The 21 Best New Restaurants to Try This Summer

Does NYC need another Italian restaurant? It does when it’s from a protégé of one of Italy’s most celebrated chefs. This rustic spot in the Flatiron District highlights the cuisine of the Emilia-Romagna region—chef Stefano Secchi formerly cooked at Massimo Bottura’s Michelin-starred Osteria Francescana in Modena. Rezdôra (the Modenese word for grandmother) in this case translates to dishes like burrata with roasted leeks and toasted hazelnuts, gnocco fritto (a fried savory dough with cured meats) and “Grandma Walking Through the Forest in Romagna,” aka cappelletti verdi filled with roasted leek stuffing and black mushrooms.

27 E. 20th St.; rezdora.nyc

Caviar goes “fine casual” (sure) at the latest café helmed by Eleven Madison Park alum Buddha Lo. Hūso (located inside gourmet retail shop Marky’s on Madison) offers both an à la carte daytime menu and a speakeasy-style seven-course tasting experience in the evening. Start with the Hūso Dog, the house take on our favorite pastime snack, featuring Alaskan king crab, brioche, avocado, sour cream and pickled mustard topped with Marky’s Beluga di Venezia caviar.

1067 Madison Ave.; markysonmadison.com

Sweet and savory Israeli-style pastries come to the Lower East Side at Michaeli Bakery. Owner and pastry chef Adir Michaeli (formerly the executive pastry chef at Breads Bakery) is baking up a storm of burekas, rugelach, kugelhopf, babka, signature log cakes, cookies, pies and many more delightfully carby treats that will undoubtedly have us coming back multiple times.

115A Division St.; michaelibakery.com

A greasy spoon with a Spanish twist? Save us a spot at the counter, por favor. Found within Mercado Little Spain at Hudson Yards, Spanish Diner is an Iberian take on the classic American all-day restaurant. Start your day with a stack of olive oil pancakes or huevos rotos (eggs served over fries, people) or stick around for lunch fare like gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp), croquetas de pollo (chicken croquettes), gazpacho, patatas bravas and regional specialties like Madrid’s cocido madrileño (chickpea stew).

10 Hudson Yards (30th St. and Tenth Ave.); littlespain.com

Look for the red neon sign above the staircase: This Asian-fusion lounge, opening in the Meatpacking District, is actually a well-known haunt in the East, with more than 160 locations across mainland China and Hong Kong (this is its first U.S. foray). Expect Asian-influenced cocktails like the Pearls of the Orient (gin or vodka, yuzu sake, nigori sake and tapioca pearls) and bar bites like pork chashu buns and takoyaki (jumbo balls of minced octopus drizzled with house-made barbecue sauce and topped with bonito flakes).  

26 Ninth Ave.; helensnewyork.com

Barbecue but make it vegan: Honeybee’s is a new cocktail bar serving a smokehouse menu that’s entirely plant-based. Yup, there’s vegan mac and cheese (made with cornbread crumbs, queso, chives and mushroom bacon), “buttermilk” biscuits, pulled “pork” and even hot “wings” made from crispy cauliflower. Because those who avoid meat and dairy should know the joys of barbecue too—and their carnivorous friends might want to tag along.

95 Ave. A; honeybeesnyc.com

What do you get when a former Eleven Madison Park chef and the managing director of Del Posto open a restaurant together? One of the hottest tables in town, obviously. The comfortable fine-dining restaurant in FiDi is rooted in European technique but also influenced by the owners’ travels. The result is an eclectic menu from which you’ll want to sample everything: Gruyère fritters with chili and lime; cavatelli with chicken liver; sea bass with squash mole and fine herbs; charred carrots with razor clam chowder; citrus-marinated chicken with hot sauce…we could go on, but we’re guessing you’re hunting down a reservation already.

70 Pine St.; crownshy.nyc

This new restaurant from Olmsted chef-owner Greg Baxtrom combines his two favorite cuisines: classical French and Japanese yakitori. The menu starts with apps like duck rillettes with wasabi hollandaise, tempura frog legs and escargot with shiso butter. The star of the show is the yakitori (skewers) section, featuring options like asparagus and béarnaise, duck a l’orangeand tuna Niçoise. Stick around for desserts like homemade chocolate Pocky and profiteroles with ginger and matcha. 

626 Vanderbilt Ave., Brooklyn; maisonyaki.com

Forgo your usual Thai delivery order and instead head to this new LES restaurant, where Bangkok-native chef Tom Naumsuwan cooks up homestyle specialties including sai oua, (house-made pork sausage with lime leaf and fried chilis), peek gai tod nam pla (plum sauce–marinated fried chicken wings) and sen chan pad lobster (lobster stir-fried with rice noodles, chives, peanut and egg).

100 Forsyth St.; waylanyc.com

The word fusion typically makes us nervous, but we’ll happily get on board with the globally influenced Korean fare at Zusik, where executive chef and co-owner Yurum Nam serves classic dishes with nods to France, Italy and the U.S. Case in point: beef tartare with egg-yolk jelly; a French-influenced seafood stew; and an adventurous Korean-meets-Chinese jelly pork (pork belly and skin). Stop by for brunch to try the Korean breakfast sandwich, a popular Korean street food which piles fried egg, ham and cabbage onto a toasted brioche bun with smoked ketchup and fruit dressing.

