The Most Anticipated New York City Restaurant Openings of Spring/Summer 2015

Spring is always a big season for restaurant openings, and now that the air is finally getting warmer, it's time to start looking ahead to the major restaurant openings coming down the pipeline. Between now and the end of summer, New York will get all kinds of exciting new places. There will be solo projects from big-name chefs, new restaurants from Danny Meyer and Mario Batali, major transplants from other cities, and so much more. Below are 23 of the biggest openings ahead, listed in order of projected opening. Get familiar.

Rebelle

Location: 218 Bowery, Nolita
Key Players: Patrick Cappiello, Branden McRill, Alessandro Zampedri, and Daniel Eddy
Projected Opening: April
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. 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.

Rosie's

Location: 29 E 2nd Street, East Village
Key Players: Vicki Freeman and Marc Meyer
Projected Opening: Late March/Early April
A Mexican restaurant in the old Boukies space, from Vicki Freeman and Marc Meyer, the team behind Vic's (formerly Five Points), Cookshop, and Hundred Acres. On the spectrum of new Mexican restaurants emerging in New York, this falls more on the authentic end than the Tex-Mex end. Meyer spent years in Mexico, and has studied with the grande dame of Mexican cooking, Diana Kennedy. Expect classic dishes like chiles rellenos, and whole roasted Veracruz-style fish. There will also be a 12-seat bar, where chefs will serve small antojitos (i.e. snacks).

CHEVALIER

Photo: Baccarat Hotel

Location: 20 W 53rd Street, Midtown
Key Players: Shea Gallante and Charles Masson
Projected Opening: April
A modern French restaurant in set in the glitz of the new Baccarat Hotel, with former Cru and Ciano chef Shea Gallante and legendary La Grenouille maitre d’ Charles Masson at the helm. The menu will be updated French classics, and though it hasn’t been finalized yet, Gallante’s snacks menu for the already-open bar gives an idea of what to expect: caviar and housemate pates, but also lobster dumplings. Masson has promised this will be a "younger, friskier" version of La Grenouille.

BROOKLYN FARE MANHATTAN

Photo: Google Street View

Location: 431 West 37th Street, Hell's Kitchen
Key Players: Moe Issa and Cesar Ramirez
Projected Opening: March/April
At last report, the eternally delayed Manhattan outpost of Moe Issa and chef Cesar Ramirez’s three-Michelin starred tasting counter was supposed to open this month. Though the chances of that happening decline with every passing day, it surely must open soon. 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.

LUPULO

Photo: Ben Jay

Location: 835 6th Avenue, Chelsea
Key Players: George Mendes
Projected Opening: Early April
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 with plenty of beers on tap, a wood-fired oven, and lots of seafood and beer, not to mention a coffee bar and a takeout window. This will be a major addition to the relatively desolate area around Penn Station.

GRAND ARMY

Photo: Devra Ferst

Location: 336 State Street, Boerum Hill
Key Players: Noah Bernamoff (Mile End), Damon Boelte (Prime Meats), Julian Brizzi (Rucola)
Projected Opening: April
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.

Dominique Ansel Kitchen

Photo: Devra Ferst

Location: 137 7th Avenue, West Village
Key Players: Dominique Ansel
Projected Opening: April
The West Village bakery and dessert tasting counter from the city's foremost pastry mastermind. Here, unlike at Dominique Ansel's Soho bakery, everything will be made or assembled to order. The offerings will range from simple classics like chocolate mousse and lemon tarts, to out-there creations like a bechamel-stuffed, mashed potato and egg yolk-topped squid ink toast. The tasting counter, dubbed Unlimited Possibilities, is upstairs, and will also serve cocktails.

BRUNO

Photo: Devra Ferst

Location: 204 E 13th Street, East Village
Key Players: Justin Slojkowski, Dave Gulino, and Demian Repucci
Opening: April
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. They’ve teamed up with designer/restaurateur Demian Repucci to open 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.

LA GAMELLE

Photo: Ben Jay

Location: 241 Bowery, Lower East Side
Key Players: Mathieu Palombino
Projected Opening: April or May
A full-blown version of Chez Jef, the French bistro Mathieu Palombino ran as a pop-up in the old Bowery Diner space almost a year ago. 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.

UNTITLED

Photo: Daniel Krieger

Location: 99 Gansevoort Street, Meatpacking District
Key Players: Danny Meyer and Michael Anthony
Projected Opening: May 1
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’ll serve as the executive chef for both restaurants, but for Untitled's first few months back in business, expect to see him in the kitchen quite a lot. The menu should be totally new, and though it hasn’t been finalized yet, expect vegetable heavy dishes like citrus-cured arctic char with sugar snap peas and yuzu dressing, and shaved asparagus salad with pickled carrots and crispy quinoa.

SESSANTA

Location: 60 Thompson Street, SoHo
Key Players: John McDonald, Jason Pomeranc, and Steven Eckler
Projected Opening: May
The main event among the three venues downtown hit-maker John McDonald (of Lure, and Bowery Meat Company, among others) is opening in Jason Pomeranc’s Sixty Soho hotel. Chef Jordan Frosolone, an alum of Hearth and the former culinary director for Momofuku, promises to serve menu of mostly Sicilian fare, both traditional and contemporary. The first of McDonald's projects in the hotel, the Gordon Bar, is already open and looking quite stylish.

