here. 22 East 21st Street, near Broadway

Flushing: Lucky Cafeteria has opened in Queens with dim sum. From the looks of the menu, there are rice rolls, various fried rice and noodle dishes, salt and pepper pork chops, stewed beef offal with radish, soup and regular dumplings, and more. 36-26 Union Street, near 37th Avenue

Forest Hills: New York bakery chain Chip City opened a new location in Queens this week, its tenth in the city. 72-34 Austin Street, near 72nd Road

Forest Hills: Oh K-Dog, one of multiple restaurant chains to sell the South Korean street food in Manhattan, is headed to Queens for its newest storefront. The company also operates locations in the West Village, Lower East Side, and Flushing, and now has 15 stores nationwide. 71-59 Austin Street, near 72nd Avenue

Midtown East: The entrance to Sei Less is a mostly unmarked door in a mural depicting a person with a finger to their lips. Step through it, and an ornate 350-seat restaurant and bar spread out over multiple rooms awaits. The business, which serves pastrami spring rolls, shrimp fried rice, and chicken satay, is a joint effort from restaurateurs who previously worked Delmonico’s, Philippe Chow, and Jue Lan Club. 156 West 38th Street, near Seventh Avenue

Midtown West: K2, a hospitality group in Southern California that owns a collection of restaurants called Azulé Taqueria, is now trying its luck in New York. Azulé Cantina is a counter service restaurant with a raw bar and crab cocktails in addition to its tacos and burrito menu. According to the New York Times, this is one of several Manhattan locations in the works. 31 West 52nd Street, near Sixth Avenue

Park Slope: A new cafe with an almost entirely vegan menu opened in South Brooklyn at the end of last year. Earthen pulls from a global range of flavors with its crispy vegan “chicken” sandwich, mushroom lavash, a veggie meatball salad, as well as a falafel sandwich. 226 Seventh Avenue, between Third and Fourth streets

Williamsburg: A Venetian pastry shop dubbed Bianco Latte is now open in North Brooklyn. There are croissants (including some filled with Nutella), cakes, fruit tarts, Italian espresso drinks, and more. 109 Bedford Avenue, at North 11th Street

Upper East Side: Botte, a restaurant centered on Roman-style Italian bites, opened at the end of last year. This is the restaurant’s second outpost, with a first location in Astoria. There are pastas, pizzas, and salads, as well as an extensive amaro list and a separate menu for dessert-style cocktails like the espresso martini. 1606 First Avenue, near East 84th Street

Upper East Side: Seamore’s, the sustainably-focused seafood restaurant that was launched by Michael Chernow (co-founder of the acclaimed Meatball Shop chain) has swum further uptown. Its new Upper East Side location launched earlier this January, marking the team’s seventh outpost across the city. The menu includes a monkfish sandwich with tartar sauce and pickled veggies, crispy shrimp with saffron aioli, shrimp nachos, scallop pasta and more. According to its website, all seafood is sourced in partnership with Greenpoint Fish & Lobster. 1278 Third Avenue, between East 73rd and 74th streets

Upper West Side: Uptown Indian restaurant Awadh has reopened as an entirely new restaurant called Baazi. Owner Gaurav Anand’s bi-level restaurant is not only changing its name, but its menu and decor, too. The menu, collaborated on with Aarthi Sampath (formerly of Junoon), now leans more South Indian, but likewise pulls from influences around the world, such as the Goan dishes trout recheado and chicken cafreal. 2588 Broadway, near West 98th Street

Crown Heights: Former employees of the beloved Caribbean restaurant Gloria’s have opened their own restaurant just a few doors down from Nostrand Avenue original. Gee’s has essentially the same menu as Gloria’s, featuring rotis and curry goat, and is run by the same manager and chef from the Crown Heights institution, which was forced to shutter back in 2020. 770 Nostrand Avenue, near Sterling Place

