Fall is a time for fresh starts, and a slate of new restaurants is set to rev up New York City’s dining scene this season… venture out, get cozy and let’s see what’s new.
Benno
Evelyn Hotel, 7 East 27th Street
Chef Jonathan Benno, formerly of Per Se and Lincoln, launches a Mediterranean fine-dining venue attached to his more casual, Roman-themed Leonelli Taberna. The Northern Italian-based menu will incorporate North African and Spanish influences.
Bluebird London
Time Warner Center
10 Columbus Circle, At 58th Street, 3rd Floor
A modern European/British brasserie by British restaurant group D&D, is inspired by the King’s Road original will overlook Columbus Circle in the former A Voce space. Find a coffee & wine bar, cocktail bar and private event space. Even have British afternoon tea with a selection of sandwiches, pastries and sweet treats from Pastry Chef Jared Sexton.
La Rossa
267 Lafayette St., near Prince Street
Roman pizzaiolo Stefano Callegari’s entry into NYC dining was the trapizzino, a bread pocket filled with classic Roman dishes, but pizza itself is what originally made Callegari famous in Italy. At the new La Rossa, he’ll be serving pizza “al taglio”; traditional rectangular Roman pies that are served in slices and sold by weight. You can also dine on round pies, salads, antipasti, and Roman snacks.
Leonti
103 West 77th Street between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues
Leonti, a new Italian spot by up and coming chef Adam Leonti, is opening in what was the Dovetail space on the Upper West Side.
Llama San
359 Sixth Avenue near Washington Place
Chef Erik Ramirez and business partner Juan Correa opening a West Village Nikkei restaurant serving the Japanese-Peruvian cuisine from Japanese immigrants in Peru. Wines will be coastal, with a focus on salinity and minerality.
Madame Vo BBQ
104 Second Avenue at the corner of East Sixth Street
The husband-and-wife team Yen Vo & Chef Jimmy Ly creators of Madame Vo nearby at 212 E 10th Street now introduce Vietnamese barbecue, where diners use electric infrared tabletop grills similar to those found in Japanese and Korean restaurants- typically a celebratory food in Vietnam.
Sushi Inoue Lincoln Center
35 W. 64th Street
Chef Shinichi Inoue of Michelin-starred Sushi Inoue in Harlem, is bringing “handcrafted” sushi and omakase to a grand two-floor offshoot.
Momofuku Noodle Bar
Time Warner Center at 10 Columbus Circle
David Chang will have a fresh take on his downtown classic. Executive chef Tony Kim’s menu will include a new selection of bowls and large-format dishes.
Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream
88 W. Houston Street
Nick Morgenstern’s innovative ice cream parlor on the Lower East Side four years ago was just the beginning. His new flagship is about four times the size featuring five scooping stations versus two and 88 flavors available and a production kitchen in the service of a whole new slew of ice-cream offerings. Morgenstern aims to “define what it means to serve American ice cream in the 21st century.”
Zauo
152 West 24th Street, between 7th and 6th Avenues
This Japanese chain by Noriki Takahashi and his sons Kazuhisa and Takuya Sure lets you fish for your dinner using poles from a real boat inside a moat. The catch is then sliced to be served as sushi or grilled or tempura-fried. There are 13 locations in Japan.
Dining Anticipation: Hudson Yards
The details about the dining roster at The Shops at Hudson Yards continues to emerge…more than 40,000 employees – plus thousands of tourists and residents – will soon have more than two dozen new restaurants to choose from at the mega-development. Buildings in the area start opening this year, most of the restaurants and food halls are expected to open together in March 2019, along with a public garden and the retail; more than 100 shops and restaurants will flood the area in the next couple years.
Chef Thomas Keller is opening his own restaurant, tentatively called TAK Room as well as helping to curate 16 others as tenants for the site’s dining spaces on three rising floors. Culinary concepts include fast-casual salad chain Sweetgreen which recently opened on the ground floor of 10 Hudson Yards…as did a Think Coffee across the street. Australian-style coffee shop Bluestone Lane will be on the premises, as will fast-casual, D.C.-based pizza chain &pizza. Of course Danny Meyer’s cult-favorite burger chain Shake Shack will be joining and Mercado Little Spain, a Spanish food hall from José Andrés and the Adrià brothers is to be the “Spanish version of Eataly” will anchor 10 Hudson Yards. A Food Market run by Citarella Hudson Yards will operate on the second floor with a Citarella wine and liquor store next door. On the fourth floor Belcampo, the organic and ethical meat company from California will open its first restaurant in NYC and Hudson Yards Grill an American casual restaurant by Michael Lomonaco will focus on rotisserie. Momofuku’s David Chang has taken over 5,000-square-feet on the fifth floor of The Shops building for a to-be-named restaurant along with an outpost of Fuku the fast-casual spicy fried chicken sandwich mini-chain. Estiatorio Milos overlooking the vertical shopping mecca at Hudson Yards on the fifth and sixth floors of the Shops, along with an outdoor terrace, and it will serve food similar to the other locations. Prolific pâtissierie Maison Kayser is planting a location in 55 Hudson Yards. Desert shop Milk Bar, the sugary cookie chain that Momofuku runs with Christina Tosi is in talks to open, though the deal is not finalized.
Just when you thought you’d crossed every restaurant off your must-try list, our foodie City does not disappoint, with a new crop of spots opening this season to add to your list. Happy Fall and Happy Dining!