Croffles and Korean Corn Dogs Under One Roof in Williamsburg — and More Openings

A year and a half into the coronavirus pandemic, restaurants across the city continue to open their doors, 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, including those that serve dinner party essentials, dressed-up pad Thai, two-for-one drink specials, and housemade English muffins.

Here’s a round-up of the restaurants and bars that opened in September. 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.

The latest CDC guidance for vaccinated diners during the COVID-19 outbreak is here; dining out still carries risks for unvaccinated diners and workers. Please be aware of changing local rules, and check individual restaurant websites for any additional restrictions such as mask requirements. Find a local vaccination site here.

September 30

Bed-Stuy: Brooklyn Perk Coffee, a neighborhood cafe that opened in Prospect Lefferts Gardens in 2018, has expanded with this second location in the borough. Brooklyn Perk Plus is “serving up the same energy” as the original but with expanded indoor seating, a backyard, and a commitment to use the space’s walls to highlight local artists. 450 Nostrand Avenue, between Jefferson and Putnam avenues

Flushing: East Village Shanghainese restaurant CheLi opened less than a year ago but is already expanding with a second location in Queens. This second outpost in Flushing comes from the same Dashan restaurant group, which also owns Szechuan Mountain House and multiple other businesses in the city. 133-42 39th Avenue, near Prince Street

Hamilton Heights: A new speakeasy-style bar has opened uptown, fittingly named the Cloak Room. The bar nods to the Prohibition Era with weekly jazz performances and an entrance that’s located behind a red door. In addition to cocktails — $15 to $17 each — there’s a half-dozen small plates, including fried halloumi, Tandoori chicken wings, and deviled eggs with caviar. 126 Hamilton Place, between West 142 and 143 streets

Hell’s Kitchen: Jersey City’s Dark Side of the Moo has gained an additional outpost in Manhattan. The burger joint known for its kitschy menu is serving burgers with such names as Guac-Zilla (made with bacon and guacamole) and the Four Horsemen of the Aporkalypse (topped with bacon, bacon jam, and pulled pork). 339 West 44th Street, between Eighth and Ninth avenues

Midtown: Danny Meyer’s all-day cafe Daily Provisions is getting its largest location to date at Manhattan West, the new Brookfield Properties-backed real estate development in Midtown. 435 West 31st Street, near Ninth Avenue

Times Square: The latest addition to the Theater District comes in the form of taco spot Amor Loco. The restaurant claims to serve creative spins on Mexican classics, including a cauliflower “al pastor” taco, among other dishes. Beginning this week, and every Friday thereafter, the restaurant will host burlesque nights. 134 West 46th Street, between Sixth and Seventh avenues

Upper East Side: Uptown Manhattan’s unending bagel wars get a new addition this week with Grabstein’s Bagels, a compact delicatessen from the team behind Pick a Bagel, which has locations in Midtown and the Upper East Side. 50 East 96th Street, near Madison Avenue

Upper East Side: Madison Avenue welcomes a new bakery this week called Julien Boulangerie. The 96th street location is a follow-up to a bakery of the same name that opened in Park Slope last year. Here, freshly-made pastries — croissants, macarons, and eclairs —are presented side-by-side with pre-packaged cookies, jams, and drinks. The team is reportedly plotting an Upper East Side outpost on 72nd Street, at 1247 Third Avenue, which could open as early as this November. 1375 Madison Avenue, near 96th Street

West Harlem: The Science Center at Columbia University’s recently debuted food court — dubbed Manhattanville Market — gains a new food business this week called Oliva. The tapas restaurant comes from restaurateur Franklin Becker, who operates the other businesses at the food hall, and chef Chris Strelnick. The menu includes salt cod croquettes, seafood paella, and jamon Iberico among other cured meats. On the beverage side, expect a line-up of beers, spirits, and wines, the latter of which hail from Spain. 3227 Broadway, near 130th Street

