Pandemic be damned, restaurant openings have been picking up in New York City. Hundreds of new restaurants have opened over the past year — so many in fact, it can feel like whiplash. Consider this your guide to all the new restaurants, bars, and cafes, that have opened recently. This month, that includes an East Village breakfast burrito option, an Upper West Side mariscos spot, and a Clinton Hill modern Cambodian restaurant. Here’s a roundup of the restaurants and bars that opened in March. This list will be updated weekly. If there’s an opening in your neighborhood that we’ve missed, let us know at [email protected].
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.
March 30
Bed-Stuy: A new coffee shop hailing from New Mexico has landed in Brooklyn. Originally called Montage, the owners had to change its New York name to Early Yves. (Montage Alburquerque seems to have been spared.) The cafe has ambitions of hosting events in the space, as well is infusing pastries with green hatch chiles and other flavors of the Southwest. According to its Instagram bio, books for sale, are a collaboration with the Latinx-owned Duende District Bookstore. 210 Patchen Avenue, at Macon Street
Chelsea: Cucina Alba, an Italian restaurant where eating comes secondary to being seen, has a new next-door cocktail bar called Alba Accanto sounds perfect for a pretentious night out. Take it from Resy, who writes that “the jazz soundtrack (vinyl only) is amped up by the sound of ice-cold Negronis getting stirred.” 141 10th Avenue, near West 19th Street
Crown Heights: Pearl Lee’s Washtub, a new business that hopes to “ease the chore of laundry with libations,” is now open in Brooklyn. The “laundrobar” joins a handful of other laundromats that serve drinks, including Sunshine in Greenpoint with its pinball bar speakeasy and Celsius in Williamsburg, which serves coffee. In addition to beer and wine, Pearl’s will also sell burgers and hot dogs. 314 Rogers Avenue, near Montgomery Street
Flushing: Tous Les Jours, the South Korean chain of French bakeries, opens a new outpost in Flushing this week. It’s the third location in the Queens neighborhood. 164-01 Northern Boulevard, at 164th Street
Hell’s Kitchen: Walnut shrimp, beef with broccoli, kung pao chicken, and other Chinese American classics are on the menu at the Corner, a new restaurant whose dining room is accented with red paper lanterns and gold accents. 698 Ninth Avenue, at West 48th Street
Koreatown: Seoul Salon is the newest opening from Ellia and Junghyun “JP” Park, the wife-and-husband team behind modern Korean hot spots Atomix and Atoboy, and the restaurant group Hand Hospitality. The new restaurant and bar is inspired by Korean sool jibs, drinking dens that serve a variety of dishes meant to be consumed with alcohol. A bar counter with a shorter food menu dispenses cocktails from the front of the restaurant, but affordable bottles of soju and beer are the drinks of choice in the dining room. Byeongsoo Yu, an alum of Atoboy, is in charge of the kitchen; his highlights include a beef ramen soup prepared on a tabletop burner, and a plate of grilled pork belly and torn-up potato buns splattered with mayo. 28 W. 33rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth avenues
Lower East Side: Ramazan Turgut, who used to own Bereket on Houston and Orchard streets for nearly twenty years until a condo project forced him to close in 2014, is back in the neighborhood. The new place, called Ankara, is location number three for a small group of Turkish restaurants based in Brooklyn. It’s across the street from his old spot, with gyros, red lentil soup, and other menu items from Bereket. 183 Houston Street, near Allen Street
Midtown: Upper West Side brasserie the Consulate now has a second location in Midtown. Steak frites, mussels in white wine, escargot, and other French classics are well represented here. 44 W. 56th Street, between Fifth and Sixth avenues
Tribeca: Gregory Nardello, a former manager at Tribeca Tavern, started a bar that opened a decade ago, died in 2021, and his son and daughter reached out to Eater to say they’ve followed through with the opening of the space, now called Grand Eleven. A menu lists veal meatballs, a burger with caramelized onions, and fried calamari. For now, only the first floor is open with the upstairs on track for late spring. 11 Sixth Avenue, near Walker Street
