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Over the next four months, some of the dining world's living legends will open new Manhattan restaurants. The spring and summer will also see some big imports, revivals, and spinoffs. And right now, some of the city's most promising young chefs and restaurateurs are plotting their very first solo projects. Here's a guide to the 30 most exciting New York restaurants that are slated to open between now and Labor Day:
[Instagram/Aarogantswine]
30) Arrogant Swine
Where: 173 Morgan Avenue, East Williamsburg
When: July or August
What: The very first restaurant from Tyson Ho, the proprietor of the Hog Days of Summer pop-up series. At this massive new Morgan Avenue restaurant, Ho will be focusing on west Carolina-style whole hog barbecue and country ham. The barbecue buff recently told Serious Eats that he wants to establish the restaurant as "a church of pork." You can track Arrogant Swine's progress on Ho's Instagram.
[All Coverage of Arrogant Swine]
[Sherman Zwicker Photo]
29) Grand Banks
Where: Pier 25, Tribeca
When: June
What: A seasonal seafood bar on a historic boat, the Sherman Zwicker, from Andrew Tarlow's former partner Mark Firth and Double Happiness restaurateur Adrien Gallo. A sample menu that was recently submitted to the CB1 included seven types of oysters with various sauces, plus olive oil-poached cod on toast, a kale salad, fries, and hush puppies. Firth has spent the last few years running Prairie Whale in Great Barrington, MA, so the opening of Grand Banks marks his big return to the NYC scene.
[All Coverage of Grand Banks]
[Photo: Wikipedia]
28) The Pavilion
Where: Union Square Park
When: June
The city first began looking at proposals for the Union Square Pavilion six years ago, and now, at last, a restaurant is finally taking shape there. Simon Oren, of the Tour De France Group, plans to open a high-end seasonal restaurant in the space. Wayne Nish was attached earlier this year, but he dropped out. No word yet on who's going to cook the food, but the restaurant is still slated to open in early summer.
[Bacchanal plywood by Greg Morabito]
27) Bacchanal
Where: 146 Bowery, Lower East Side
When: May
What: Restaurateur Peter Poulakakos and chef Scott Bryan team up for a new restaurant in the recently renovated Sohotel. Bryan, formerly of Apiary and Veritas, will serve a French and Italian-influenced menu that will include crudo, fresh pastas, grilled seafood, and roasted meat dishes. Poulakakos is pitching this as "a white-tablecloth restaurant without the tablecloths."
[Park South Hotel photo; Tim Cushman photo: Eater National]
26) Roof at Park South
Where: 124 East 28th St, Midtown
When: May
What: A rooftop bar with food from Tim and Nancy Cushman of Boston's O Ya, and drinks by No. 9 veteran Ted Kilpatrick. The menu will include "drink-friendly Mediterranean-inspired bar bites." Rumor has it that the Cushmans are also planning a full-fledged location of O Ya in the hotel.
[All Coverage of Roof at Park South]
[Littleneck Outpost plywood photo by Greg Morabito]
25) Littleneck Outpost
Where: 128 Franklin St., Greenpoint
When: Early May
What: Aaron Lefkove and Andy Curtin (AKA the Littleneck dudes) expand to Greenpoint with a cafe that will serve lobster rolls, clam rolls, and other sandwiches, plus breakfast items and La Colombe coffee in the morning. Littleneck Outpost will also offer specialty grocery items, kitchenware, and picnic boxes to go.
[All Coverage of Littleneck Outpost]
[Photo: Amanda Kludt/Image: The Meat Hook]
24) The Meat Hook Sandwich
Where: 495 Lorimer St., Williamsburg
When: Early May
What: A sandwich shop from Tom Mylan and the crew from Williamsburg's beloved four-and-a-half-year-old butcher shop The Meat Hook. Expect an Italian sub stuffed with house-made charcuterie, a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, a Cubano filled with lard-poached carnitas, and a gyro made with grass-fed beef.
[All Coverage of Meat Hook Sandwich]
[Noah Bernamoff by Daniel Krieger]
23) Black Seed
Where: 170 Elizabeth St., Nolita
When: Next week
What: A bakery from The Smile's Matt Kliegman and Mile End's Noah Bernamoff specializing in wood-fired NY-style bagels. The menu will include salads, sandwiches, and house-made spreads. Next month, the Black Seed team will also open a kiosk inside Brookfield Place.