West Village: Daisies, a burger joint with an eye toward sustainability, is the latest addition to lower Manhattan’s growing burger scene. While beef makes an appearance on the menu, there’s a vegetarian broccoli “burger” with avocado and mayo, as well as a chicken burger with jalapeño peppers and pickled slaw. 516 Hudson Street, near West 10th Street

Williamsburg: Four of the city’s leading food trends have joined forces at Afternoon, a multi-restaurant restaurant that’s chosen Williamsburg for its first Brooklyn location. From touch-screen kiosks, customers can order Korean corn dogs from Jongro Rice Hotdog, egg sandwiches from Egglab, mochi doughnuts from Mochi Mochi Donut, and several flavors of the Flushing-famous croffle from Croffle Haus. Two additional locations of the restaurant are planned for Flushing, at 136-95 Roosevelt Avenue, and the East Village, at 34 Saint Mark’s Place, in October. 148 North Seventh Street, between Bedford Avenue and Berry Street

September 23

Bushwick: Over the past three years, modern Persian restaurant Sofreh has built a reputation as a stylish Brooklyn spot for ambitious Iranian fare. Now, chef and owner Nasim Alikhani is extending her reach with Sofreh Cafe, a plant-filled daytime cafe and bakery in Bushwick. Lemon rosewater doughnuts, tahini caramel date bread, and golden spheres of sweet shirmal have all appeared on the menu so far. 252 Varet Street, at the corner of Bogart Street

Chinatown: It’s not all that unusual for a business owner to have two different restaurants in one building (hello Wo Hop), but a Japanese-influenced Chinese menu is exceedingly rare in Chinatown. At Cha Kee, chef Akiko Thurnauer’s family-style menu puts twists on classics, such as dan dan noodles topped with an onsen egg. A Japanese crudo bar is slated to open beneath this spot from Jimmy Fong, Ophelia Wu, and Baron Chan. 43 Mott Street, near Pell Street

Gramercy: There are no shortages of great steakhouses in NYC, but ​Hawksmoor arrives with great fanfare from London, where the chain is known for its focus on sustainable meats. Chef Matt Bernero (formerly of Minetta Tavern) leads the kitchen day-to-day for this stateside debut, where the chain’s UK chef Matt Brown developed a menu that centers on charcoal grilled meats. 109 East 22nd Street, near Park Avenue South

Greenpoint: Home-cooked Middle Eastern fare is the focus at Greta, a neighborhood cafe whose orders of harissa-topped shakshuka and pita grilled cheese sandwiches draw inspiration from Tel Aviv. 204 Nassau Avenue, near Russell Street

Greenpoint: New to Greenpoint’s bustling Franklin Avenue is Serenco, a seasonal American restaurant helmed by chef Dennis Hong, formerly of Lincoln Ristorante and Le Bernardin. After a brief stint serving coffee and breakfast burritos from a walk-up window, this high-ceilinged corner restaurant is now open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 113 Franklin Avenue, at Greenpoint Avenue

Hudson Yards: Recreating the feel of a coastal New England seafood shack on the shores of billion-dollar mega development Hudson Yards is a tall order, but Jibs, helmed by chef David Ladner, is going for it. The 200-seat waterfront restaurant opened this week with lobster rolls and assorted fried seafood, plus a raw bar stocked with oysters, clams, and shrimp. 350 11th Avenue, near West 33rd Street

Koreatown: Grilled intestine gets the star treatment at Jongro Gopchang, a new fifth-floor restaurant from the team behind Jongro BBQ, also in the neighborhood. The restaurant’s name nods to gopchang, small intestine that’s marinated, grilled, stuffed into casseroles, and served atop fried rice. 22 West 32nd Street, between Fifth Avenue and Broadway

Noho: One of Japan’s most respected sushi masters has touched down in Manhattan with a 10-seat sushi counter carved from a single piece of 300-year-old wood. Yoshino, helmed by sushi master Tadashi Yoshida, serves a 20-course omakase priced at $400 per person. 342 Bowery, between Bond and Great Jones streets