Upper East Side: Gracie’s Diner, a 24/7 staple in the neighborhood for four decades, has relocated to this bigger space nearby, which was previously home to Mexicoma. The more expansive spot has 26 tables and booths and a full liquor license, according to Patch. 242 E. 85th Street, near Second Avenue
Upper East Side: Patisserie Chanson, a French dessert bar with locations in Flatiron and Tribeca, is now open on the Upper East Side, East Side Feed reports. A delayed fourth outpost, at 2040 Broadway, on the corner of West 70th Street, was scheduled to open on the Upper West Side last September. 1293 Third Avenue, between 74th and 75th streets
March 23
Chinatown: Beatbox, a Japanese whiskey bar with pours that can cost as much as $1,300 each, is now open in the back of Kono in Chinatown, Crain’s New York Business reports. There’s no menu at the 100-square-foot bar; just a wall of Japanese whiskeys sold by the bottle and in two-ounce pours. 46 Bowery, between Canal and Bayard streets
East Village: Following the arrival of international chain German Doner Kebab in Astoria last month, a new home for spit-roasted meats served in sandwiches and plates has opened in lower Manhattan. Döner Haus, a restaurant whose logo appears to be based on the country’s most popular pornographic website, focuses on chicken and beef doner, with a vegan version on the way. 240 E. 14th Street, near Second Avenue
East Village: Virginia’s, a neighborhood bistro that closed in 2021, has reappeared in the former home of Root and Bone on East Third Street. The new digs offer more space — 60 seats indoors, plus another 50 out front — and a steakhouse menu with steak frites, clams casino, and a burger. The kitchen is led by chef Justin Lee, the owner of the Lower East Side’s Fat Choy restaurant, which closed in December 2022. 200 East Third Street, near Avenue B
Flatiron: The chef Wylie Dufresne, famed for his Michelin-starred restaurant wd~50, which closed in 2014, has teamed up with Gadi Peleg, the owner of Breads Bakery, to open a new pizzeria in Flatiron. Stretch Pizza started as a pop-up at a location of Breads in Union Square in 2021. Now with its own storefront, the menu includes chickpea fries, salads topped with potato chips, and 12-inch pies — with unusual flavors like horseradish — whose size the chef calls “personal plus.” 331 Park Ave South, between East 24th and 25th streets
Fresh Meadows: Local chain Taïm Mediterranean Kitchen, open since 2005, opens its 13th location this week and first in Queens. 61-42 188th Street, at 64th Avenue
Gowanus: There’s a new bar and taproom next door to Brooklyn climbing gym the Cliffs. Evalyn’s Tap House is now open Thursdays to Saturdays with pretzels, draft beer, and discounted pours during a happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m. A food menu with bratwurst, pickled herring, and pork schnitzel is coming soon. 236 Butler Street, near Nevins Street
Greenpoint: Astoria sandwich shop Compton’s opened its third location in the city, and first outside of Queens, earlier this month. Alex Compton, who runs the shop, was an owner at 99 Franklin, previously in the space. Like in Astoria, he’s selling cold and hot sandwiches, burgers, breakfast items, and more, Greenpointers reports. 99 Franklin Street, near Milton Street
Greenpoint: This Brooklyn neighborhood is fast becoming one of the city’s top destinations for lesser-seen Mexican foods. Taqueria Ramirez, famed for its trompo and stewed meats, opened here in 2021, and Mexican seafood pioneer Mariscos El Submarino is opening a new restaurant, Mitica, in the area this spring. Panzón, with a list of some 40 mezcals and menu focused on foods from Mexico City, is the latest. Chef Alfredo Ilanos, who grew up in D.F., has assembled a menu of chilaquiles tortas, crisp tlayudas with cactus, and supersized machete quesadillas. 23 Greenpoint Avenue, near West Street
Hudson Square: Hand rolls prepared by robots are the calling card at MakiMaki, a sushi shop with locations in Grand Central and Midtown. Machines from Suzumo, who claims to make the world’s first sushi robot, wash and shape rice, then divide rolls into individual pieces. 350 Hudson Street, between King and Charlton streets
Midtown: Bulmaro Rouge, a longtime chef at the legendary Peter Luger Steak House, is helming the kitchen at a new steakhouse opening today in Midtown, the New York Times reports. The menu at Benny John’s Bar and Grill advertises pastas, burgers in several styles (the cheapest starts at $25 with fries), and steaks ranging from $57 to $116 each. 8 E. 48th Street, Madison and Fifth avenues
