The 25 Most Anticipated New York City Openings of Winter/Spring 2015

Heading into 2015, all kinds of exciting new restaurants loom on the horizon. There are big budget projects from big-name chefs, sophomore efforts from some old favorites, and a couple of New York debuts from noteworthy names. Jonathan Waxman will revisit the 80s, the Torrisi boys will open a seafood restaurant, followed by a bagel shop, Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr will transform an old Spanish restaurant into their first post-McNally project, and an East Village pizzeria will do double duty as an up-and-coming chefs counter. And that's only the beginning. Here, in order of projected opening, are 25 of the most anticipated restaurant openings of the winter and spring:

Santina
The next big blockbuster from the Torrisi boys. Word is that this Meatpacking District restaurant, enclosed in a glass cube beneath the High Line, will be Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi’s biggest restaurant to date. It’s named after Carbone’s Sicilian grandmother, and promises to serve lighter, coastal Italian fare, heavy on the seafood.
820 Washington Street, Meatpacking District
PROJECTED OPENING: January 12

Photo: Greg Morabito

Chez Jef
A full-blown version of the French bistro Mathieu Palombino ran as a pop-up in the old Bowery Diner space this past summer. He’ll no longer serve the three-course prix fixe he offered during the pop-up, but instead an a la carte menu of French classics. The praise he earned from early diners (including Robert Sietsema) bodes well for the upcoming restaurant, as does the fact that he has hired a charcutier straight from France.
241 Bowery, Lower East Side
PROJECTED OPENING: Mid-January

Photo: Nick Solares

Pies ‘N' Thighs Manhattan
After years of feeding the crowds with fried chicken, biscuits, and pie, the ladies behind Williamsburg favorite Pies ‘N' Thighs are bringing their Southern comfort food to the Lower East Side. Very soon they'll open their lunch counter, where alongside all the Pies ‘N' Thighs classics they'll also serve some new dishes: chicken and dumplings, for example, and sourdough doughnuts.
43 Canal Street, Lower East Side
PROJECTED OPENING: Mid-January

Photo: Ben Jay

Dirt Candy
Back in August, vegetable whiz Amanda Cohen packed up her diminutive vegetarian restaurant to move to a much bigger space on Allen Street. When the new space opens later this month, expect her to really spread her wings. For the first time, she’ll have an actual bar, plus a chef’s counter with about as many seats as her old restaurant had total. She’s been busily testing all kinds of oddball new dishes (think beet doughnuts and kale matzoh balls) and even plans to serve sandwiches at lunch. She’s also made the revolutionary decision to eliminate tipping.
86 Allen Street, Lower East Side
PROJECTED OPENING: Late January

Photo: Daniel Krieger

The Camlin
A new Williamsburg wine bar from Mandy Oser and chef Amorette Casaus, the team behind Manhattan's popular Ardesia Wine Bar. It promises to be a casual neighborhood spot along the rapidly developing stretch of Kent Avenue, serving bar snacks like oyster and charcuterie, along with some larger shared plates. It will also serve cocktails as well as wine.
175 Kent Avenue, Williamsburg
PROJECTED OPENING: January

Brooklyn Fare Manhattan
Another season, another shred of hope that Moe Issa and chef Cesar Ramirez will finally open the Manhattan outpost of their three-Michelin starred tasting counter. It’s been a rocky few months for the duo, which no doubt added to the delay, but now Issa tells Eater it should open sometime this month or next. When it does, the Brooklyn location will close for two weeks so that Ramirez can focus on the opening, then go down to serving dinner four nights a week instead of five, so he can spend the rest of his time in Manhattan. There he’ll serve a shorter, seven-course tasting menu for dinner, and possibly a prix fixe menu at lunch and brunch, making this a much more accessible counterpart to the original.
431 West 37th Street, Hell’s Kitchen
PROJECTED OPENING: January or February

Photo: Douglas Kim/Brooklyn Fare

Ganso Yaki
The izakaya offshoot of one of Brooklyn's favorite ramen shops, Ganso. Owner Harris Salat has teamed up with chef Tadashi Ono, formerly of La Caravelle and Maison O to create the menu for the place. As the name suggests, the restaurant will specialize in Japanese yakitori, and should some other bar/street food typical to Japan.
515 Atlantic Avenue, Downtown Brooklyn
PROJECTED OPENING: Early to mid-February

Photo: Ganso

Bruno Pizza

After earning much acclaim for the tasting menus they turned out at a tiny tasting counter jammed into Box Kite coffee shop, chefs Justin Slojkowski and Dave Gulino are moving on to something that will give them a little more breathing room. Somewhat unexpectedly, they’re planning a Neapolitan pizzeria in the East Village, within which they’ll also offer a reservations-only tasting menu. The chefs promise to source everything locally, even going so far as to mill their own flour in the basement, and will begin serving pizzas and pastas by next month. They’ll add the tasting menu a little farther down the road, as soon as things settle down.
204 East 13th Street, East Village
PROJECTED OPENING: February

