There’s nothing like fall in New York. A sense of excitement fills the air, as people return from their summer travels and bring a renewed energy to the city. The start of the autumn season also brings with it a slew of new restaurant openings, whether you’re looking for the latest hot spot for date night or a cozy eatery to catch up with friends. As the days get colder, you can enjoy craft cocktails and innovative new dishes in these new dining destinations.
From Japanese sandos to hearty Oaxacan cuisine to Himalayan-inspired eats, there’s much to explore in the New York City dining scene this season. The fall restaurant slate includes some casual neighborhood spots, a new wellness destination that also serves healthy bites and a brand-new members club promising five-star service without the stuffiness. If you like to start your day with a pastry and a hot beverage, you’ll want to test drive some of the new cafés, and if you’re more of a night owl, bookmark these bars for your next nighttime tipple. Additionally, one of New York City’s most renowned chefs is opening a new restaurant that already has the culinary scene buzzing.
Below, check out the 15 new and noteworthy restaurants debuting on the New York City culinary scene.
Comida Corrida is a love letter to Oaxacan cuisine, celebrating the region’s rich culinary heritage and world-renowned bold flavors. Chef Alberto Gomez created a menu that honors his family’s recipes, which have been passed down through generations, and also showcases the Mixtec and Zapotec influence on Oaxacan cuisine. Try the “comida corrida” after which the restaurant was named; it’s an abundant set meal featuring a daily soup, rice and beans, freshly made tortillas, and a choice of mains including enchiladas, birria, carnitas and pork feet. Comida Corrida will also serve a tasty brunch featuring chilaquiles and chiles rellenos for those who want a flavorful start to their weekend.
Cuisine, wellness and ayurveda intersect at Oases, a new all-day café, bazaar and soon-to-open restaurant in Chelsea. With the goal to redefine urban well-being, guests can currently enjoy in-house dining and to-go options at the Oases café, which opened in August. Located in a vegetable garden (notably a laptop-free digital detox zone), patrons come here to grab superfood açai bowls, organic smoothies and matchas. In September, The Oases Restaurant, bar and private event space Tara Room will open, serving New American cuisine with a Himalayan twist.
This September, Elvis, a Parisian-style wine bar serving small plates, comes to NoHo’s Great Jones Street. The brainchild of Golden Age Hospitality (the team behind The Nines, Le Dive and Deux Chats), this bold new spot will feature a bright orange interior and exterior in a nod to Great Jones Café, which previously occupied the space for 35 years. Come to this intimate 30-seat Boîte for pâtés in a jar and tartare de bœuf, plus enjoy a natural French wine-heavy list curated by Le Dive wine director Frank Guerriero.
On the Upper East Side, Le Bar Penelope brings European-inspired charm to East 60th Street. Expect luxurious caviar tastings, a raw bar, specialty crafted cocktails and champagne. While enjoying exquisite bites, you can also feast your eyes on the lounge’s opulent interior, which features hand-blown Italian glass light fixtures and custom-designed murals. An original stained-glass skylight discovered during the renovation transports guests back to the Gilded Age while figures of monkeys, tigers and leopards dotted throughout the space create a playful and lively atmosphere.
Realmuto is a new all-day Italian café and pastry shop slated to open September 12 in the former Gourmet Garage space in the West Village. Giuseppe Zito, who won a world championship for his exceptional panettone, is leading the bakery; pastry fans will love this spot for its cannoli and bombolone. The restaurant will serve handmade pastas, as well as a unique Burger All’Italiana, made with black Angus beef, crispy guanciale and Caciocavallo cheese. It’s the ideal spot to enjoy Italian delicacies from early morning to late in the evening.
This Nordic-influenced bakery and restaurant is expanding and opening a second location in Clinton Hill, alongside its original East Village restaurant. An all-day destination, you can start your day with a tasty cardamom bun or a salmon and dill topped bagel—along with a coffee or matcha, of course. For dinner, sample Scandi-inspired small plates. Their East Village location serves a tasty Stjerneskud (a breaded fish fillet covered with Norwegian fjord shrimp salad, roe, and gem lettuce) on top of buttered rye bread, and we’re hoping to see this layered seafood dish at their Brooklyn location. There’s also a spiced apple cider on the menu that’ll be the perfect drink to sip this fall.
Originally from London, The Twenty Two is a hotel, restaurant and private members club set to open its second outpost in New York City in the landmarked Margaret Louisa Home on East 16th Street. Here you’ll find a new all-day restaurant Café Zaffri, aka “Zaf’s”, the third dining concept by the all-female team behind New York City hot spots Raf’s and The Musket Room. Helmed by sisters Jennifer Vitagliano and Nicole Vitagliano, who are in charge of food and beverage operations, executive chef Mary Attea and executive pastry chef Camari Mick, the menu will offer a modern interpretation of Levantine cuisine. Highlights include skewer service with Lebanese rice, grilled octopus with harissa, and kataifi millefeuille to close out your meal. Between the four of them there are multiple Michelin stars and James Beard Award nominations, so expect the restaurant to be a culinary powerhouse.
