Mister Dips Brings Casual Burgers and Milkshakes to Pier 17 — and More Openings

More than one year into the coronavirus pandemic, restaurants across the city continue to move forward with openings, sometimes because their concepts could be adapted for takeout and delivery, but more often because their owners saw no other choice but to forge ahead. Since March 16, 2020, when the state first temporarily closed indoor dining, hundreds of new restaurants have opened their doors, including vegan soul food spots, brick-and-mortar birrierias, Austin-style taquerias, and more.

Here’s a round-up of the restaurants and bars that opened in May. This list will be updated weekly. If there’s an opening in your neighborhood that we’ve missed, let us know at tips@eater.com.

May 27

Financial District: Tribeca Thai restaurant Lil Chef Mama has relocated to this larger space in the Financial District, the Infatuation reports. Open 5 to 10 p.m. daily. Closed Mondays. 27 Cliff Street, between John and Fulton streets

Gramercy Park: Manhattan Indian Flavor opened in March, serving an all-encompassing menu of curries, tandoori dishes, and naan, which here can be stuffed with coconut, mozzarella cheese, and ground lamb. Lunch specials — which come with rice, an entree, and garlic naan — are priced at $15 each. 311 Second Avenue, at East 18th Street

Greenpoint: The calling card at Fulgurances Laundromat is a unique chef-residency program, where a rotating cast of up-and-coming chefs will lead its kitchen in three- to six-month stints. Veteran chef Victoria Blamey — formerly of Gotham Bar and Grill, and fresh off a separate residency at Blue Hill at Stone Barns — is kicking things off with a five-course menu ($80). 132 Franklin Street, between Milton Street and Greenpoint Avenue

Harlem: Roberta’s Fine Dining, of no affiliation with the Bushwick pizza company, is now serving ribs, meatloaf, and other American comfort foods in Upper Manhattan. The restaurant comes from first-time restaurateur Mark Taylor, who owns a clothing store next door, according to the New York Times. 231 West 145th Street, between Frederick Douglass and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. boulevards

Midtown East: Ioannis Chatiris, the owner of Ethos in Midtown East and a former partner at Kyma in Roslyn, New York, has opened Skorpios, an upscale Greek restaurant with a raw bar. There’s space for 200 people indoors at full capacity, with additional seating outside. 5 East 54th Street, between Fifth and Madison avenues

Rockaways: The Rockaway Hotel’s flagship restaurant opens to the public this week. Margie’s, an 88-seat restaurant with a beach-side brasserie feel, leans heavily on seafood, with an extensive raw bar and towering platters of crab, lobster, clams, and oysters. 108-10 Rockaway Beach Drive, between Beach 108th and 109th streets

South Street Seaport: Seasonal Williamsburg burger truck Mister Dips has finally opened its long-in-the-works, brick-and-mortar outpost at the South Street Seaport. Originally scheduled to open last spring, but delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, the restaurant is now slinging griddle burgers, fries, and boozy milkshakes from a location on the mall-like first floor of Pier 17, directly across from the recently opened Ssäm Bar. Opening hours are 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Wednesday to Sunday to start, with service on Memorial Day. 89 South Street, at Fulton Street

May 20

Dumbo: The husband-and-wife team of Patrick Lin and Ly Nguyen had a hit on their hands when they opened Em Vietnamese Kitchen in Bensonhurst to critical acclaim. After nearly two years of delays, the couple finally opened Em Vietnamese Bistro, where they’re focusing on the late night eats — mostly seafood dishes called “oc” in Vietnamese — popular in Saigon. 57 Front Street, near York Street

East Village: The automat at Brooklyn Dumpling Shop can reportedly sell 30,000 dumplings — including whimsical versions like French onion soup and Philly cheesesteak — an hour. 131 First Avenue, at St. Marks Place

East Village: Overthrow Hospitality’s Ravi DeRossi adds another restaurant to his East Village empire this week with the opening of Soda Club, a vegan Italian spot led by chef Amira Gharib with a natural wine bar run by wine director Drew Brady. The launch marks DeRossi’s third opening this year, EV Grieve reports. 155 Avenue B, at East 10th Street

East Village: California burritos — the french fry-stuffed and refried bean versions most common in San Diego — finally get their due at Electric Burrito. A team from Mister Paradise, a popular cocktail den around the corner, serves up nearly a dozen choices from this takeout spot. 81 St. Marks Place, near First Avenue

Hudson River Park: NYC already has boats serving up oysters and lobster rolls. For tacos, check out La Barca Cantina. Chef Gil Martinez is cooking up shareable plates inspired by Mexican street food to complement the tequila- and mezcal-fueled cocktails — all served on a three-story boat. Pier 81, at 41st Street and 12th Avenue

