NYC's 20 Most Anticipated Spring and Summer Openings

Though fall is typically the most exciting time to be a diner in New York City, the next three or so months will be packed with new restaurant options. On the horizon are two new projects from Michael White (The Butterfly and Costata), the first New York location of popular burger chain Umami Burger, a Greenpoint bar from skilled Brooklyn scene maker Andrew Tarlow (Achilles Heel), a sandwich shop from team Torrisi (The Lobster Club), a Brooklyn venture from chef Paul Liebrandt (The Elm), and much, much more. Here's a guide to 20 of the most important openings of the spring and summer months.

1) Hell's Kitchen: Brooklyn Fare Manhattan
Address: 431 West 37th Street
Major Players: César Ramirez and Moe Issa
The Situation: This one has been in the works for a while: owner Moe Issa is opening a Manhattan location of his Boerum Hill market. It will include a 60-seat restaurant that sounds a lot more accessible than the three-Michelin-star table chef César Ramirez manages over in Brooklyn. As New York Magazine reported in March, the food will be Mediterranean-influenced and served à la carte, with tasting menus available in the wine cellar downstairs. Ramirez is on board for the new project, but it sounds like he will still spend most of his time at the Chef's Table in Boerum Hill.
Projected Opening: May/June
[All Coverage of Brooklyn Fare]

2) Williamsburg: The Elm
Address: 160 N 12th Street
Major Players: Paul Liebrandt
The Situation: The virtuosic chef Paul Liebrandt, whom critic William Grimes once described as "a pianist who seemed to have found a couple of extra keys," is heading to Williamsburg. His new restaurant, The Elm, is housed in the King & Grove Hotel, and Liebrandt has said he wants to make casual food people could eat two or three times a week. It's a change from the more exclusive Corton, in Tribeca, where Liebrandt holds two Michelin stars.
Projected Opening: June
[All Coverage of The Elm]

3) Tribeca: The Butterfly
Address: 225 West Broadway
Major Players: Eben Freeman, Michael White
The Situation: The Butterfly is a cocktail-centric bar and restaurant fashioned after the supper clubs of Wisconsin, where chef-owner Michael White grew up. There will be fried chicken, pot pies, and carrot cake on the menu, but perhaps the biggest draw here is that cocktail master Eben Freeman will return to working a bar for the first time in two years.
[All Coverage of The Butterfly]

4) Lower East Side: Ivan Ramen
Address: 25 Clinton Street
Major Players: Ivan Orkin
The Situation: Over the last five years, chef Ivan Orkin's freewheeling takes on ramen have earned him a major following in Tokyo. Now, he's back home in New York City and ready to bring his work to the Lower East Side. In a recent interview, Orkin remarked that none of the ramen here has really "knocked [him] out," and he hopes to change that with a menu that will feature his takes on noodles, as well as a list of creative, hearty bar bites that will employ plenty of offal.
Projected Opening: Mid-June
[All Coverage of Ivan Ramen]

5) Chelsea: Toro
Address: 85 10th Avenue
Major Players: Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette
The Situation: The prolific Boston chef and restaurateur Ken Oringer and his talented partner Jamie Bissonnette are bringing an outpost of their smash-hit tapas restaurant Toro to Chelsea. It'll be located in the same building as Colicchio & Sons and Del Posto and will feature a mix of traditional and contemporary tapas — just like at the one in Boston. The most recent update from the team suggested a May or June opening.
Projected Opening: May/June
[All Coverage of Toro]

6) Soho: Costata
Address: 206 Spring Street
Major Players: Michael White
The Situation: Chef Michael White returns to the Soho space that formerly housed Fiamma, the restaurant where he first made it big in New York. Here's what he and business partner Ahmass Fakahany have planned: a steakhouse ("costata," in Italian, refers to the rib-eye). The executive chef is PJ Calapa, and White's team has been tweeting pictures of dishes he's been developing for the project, including a tomahawk chop for two and razor clams.
Projected Opening: May 15
[All Coverage of Costata]

7) Union Square: All'onda
Address: 22 East 13th Street
The Situation: Chef Chris Jaeckle, formerly of Michael White's Ai Fiori, is opening a seafood-centric Italian restaurant on 13th Street. Consulting on the wine list is Chris Cannon, the legendary New York City restaurateur who famously broke ties with White, his former collaborator, two years ago.
Projected Opening: May/June
[All Coverage of All-onda]

8) Flatiron: ABC Cocina
Address: 35 E. 18th Street
Major Players: Jean-Georges Vongerichten
The Situation: Jean-Georges is opening a tapas concept next to his bustling and locavore-mad ABC Kitchen. When the project, which occupies the space that for many years housed Pipa, was announced, Vongerichten said, "We will have paella, croquettas, a lot of small plates...I have worked so much with Asian food and this is the same latitude, so you find cilantro and chiles. Chiles are my passion now.''
Projected Opening: May 1
[All Coverage of ABC Cocina]

9) Tribeca: Kio
Address: 157 Duane Street
Major Players: Marc Forgione and Phet Schwader
The Situation: For his second New York City venture, Iron Chef Marc Forgione is partnering with executive chef Phet Schwader on a Laotian restaurant near Forgione's eponymous Tribeca flagship. At a CB1 presentation, Kio reps described the restaurant as meat-heavy, with more shared plates and a lower price point than Marc Forgione.
Projected Opening: July
[All Coverage of Kio]

10) Midtown: Betony
Address: 41 West 57th Street
Major Players: Eamon Rockey, Bryce Shuman
The Situation: Eamon Rockey has left Aska, where he served as GM and wine director, to link up with one of his former Eleven Madison Park cohorts, chef Bryce Shuman. Together they're revamping the Brasserie Pushkin space on 57th Street with a New American restaurant. Another EMP alum, Luke Wohlers, has signed on as wine director.
Projected Opening: May/June
[All Coverage of Betony]