Midtown East: Tony Park, the Korean Italian restaurateur behind Paris Baguette and Essen, has opened a Korean fine dining restaurant in the former home of Lidia Bastianich’s decades-old Felidia restaurant, the New York Times reports. Anto Korean Steakhouse is an expansion of Antoya Korean BBQ in Koreatown. A seven-course menu is priced at $110 with a 10-seat chef’s counter to follow later this year. 243 E. 58th Street, near Second Avenue
Midtown East: Brasserie Cognac, a white tablecloth French restaurant on the Upper East Side, opens a second location this week at luxury hotel 48Lex. The menu is the same here as uptown, with the addition of a raw bar and wine happy hour. 517 Lexington Avenue, at East 48th Street
Murray Hill: The founder of Korean poke restaurant Red Poke has opened Ongi, a Korean fast-casual restaurant specializing in grain, noodle, and salad bowls. Ray Park, who’s also a co-owner of Seoul Fried Chicken Company in Edison, New Jersey, opened the new venture on March 21. 630 Third Avenue, at East 41st Street
Park Slope: T-Swirl Crepe, a Japanese chain with more than 30 locations nationwide, opened its first location in Brooklyn this week. 77 Fifth Avenue, at Prospect Place
Tribeca: Chip City, the cookie chain that started in Astoria in 2017, continues its expansion tear this month with a new storefront in Tribeca. It’s the company’s 18th location in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island, with at least 20 more planned for 2023. 325 Greenwich Street, at Duane Street, in Tribeca
March 16
Astoria: Mike Himani, the owner of a Mexican clubstaurant, Ixta, and business partner Lefteris Daskalopoulos opened Nisi Estiatoria in early March. The Astoria restaurant serves Greek dishes like avgolemono shrimp, calamari, and lavraki seabass, as well as other seafood dishes like crudos. 32-07 30th Avenue, near 32nd Street
Bed-Stuy: Elliot Bey, Alphonse Janvier Jr., and Michael Gittens, the owners of the Bed-Stuy wine shop Franklin Cellars, have opened the doors on the Franklin next door. The corner space, which used to house a bodega, has been overhauled with wooden furniture and a marble bar top, where cocktails, wines by the glass, tinned fish, and more are served. 448 Franklin Avenue, at Putnam Avenue
Bushwick: Oops Tea, a new restaurant highlighting inarizushi rolls made with yuba (aka tofu skin) alongside milk and fruit teas, has landed in Bushwick. 344 Knickerbocker Avenue, between Stockholm Street and Dekalb Avenue
Bushwick: A chef specializing in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and a nightlife producer have teamed up at Red Pavilion, a new venue that operates as a teahouse and dim sum spot during the day and a club with cabaret at night. Dishes like congee, made with purple rice and Chinese millet, nod to the chef’s upbringing, while herbal “shots” are available with vodka, baijiu, and blends of herbs. 1241 Flushing Avenue, at Ingraham Street
Crown Heights: With the reopening of Superiority Burger nearly upon us, Grub Street has the scoop on what they’re claiming is Brooklyn’s next-best veggie burger. At Crown Heights’s Akara House, which first opened in February, black-eyed pea fritters are seasoned with garlic, onion, ginger, and chile; fried; then wedged between pieces of agege, a white bread owner Funso Akinya sources from Atlanta. 642 Nostrand Avenue, between Bergen and Dean streets
Downtown Brooklyn: Mochii is the latest to open in the underground Dekalb Market Hall. The desserts shop sells its flavored rice cakes from a handful of storefronts across Manhattan and Queens — and ships nationwide on Goldbelly — but the food hall stall is its first shop in Brooklyn. 445 Albee Square West, inside Dekalb Market Hall
Gramercy: Pierre Loti Mediterranean Kitchen & Bar, which opened on March 15, comes from the team behind neighborhood wine bar Pierre Loti next door. The menu features mezze like tzatziki and larger plates like eggplant shakshuka, per a spokesperson. 55 Irving Place, East 18th Street
Greenpoint: Greenpointers has the first word on north Brooklyn’s new ramen spot. Enerugi Ramen, which landed in this corner space along Manhattan Avenue on February 25, serves bowls of noodles in slow-cooked broths with pork belly, ground pork, and chicken, plus appetizers like dumplings and okonomiyaki. 1020 Manhattan Avenue, at Green Street