Midtown: Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud’s most ambitious restaurant in years is now open at One Vanderbilt. Le Pavillon, which is the same name as the revered French dining establishment in the city that closed in 1971, is heavily focused on seafood sourced from the East Coast. Its opulent dining room features soaring ceilings is filled with live plants in what is the second tallest commercial building in NYC. One Vanderbilt Avenue, at East 42nd Street

Midtown: From the team behind Soho’s Sola Pasta Bar, the fast casual Call Me Pasta is now open in an Urbanspace food hall serving up customizable portions of classic Italian pasta dishes. 152 West 52nd Street, between Sixth and Seventh avenues

Noho: Restaurateur Gabe Stulman has flipped The Jones into Jolene, a nod to Dolly Parton’s iconic song and an homage to the laidback American bistro. Guests can hang out here and drink likes it’s a wine bar and if they wish, order food — think arancini, lamb tartare, marinated beets with labneh, and chopped steak frites. 54 Great Jones Street, between Bowery and Lafayette Street

Prospect Lefferts Gardens: Acclaimed sommelier André Mack has quietly turned this Brooklyn neighborhood into a culinary destination, first with a curated wine shop and then a ham bar. His latest, Mockingbird, specializes in breakfast tacos. 469 Rogers Avenue, between Lincoln Road and Maple Street

Times Square: The popular frozen yogurt chain 16 Handles opened its first Times Square location on May 20 with its usual rotating roster of 16 flavors. This location features an indoor mezzanine and sidewalk seating. 732 Seventh Avenue, between 48th and 49th streets

Union Square: Chef Gabriele Lamonaca has transformed his pandemic-born pizza bartering business Unregular Pizza into a permanent shop near Union Square. Find over a dozen different Roman-style square pizzas — including Lamonaco’s signature slices with whole burrata plopped on top — at the pastel-painted shop, plus housemade lemon basil, peach ginger, and orange turmeric drinks. 135 Fourth Avenue, between East 13th and 14th streets

Williamsburg: The owners of Colonia Verde launched Disco Tacos as a food truck last year and now they’ve found a brick-and-mortar space for menu chock-full of tacos, grilled Mexican corn, and of course, disco fries. Befitting of its Brooklyn address, there’s also a focus on natural wine along the usual margaritas and mezcals. 80 North Sixth Street, between Kent and Wythe avenues

Williamsburg: Atithi Indian Cuisine opened in April, according to Bklyner, and is selling favorites like saag paneer, pakora, and chicken tikka masala. 159 Grand Street, between Bedford Avenue and Berry Street

West Village: The neighborhood mainstay Daddy-O, which closed after nearly 20 years in business, is now the home of Bandits. Den Hospitality (Borrachito and The Garret Bars) replaced the dive bar setting with a more upscale bar serving up riffs on all-American diner and deli favorites, including deep-fried hot dogs, steak and tots, and a wedge salad with maple bacon. 44 Bedford Street, at Leroy Street

May 13

Chelsea: Decades-old Hell’s Kitchen Italian restaurant Puttanesca heads downtown this month with a new location in Chelsea. Open for takeout, delivery, and indoor dining from Wednesday to Sunday. 202 Eighth Avenue, near West 20th Street

Downtown Brooklyn: Capriotti’s, a Las Vegas restaurant chain known for its cheesesteaks and stacked-high sandwiches, has made its way to the five boroughs. 88 Livingston Street, between Court Street and Boerum Place

East Village: Yunnan noodle shop San Shi Rice Noodle is bringing its meat skewers and bowls of rice noodle soup to the East Village. The restaurant, which also has a location in Flushing, opened late last week, according to neighborhood blog EV Grieve. Open Tuesday through Saturday. 118 Second Avenue, at Seventh Street

Koreatown: The owner of Koreatown’s popular Pocha32 and Gopchang Story BBQ restaurants has opened a third business in the neighborhood, where a newer cut of meat is taking center stage. Rib No. 7 specializes in oodae galbi, a short rib dish that’s making the rounds in South Korea but rarer in New York, owner Joung H. Lee tells Eater through a translator. Unlike LA galbi, a common style of Korean short rib popularized in Los Angeles, where the meat is cut thinly and across the bone, oodae galbi is made from the meat surrounding the seventh rib of the rack. “The seventh rib is the short rib that’s considered more tender with the best marbling,” Lee explains. There’s space for 120 diners at full capacity. 32 West 33rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth avenues

Midtown East: Pastrami, French dip sandwiches, and other delicatessen staples are on the menu at Brent’s Comfort Kitchen, a takeout and delivery business that opened its doors in late April. Open Tuesday through Sunday. 304 East 49th Street, near Second Avenue

