Summer may be ending soon, but think of it this way: TV shows are coming back, the humidity is finally letting up (knock on wood) and peak season for NYC restaurant openings is ramping up. Get a head start now with the best new restaurants NYC has to offer in 2016.
The Best New Restaurants in NYC: 2016
Healthy lunches and decadent dinners, here we come
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Published Aug 30, 2016
Cava Grill
1. Cava Grill
This D.C.-based Mediterranean empire finally arrives in NYC, with build-your-own pitas and bowls featuring fixings like spicy lamb meatballs and jalapeño-infused “crazy feta.” Pretty sure we just found our new favorite lunch spot.
143 Fourth Ave. (at 14th St.); 646-416-6440 or cavagrill.com
Ron Capistrano/Eataly
2. Eataly Downtown
The hallowed megamarket’s second location is, as expected, everything. Along with the bounty of provisions—there’s a special focus on bread—you’ll find the elegant sit-down spot Osteria della Pace and the all-day café Orto e Mare. In case you’re wondering, breakfast at Eataly equals crab-and-leek omelettes and pastries galore.
4 World Trade Center, floor 3 (at Greenwich St.); 212-897-2895 or eataly.com
The PokéSpot/Facebook
3. The Pokéspot
The official food of the summer is still going strong, and the latest player brings even more raw-fish goodness into our lives. Our hearts skipped a beat at the words “crab guacamole” and “avocado boats.”
120 Fourth Ave. (at 12th St.); 212-933-0971 or pokespot.com
Spoon Table & Bar
4. Spoon Table & Bar
Chef Melissa Chmelar turns out hearty, seasonal fare—which you might remember from Spoon and Tbsp.—at her latest spot, a morning-to-night affair offering everything from harissa-rubbed kale salad to an epic four-cheese mac. (They’re both healthy if you eat them together, right?)
40 E. 33rd St. (between Madison and Park aves.); 646-230-700 or spoonnyc.com
Michael Tulipan/Zora's Café
5. Zora's Café
Hell’s Kitchen just became a soul-food destination thanks to this eatery, run by a mother-daughter team (aww). We’ll be diving headfirst into buttermilk fried chicken, hush puppies and sweet-potato pie.
712 Ninth Ave. (between 48th and 49th sts.); 212-757-5888 or zorascafe.com
Lala Sahab
6. Lala Sahab
When a chef who worked at one of the world’s 50 best restaurants (New Delhi’s Bukhara) opens a new spot, you get yourself there ASAP. We’re especially excited for chicken tikka samosas and dahi batata poori (crispy rounds topped with spiced chickpeas).
489 Columbus Ave. (between 83rd and 84th sts.); 212-875-1400 or lalasahabny.com
Michael Tulipan/LaRina Pastificio & Vino
7. Larina Pastificio & Vino
Housemade pasta, five kinds of negronis and an adorable patio? Sign us up. We’ll be spending the rest of the summer eating smoked eggplant panzanella and black ink bucatini.
387 Myrtle Ave. (between Clermont Ave. and Vanderbilt Ave.), Brooklyn; 718-852-0001 or larinabk.com
Latin Beet Kitchen
8. Latin Beet Kitchen
Healthy, customizable bowls get a Latin twist at this new daytime annex of Peruvian restaurant Raymi. Order the multicolored namesake combo (beets, squash, sweet potato, purple cabbage and quinoa) and an avocado-topped arepa and you’ll hardly notice you just polished off all your daily vitamins.
43 W. 24th St. (at Sixth Ave.); 212-929-1200 or latinbeet.com
9. Samui
A gorgeous kaleidoscopic storefront welcomes you to this cheerful restaurant, where a Thai-native chef cooks up modern takes on the cuisine like chicken-jicama-grapefruit salad with coconut dressing and duck-shiitake noodles.
15 Vanderbilt Ave. (at Flushing Ave.), Brooklyn; 917-909-1032 or samuibrooklyn.com