Photo: Box Kite/Instagram

Chevalier
A modern French restaurant in the Baccarat Hotel, with former Ciano chef Shea Gallante and legendary La Grenouille maitre d’ Charles Masson at the helm. Masson his family’s French classic amid some family drama in March of last year, and many of his devoted regulars have been eagerly awaiting his next move. Not much word yet on what the menu will entail, but expect updated French classics. Masson has promise this will be a "younger, friskier" version of La Grenouille.
20 West 53rd Street, Midtown
PROJECTED OPENING: February 20

Photo: Baccarat Hotel

The Grand Army
A collaborative effort from Noah Bernamoff of Mile End, Julian Brizzi of Boerum Hill favorite Rucola, and Damon Boelte, the cocktail pro behind the bar at Prime Meats. The trio hope to create a neighborhood bar for Boerum Hill, with a focus on oyster, cocktails and craft beer. Bernamoff promises to serve a full menu as well, which despite his expertise with smoked meat, will lean towards the "light" end of things. So don’t expect the standard bar menu of burgers and wings.
336 State Street, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn
PROJECTED OPENING: Mid to late February

Photo: Google Street View

The Ribbon
The latest addition to the Bromberg brothers’ Blue Ribbon empire is this sprawling, 200 seat American restaurant on the Upper West Side. It takes the place of Sambuca, on 72nd Street, and though there’s not much detail on the menu yet, the kitchen is outfitted with a rotisserie and a raw bar.
20 West 72nd Street, Upper West Side
PROJECTED OPENING: Late February

Photo: Beth Landman

El Colmado Butchery
Though it’s been mysteriously delayed for some months now, Seamus Mullen’s new tapas counter/provisions shop in the Meatpacking District is essentially ready to roll. During the day, it will be counter service only, serving food to take out or eat in, plus grocery items and pressed juices. Then at night, it’ll transform into a drinks and tapas kind of place, more along the lines of the El Colmado in Gotham West Market, though with more of a focus on meat over seafood.
53 Little West 12th Street, Meatpacking District
PROJECTED OPENING: Winter

Photo: Devra Ferst

Gabriel Kreuther’s restaurant in the Grace Building
It’s been a year since Gabriel Kreuther left his position at The Modern, with plans to open his own high-end French-American restaurant. After settling on a space in the Grace Building, overlooking Bryant Park, he’s finally close to opening his first solo project. The restaurant, which is still nameless, is a large, bi-level space, and promises to include a "retail component." In his 10 years working for Danny Meyer at the Modern, Kreuther earned a Michelin star and two three-star reviews from the Times, so this is sure to be a major addition to that part of Midtown.
1114 Avenue of the Americas, Midtown
PROJECTED OPENING: Late February or early March

Photo: Daniel Krieger

Jams
Barbuto chef Jonathan Waxman has long been at work on a restaurant in the new 1 Hotel Central Park, but only recently did we learn that it would be a remake of his 80s classic, Jams. It promises to be a "modern interpretation" of the original, which is credited with bringing California cuisine to New York and making Waxman a food media darling of the era. Expect some remakes of Waxman classics, including caramelized gnocchi and his famed roast chicken. Being a hotel restaurant, it will be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
1414 6th Avenue, Midtown
PROJECTED OPENING: Winter

Photo: Daniel Krieger

A Cervejaria by George Mendes
A "rustic Portuguese" restaurant from chef George Mendes, of the Michelin-starred Aldea. It promises to be more casual than its older sibling, so don’t expect a tasting counter. Instead, there will be a big dining bar, a wood-fired oven, and lots of seafood and beer, not to mention a coffee bar and a takeout window.
835 6th Avenue, Chelsea
PROJECTED OPENING: March

Photo: Ben Jay

Beaubourg
The French restaurant at the center of Le District, the Eataly-esque French marketplace in the works at Brookfield Place in Battery Park City. Barcelona-born chef Jordi Valles will oversee Beaubourg, which will include a chef’s counter and a very large patio overlooking New York Harbor. The entire Le District complex, which will be neighbors with upscale food hall Hudson Eats, is in the hands of Peter Poulakakos and Paul Lamas, and will also include a cafe, a wine bar, and a grocery store.
200 Vesey Street, Battery Park City
PROJECTED OPENING: March

Rendering: Beaubourg

Sessanta
The main event among the three venues downtown hit-maker John McDonald (of Lure, and Bowery Meat Company, among others) is opening in the Sixty Soho hotel. It replaces Kittichai, which occupied the space for 10 years, and promises to serve a coastal Italian menu. The first of McDonald's projects in the hotel, the Gordon Bar, is already open and looking quite stylish.     
60 Thompson Street, Soho
PROJECTED OPENING: March

