Consider this your guide to all the new restaurants, bars, and cafes, that have opened recently. Here’s a roundup of the restaurants and bars that opened in January 2025. This list will be updated weekly. If there’s an opening in your neighborhood that we’ve missed, let us know at [email protected].
Bed-Stuy: Sol Delish, a rare fast-casual dumpling spot for the area, has opened. An opening promotion includes free bubble tea with orders. 1309 Fulton Street, at Nostrand Avenue
East Harlem: The 50-year-old Hawaiian chain, L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, relaunched in New York late last year after closing in 2013. It first opened on the Lower East Side, followed by this uptown location. 2128 Second Avenue, near Tito Puente Way
East Village: Director Baz Luhrmann, his wife, designer Catherine Martin, and Golden Age Hospitality CEO Jon Neidich, opened up a new dramatic bar with gothic, medieval, and bohemian vibes, Monsieur, on Tuesday, January 21. The cocktail bar seems straight out of a film set, awash with stained glass, candlesticks, and rich tapestries. Drinks-wise, there are classic cocktails like martinis; and there’s a pub-style menu with English and Australian dishes for food. 86 East Fourth Street, near Second Avenue
East Village: Alums from the acclaimed Barcelona dive bar Two Schmucks ventured out onto their own with a cocktail bar in Manhattan. Schmuck opened on Wednesday, January 29 by co-owners and bartenders Moe Aljaff and Juliette Larrouy and business partner Dan Binkiewicz. The result is a European-style bar with Middle Eastern touches, as the team describes, throughout the two-room space. 97 First Avenue, at East Sixth Street
East Village: A new bakery all about cinnamon rolls, Sunday Morning, opened in Manhattan on Sunday, January 26. The menu offers 10 cinnamon roll flavors, ranging from blueberry-lemon curd to guava and cream cheese to ube macapuno. Co-owners Armando Litiatco and Ahmet Kiranbay also run the Mediterranean Park Slope restaurant Rana Fifteen and the now-closed Southeast Asian barbecue restaurant FOB Filipino. 29 Avenue B near East Third Street
Greenpoint: Midtown Greek restaurant Nerai co-owners Menegatos and Christos Gourmos made their way into Brooklyn with new Greek restaurant Nerina, which opened on Wednesday, January 29. Executive chef Moshe Grundman is cooking up a menu full of mezze dishes, such as house-made pitas with dips, lemon potatoes, duck leg stifado, rack of baby lamb chops, and oysters. And then there are Greek wines courtesy of wine director Dimitrios Karagiannis, as well as cocktails. The 3,500 square foot space can fit up to 85 seated guests — there’s a 1,500 square foot patio to come in the spring. 35 Commercial Street, near Bell Slip
Hell’s Kitchen: Xie Bao, a Chinese crab roe stand in Flushing that was given the New York Magazine treatment, has expanded with its first Manhattan outpost. 650 Ninth Avenue, at West 46th Street
Nolita: Ceres is a new slice shop downtown, from a duo who both worked at Eleven Madison Park. The sleek space has several tables and serves plain, tomato-ricotta, and mushroom slices out of its storefront. 164 Mott Street, at Broome Street
Union Square: The team behind Raf’s, an Italian restaurant and bakery, and tasting-menu restaurant the Musket Room, have expanded with a third project in the wake of a heap of accolades: Cafe Zaffri, stationed inside the hotel and members-club The Twenty Two (the restaurant, however, is open to the public). As the team’s previous restaurants, Mary Attea leads the kitchen, with Camari Mick — currently a semifinalist for this year’s James Beard Awards — as pastry chef. This time, Cafe Zaffri looks to Levantine cuisine: A dinner menu lists chicken liver mousse with pistachios and cardamom; fried eggplant with toum; and lamb Wellington with grape leaves, influenced by what’s available in the Union Square Market steps from its door. 16 East 16th Street, near Union Square West
West Village: The former Michelin-starred Joomak Banjum was turned into Joomak on Wednesday, January 29 under chef Jiho Kim, inside the Maison Hudson hotel. The 27-seat space offers a tasting menu with New York, New American, and Korean touches — expect dishes like trompe-l’oeil smash burger and the bonito kombu dashi-seasoned slightly seared scallops. 401 West Street, between West 10th and Charles streets