Greenpoint: Also new to Greenpoint this month is Verge, a corner restaurant whose menu lists sushi and sashimi, along with more unusual items like Thai soft shell crab and wagyu beef toast. Reservations can be made by calling the restaurant. 159 Franklin Street, at India Street
Hell’s Kitchen: Slices start at $3.50 at the new Zillions Pizza in Manhattan. The hyper-branded slice shop sells round and square pies in various flavors, ranging from vodka to Hawaiian and Buffalo with ranch. 360 W. 42nd Street, near Ninth Avenue
Morningside Heights: Nils Noren, the former executive chef of the Michelin-starred restaurant Aquavit, is behind this new Vietnamese and pan-Asian restaurant uptown. Ban Ban Shop, located near Columbia University, lists a short menu of banh mi sandwiches, maki rolls, steamed buns, salads, and rice bowls. 2911 Broadway, between West 113th and 114th streets
Noho: Raf’s, the hotly anticipated restaurant from the team behind Michelin-starred tasting menu spot the Musket Room opened this week. The restaurant, which will eventually house a daytime bakery, is led by Musket Room executive chef Mary Attea and pastry chef Camari Mick; both chefs are currently named on the longlist for the 2023 James Beard Awards. The dinner menu at Raf’s features a bread basket, beef tartare, pastas, branzino, and budino (an Italian pudding), and makes use of one of the two ovens built into the wall that had been in place when it was Parisi Bakery, the former tenant. 290 Elizabeth Street, near East Houston Street
Times Square: Manhattan is home to a new modern Japanese restaurant called Fushimi. The 135-seat space with a 10-seat bar and attached lounge serves dishes that range from untampered with — sushi and sashimi — to those that verge into unexpected territories, like an Amish chicken with yuzu chimichurri and a truffle lobster bisque with shisho. After 10 p.m., the 135-seat dining room becomes a nightlife venue with live DJs. 311 W. 43 Street, between Eighth and Ninth Avenues
West Village: Korean fried chicken establishment Bloom Chicken opened a follow-up to its original location in Hackensack, New Jersey, in early March, according to the team. 62 W. Fourth Street, at Eighth Avenue
Williamsburg: New to Williamsburg’s Moxy Brooklyn hotel is Mesiba, a restaurant from the team behind the acclaimed Broken Shaker cocktail bar chain that pulls inspiration from Tel Aviv. The new spot opened on March 15 with mushroom shawarma, Frena bread (a Moroccan bread prepared here with sesame and sage oil), and a 48-hour lamb neck for sharing. 353 Bedford Avenue, inside the Moxy Brooklyn Hotel
March 9
Astoria: 35 Avenue Diner started serving comfort food classics last month in what had been RAR Bar. 30-01 35th Avenue, near 30th Street
Brighton Beach: Gosht, is a new halal-friendly steakhouse hailing from Uzbekistan. 3215 Coney Island Avenue, near Brighton Beach Avenue
Chinatown: Flushing’s 3Dessert is opening an outpost on Canal Street, serving red bean soup or grass jelly with items like taro balls and mung beans. 197 Canal Street, near Mulberry Street
East Village: The York is a new downtown Manhattan bar that already feels lived-in, per Hell Gate. As the publication reports, it serves several burgers and nighttime breakfast sandwiches from a longtime East Village bartender who worked at spots like Niagara. 186 Avenue B, near East 12th Street
East Williamsburg: Vegan spot Ro’s Diner has opened, taking over Champs Diner. The new spot is co-owned by former Champs chef Ro Seaward and Andrew Gelles, founder of Substance Skatepark. 197 Meserole Street, near Bushwick Avenue
East Williamsburg: A new ice cream shop, Thick Ice Cream, has opened inside the Williamsburg Houses with flavors like caramel-pecan-cornbread, rum raisin, caramel flan, and carrot cake, according to North Brooklyn Dispatch. 208 Graham Avenue, near Scholes Street
Forest Hills: The first fast-casual sibling of soup dumpling go-to Nan Xiang Long Bao Express has opened with a menu of appetizers, dim sum, and noodles. The first location sit-down location opened in Flushing, followed by outposts in Manhattan, and Cherry Hill, New Jersey. 107-50 Queens Boulevard, near 70th Road
Harlem: A second location of Atlanta-based sensation, Slutty Vegan, has opened following the first in New York, the Fort Greene location. 300 W. 135th Street, near Frederick Douglass Boulevard