Park Slope: Oita, an Upper East Side sushi restaurant that closed during that pandemic, is now back open at this new location in Park Slope, according to the Infatuation. Here, chefs Ande Bae and Eugene Lee are serving $36 sushi sets along with build-your-own temaki sets for under $40. 833 Union Street, near Seventh Avenue

Park Slope: The South Africa-influenced Peri Peri Grill House opened a second location in Park Slope last month, according to Bklynr. The restaurant, which received a nod from the New York Times for its blackened peri peri chicken, also has another location in Bed-Stuy at 235 Malcolm X Boulevard. 173 Fourth Avenue, between Degraw and Sackett streets

Prospect Heights: King David Tacos, purveyor of actually good Austin-style breakfast tacos, opened its first brick-and-mortar location this week. The company with food carts in Prospect Park, the Financial District, and Madison Square Park is settling down in Prospect Heights. 611 Bergen Street, near Vanderbilt Avenue

Soho: Manhattan’s newest bar arrived late last month in the form of Fats Duvall’s Rhum Cafe, a restaurant with more than 60 rums on its menu. The venue comes from owners Jerry and Linda Atkins, who are drawing inspiration from the rum bars they frequented in Paris, France, a spokesperson for the restaurant tells Eater. Linda Garcia, formerly of Clover Club, is heading the bar. 286 Spring Street, between Hudson and Varick streets

May 6

Jamaica: Queens gets a new vegan soul food restaurant this week in the form of Real Veggie Cafe. From a small counter that used to be a soul food, wings, and pizza spot, chef Hulando Shaw is now serving vegan mac and cheese, plantains, and fried cauliflower in lieu of fried chicken. 106-13 Guy R Brewer Boulevard, near Tuskegee Airmen Way

Flushing: Bearin Wheel Pie, once a popular source for Taiwanese-style wheel pies in Chinatown, has returned. The bake shop, which announced the closure of its Chinatown outpost last summer, is now operating out of the same space in Flushing where the original Joe’s Steam Rice Roll still has a stall. Like the original location, the menu here includes boba and smoothies, but the shop’s wheel pies are the draw. Somewhat resemblant of an ice cream sandwich, the cakes are made by layering thin cake batter around fillings like red bean, taro, crushed Oreos, and tuna with black pepper. They’re priced between $3 to $3.50 each. 136-21 Roosevelt Avenue, near Main Street

Midtown: Less than a year after Angelina opened its first U.S. outpost near Bryant Park, the famed Parisian tearoom is branching out with a second location, a 15-seat satellite within a Longchamp handbag store. 645 Fifth Avenue, at 51st Street

Prospect Heights: Seven-vegetable dumplings, fried quail eggs, and Jasmine tea-smoked barbecue ribs are on the menu at Thai newcomer the Nuaa Table, which opened along Vanderbilt Avenue in March. Open from 5 to 10 p.m. daily. 638 Bergen Street, at Vanderbilt Avenue

Prospect Heights: Morgan’s Barbecue remains closed for now, but in the meantime, owner Matthew Glazier has opened a Mexican restaurant two blocks over. Tiny’s Cantina serves birria de res, fish al pastor, and tlayudas, a Oaxacan tortilla dish that’s likened to a “Mexican pizza” on the restaurant’s menu. 229 Flatbush Avenue, between Bergen and Dean streets

Soho: George Mendes announced the closing of Aldea in February 2020, saying at the time that he needed to “take a break, recharge creatively, and refocus.” More than a year later, the Michelin-starred chef is now back with Veranda, a new restaurant located within the ModernHaus hotel. 23 Grand Street, between Sixth Avenue and Thompson Street

Stuytown: West Village Italian restaurant Rosemary’s has brought its housemade pastas to this new location in Stuytown. There are 170 seats indoors at full capacity and another 100 seats on the restaurant’s sidewalk. 350 First Avenue, at East 20th Street

Tribeca: Late-night cookie company Insomnia Cookies opened its thirteenth location in the city this week. 125 Church Street, at Murray Street

Upper East Side: East Village Italian restaurant Cacio e Pepe heads uptown this week with a second location, according to East Side Feed, a new neighborhood blog from the team behind I Love the Upper West Side. 1479 York Avenue, between 78th and 79th streets

Williamsburg: Another week, another birria. Alexa’s Red Tacos, one of the newest additions to this budding taco trend, appears to have opened for business in February. The truck’s tacos are priced in line with other birria businesses across the city ($3 each), with small and large cups of consomme available for $4 and $6, respectively. 241 Bedford Avenue, between North 3rd and 4th streets

Williamsburg: An outpost of Roberta’s Pizza is the latest business to set-up shop in Domino Park. The popular pizzeria opened its doors last week at the base of the One South First apartment complex, joining locations of Oddfellows, Other Half Brewery, and Australian brunch spot Two Hands. 1 South First Street, at Kent Avenue