East Williamsburg: A new Brooklyn restaurant focused on an interpretation of Nikkei food, a cuisine that fuses Peruvian cooking with Japanese flavors, opened its doors at the tail end of last year. “Nikkei in America, for whatever reason, can be a little bit fancy: we want this to be accessible and playful,” says Koko’s co-owner Noriko Jimbo, who grew up in Japan, formerly worked at several Brooklyn taquerias, and now runs the restaurant with her husband, Diego Taboada, and his brother Cesar, who are Peruvian. At Koko’s, there’s a focus on late-night bites like shishito peppers with bonito flakes and sardines, as well as ceviches. The food is intended to be paired with one of several Japanese and Peruvian-inspired drinks on the menu, with a kitchen that stays open until 1 a.m. Brunch is also available on Sundays. 588 Grand Street, near Lorimer Street

Long Island City: Astoria favorite Sami’s Kabab House has opened a second location in Queens (the first location is nearby on Crescent Street). The Afghani restaurant was first launched by Sami Zaman, a former taxi driver and coffee cart operator, who moved to New York by way of Kabul. The new Sami’s is smaller and more fast-casual than its counterpart, with just 10 seats. The new LIC location also features some new menu additions, such as Afghani-style fries with coriander and grapeseed powder. Flame-grilled lamb chops and kebabs served with the Afghani rice qabuli, remain at the heart of the restaurant. 47-38 Vernon Boulevard, between 48th Avenue and 47th Road

Lower East Side: Restaurant BBF, now has an eight-seat counter spot attached to its dining room, called Kappo Sono. The menu is focused on Japanese kaiseki, featuring a set nine courses. Like its sibling, the combined kitchens are both run by chef Chikara Sono. 177 Ludlow Street, near East Houston Street

Ridgewood: The team behind North Brooklyn’s Sweetwater restaurant and Bakeri bakeries, has opened its first Queens venture. Panina is a sit-down pizzeria that offers several pies and small plates. In addition, the team bakes its loaves in-house — just as they do at Bakeri — to be purchased to-go. An expanded menu is to follow. 68-38 Forest Avenue, at Catalpa Avenue

Times Square: A new Chinese restaurant called Chai highlighting the cuisine of Beijing has opened in Manhattan. There are sweet and sour pork ribs, braised sea cucumber with beef tendon, braised pork intestines, and crispy prawns, among others. In addition, Chai has a full dim sum menu. 353 West 46th Street, near Ninth Avenue

Upper West Side: Amsterdam Avenue’s the Great Burrito, which had operated in the neighborhood since 1994, was forced to close in 2020. Now, Oaxaca-native Adelina “Nina” Flores — who cut her chops at Rosa Mexicano — has a new restaurant she’s running, this time, alongside her family, called Nina’s Great Burrito Bar, a few blocks from her original. 522 Columbus Avenue, near West 85th Street

Williamsburg: Edith’s, a bagel pop-up that opened in 2020 and eventually expanded to a brick-and-mortar sandwich shop last year, has now opened Edith’s Eatery & Grocery. Owner Elyssa Heller hopes the new Jewish restaurant can function as “Zabar’s for the next generation”. The sibling spot is more of a sit-down venture, with a bakery, deli, and a pantry shop, as well as a nighttime cocktail menu to come. 312 Leonard Street, at Conselyea Street

Astoria: A new Southeast Asian dessert spot with a hookah bar has landed in Queens. Sands of Persia comes from restaurateur Salil Mehta who also owns Southeast Asian hits Wau on the Upper West Side, Laut in Union Square, and Singapura in Gramercy Park. Sands of Persia serves sweets such as fingerlime chiffon meringue, made with fingerlime yuzu cake. The bar focuses on zero-proof cocktails, as well as Turkish coffee. 2501 Steinway Street, near 25th Avenue

Bayside: Mister Seoul, a new Korean barbecue spot, has finally opened its doors in Queens. The restaurant, which opened back in December, has a set menu as well as a la carte options like spicy pork belly that have already landed it on our Queens heat map this month. 39-35 Bell Boulevard, near 40th Avenue

Chinatown: A new Cantonese restaurant named Uncle Lou has opened near Columbus Park. It’s operated by Chi Kwong Wang and takes over the former Pho New York Restaurant space. 73 Mulberry Street, near Bayard Street

Financial District: A new bar that highlights Mexican and Southern California cuisines is now open. Mezcali features a menu of tacos (three to an order), small plates like taquitos and aguachile, as well as California-style burritos and chicken with mole. 83 Maiden Lane, near Gold Street