Herald Square: Top Chef Masters cast member and co-founder of Little Beet, Franklin Becker, and pastry chef and OddFellows co-founder, Sam Mason, are among the team behind the new Press Club Grill in Herald Square, with Mad Men vibes and a menu of retro classics like its spin on Waldorf salad and beef Wellington, among others. 1262 Broadway, near West 32nd Street
Midtown East: The team behind the Spaniard and the Penrose have a new cocktail spot, Albert’s Bar. 140 E. 41 Street, near Lexington Avenue
Midtown East: Inside Le Méridien Fifth Avenue, is a new restaurant Allora Fifth Avenue, said to be a “tour of Italy” per the New York Times. The chef Elio Albanese, also owns Antica Ristorante in Fidi and Allora 47 in Midtown. 292 Fifth Avenue, at 31st Street
Midtown West: A new women-led concept from the Sushi by Bou team has landed. It’s one of several Trust Bae locations owner Erika London has planned, with a Japanese menu with Filipino touches. The kitchen is led by Frances Tariga, who has been on Top Chef, Beat Bobby Flay, and Chopped, while Rachael Ray served as a consultant, per the New York Times. 1204 Broadway, at 30th Street
Prospect Lefferts Gardens: Speakeasy Ruth’s on Flatbush has opened, serving cocktails and meat-and-cheese plates. 665 Flatbush Avenue, near Hawthorne Street
Ridgewood: Honeymoon Coffee bean brand has planted down roots with its first coffee shop. It’s a collaboration with nearby bookstore-cafe Molasses; at Honeymoon Coffee, look for books and records on sale, too. 517 Onderdonk Avenue, at Bleecker Street
Soho: Alums of Nomad, the Eleven Madison Park follow-up, run Principe: Abram Bissell, is the executive chef, who met owner, Robert Goldman while working there, while Rebecca Isbel, also an alum, handles pastry. The menu leans heavily on Italian seafood with its raw bar, but pastas are also available. Goldman also owns the influencer spot Saint Theo’s. 450 West Broadway, at Prince Street
March 2
Bed-Stuy: A new coffee shop from a married couple and service industry lifers, Passionfruit Coffee has opened. The gratuity-included business sells passionfruit pound cake, cookies, and madeleines made to order, in addition to coffee drinks. 733 Madison Street, at Patchen Avenue
Downtown Brooklyn: Atti is a new Korean barbecue restaurant from the team behind Ohho, a coffee shop with Korean food in Greenpoint, according to a spokesperson. There’s kalbi, steak tartare, pork belly kimchi stew, and bingsoo, Korean shaved ice for dessert. 294 Livingston Street, at Hanover Place
Dumbo: Gair, named after a Dumbo printing magnate of the 1800s, is a new cocktail bar with small plates, according to the New York Times. The kitchen is led by Gabe McMackin, formerly the executive chef of Clinton Hill’s the Finch, now closed. 41 Washington Street, at Water Street
Midtown East: Midtown fine dining restaurant Le Jardinier has turned its upstairs event space into the Art Deco Bar Bastion, according to the New York Times. 610 Lexington Avenue, at East 53rd Street
Midtown West: Cafe Paradiso has opened next to the Film at Lincoln Center screening room, a casual spot serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner with an Italian-ish menu. 144 W. 65th Street, near Columbus Avenue
Prospect Lefferts Gardens: Tara Glick, an alum of Maialino and Locanda Verde, has opened Brix Haus. The ice cream parlor has flavors like blackberry sherbet and popcorn, according to the New York Times. 406 Rogers Avenue, at Sterling Street
Ridgewood: Following in the footsteps of Panina, from the team behind North Brooklyn bakeries, Bakeri, and Velma, from the owners of Gordo’s Cantina in Bushwick, Decades Pizza is now open in the neighborhood. The new pizzeria is owned by Zach Hughes (formerly of Roberta’s), and Paul Cacici (a co-owner at Chino Grande and Carmenta’s). 690 Woodward Avenue, at Palmetto Street
Williamsburg: Mighty Quinn’s BBQ is opening a Williamsburg location its 16th spot to date, according to a spokesperson, with plans to expand and franchise along the East Coast; its Tampa location, for example, has its first drive-thru. 62 S. Second Street, near Wythe Avenue
Williamsburg: Rosette from Brooklyn Winery has opened in a bigger spot than the original Brooklyn Winery home, which allows enough space for a sit-down restaurant. Shaun Lafountain is the chef overseeing a New American menu, while the wine list shows off a collection of sparkling, white, rose, red, and orange wines. 61 Guernsey Street, near Nassau Avenue