A restaurant by Jason AthertoN

Photo: Pollen Street Social Club

Location: 5 Madison Avenue, Flatiron
Key Players: Jason Atherton
Projected Opening: May
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 Atherton's empire will be located in Ian Schrager's new Edition Hotel on Madison Avenue, 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.

Sadelle's

Photo: Ben Jay

Location: 463 West Broadway, SoHo
Key Players: Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi, Melissa Weller, and Jeff Zalaznick
Projected Opening: Late May
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.

GABRIEL KRUETHER’S RESTAURANT

Photo: Daniel Krieger

Location: 1114 6th Avenue, Midtown
Key Players: Gabriel Kreuther
Projected Opening: Spring
Chef Gabriel Kreuther is finally close to opening his first solo project, more than a year after he left his position at The Modern. His new restaurant will be high-end French-American, in a large space in the Grace Building, overlooking Bryant Park. It’s still nameless, though the working title seems to be Gabriel, and occupies a bi-level space that 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.

LILIA

Location: 567 Union Avenue, Williamsburg
Key Players: Missy Robbins and Matt Kliegman
Projected Opening: Late spring/early summer
The solo project that former A Voce chef Missy Robbins has been promising since she left her post at that Michelin-starred restaurant. It’s not in Manhattan but in North Williamsburg, in former auto body shop. Robbins has teamed up with Matt Kliegman, the restaurateur behind The Smile and a co-owner of Black Seed for the restaurant, and she promises to put her pasta expertise to good use on the Italian menu. Lilia will have a wood-fired oven, and a separate takeout cafe adjacent to it.

JAMS

Photo: Ben Jay

Location: 1414 6th Avenue, Midtown
Key Players: Jonathan Waxman
Projected Opening: Late spring
Barbuto chef Jonathan Waxman's remake of his 80s classic, Jams, in the new 1 Hotel Central Park. It promises to be a "modern interpretation" of the original, which can be 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.

ABCV

Photo: Ben Jay

Location: 38 E 19th Street, Union Square
Key Players: Jean-Georges Vongerichten
Projected Opening: Summer
Jean-Georges Vongerichten's vegetarian/vegan offshoot of the always-excellent ABC Kitchen, formerly known as ABC Home Grown, now just as ABCV. It’s been well over a year in the making, but it should finally open in a space 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."

GUENTER SEEGER NY

Photo: Robert Sietsema

Location: 641 Hudson Street, Meatpacking District
Key Players: Guenter Seeger
Projected Opening: Late June
A small fine dining restaurant from acclaimed Atlanta ex-pat Guenter Seeger. The chef, who closed his Atlanta restaurant in 2007, has been looking to open a restaurant in New York for the last five years, and last month he told Eater he plans to serve a prix fixe menu of six to seven courses, for around $120. He also promises that it will be elegant but not too fancy. Critics, including Eater’s own Bill Addison, were thoroughly impressed by Seeger's eponymous Atlanta restaurant, so the anticipation for this one is high.

PYT

Location: Unknown
Key Players: Tommy Up
Projected Opening: July 7
Philadelphia's well-love stunt burger specialist lands in New York City this July. The location has not yet been revealed, but it's definitely somewhere in downtown Manhattan, and if all goes well will be the first of more New York PYTs to come. Expect the same menu of ridiculous, over-the-top burger creations, like the deep fried Twinkie burger.

Maison Premiere's Greenpoint project

Location: 905 Lorimer Street, Greenpoint
Key Players: Joshua Boissy, Krystof Zizka, and Lisa Giffen
Projected Opening: Late summer
The team behind Williamsburg's ever-popular cocktails and oysters spot is working on a restaurant in the old Lokal space in Greenpoint. They're keeping most details tightly under wraps, but we know it will be a 70-seat restaurant, with Maison Premiere's chef Lisa Giffen at the helm. Stay tuned – reps say the restaurant is aiming for a summer opening, so we should know more soon.

Amada

Location: 200 Vesey Street, Battery Park City
Key Players: Jose Garces and Justin Bogle
Projected Opening: Summer
Philly chef Jose Garces is opening an outpost of his Spanish tapas restaurant, Amada, at the glitzy new Brookfield Place retail center. The chef will be Justin Bogle, formerly the executive chef of the now-shuttered, two Michelin-starred Gilt. But don't expect just high-end food here – besides a tapas tasting menu at dinner, there will be sandwiches at lunchtime, and a regular tapas menu.

O YA

Photo: Ben Jay

Location: 124 E 28th Street, Flatiron
Key Players: Tim and Nancy Cushman
Projected Opening: Summer
The New York outpost of Tim and Nancy Cushman’s acclaimed Boston restaurant is nearing completion in the Park South hotel. The duo have been taking their time with this one – they opened their rooftop bar last summer – but have been keeping their progress quiet. Still, expect a modern Japanese restaurant with pristine sushi, much like the Boston original.

MARITIMA

Photo: Ben Jay

Location: 363 W 16th Street, Chelsea
Key Players: Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich
Opening: Late summer
Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich are opening this coastal Italian restaurant in the Maritime Hotel, in the space that used to house La Bottega. It’s their first major New York restaurant opening (not including Eataly) since they opened Del Posto in 2005, so it’s bound to be a blockbuster.

Also tracking:

• Willow
• Black Seed
  
• The many Parms
• J.G. Melon
  
• Han Dynasty UWS
• Ushiwakamaru's return
• Franklin Becker's Steakhouse
• Dimes 2.0
• The El Quijote revamp
• L’Amico/The Vine
• Max and Eli Sussman's restaurant