11) Greenpoint: Luksus
Address: 615 Manhattan Ave
Major Players: Daniel Burns and Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø
The Situation: Back in March, Daniel Burns and Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø opened Tørst, a beer bar they hoped would be among the best in the genre worldwide. The place has been packed from day one. Towards the end of this month, chef Burns will open a 26-seat restaurant in the back that will showcase the skills he honed while putting serious time in at the Fat Duck, Momofuku, and Noma. According to Burns, the "Scandinavian aspects of the bar will shine through in the food."
Projected Opening: May
[All Coverage of Luksus]

12) SoHo: Charlie Bird
Address: 5 King Street
Major Players: Robert Bohr and Ryan Hardy
The Situation: Sommelier Robert Bohr, who made a name for himself at Babbo and Cru, got out of the restaurant game when the latter restaurant shut its doors in 2010. Now, he's back, teaming up with chef Ryan Hardy, whom he met while working at Little Nell in Aspen. Bohr describes the restaurant they have planned as specializing in "Italian-influenced American cuisine." For more information on the menu and the wine list, which will be managed by 24-year-old sommelier Grant Reynolds, see a recent interview with Eater wine editor Levi Dalton.
Projected Opening: May 15
[All Coverage of Charlie Bird]

13) West Village: Bar Bolonat
Address: 611 Hudson Street
Major Players: Einat Admony
The Situation: Taim and Balaboosta chef Einat Admony aims to execute "elevated, modern, and playful" takes on New Israeli cuisine at Bar Bolonat, her forthcoming restaurant at Hudson and West 12th. For some sample dishes from the menu, like a Tunisian roll with egg, harissa, potato, and tuna, see a recent article Admony did with Jewish Daily Forward.
Projected Opening: July
[All Coverage of Bar Bolonat]

14) Williamsburg: Motorino
Address: 191 Broadway
Major Players: Mathieu Palombino
The Situation: The original Williamsburg location of chef Mathieu Palombino's Motorino had to shutter a couple of years ago due to structural problems in the building that housed it. Now, Palombino is getting close to returning his beloved pizzeria to the area. He'll add this one to a restaurant roster that already includes the Bowery Diner and Motorino East Village.
Projected Opening: Late May
[All Coverage of Motorino]

15) Columbia Street Waterfront District: Whiskey Soda Lounge
Address: 115 Columbia Street
Major Players: Andy Ricker
The Situation: Since there's nowhere for guests to wait inside the restaurant, the waits can sometimes be a challenge at Andy Ricker's New York outpost of Pok Pok. Ricker hopes to finally solve that problem with Whiskey Soda Lounge, a bar that will serve the same cocktails as Pok Pok, as well as plenty of drinking food (wings!).
Projected Opening: May/June
[All Coverage of Whiskey Soda Lounge]

16) West Village: Umami Burger
Address: 432 Sixth Avenue
The Situation: The very popular and creative Los Angeles burger company is planning an expansion tear, and this will be its first New York City location. There are two additional outposts already being developed in Williamsburg and Battery Park City. Here's a detailed look at Umami's signature burger, courtesy of Eater National.
Projected Opening: June
[All Coverage of Umami Burger]

17) Greenpoint: Achilles Heel
Address: 62 Green Street
Major Players: Andrew Tarlow
The Situation: Andrew Tarlow, the restaurateur behind Diner, Marlow & Sons, and Reynard, sets his sights on the northern tip of Greenpoint for a bar — he's described it as a "shipyard dive" — that will serve pastries during the day and charcuterie and raw bar items in the evening. The food will come from several of his already-established shops and restaurants.
Projected Opening: June
[All Coverage of Achilles Heel]

18) Union Square: The Fourth
Address: 132 Fourth Avenue
Major Players: Jo-Ann Makovitzky and Marco Moreira
The Situation: The husband-and-wife team behind the excellent restaurants Tocqueville and 15 East will be in charge of The Fourth, the restaurant at the new Hyatt Union Square. The marketing materials for the restaurant describe it as "Union Square meets the 4th Arrondissement," and New York Magazine says it's an American Brasserie with Italian touches.
Projected Opening: Early May
[All Coverage of The Fourth]

19) East Village: Pride and Joy BBQ
Address: 24 1st Avenue
Major Players: Myron Mixon
The Situation: Myron Mixon, the star of TLC's BBQ Pitmasters, is moving into the former Lucky Cheng's space this month. His plans: an outpost of Pride and Joy BBQ (there's already one in Miami) that features 200 seats, 20 TVs, three bars, and items like "pulled pork egg rolls," "Myron's cupcake chicken," "bowl o' burnt ends," a "bourbon burger," and a "deep fried 'smores brownie."
Projected Opening: Mid May
[All Coverage of Pride and Joy BBQ]

20) Greenwich Village: The Lobster Club
Address: 169 Thompson Street
Major Players: Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi, Jeff Zalaznick
The Situation: By the middle of June, summer will be in full swing and most critics will have filed on Carbone, the Torrisi boys' ambitious take on the classic red-sauce joint. It's the ideal time to debut a smaller and more casual project down the block, The Lobster Club, where the focus will be on triple-decker sandwiches.
Projected Opening: Mid-June
[All Coverage of The Lobster Club]

Also of note and soon to come: Le Bilboquet, Yuji Ramen, Quality Italian, The Bounty, River Styx, and Maiden Lane.

· All Coming Attractions on Eater [~ENY~]