Nomad: Tortazo, the Mexican restaurant chain from chef Rick Bayless and Filipino fast-food chain Jollibee, has arrived in New York City. The fast-casual chain, which first opened in Chicago, specializes in chicken milanesa tortas, but the new Manhattan outpost also sells tlayudas, crispy tortillas that can be topped with bacon, beet, and goat cheese. While the celebrity chef is not Mexican himself and owns several restaurants in the Windy City, that hasn’t seemed to impact the chain’s reception in Chicago, where a legion of fans welcomed its first location in January 2020. 1123 Broadway, between West 25th and 26th streets

Rockefeller Center: Dough Doughnuts is the latest business to open at the Rockefeller Center, following outposts of Fuku and Chip City that arrived earlier this summer. 30 Rockefeller Plaza, between West 49th and 50th streets

Seaport District: Regional Indian cooking has found another home at Tagmo, a colorful restaurant from Surbhi Sahni. The chef, who helped develop the pastry menus at fine dining restaurants including Devi and Tulsi, is also selling South Asian cookbooks, chai and spices from a retail store within the restaurant. 226 Front Street, near Peck Slip

Soho: Ed McFarland closed his eponymous Ed’s Lobster Bar in August but has now reopened a few blocks away. It’s still a destination for lobster rolls, oysters, and other fresh seafood that feels like it’s served straight from the Hamptons with its nautical decor. 155 Grand Street, at Lafayette Street

Times Square: Drink Tito’s vodka from an ice luge, or a bottle encased in a block of ice, at Bacall’s Family Steakhouse, a Jewish-Romanian restaurant that’s going for a rowdy, old-school vibe. 220 West 44th Street, between Seventh and Eighth avenues

Tribeca: Not to be confused with the recently closed Reade Street Pub, nearby Tavern on Reade announced itself earlier this month. The neighborhood pub comes from Michael Zieleniewski, a career bartender who also owns Barrow Street Alehouse and MacDougal Street Alehouse. 59 Reade Street, between Broadway and Church Street

Upper West Side: The team behind Gran Tivoli, a short-lived Italian restaurant that closed earlier in the pandemic, are headed in a more casual direction with this honky-tonk called Spaghetti Tavern. The restaurant from owner Jason Scott and chef Robert Marchetti is fueled by whiskey, live music, and pasta that’s baked and served in a paper bag. 425 Amsterdam Ave, between West 81st and 82nd Streets

West Village: Danny Meyer is bringing his crullers and fancy BEC sandwiches to the Village at the newest location of Daily Provisions. 29 Bedford Street, at Downing Street

Williamsburg: After an openings week that’s included vodka ice luges and spaghetti honky-tonks, Bistro So comes as a sigh of relief. This French restaurant with a big backyard is serving escargot and truffle gnocchi from a space that was previously home to Fada Bistro. 530 Driggs Avenue, at North Eighth Street

September 16

Boerum Hill: Former Breslin chef Ryan Jordan and Eater Young Gun Danny Alvarez are teaming up at this Ace Hotel restaurant that bills itself as “a celebration of Brooklyn culture and cuisine.” As You Are, which also houses an all-day bakery, opened on September 10. 252 Schermerhorn Street, within the Ace Hotel

Financial District: The team behind Crown Shy and the recently opened Saga are going for a hat trick with Overstory, a 64th floor cocktail bar perched above the latter restaurant. The indoor-outdoor bar boasts a cocktail list from beverage director Harrison Ginsberg, also of Saga and Crown Shy, with drinks priced at $24 each. 70 Pine Street, near Pearl Street

Greenpoint: After popping up two days each week in August, Taqueria Ramirez has opened its doors with extended hours and a full lineup of meats. The restaurant’s bite-sized corn tortillas can be ordered with suadero, longaniza, and tripa from a bubbling choricera or slightly sweet al pastor cut straight from the trompo. 94 Franklin Street, at Oak Street