[All Coverage of Black Seed]
[Experimental Cocktail Club photo by Krieger]
22) La Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels
Where: 247-249 Centre St., Soho
When: Late April
What: A wine bar from Experimental Cocktail Club's Romee De Goriainoff with a menu of French-influenced small plates from Armand Arnal. Last fall, De Goriainoff told Eater: "We fell in love with that part of town where the whole area is under a renewal. On this project, we'll focus entirely on wine. And food."
[All Coverage of La Compagnie Des Vins Surnaturels]
[Photo: Russ & Daughters Cafe]
21) Russ & Daughters Cafe
Where: 127 Orchard St., Lower East Side
When: May
What: A 65-seat luncheonette/soda fountain from the owners of century-old Lower East Side appetizing store Russ & Daughters. Expect sandwiches, deli platters, a herring smorgasbord, and runny scrambled eggs with caviar.
[All Coverage of Russ & Daughters Cafe]
20) Mu Ramen
Where: 1209 Jackson Ave., Long Island City
When: July
What: The first proper, sit-down ramen restaurant from Joshua and Heidy Smookler. After visiting the Mu Ramen pop-up earlier year, Pete Wells put it at the top of his list of the city's best ramen restaurants. Expect an expanded menu of buns, snacks, and noodles in the cozy space that formerly housed the Malu ice cream parlor. Because of its proximity to the 7-Train, the new location of Mu will be just a quick 10-minute trip from Midtown.
[All Coverage of Mu Ramen]
[Facebook]
[Instagram/Baz Bagel]
19) Baz Bagel and Restaurant
Where: 181 Grand St., Little Italy
When: May
What: A new bakery and cafe from Rubirosa's longtime GM Bari Musacchio and Barney Greengrass veteran David Heffernan. Ms. Musacchio recently told Eater: "We will be making all of our own bagels on site as well as an excellent selection of smoked fish/salads/cheese/etc." The space will have a long dining bar, a few tables, and a to-go counter.
[All Coverage of Baz Bagel and Restaurant]
[The original Philly location of El Vez via Facebook]
18) El Vez
Where: 259 Vesey St., Battery Park City
When: Early May
What: A Mexican crowd-pleaser in Battery Park City from Stephen Starr. This is Starr's third time bringing a Philly restaurant to NYC, after Buddakan and Morimoto. The menu will be similar to the one served in Philly, so expect regional Mexican specialties, a few non-traditional Mex-American dishes, and six — count 'em six — types of guacamole.
[All Coverage of El Vez]
[Tijuana picnic space in late January by Zach Ligas]
17) Tijuana Picnic
Where: 151 Essex St., Lower East Side
When: July
What: A Latin-Asian restaurant from the trendsetters behind Indochine and Acme. The menu from chef Alex Lopez, previously of Kittichai, will include "galangal-marinated-chicken tacos" and "roasted pork neck with Thai-spiced chimichurri."
[All Coverage of Tijuana Picnic]
[Photo: Facebook]
16) Okonomi
Where: 150 Ainslie St., Williamsburg
When: Mid-May
What: The long-in-the-works sit-down restaurant from Yuji Ramen, the hit noodle operation that started at Kinfolk Studios and Smorgasburg, and expanded to two Whole Foods counters. At Okonomi, chef Yuji Haraguchi will serve Japanese street food, ramen, and omakase meals in a snug space made with reclaimed wood.
[All Coverage of Okonomi]
[Photo: Marguerite Preston]
15) Cafe El Presidente
Where: 30 West 24th St., Flatiron District
When: Last week in April
What: A giant all-day cafe/tortilleria/market/juice bar/taqueria from the Tacombi team and chef Jason DeBriere. Think of it as the Mexican Eataly.
[All Coverage of Cafe El Presidente]
[A look at the Ramen Lab space on April 9, 2014 via Facebook]
14) Ramen Lab
Where: 70 Kenmare St., Nolita
When: Late May
What: An intimate ramen parlor from Sun Noodle proprietor Kenshiro Uki and chef Shigetoshi Nakamura. The Nolita restaurant will incorporate the "ramen flights" made popular at Sun Noodle's New Jersey R & D space. Uki recently told Grub Street: "Rather than ask people to come to Teterboro...we had this opportunity to make it more accessible, and increase the kinds of ways people think about ramen. We see it as an education-driven place." The space will have an open kitchen with about 14 counter seats. For more on Sun Noodle, check out Serious Eats' recent visit to the factory.