Flatiron: The Michelin-starred omakase restaurant Noda from partners David Hess, Justin Hauser and Aiden Carty, has moved a few blocks down from its original West 28th Street location. Eater critic Ryan Sutton reviewed the spot back in 2019, referring to it at the time as one of the “city’s buzziest and most excellent new sushi joints.” Unique to this location, chef Shigeyuki Tsunoda also uses a binchotan grill for the 10-seat bar service. Omakase at Noda is $315, or $406 after tax and tip — part of a growing number of luxury sushi spots where a $400 price tag is becoming the new norm. 37 West 20th Street, near Sixth Avenue

Fort Greene: A new Korean restaurant called BOM With the Wind has opened in Brooklyn in the former, short-lived Chic-hen space. Some tipsters have suggested that the team from BOM is related to Chic-hen; Eater has reached out for additional information. Like Chic-hen, BOM is centered on Korean fried chicken, although it also has an expanded list of offerings that includes items like fried squid skewers, bulgogi rice bowls, the tofu stew sundubu, and more. 1 Greene Avenue, at South Oxford Street

Fort Greene: Nearby Brooklyn Academy of Music, a new Haitian restaurant called 33 Lafayette Restaurant and Bar has opened its doors on the Fort Greene, Downtown Brooklyn border. Dishes on the menu include wings with a lemon pepper sauce, shredded cod fish or herring with peppers and garlic toast, fried green plantains, as well as griot fritay (a Haitian fried pork dish). 33 Lafayette Street, at Fulton Street

East Village: Fishmarket II, a sibling to a pan-Asian seafood restaurant in the South Street Seaport district, is now open. There are Malaysian curry noodles, ginger wings, stuffed eggplant with shrimp, as well as a cod soup. 171 Avenue A, near East 11th Street

Gramercy: A new Vietnamese restaurant dubbed Pho House — that, yes, serves pho, among other dishes — is now open in Manhattan. Boba and Vietnamese coffee and tea are also available. 175 Third Avenue, near East 16th Street

Greenwich Village: A popular empanada spot hailing from Chicago has opened in Manhattan. The family-owned group of restaurants first opened in the Lakeview neighborhood in 2012 from co-owners Victoria and Gerardo Salamanca. The West Village location is the team’s first expansion outside of the Midwest. Cafe Tola has a limited but mighty menu, featuring several empanadas, horchata, and prepackaged snacks like Takis. Flavors of empanadas rotate daily, however the team tells Eater that customers can request specific empanadas with 24-hour notice. On the weekends, Cafe Tola also sells tacos. 124 MacDougal Street, at Minetta Lane

Greenwich Village: Maestro Pasta — a made-to-order pasta spot — has opened a second location in Manhattan (the first is located on John Street in the Financial District). Customers can select their preferred shape of pasta (pappardelle, angel hair, fettuccine) and then mix-and-match with sauces like bolognese or cacio e pepe. 102 MacDougal Street, near Bleecker Street

Greenwich Village: The Infatuation reports that Tomo21 Sushi has opened in the former beloved Tomoe Sushi space, which had been in the area for forty years until August 2021. According to the publication, the menu has remained largely unchanged; the same chef remains, but the restaurant is operated by new ownership. 172 Thompson Street, near Broome Street

Noho: One of New York’s best tacos spots Los Tacos No. 1 has opened its fifth location in the city. 340 Lafayette Street, near Bleecker Street

Prospect Heights: A new seafood-focused Japanese restaurant is swimming upstream in Prospect Heights. Ozakaya has chirashi hand rolls, uni with ikura over rice, yellowtail collar, as well as select dishes featuring other proteins. 635 Vanderbilt Avenue, near Prospect Place

Upper West Side: A new pan-Asian spot, Simply Noodles has arrived uptown. Here you’ll find a selection of ramen, dan dan noodles, rice noodles with kimchi, and more. 267A Amsterdam Avenue, near West 73rd Street

West Village: You’ll spot this new Italian restaurant most easily by spotting an Instagram-y orange flower-covered Vespa parked out front. Canto features appetizers like bruschetta, with entrees such as eggplant parm, arancini, fritto misto, spaghetti with veal meatballs, and more. 117 Perry Street, at Greenwich Street

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