Hell’s Kitchen: After a decade of distributing its beans wholesale, New Jersey-based coffee company Afficionado Coffee Roaster is opening a storefront of its own. The coffee shop offers most standard cafe drinks, along with a lineup of canned beverages made from the leaves, flowers, and other lesser-used parts of coffee plants. 750 11th Avenue, at West 53rd Street

Hell’s Kitchen: Chai, a Chinese restaurant focused on regional Beijing cuisine, is the latest addition to Manhattan’s Restaurant Row. The wide-reaching menu of 80 dishes includes Peking duck, a variety of dim sum, and zha jiang noodles that are mixed tableside. 353 West 46th Street, between Eighth and Ninth avenues

Little Italy: Brooklyn brunch destination Butler has tapped former Per Se sous chef Christian Ramos for the opening of its fourth location in New York City and first in Manhattan. 177 Lafayette, at Grand Street

Lower East Side: Lower Manhattan is swarming with excellent, pandemic-born burger spots (see also: Smashed, 7th Street Burger), but the teams behind Contra and Ends Meat think they can bring something new to the neighborhood, by turning to a West Coast classic. “It’s similar to a roadside burger,” says chef Jeremiah Stone, calling to mind the thin — but not smash burger-thin — patties served at restaurants like In-N-Out. He opened Mighties at the Market Line earlier this month with partners Fabián von Hauske Valtierra and John Ratliff, founder of Ends Meat butcher shop, which also has a location in the food hall. Stone and Valtierra are better known for their elaborate cooking at their Orchard Street restaurants Contra and Wildair, but here they’re keeping things relatively straightforward with a menu of fries, hot dogs, and burgers. “It’s lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, hamburger,” Stone says. “People might expect Wildair or Contra to have some sort of twist to it, but it’s nothing different.” The team’s five-ounce burgers come in four variations ($11 to $18) and are made using beef from Duell Hollow Farm in Buskirk, New York. 115 Delancey Street, within the Market Line

Midtown: A decade after Beppe Trattoria closed in the Flatiron District, the Tuscan establishment has reopened at this new location uptown. Marc Taxiera, a former chef at Beppe, helms the restaurant’s menu, which includes wild boar pappardelle and lemony brick chicken.. 234 West 56th Street, between Broadway and Eighth Avenue

Midtown: Parched Hospitality, the group behind the Hole in the Wall chain of Australian cafes, has opened this cocktail bar and lounge atop Hotel Hendricks in Manhattan. Located on the hotel’s 29th floor, Daintree has 180 seats indoors and space for 70 more people on an outdoor terrace. 25 West 38th Street, between Fifth and Sixth avenues

Midtown: French bakery chain Maman opens its ninth location in the city today, a cafe at Rockefeller Center. 12 West 48th Street, between Fifth and Sixth avenues

Soho: In a tarot deck, the Three of Cups symbolizes revelry, fellowship, and feasting. In Soho, this newly opened restaurant is going for a similar vibe with a daytime menu that includes “slamming sausage” and “fresh AF baked goods” from Balthazar, according to its Instagram. The Sullivan Street newcomer is open until 8 p.m. daily, with plans to bring on wine, beer, and extended hours in October. 150 Sullivan Street, near West Houston Street

Williamsburg: No Strings Attached, a self-described “modern noodle bar,” opened earlier this month with a menu that includes both tonkotsu ramen and angel hair pasta with uni. The restaurant’s Japanese, Italian, and Japanese-Italian — sometimes called itameshi — noodle dishes range from $18 to $26. 135B North Fifth Street, near Bedford Avenue

September 9

Astoria: Renis Fusha wanted to open a coffee shop where his customers would hang out and not simply order another oat milk iced latte to go. Café Renis has three distinct sitting areas: A few mint green tables under a pink awning out front, a main room with balloon art and Art Deco-inspired furniture, and lastly, a sunroom filled with flowers and a trickling water fountain. A selection of pastries, including macarons from Rudy’s Pastry Shop in Ridgewood, are available to enjoy with coffee. 47-14 30th Avenue, between 43rd and 44th streets