[All Coverage of Ramen Lab]
[Jeff McInnis and Janine Booth building Root & Bone via Facebook]
13) Root & Bone
Where: 200 East Third St., East Village
When: Late summer
What: Contemporary Southern cuisine from Jeff McIniss, formerly of Miami's acclaimed Yardbird restaurant, and partner Janine Booth. Last fall, Food & Wine reported that McInnis and Booth were working on things like caramelized brisket meatloaf, and "tater tots" made with ricotta and sunchokes. Fried chicken will definitely make an appearance on the menu too. Root & Bone was slated to open earlier this year, but the team ran into some issues related to the build-out of the space.
[All Coverage of Root & Bone]
[Barchetta exterior]
12) Barchetta
Where: 461 West 23rd St., Chelsea
When: Last week of April
What: An Italian seafood restaurant in the old La Promenade des Anglais space from Esca's Dave Pasternack and LDV Hospitality's John Meadow. Expect crudos, pastas, and grilled seafood dishes in a space that evokes the Italian seaside. Pasternack is not leaving Esca, but his chef-de-cuisine there, Christian Goerner, will run the kitchen at Barchetta day-to-day.
[Robin Caiola]
11) Tavern on the Green 2.0
Where: Central Park & W 67th St., Upper West Side
When: April 24
What: Two relatively green Philadelphia-based restaurateurs are reviving one of New York's most famous restaurants. Jim Caiola and David Salama have been taking their sweet time with the Tavern revamp, and a Times Mag profile from October didn't allay anyone's fears about this project. The good news is that the menu from Katy Sparks has some surprises (fried duck egg with spring onion, roasted Japanese eggplant with pomegranate), and most dishes are moderately priced.
[All Coverage of Tavern on on the Green]
[Driely S./Racked]
10) The Gorbals
Where: 98 North 6th St., Williamsburg
When: Mid-May
What: Ilan Hall is opening a version of his hit Los Angeles restaurant, The Gorbals, inside an Urban Outfitters concept store. The space looks great, and Ilan is promising a set of all new dishes.
[All Coverage of The Gorbals]
[Ivan Orkin by Daniel Krieger]
9) Ivan Ramen
Where: 25 Clinton St., Lower East Side
When: Early May
What: Ramen, Japanese small plates, beer, wine, and sake from Ivan Orkin, New York's most fascinating noodle chef. Expect a long menu with a lot of new creations. Orkin recently told the Daily News: "It will be much more of a chef-y kind of place."
[All Coverage of Ivan Ramen]
[Nick Solares]
8) Brookfield Place
Where: 250 Vesey St., New York, NY
When: May 7 for Hudson Eats
What: This massive new Battery Park City shopping center will have sit-down restaurants from Jose Garces and Parm, plus grab-and-go-options from Mighty Quinn's, Dos Toros, Umami Burger, Blue Ribbon Sushi, Black Seed, and Num Pang. The fast casual restaurants will be located in a section called Hudson Eats that's being designed by AvroKo. Later this year, a massive French food market will also open at Brookfield, and expect at least one more sit-down restaurant from a big-name chef. Jean-Georges and Danny Bowien were both rumored to be involved in Brookfield, but Jean-Georges's camp says that the chef "has been approached but nothing has been decided yet," and word on the street is that Bowien backed out.
[All Coverage of Brookfield Place]
[Waltuck and Veritas photos: Krieger]
7) élan
Where: 43 East 20th St., Flatiron District
When: Late May/early June
What: A French restaurant from Chanterelle's David Waltuck in the old Veritas space. The chef has had a number of consulting gigs since his Tribeca restaurant closed in 2009, but this is his first project as chef/owner since then. Waltuck recently told Eater: "It will be my food (I'm not fond of labels, but I guess you could call it contemporary cuisine rooted in classic French technique) in a space that's stylish and full of energy; in short a place that has élan." Chanterelle's former GM George Stinson will be running the dining room.