Chelsea: The team behind American restaurant Motel Morris and cafe the Commons Chelsea opened a new pizzeria, Kid, on January 17. There are New York-style pies like plain, pepperoni, and mushroom with marjoram-cream sauce; and specials like anchovies/broccoli rabe, and the al limone. There are other dishes like bone-in short ribs, eggplant parmesan, cocktails, beers, and wines. The 80-seat space includes 1980s and 1990s decor, such as an arcade game. 157 West 18th Street, between Sixth and Seventh avenues
Chelsea: Japanese retailer Muji opened its first food market in the U.S. within its Chelsea Market location in January. Muji Food Market serves onigiri, tamago egg sandwiches, curry bowls, dorayaki, and pastries. Then there are specialty drinks like a black sesame latte prepared by Muji’s robot barista Jarvis. 75 Ninth Avenue, Suite 1A55, between West 15th and 16th streets
Flatiron: Nicola Kotsoni has flipped the space that once housed her Greek restaurant Periyali (which was around for 38 years) into a new Mediterranean concept OPTO with chef Alex Tubero. The menu features a selection of pastas, like one with Amalfi lemons and cultured butter imported from France. On the entree side, there’s a suckling pig shoulder, as well as a creme caramel that was a staple on Periyali’s menu for dessert. 35 West 20th Street, near Sixth Avenue
Flatiron: Fast-casual restaurant Rooted opened on January 21, focusing on simple boxed meals where items are proclaimed to have been made with seven ingredients or less. Founder Lily Rivkin started the business as a pop-up at Olly Olly Market in the summer of 2023. 38 East 23rd Street, between Madison and Park avenues
Greenpoint: HK McClendon, a former manager at Bonnie’s, alongside Josh Spiezle and Dane Johnsson (of North Brooklyn bar Bee’s Knees and the East Village’s Pineapple Club) have opened Mommy’s. As Greenpointers reports, the new bar replaces Ba’sik — “a bartender’s bar” — which locals grieved following its closure last year after 13 years in business. 323 Graham Avenue, near Devoe Street
Lower East Side: Salad Don, a new quick-service build-your-own salad bar, has opened inside Essex Market. Owner Lenin Costa also operates Don Ceviche in the neighborhood, and as such, EV Grieve reports that his new food stand is billed as “delicious healthy bowls with a Peruvian touch.” 88 Essex Street, at Delancey Street
Midtown: South Indian fast-casual chain Madras Dosa Co. opened its first New York location on January 17. The menu includes choose-your-own dosas with fillings such as paneer, spicy potatoes, and beef; toppings like eggs and cheese, and dips. Other dishes include several rice plates, chaats like pani puri, sandwiches, and exclusive-to-New York ones like pesarattu (dosas made with green lentils) and paniyaram (pan-fried lentil dumplings). 1450 Broadway, near West 41st Street
Park Slope: New nonalcoholic bar Mockingbird opened on January 16 by co-owners Evan Clark and Coulton Vento. It features nonalcoholic cocktails, beers, wines, and zero-proof cocktails — emphasizing minority and women-owned producers. It will also serve small plates. 213 Seventh Avenue, between Third and Fourth streets
Red Hook: Agi’s Counter’s Jeremy Salamon opened his anticipated restaurant Pitt’s in the former Fort Defiance space on January 17. The new neighborhood restaurant is meant to feel and taste nostalgic while paying tribute to the “golden era” of New York dining in the early 2000s, per the press release. This means dishes such as gouda pimento with fried saltines, cold meatloaf tea sandwiches, grilled mutton chops, Carolina rice grits with bottarga, and hot fudge sundaes. 347 Van Brunt Street, at Wolcott Street
Ridgewood: A new Italian restaurant, Il Gigante, debuted in Queens with house-made pasta, free focaccia, and Parmesan cheese served in mugs for tables, and Italian wines on January 17. Expect pastas like rigatoni, pappardelle, and fusilli, alongside mains like slow-baked chicken and breaded pork cutlets. Il Gigante’s partners include an owner of Aromi in Carroll Gardens and a longtime manager of Malaparte in the West Village for 14 years. It replaces Porcelain, which was previously housed in the space. 880 Woodward Avenue, near Catalpa Avenue
Soho: Mercer Street Hospitality’s John McDonald turned what was his Bar Tulix space into Bar Mercer, led by chef Preston Clark, in January. The American bar menu includes dishes like mini pigs in a blanket and “hangover pasta” full of ham, bacon, egg, and pecorino. Drinks include cocktails and global wines. 25 West Houston, at Mercer Street