202 W. 14th St.; zusikny.com

Restaurant hot spot Greenpoint adds another sure-to-be winner with this all-California wine bar. Everything on the list of 50-plus bottles can be ordered by the taste, the glass or the bottle. The food menu is also Cali-inspired: Pair your pét-nat with dishes like house-made ricotta with roasted grapes or lentils with frisée and honey-chili sesame oil. We’re also really excited for the poached chicken, avocado and charred cucumber with ginger-buttermilk sauce, served at brunch.

587 Manhattan Ave., Brooklyn; coastandvalleywine.com

Korean, French and Southern influences collide at this West Village spot from chef Sung Park (formerly of Jean-Georges). Think kimchi seafood gumbo, truffle “tteok and cheese” (which subs macaroni for chewy rice cakes), a Wagyu burger topped with a runny fried egg, and smoked “KFC” chicken with made-at-your-table cheese sauce. Don’t miss the inventive cocktails, like the Saeng-Gang Mist, a combo of sherry, vermouth, cinnamon and prosecco—served with a topping of ginger-spiced tea smoke. 

39 Downing St.; windroseny.com

If you’re a fan of Hà Nôi House, head two doors down to its new quick-serve spinoff, which offers sandwiches, a daily rice bowl and, yes, soups including various iterations of pho and other broth-based daily specials like bún bò huê (spicy beef noodle soup) and lamb rib kho (stew). Sandwiches, meanwhile, are served on baguettes and bánh tiêu (fried bread), and veggie-friendly options will be available daily. Don’t sleep on the Hà Nôi specialty egg coffee and fruit shakes.

115 St. Marks Pl.; hanoisoupshop.com

Psst: There’s a secret ramen haven hidden deep inside midtown grocery store Hudson Market. Executive chefs Steve Ha and Steven Cho concoct ramen bowls made with four unique broths, including the signature gyokai tonkotsu (pork bone broth seasoned with anchovy and bonito),and a vegetarian Japanese curry. Beyond ramen, you’ll find dishes like a tamago sando (a Japanese egg-salad sandwich) and musubi (grilled Spam). There will also be rotating off-menu items like a ten-inch-long meatball stick breaded in crispy Japanese panko.   

601 W. 57th St. (inside Hudson Market); ramendream.com

This seasonally driven spot pays tribute to NYC classics on its brunch menu with options like a BEC with heritage pork belly confit on a challah bun (plus a veg version with celery root “bacon”), smoked Ōra King salmon on an everything bagel, and decadent challah French toast with strawberry compote, local maple syrup and pistachio streusel. By night, you’ll find dishes like hamachi tartare, squid-ink cavatelli (with lobster, uni and fennel) and “green circle chicken” (with fiddlehead fern, ramps and garbanzo bean). Like surprises? Grab a spot at the six-seat chef's counter for a seven-course tasting menu.

33 W. Eighth St.; ardynnyc.com

Why yes, we would like to have dinner on the ground floor of a classic NYC townhouse. Bring a date or a group of your besties and spend a few hours noshing on deviled eggs, crunchy sourdough, garganelli alla Bolognese and potato-crusted sea bass. Or come for the usual brunch suspects like avocado toast, buttermilk pancakes and eggs Benny (best paired with the Breakfast of Champions cocktail, made with whiskey and homemade cinnamon syrup).

430 Hudson St.; theleroyhouse.com

If you find yourself near Hudson Yards’ new art and performance venue, the Shed, pop into this all-day cocktail bar from Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group. The cocktail menu puts a twist on classic drinks, as in the G & Tea Ceremony (a twist on a G&T with Darjeeling tea). You’ll also find a substantial food menu with items like a roasted turkey sandwich, Cedric’s Caesar, fava bean hummus and pull-apart monkey bread.

545 W. 30th St.; cedricsattheshed.com

Israeli chef Eyal Shani (known here for his popular Miznon pita shops) brings his Tel Aviv fine-dining restaurant to midtown. The dinner-only à la carte concept will offer a nightly menu that changes based on seasonal ingredients, with a focus on olive oil, yogurt, tomato and tomato seeds. Expect dishes like tomato ravioli (which features chopped tomato paired with melted butter inside the ravioli) and a steak preparation that involves 12 layers of thinly sliced beef cooked a la plancha. The restaurant is only open Thursday to Saturday, with 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. seatings. (Heads up: The later slot is rumored to morph into kind of a party.)

735 Tenth Ave.; hasalonnyc.com

Will travel for...duck? This modern all-day luncheonette and liquor bar in Williamsburg is already gathering buzz as a beautiful brunch spot and whole-duck dinner destination. Aside from the duck, we’re partial to the morning pastries and sandwiches, including a whitefish cheddar melt and a beef-patty Reuben.

357 Grand St., Brooklyn; gertie.nyc

Following an eight-month hiatus, one of NYC’s only female sushi chefs—artist Oona Tempest—is back with her beloved edomae-style omakase counter in a new location. True to her artist tendencies, Tempest treats nigiri as a sculpture in each 15-course, 90-minute omakase, in which you might sample pieces like Japanese sea bream aged in sheets of kelp; lesser-known fishes like sayori and kohada; and sea urchin sourced from both Japan and the United States.

118A E. 15th St.; sushibybae.com

Australian-style coffee and brunch are pretty much ubiquitous in NYC, but we have to admit we’re less familiar with Aussie dinner. We plan to remedy that ASAP at this Murray Hill offshoot of the FiDi café with the same name, where you can sit down to chargrilled branzino fillet, mustard-glazed pork neck, vegan Bolognese with shiitake mushroom, caponata and dried yeast flakes, and an extensive list of natural wines. And yes, there’s still social media–worthy café fare during the day.

626 First Ave.; holeinthewallnyc.com