[All Coverage of élan]
[Photo: Brooklyn Fare Photo; Jarred Sippel Photo]
6) Brooklyn Fare Manhattan
Where: 431 W. 37th St., Hell's Kitchen
When: August
What: A new restaurant from Cesar Ramirez and Moe Issa with a menu by Jared Sippel, formerly of Frasca Food & Wine in Boulder, Colorado. Unlike the elaborate tasting menus served at the critically-acclaimed Brooklyn original, the new restaurant will feature a more relaxed style of service and a menu of French and Italian-influenced fare. Although this project has been delayed many, many times, an employee at the grocery store portion of Brooklyn Fare says that the team plans to open the new restaurant this summer. Rumor has it that the owners might even christen the space with a few tasting menu dinners from Ramirez before Sippel takes the wheel. Also, the wine bar/outdoor patio might open before the main dining room. Stay tuned for more details as they become available, and check out the floor plan here.
[All Coverage of Brooklyn Fare Manhattan]
5) Bar Primi
Where: 325 Bowery New York, NY 10003
When: June
What: A casual Bowery pasta house from perpetual hit-makers Andrew Carmellini, Josh Pickard, and Luke Ostrom. Taavo Somer, who built and operated Peels in this space, is helping with the design. It sounds like this will be a looser version of Locanda Verde, with a big bar scene.
[All Coverage of Bar Primi]
[Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi, Jeff Zalaznick Photo: Daniel Krieger]
4) Dirty French/Untitled High Line Restaurant/Parm
Where: Dirty French, 180 Ludlow St., Lower East Side; Untitled High Line Project, corner of Ganesevoort and Washington Street, MePa; Parm, 235 Columbus Ave., Upper West Side.
When: Late July/August
What: Rich Torrisi, Mario Carbone, and Jeff Zalaznick have three big restaurants coming up. This summer, the boys behind Major Food will team up with hotelier/restaurateur Sean MacPherson for a French bistro in the Ludlow Hotel called Dirty French. This project will reflect Mr. Torrisi's days as a young cook working in fine French restaurants. On the other side of town, the trio will open a new restaurant in the Renzo Piano-designed complex near The High Line that will also soon be home to the Whitney Museum. According to the Times, this as-yet-unnamed restaurant will focus on the "light, healthful cuisine of the Italian and American coasts." And, in the coming months, the Torrisi Boys will also open an Upper West Side location of their sandwich hit Parm. Down the road, there are also plans to launch a bakery/restaurant with Melissa Weller, but that won't open till fall at the earliest. Dirty French, Parm, and the new High Line restaurant are all slated to open by the end of August.
[Cherche Midi by Greg Morabito]
3) Cherche Midi
Where: 282 Bowery, Nolita
When: Late May/early June
What: Keith McNally's Gallic revamp of the old Pulino's space with a menu from Shane McBride (currently executive chef of Balthazar) and Daniel Parilla (currently head sous chef of Minetta Tavern). In typical McNally fashion, the restaurateur hasn't revealed very many details, but it looks like a lot of work is currently being done on the space. In recent years, Keith has talked about wanting to do something small and intimate. Maybe this will be his crack at a cozy jewel box bistro...
[All Coverage of Cherche Midi]
[Photo: Eater National/Adalberto R. Lanz]
2) Cosme
Where: 35 East 21st St., Flatiron District
When: June
What: A casual restaurant that will showcase the talents of Enrique Olvera, one of Mexico's most acclaimed chefs. Over the last few months, Olvera has mentioned plans to serve dishes like sea urchin tostadas with smoked tomatillos, chiliquilla with burrata, and a version of tortilla soup. The chef is opening a tortilleria in Brooklyn, which will supply the restaurant with fresh tortillas. It will be exciting to see how the chef adapts his forward-thinking Mexican cuisine to a casual New York setting.
[All Coverage of Cosme]
[Drew Nieporent by Krieger]
1) Bâtard
Where: 239 W. Broadway, Tribeca
When: June
What: For his third restaurant in 30 years at 239 West Broadway, Drew Nieporent is working with Markus Glocker, formerly of Gordon Ramsay at The London, and longtime Daniel maitre d' John Winterman. Nieporent recently told Eater: "The food is going to be rooted in European food, not only French, but Markus is Austrian. And I love those flavors, whether it's Czech or Hungarian or Austrian or German." Bâtard is the restaurant that all the critics and fine dining enthusiasts of this city will be clamoring to get into this summer.
[All Coverage of Bâtard]
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