Since taking over Eleven Madison Park in 2011, Chef Daniel Humm has had a meteoric rise in the New York City culinary world, so it’s no surprise that his newest bar/restaurant, Clemente Bar, is highly anticipated. Humm is collaborating with Francesco Clemente (after whom the space is named), an Italian-born, NYC-based neo-expressionistic artist famous for his dreamlike figural paintings. Occupying the space above EMP, Clemente Bar will offer a relaxed interpretation of seasonal, plant-based fine dining. For drinks, expect beverage director Sebastian Tollius to wow patrons with his signature innovative and uniquely presented cocktails.
Aaron Israel and Sawako Okochi, the owners and chefs of Shalom Japan, are cooking up something new this fall. Their newest spot Tokidoki (meaning “sometimes” in Japanese) has multiple layers to it. During the day it’s a café serving Japanese sandos, onigiri, onigirazu (rice sandwiches) and daily Bento. At night, the space will be used as a creative space for Shalom Japan, for private dining and collaborative events. Sando fans will get to try the esteemed Rakkenji Shokupan, a milk bread that is leavened with a natural starter developed by a Japanese monk. Come to Tokidoki to taste Wagyu pastrami and veggie deluxe sandos, as well as classic cocktails with a Japanese spin, dreamed up by Sushilla Seupersad, the general manager of Shalom Japan.
Barlume is a new dining concept from LDV Hospitality’s John Meadow and Avery Britton, a tri-level space welcoming guests to a variety of hospitality experiences. Step inside the Café; it’s a coffee shop by day and a wine bar once the sun sets. Keep the good times going in the Cocktail Club, a sultry subterranean watering hole where you can enjoy cocktails and light bites. The dining room will serve coastal-inspired small and large format dishes with high-quality seasonal ingredients. And if you’re looking for something more private, you can book their intimate event space in the restaurant’s salon, which accommodates up to 25 people.
Beneath an old townhouse on a tree-lined Greenwich Village street, you’ll soon find People’s NY, an evening club and art gallery. Owners Emmet McDermott and Margot Hauer-King aim to support both emerging and established artists in the space where guests can also enjoy carefully crafted cocktails, an eclectic champagne menu and delicious food for late-night sharing. This soon-to-be social hot spot will also have a roaring fireplace, 1920s skylight and space to mingle across three distinct rooms.
Gui Steakhouse merges the traditional American steakhouse experience with modern Asian flavors and a focus on seasonality. The menu will feature an array of meats including premium dry-aged American steaks and Japanese A5 Wagyu, best paired with a fine wine or spirit like craft soju and makgeolli. Guests can also enjoy family-style rice and noodle-based dishes, such as dolsot (stone pot) or ttukbaegi (an earthenware pot). Just leave some room for dessert, as pastry chef Thomas Raquel (previously of Le Bernardin and Chicago’s L20 and Acadia) has some exciting sweet treats in store.
Zimmi’s will bring the flavors of the South of France to the West Village, serving dishes like Pissaladière, a caramelized onion and anchovy tart, and Tielle Sétoise, an elegant octopus and tomato pie. The new 40-seat restaurant is helmed by Jenni Guizio, the former director of wine and beverage for Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group, and Maxime Pradié, former chef de cuisine at Lodi. Come here for dinner to enjoy vegetable-forward cooking, French classics, braised and à la minute proteins.
In November, Heroes will open in the heart of SoHo. The restaurant and cocktail bar (Pearl Box) is brought to you by culinary figures Ariel Arce, Aaron Lirette, and Kenneth Crum previously involved with Tokyo Record Bar, Niche Niche, and Roscioli. The dining concept will serve small and large plates designed to be shared, focusing on high-quality, ingredient-driven cuisine. Don’t miss their exciting cocktail offerings, which riff on Italian classics like their barrel-aged mezcal negroni or their playful take on the classic Italian appetizer Prosciutto and Melone. Instead of biting into melon and the cured meat, you’ll drink prosciutto-infused Ketel One vodka, cantaloupe and nibble on a garnish of crispy prosciutto.
Chef Daniel Boulud will launch his first-ever steakhouse in the new One Madison Avenue building this year, merging American cuisine with French flavors. Named after a historic park in Lyon (Boulud’s hometown), there will be a main dining room that seats 150, a cocktail bar and a private tasting counter where you can enjoy an omakase-style steak experience. There’s also a private dining room, which is sure to host a myriad of illustrious events, and we also expect this restaurant to be a popular contender for the newest power lunch destination in the city.
