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's world-famous restaurant scene is finally back, and there's a host of exciting new venues that will have you scheduling out your social calendar well into the summer months. A handful of dazzling contemporary fine-dining restaurants are recharging the term “big night out” in the city—while natural wine bars, Venetian-inspired enclaves and fire- and spice-driven creations offer the perfect spot for a more relaxed but equally flavorful evening. Read on for our shortlist of the best new restaurants to know now, organized by neighborhood. Plus: Click here for our all-time favorites, including icons like Minetta Tavern, Balthazar, Bemelmans and more.
Contact your Indagare Trip Designer or Indagare, if you are not yet a member, to start planning a fall or winter trip to New York City that includes meals at the best new restaurants in NYC. Our team can match you with the accommodations and activities that are right for you.
The first solo creation from Chef Victoria Blamey (formerly of Blue Hill at Stone Barns, The Mayflower Inn,. Chumley's and Gotham Bar & Grill), Mena brings an international mix of farm-to-table dishes and a biodynamic wine list to a bright and airy space, with old-school tiled floors and welcoming bar seating.
After pandemic-induced delays, celebrated chef Tadashi Yoshida has finally opened his much-anticipated omakase sushi restaurant on Bowery. Each seating accommodates just 10 guests and features approximately 20 courses (priced at $400 per guest, paid in advance). The opening marks a significant shift for the master, as he is moving his signature experience from Tokyo to New York City for the first time. Named for the birthplace of Yoshida's father, Yoshino is filled with symbolic nods to the chef's roots, while he presents his cuisine to the global stage. To name two: The counter was sourced from half of an over-300-year-old Japanese hinoki cyprus tree (the other half is housed in the Imperial Palace in Tokyo), and the space's central artwork was created by Japan’s top earthen plasterer, Shuhei Hasado.
From Golden Age Hospitality (behind hot-spots Ray's, ACME, Slowly Shirley and Le Crocodile), The Nines is a new piano bar and supper club on Great Jones Street. Offering a see-and-be-scene vibe alongside classic cocktails and light bites (tartare, caviar, oysters, crudité), The Nines has nightly live music and a sultry atmosphere (think: Cheetah-print carpeting, velvet and mood lighting).
A Spanish institution since 1930, El Quijote (named for the canonical literary figure, a wayward medieval nobleman who sets off on errant adventures in the company of his squire, Sancho Panza) has finally reopened after closing in 2018 when its home, the Hotel Chelsea, closed for reservations. Now, both have reopened. In addition to an evocative atmosphere (brought to life by the minds behind Sunday in Brooklyn), El Quijote offers an authentic experience of northern Spanish cuisine with all the favorites: croquetas, jamón serrano, patatas bravas, chipirones, gambas al ajillo, paella...and G&Ts, sangria, Cava and Rioja reds.
Related: Insider’s Charleston with The Dewberry’s Jaimie Dewberry
For atmospheric after-dinner libations, another Midtown name making a splash (to all of lower Manhattan and Brooklyn’s surprise) is Pebble Bar, a contemporary concept hidden within a historic four-story townhouse (above Magnolia Bakery), whose expertise in playing host to the drinking crowd dates back before Rockefeller Center even existed (when the bar was an Irish dive known as Hurley’s). Brought to life by the team behind Celestine and Ray’s, and backed by a list of investors that includes Mark Ronson, Jason Sudeikis, Nicholas Braun and Pete Davidson, Pebble Bar is cool but not pretentious, and jazzy yet intimate. And while you’re sipping on a Ginny Fallon or a glass of orange wine, you might just catch a glimpse of an SNL cast member sneaking off to the alleged secret passage into 30 Rock.
This freshman project from Christopher Reyes (formerly at Cosme and the Nomad) and chef Gerardo Alcaraz (formerly at the three-Michelin-starred Martín Berasategui Restaurant outside San Sebastián) features inventive twists on typical dishes from varied regions of Mexico (ranging from vegan mole to smoked tuna tacos and grilled pulpo with serrano ashes aioli—and the tortillas are milled in-house!). The big draws here are the focused craft mezcal and tequila selection (which can be imbibed as you like, but according to tradition, should be sipped, neat, with an orange slice), the outdoor patio lit by rattan lanterns and the live music that sometimes goes late into the night. Head here when you're in need of a little Mexico-City-meets-New-York-City magic.
From chef partners Aidan O’Neal and Jake Leiber and restaurateur Jon Neidich (of Acme), Bar Blondeau is located on the sixth floor of the stylish Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg and offers waterfront views of the Manhattan skyline, with a seafood-focused French menu (with Spanish and Portuguese elements) and a robust list of natural wines sourced by sommelier Rafa García Febles. Here, you'll find bottles both familiar and novel, hailing from everywhere from the Willamette Valley and Alt Penedès to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, Hiroshima and the coast of Morocco. Santé!
Related: Melissa’s New York City: Where to Stay, Eat, Shop and More
Contact your Indagare Trip Designer or Indagare, if you are not yet a member, to start planning a fall or winter trip to New York City that includes meals at the best new restaurants in NYC. Our team can match you with the accommodations and activities that are right for you.
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