Jean-Georges’s Splashy Seafood Restaurant With a View Hits Seaport Next Month

The long-delayed culinary upgrade of the historic Seaport District will have an unofficial launch at the beginning of May when Jean-Georges Vongerichten opens his seafood restaurant the Fulton at the end of Pier 17.

It will be the legendary chef’s first seafood restaurant, serving largely local and sustainable catch, along with many vegetables, of course, for which he’s known at restaurants like ABC Kitchen and AbcV. Yabu Pushelberg (Moxy Times Square, Marea in Miami Beach) designed the 7,300-square-foot space, installing a large open kitchen over sweeping views of the water and Brooklyn Bridge. There will also be outdoor seating.

The restaurant debut is separate from the opening of his 50,000-square-foot seafood market at this location, which will have fish, prepared foods, and merchandise for sale when it opens. It was announced in 2015 and originally slated for a 2017 debut.

Vongerichten is the first of the big-name chefs to open at the newly developed Seaport District; David Chang will unveil a bar and grill, Andrew Carmellini an Italian chophouse, and there will be an outpost of Helene Henderson’s Malibu Farm. The Pier was previously owned by the Rouse Company, and had mall-worthy dining establishments like Roeblings, Giani’s, and Great Seaport Chicken and Ribs, but new developer the Howard Hughes Corporation is going for a more high-end, chef-driven approach — throwing $731 million at the area.

The renowned French chef and empire builder — who has 36 restaurants from Asia to South America, including Jean Georges and ABC Kitchen — is also in the process of opening a restaurant in a hotel near JFK.