Sunset Park: Rob’s of Brooklyn, a slice shop and Italian restaurant that got its start in Bath Beach from a Brooklyn lifer, expanded on January 11 with an outpost in Sunset Park. 4201 Seventh Avenue, at 42nd Street
Upper West Side: Columns Wine Bar, serving tapas, alongside wines from the Mediterranean, is now open, according to West Side Rag. 2756 Broadway, between West 105th and 106th streets
West Village: Brooklyn Heights bakery L’Appartement 4F expanded with its second location in mid-January. For now, it’s operating with limited hours and menus until it opens with full service on Saturday, February 1. Expect French baked goods, including, yes, that croissant cereal. 119 West 10th Street, between Greenwich and Sixth avenues
Astoria: A new Mexican restaurant, El Lado Taco, focusing with Mexico City-style tacos as well as breakfast tacos opened in Queens back in mid-December. It uses handmade corn and flour tortillas, as reported by former Eater NY critic Robert Sietsema in his Substack column, “Three for the Weekend.” Breakfast tacos include migas, the Papas Locas (crispy potatoes, eggs, and jack cheese), and the Cactus Sunrise (nopales, eggs, onions, and tomatoes); the lunch and dinner menu includes classics like al pastor and longaniza. 3414 30th Avenue, between 34th and 35th streets
Astoria: A new Irish pub, Honey Fitz, opened in Queens on January 9, as reported by Astoria Post. Drinks include Irish whiskeys, Guinness pints, and cocktails like the San Patricio with tequila, espresso, Licor 43, and boozy cold foam. It’s being run by bartenders Sean Doran, Andy Collins, and Jack Jones, with owner Jerry Foley — the name stems from Foley’s father’s nickname and his mother’s maiden name. It opens in what had been the Broadway Station Bar and Grill. The bar will serve food at a later date after the kitchen renovation is finished. 30-09 Broadway, between 30th and 31st streets
Bay Ridge: A new Yemeni coffee cafe, Bilqis Coffee, opened in Brooklyn last month on December 29, 2024, as reported by Brooklyn Paper. The menu focuses on coffee made with beans sourced from farmers in Yemen, in beverages such as espresso, Arabic coffee with cardamom, and white chocolate mochas. There are also teas along with baked goods like spinach pies, sabaya (a flaky pastry), and ma’amoul (cookies stuffed with dates and nuts). 8018 Fifth Avenue, near 82nd Street
Chinatown: Popular Flushing wonton restaurant Maxi’s Noodle opened this week, as reported by Grub Street. This location, dubbed Maxi’s Noodle 3, debuted in Chinatown starting on Wednesday, January 15. Owner and chef Maxi Lau-O’Keefe started Maxi’s as a pop-up in 2019 at her aunt’s restaurant and then turned it into her own restaurant in Flushing later that year. She expanded with the second location also in Flushing in 2024, making Manhattan her third. Maxi’s Noodle 3 will offer a similar menu — those giant Hong Kong-style wontons in broths, noodle soups, or noodles. The expansion will have two new items: a vegan broth and a mushroom topping. The small space (previously a location of Tipsy Shanghai) will have 30 seats. 68 Mott Street, between Canal and Bayard streets
Chelsea: Tropical-ish bar Jungle Bird expanded with a new cocktail spot last month. Shy Shy opened on December 4, 2024, serving seafood and cocktails. Of the former, find baked oysters, shrimp cocktails, boquerones toast, along with non-seafood snacks and dishes). The latter includes tons of martinis and other cocktails and drinks. 169 Eighth Avenue, between West 17th and 18th streets
Dumbo: For the past couple of months, Russell Markus, a chef known for his Hot Soup pop-ups, was running a counter service operation in the front of the old Scarr’s, in collaboration with Reid Webster of the pizza pop-up Bad Larry’s, making sandwiches. Now, Markus has relocated to Dumbo, where he’s opened Red Coffee Stand with the team behind Williamsburg’s Ants Coffee, neighboring the vintage store Front Street General. Here, their coffee will be served alongside soups by Markus. 147 Front Street, at Jay Street
Flatiron: A new all-day Mediterranean restaurant from LDV Hospitality (the group behind Italian restaurant Scarpetta), Barlume, opened on December 22. The restaurant focuses on Southern European coastal cuisines — the Amalfi Coast in Italy, the French Riviera, and Costa Brava in Spain. There’s the cafe with coffee, pastries, and breakfast, the wine bar, and the main dining room with seafood, crudos, pastas, and more. Its basement cocktail bar, Barlume Downstairs, opened last month. 900 Broadway, near East 20th Street