Streetbird Rotisserie
The first NYC project from celebrity chef/dapper guy Marcus Samuelsson since he opened his Harlem hot spot Red Rooster back in 2010 (not counting his airport restaurant). This one is also in Harlem, and has been described as a "kitchenette," though not much more detail is available than that. Still, the name should give a pretty good idea of what the menu will look like.
2149 Fredrick Douglass Boulevard, Harlem
PROJECTED OPENING: Early spring

Photo: Daniel Krieger

Sadelle’s
Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi, and Jeff Zalaznick have tapped bread baker extraordinaire Melissa Weller, formerly of Roberta’s, to produce the bagels (and other baked goods) at their upcoming take on a Jewish appetizing store. It will be a full-service restaurant, serving all the usual suspects like smoked fish, blintzes, bagels, and rye bread, and if our suspicions are correct, will occupy the old I Tre Merli space in Soho. Weller earned a following for her bagels when she sold them at Smorgasburg under the name East River Bagels, so expect their debut to be accompanied by some Black Seed-level hype.
463 West Broadway, SoHo
PROJECTED OPENING: April

Photo: Greg Morabito

Untitled
When the Whitney reopens in its new Renzo Piano digs along the High Line, so will Untitled, Danny Meyer's restaurant within it. The reopening will be a momentous one, because now Michael Anthony, the talented chef behind Gramercy Tavern is at the helm. He's not leaving Gramercy Tavern, rather serving as the executive chef for both, but for Untitled's first few months back in business, expect to see him in the kitchen quite a lot. He'll surely bring some changes to the diner-inspired menu, though what those are remains to be seen.
99 Gansevoort Street, Meatpacking District
PROJECTED OPENING: May 1

Photo: Daniel Krieger

Social on Madison
Acclaimed British chef Jason Atherton has teamed up with prolific restaurateur Stephen Starr for his first New York (and his first American) venture. This outpost of his Social empire will be located in Times Square’s Marriott Edition Hotel, and in all likelihood will serve a contemporary menu, not so different from the one found at Atherton’s Michelin-starred Pollen Street Social. From such a duo of savvy, worldly restaurateurs, expect nothing less than a well-oiled machine.
701 7th Avenue, Midtown
PROJECTED OPENING: May

Photo: Pollen Street Social

ABC Home Grown
It's a year later than expected, but Jean-Georges Vongerichten's vegetarian/vegan offshoot of the always-excellent ABC Kitchen should open in a space (formerly home to Le Pain Quotidien) adjacent to ABC Carpet & Home this spring. The Vongerichten camp are keeping details close, but it has promised to serve a menu with a "global perspective."
38 East 19th Street, Flatiron
PROJECTED OPENING: Spring

Photo: Facebook

Guenter Seeger's Meatpacking District restaurant
A small fine dining restaurant from acclaimed Atlanta ex-pat Guenter Seeger. The chef, who closed his Atlanta restaurant in 2007, has reportedly been looking to open a restaurant in New York for the last five years, and promises to serve a "tasting-style" menu in the 42 seat space. Not much more info than that is available at the moment, but back when he was a critic in Atlanta, Eater critic Bill Addison was thoroughly impressed by a meal at Seeger's eponymous Atlanta restaurant.
641 Hudson Street, Meatpacking District
PROJECTED OPENING: Spring

Rebelle
A wine-focused French restaurant from Patrick Cappiello and Branden McRill, two of the partners behind perpetual Bowery hot spot Pearl & Ash. They’ve taken over the space right next door to Pearl & Ash (formerly home to R Bar), and tapped Daniel Eddy, an alum of Paris’s acclaimed Spring, to be the chef. There’s not much detail yet, but expect a carefully crafted wine list from Capiello, and perhaps a menu focused on small plates, in the same general format as the one chef Richard Kuo (who is not tied to Rebelle) serves at Pearl & Ash.
218 Bowery, Nolita
PROJECTED OPENING: Late spring

Photo: Courtesy of Rebelle

El Quijote
The well-worn Spanish staple is now in the hands of the Chelsea Hotels group, which is currently revamping the Chelsea Hotel (where El Quijote lives), and is on its way to becoming a more fashionable version of itself. Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr, who opened many hits in the Keith McNally empire, including Balthazar, Pastis, and Minetta Tavern, before parting ways with McNally, recently signed on to oversee all the food and beverage at the hotel, and El Quijote is now in their hands. Like it or not, the revamp is likely to look a lot like what the duo did with Minetta Tavern, keeping the old-school space intact while giving the menu a makeover. In any case, this is the big comeback project for Nasr and Hanson, after over a year of being at large, and it will be interesting to see what they do with it.
226 West 23rd Street, Chelsea
PROJECTED OPENING: Late spring

Photo: Nick Solares