Bushwick: After years of designing logos for New York restaurants, local illustrator Cerise Zelenetz will finally debut her own this evening, a misshapen cherry she used to sign her name as a child. The logo appears on the front doors and elsewhere at Cherry On Top, a natural wine bar with a sprawling rooftop. 379 Suydam Street, near Wyckoff Avenue

Crown Heights: Arturo Leonar, the chef and owner behind Crown Heights mainstay Chavela’s, has opened a next-door cocktail bar called Altar, where he’s turning his attention away from Mexican spirits to focus on a cocktail list that leans savory. “We had originally planned to focus on rum but ended up getting a little carried away,” says manager Fabiola Juarez, a former Claro bartender who also runs a tamale stand in Fort Greene. There’s a cacio e pepe martini, made with truffle oil and pecorino-flavored aquavit, and a riff on horchata made with black sesame oil. 645 Sterling Place, near Franklin Avenue

East Village: Marbled wagyu beef, not sushi, is the focus at this newly opened omakase counter on East Fifth Street. Esora Omakase, located next door to wagyu beef restaurant J-Spec and from the same team, seats seven customers each evening in a single seating priced at $185 per person. 239 East Fifth Street, near Second Avenue

East Village: Restaurateur Ravi DeRossi has opened a second location of Lady Bird, the vegan tapas and wine bar he opened in 2016. Curiously, the restaurant is located directly next door and across from the future site of Cadence, another of DeRossi’s restaurants set to open this fall. 111 East Seventh Street, between Avenue A and First Avenue

Gramercy: Le Coq Rico, a well-executed study in rotisserie chicken, closed its doors during the pandemic, and in its place Francis Staub has opened La Rotisserie. The restaurateur and cookware company founder is widening his scope at the rebranded restaurant, which roasts not just chickens, but short rib ($39), salmon ($34), and a whole duck whose beak is removed table side ($140). The changeup was already in the works before the pandemic, says general manager Mouhamadou Diop, but it’s also an acknowledgment of larger shifts taking place in New York City, where restaurants that formerly prided themselves on lavish cuts of meat are increasingly undergoing identity crises. Eating at Le Coq Rico “was hard for people who had vegetarian friends, for example,” says Diop, who formerly worked at the restaurant. “We got to a point where we thought, why not open the doors to everyone?” In addition to spit-roasted meats, the restaurant serves salads, seafood, and lump crab cakes. 30 East 20th Street, between Park Avenue South and Broadway

Midtown: The three young entrepreneurs behind Mr. Sun — with combined experiences working at China Xiang, Hunan Cafe, and Chairman Sun — have opened what they consider a fine-dining take on an authentic Chinese restaurant. Dim sum (think: egg custard buns and edamame dumplings with black truffle sauce) and Peking duck are the specialties here. 48 West 48th Street, between Fifth and Sixth avenues

Noho: Joining the list of affordable Manhattan sushi counters this week is Shiki Omakase, a just-opened restaurant whose 12-course set runs at $65. The restaurant’s owners are En Lin and Jacky Zhen, two Chinese sushi chefs who are now serving a seasonal omakase from this 12-seat location on Houston Street. 71 West Houston Street, near Wooster Street

Prospect Lefferts Gardens: There’s always room for more pizza in NYC. Since opening in June, Swiss Slice in Brooklyn has been serving up New York-style and Sicilian square pies. 1290 Nostrand Avenue, between Parkside and Clarkson avenues

Ridgewood: Jonathan Swet, the owner of Greenpoint’s Grand Republic Cocktail Club and Jimmy in Soho, heads to this neighborhood in Queens for his latest bar opening. At Fresh Pond Cocktail Club, the restaurateur is serving classic and tropical cocktails from a dining room outfitted with hardwood floors and green booths. 64-18 Fresh Pond Road, near Linden Street