Fort Greene: Caribbean restaurant Imani closed in 2024 for renovations. It is now the bi-level Mango Bay, from partners Shamah Levy and David Berkowitsch who brought on London Chase (an alum of Essential by Christophe, Manhatta) for his first time in an executive chef role. The restaurant puts gastronomic spins on Caribbean classics: There’s akee and saltfish egg rolls and an entree-sized starter of panko-fried Cornish hen. Oxtail is served with a side of rice and peas with foam. 271 Adelphi Street, at Dekalb Avenue
Williamsburg: Nick Wang, the chef and owner behind Brooklyn sushi restaurants Amami and Ako Sushi, opened this third restaurant, Enso, on January 14. The reservations-only Japanese restaurant offers a 16-course omakase with small plates and nigiri for $195 at the 10-seat chef’s counter. Then there’s the bar and lounge which offers Japanese whiskies and cocktails, and the 12-course tasting menu for $95. 117 Berry Street, near North Seventh Street
Upper East Side: Popular New York doughnut mini-chain Dough opened its latest new location last week. The fifth doughnut shop opened on January 11. For its first week of service, it’s offering a special creme brulee doughnut. 1119 Lexington Avenue near 78th Street
East Village: A new gimmicky ice cream shop opened in early January. Surprise Scoops offers randomly selected flavors to people who order on the digital kiosks. The unknown-to-them ice creams will be handed to them by staffers. The menu will change every day and EV Grieve reports that the sweets are all nut-free. The shop is run by the address’s predecessor Stuffed Ice Cream, which closed in October. 139 First Avenue, between St. Marks Place and East Ninth Street
East Village: Alums of Blue Ribbon, Bond St, and Michelin-starred Shmoné have opened a one-of-a-kind spot in Lower Manhattan today. Bananas, per a release, takes its name from “a slur to describe Asian Americans who are ‘yellow’ presenting but culturally white due to their upbringing in Western culture.” The restaurant combines the team’s own experiences in the culinary world and their own Asian American upbringings into a creative menu that doesn’t stick to one cuisine. Think: dishes like chopped cheese krapow, shrimp wonton etouffee, and lemon pepper karaage chicken. 174 First Avenue, near East 11th Street
Flushing: Taiwanese bakery chain 85°C Bakery Cafe is opening its first-ever New York location this month, as reported by QNS. The bakery — nicknamed the “Starbucks of Taiwan” — will open inside the Tangram Shopping Mall starting January 10. It’ll offer its beloved Taiwanese, Japanese, and European desserts, baked goods, and cakes with sweet and savory options, such as ham-and-cheese rolls, pork sung buns, Hokkaido custard buns, croissants, and layer cakes. Then there are drinks like sea salt teas, boba, and others. 133-27 39th Avenue, Unit G2, near College Point Boulevard
Greenpoint: New Sichuan restaurant Four Season Joyful opened in Brooklyn in early January, as reported by Greenpointers. The wide-ranging menu includes $12 lunches, noodles, rice, meats, seafood, vegetables, and chef specials such as salt-poached shrimp and mutton in spicy hot oil. Drinks include bubble tea, wellness shots, and smoothies. 55 Driggs Avenue, near Kingsland Avenue
Greenwich Village: Super Burrito, a Mission-style burrito spot (known for its al pastor and its standout breakfast burrito) that started in the Rockaways before opening a larger space in Williamsburg with an attached bar, has expanded with a third location. Super Burrito’s first Manhattan outpost is now open. 169 Bleecker Street, at Sullivan Street
Midtown: Chef Thinh Nguyen, the owner of Greenwich Village Vietnamese restaurant Hello Saigon, opened a new cafe in early January. Annam Cafe serves a casual Vietnamese menu featuring dishes such as phò tái (beef tartare pho), pho ga (chicken pho), braised brisket pho, turmeric dill fish banh mi, Lemongrass honey chicken vermicelli noodles. Beverages include the traditional Vietnamese coffee drink phin filter cà phê. The cafe technically debuted in mid-December with a very limited menu of rice bowls. 22 West 38th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues
Park Slope: Shirwin Burrowes, the Barbadian American chef and Uncle Boon’s alum behind the pop-up Pop’s Patties has opened a food stand at Barclays Center; it debuted on January 4. Burrowes will also continue to sell some of the city’s best patties at the various Winner locations in Brooklyn. 620 Atlantic Avenue, at Flatbush Avenue
Upper East Side: Chef Harold Moore opened his new restaurant on January 7, Cafe Commerce. The bistro focuses on classic dishes, such as sweet potato tortelloni with hazelnuts, beef carpaccio, and chicken with foie gras stuffing. The owner — an alum of Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Daniel Boulud, and Charlie Palmer — had run his own restaurants before: Commerce, Bistro Pierre Lapin, and Harold’s, all of which had closed. 964 Lexington Avenue, at East 70th Street
Bed-Stuy: The family behind Chef Katsu, a Japanese lunch bowl spot, has expanded with a coffee shop called Kyo Brooklyn serving matcha, coffee, and food. 326 Tompkins Avenue, at Gates Avenue
Concourse: Rokstar Chicken, a halal-certified Korean fried chicken stand, first got its start back in 2021 inside a Douglaston, Queens Food Bazaar supermarket. It has since expanded to several locations throughout the five boroughs. Its latest opened at the end of December at the Bronx Terminal Market inside its Boogie Down Food Hall. Major Deegan Expressway and River Avenue
East Village: The 12-time Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper has teamed up with Philadelphia’s owner of Angelo’s Pizzeria, Danny DiGiampietro, to open a Philly cheesesteak shop in the East Village with Danny & Coop’s. The sandwich was apparently the only thing on the menu during its preliminary debut. People reported that DiGiampietro’s family mostly runs it, making foot-long sandwiches with Cooper sharp and onions. If it’s anything like the original, “a cheesesteak at Angelo’s is a particularly beautiful thing.” Cooper and DiGiampietro teamed up in New York last year ahead of the NYC opening. 151 Avenue A, at East 10th Street
East Village: Sinsa is a new Korean American wine bar from the team behind Rice Thief in Long Island City, known for its soy-marinated crab. The Manhattan menu features kimchi butter with milk bread, scallop crudo, gocharu fried chicken with ranch, and donkatsu au poivre. The kitchen is led by Jay Yang and executive chef William Lee, two alums of Oiji Mi. 95 Second Avenue, at East Sixth Street
Greenpoint: Smorgasburg and McGolrick Park pop-up Bagel Joint opened a permanent spot on December 21. The owners, Lanty Hou and Will Sacks feature a menu of fusion-y options that reflect their Taiwanese and Jewish backgrounds, such as miso, saffron, and gochujang, topped with cream cheese, butter, egg salad, tuna salad, or egg and cheese. 230 Calyer Street, at McGuinness Boulevard
Lower East Side: Ha’s Snack Bar is the permanent restaurant of Anthony Ha and Sadie Mae Burns, known for their traveling Vietnamese American pop-up series Ha’s Đặc Biệt. It’s located in the former home of Gem Wine. 297 Broome Street, near Forsyth Street
Midtown: Chef and owner Hooni Kim has reopened his acclaimed Danji, following a fire in April 2023 that led the Korean restaurant to be forced to close for almost two years. 346 W. 52nd Street, between Eighth and Ninth avenues
Upper East Side: Lucia Pizza, which started in Sheepshead Bay before adding an outpost in Soho, has opened a third slice shop, this time uptown. 1571 Third Avenue, near East 88th Street
Upper East Side: Andrew and Jonathan Schnipper, the founders of Hale and Hearty (and exited Hale and Hearty years before it shut down in 2022) have opened Schnipper’s Quality Soups in their original Hale and Hearty headquarters. The space is styled like an old-school luncheonette. 849 Lexington Avenue, near East 64th Street
Williamsburg: Apollo Bagels, which now has storefronts in the East Village and the West Village, has expanded to Williamsburg. A Hoboken storefront is coming soon. 133 North Seventh Street, at Berry Street
Williamsburg: Stephanie Bonnin is known for La Tropikitchen, her moniker for her Colombian cooking that’s taken her to Smorgasburg and pop-ups around town. Now, she’s staying put, opening Patio Tropical, a Latin American daytime counter-service spot, nestled in the back of This Is Latin America, an artisan goods store. Her food stand is located on their outdoor patio, but it is enclosed and heated. 234 Grand Street, near Driggs Avenue
2025-01-02T14:47:37Z