Upper East Side: Since opening last month, Ella’s Cafe has been offering up coffee drinks and chai lattes with babka in the morning, as well as sandwiches, soups, salads, and an Israeli brunch on weekends. The new spot also claims to be a wine bar, but it appears that part of the business has not started yet. 1465 Second Avenue, at East 76th Street

Upper West Side: Salil Mehta helped showcase Southeast Asian cuisine to a wider audience in New York when his Malaysian restaurant Laut garnered a Michelin star back in 2011. Now he’s opened his first uptown establishment called Wau, where Upper West Siders can find Malaysian and Indonesian comfort food, including classics like nasi lemak and expanded vegan and vegetarian options such as a calamari-style dish prepared using fried young coconut. 434 Amsterdam Avenue, at West 81st Street

September 2

Chelsea: Ecuadorian chef Byron Peñafiel is turning to Mexico, Central America, and South America for the opening of HOWM Cocina and Cocktails. At this restaurant within the Selina Hotel, an order of patacones (deep-fried plantains) comes free to every table. 518 West 27th Street, near 10th Avenue

East Village: Dermont Lynch and Jarek Krukow, two alums of Sel Rrose on the Lower East Side, have opened a two-story bar and restaurant called Little Rebel. The team tapped James Akins, a chef at Le Bernardin Privé, a private dining space attached to the three-Michelin-star restaurant, and Brooke Smith of the Dead Rabbit to create the food and drink menus. 219 Second Avenue, between East 13th and 14th streets

Greenpoint: Katherine Lewin, a former editorial director at the Infatuation, has opened Big Night, a Franklin Street storefront selling “dinner and party essentials.” Here, that all encompassing term includes a tasteful selection of flatware, spices, and other ingredients. 152 Franklin Street, between Greenpoint Avenue and Kent Street

Greenwich Village: Following the closure of her West Village pop-up Thaimee Love, celebrated Thai chef Hong Thaimee has returned with a takeout and delivery business a few blocks over. Pad Thaimee specializes in dressed-up versions of pad thai, anchovy fried rice, and pad kee mao, which is commonly referred to as drunken noodles. 116 West Houston Street, between Thompson and Sullivan streets

Greenwich Village: Simone Falco, the Naples-born pizzaiolo behind the Rossopomodoro restaurants at Eataly, has opened a second location of Simo Pizza on University Place. 75 University Place, at 11th Street

Nomad: Leonelli Restaurant and Bar, chef Jonathan Benno’s tavern in the Evelyn Hotel, has been reinvented as this French bar and restaurant. Bar Benno offers bistro fare — mussels with French fries and a fried pig’s trotter available during happy hour — from a space with a U-shaped counter and sizable back bar. 7 East 27th Street, near Third Avenue

Red Hook: St. John Frizell appears to be in the business of comebacks. The Brooklyn restaurateur, one of three owners behind the recent revival of the historic Gage and Tollner restaurant, has reopened Fort Defiance at a new corner spot in the neighborhood. The Red Hook mainstay, previously located at 365 Van Brunt Street, ended its run as a cafe and cocktail bar in March of last year and continued to operate as a general store until it closed this spring. It was during that time that Frizell realized something: “It turns out I like the grocery business a lot more,” he says. The corner store he’s opened serves bagels, baguettes, and a lineup of sandwiches before 3 p.m. A small sit-down bar is on the way, he promises, but not until October or November at the earliest. 347 Van Brunt Street, at Wolcott Street

South Slope: Sandy Jack’s has landed in Brooklyn with a pool table, a fresh paint job, and a Game of Thrones-themed pinball machine. Partake in one of the borough’s best happy hours — two-for-one drinks, from 3 to 7 p.m. daily — at an L-shaped bar inside or at a table in the bar’s backyard. 683 Fifth Avenue, between 20th and 21st streets