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Since March 16, 2020, when the state first temporarily closed indoor dining, hundreds of new restaurants have opened, including a Greenwich Village cafe reborn for 2022, a new Flushing beer hall with skewers, and a Chicago dog shop in Carroll Gardens. Here’s a roundup of the restaurants and bars that opened in December. This list will be updated weekly. If there’s an opening in your neighborhood that we’ve missed, let us know at ny@eater.com.
Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; it may pose a risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial COVID transmission.
December 22
Chelsea: Shmackwich is now open in Olly Olly Market, serving dolled-up bodega fare like wagyu chopped cheese. 601 West 26th Street, near 12th Avenue
Chinatown: Dim Sum Palace, a 200-seat dim sum parlor whose calling card is its late-night hours, has opened on Division Street. The small chain of dim-sum spots now lists eight locations, but none stay open as late as in Chinatown, where orders of cheung fun and pork buns are served until 4 a.m. 27 Division Street, between Market Street and Bowery
Downtown Brooklyn: Dominican restaurant with a location in upper Manhattan, Next Stop Vegan has opened, serving fast-casual fare like burritos and “chicken” tenders, rice and beans, and plantains. 88 Livingston Street, near Court Street
East Village: Kōbo is now open, the fourth East Village restaurant from chef and owner, Ruben Rodriguez, of neighborhood spots like Nai, Amigo, and Emilia. Look for dishes like grilled sardines, malfadine with pork ragu, and lasagna. 202 Avenue A, near East 12th Street
Greenwich Village: Kured, a Boston-based charcuterie company that wants to be the “Chipotle of charcuterie,” is open. The brand went viral on TikTok during the pandemic with its mix-and-match charcuterie. 218 Thompson Street, between West Third and Bleecker streets
Midtown: Cornelius at Grand Central is now open, a reservation-only, 75-seat restaurant from City Winery. Named for Cornelius Vanderbilt, the menu lists dishes like Waldorf salad, crab cakes, and chateaubriand for two. Zach Bondy, is the chef, formerly at restaurants like Black Point Inn in Portland, Maine, and Mopho in New Orleans. 89 E. 42nd Street, near Madison Avenue
Midtown: Tan is now open, a Mexican seafood restaurant from chefs Jonatán Gómez Luna Torre and Richard Sandoval. Look for aguachiles, seafood enchiladas, and ceviches, as well as pork belly and rib-eye. 209 E. 49th Street, near Third Avenue
Murray Hill: Vietnamese restaurant Nom Nam has opened with a menu of six kinds of pho, an array of banh mi, Saigon wings, and more. 210 E. 34th Street, near Third Avenue
Seaport: Look for mac and cheese, burgers, and steaks at seats with a view of the Brooklyn Bridge at Paris Cafe, now open. The restaurant has been around since 1873 but has been closed since Hurricane Sandy in 2012. It’s run by the owners of White Horse Tavern. 119 South Street, near Peck Slip
Tribeca: A Moroccan restaurant from upstate, chef and owner Aneesa Waheed has opened the first Manhattan location for Tara Kitchen, now open, with a menu of dishes like shrimp with potatoes, olives, and cured lemons; chicken and lentils; kebabs; and dozens of tagines. 253 Church Street, near Leonard Street
Williamsburg: The grates are up at Glizzy’s, an all-night hot dog shop that proudly announced itself with a blue and white striped banner a few months back along Metropolitan Avenue. The no-frills restaurant — not much more than a counter for ordering, a bumping Bluetooth speaker, and a stainless steel railing for wolfing down weenies — opened last weekend with a menu listing 10 done-up dogs that are served until 4 a.m. on weekends. Order them with chili crisp, chili cheese, gochujang ketchup, kimchi, and more for around $6 a pop. 390 Metropolitan Avenue, near Havemeyer Street
December 15
Chinatown: After a pandemic slowdown, Canal Street Market is gearing up again in its food hall: The newest addition is Mucho Sarap, from the team behind Filipino pop-up, So Sarap. In this iteration, the menu combines Filipino and Mexican flavors in dishes like lumpia or tacos. 265 Canal Street, near Lafayette Street
Downtown Brooklyn: Aria Korean Street Food, hailing from San Francisco, is one of several operations inside of ghost kitchen and events space Nimbus Kitchen. 383 Bridge Street, near Willoughby Street
Financial District: Etrusca is an ethereal new Italian restaurant from chef Elisa da Prato, who formerly operated the kitchen at Honey’s, and prior to that ran her own spot, Elisa, in Barga, Italy. 53 Stone Street, near Mill Lane
Flushing: Below Shaku, is a speakeasy cocktail bar where guests enter through the kitchen of a casual upstairs ramen joint, Shaku Ramen. Downstairs at the bar, the focus is on DIY soju drinks with fresh juice. 156-30 Northern Boulevard, near Depot Road
Lower East Side: Casino, a new coastal Italian restaurant from the team behind Primo’s bar in Tribeca, debuted this week. 171 East Broadway, near Rutgers Street
Midtown: Vegas hot dog stand Frankly by Snap-O-Razzo has been imported to Manhattan food hall, Citizens. Find chili cheese dogs, Chicago-style dogs, and pickle corn dogs that are vegan. 398 10th Avenue, near West 33rd Street
Midtown: Upper West Side comfort staple Jacob’s Pickles is the latest food vendor to join Moynihan Food Hall. 421 Eighth Avenue, near West 31st Street
Midtown: A mega new Mermaid Inn launched in Manhattan with all its seafood glory. 127 West 43rd Street, near Sixth Avenue
Midtown: Steak Frites is a French bistro in Manhattan that serves, yes, steak frites. 496 Ninth Avenue, West 38th Street
Midtown: Falafel favorite Taim is now open at the CitySpire building in Midtown, with a Downtown Brooklyn location to follow, making that that 10 total outposts on the east coast. 156 W. 56th Street
Midtown: Veggie Grill, vegan chain now has a Midtown location. 1004 Second Avenue, East 53rd Street
Midtown: Wine bar Vin Sur Vingt has opened its first bistro this week; it’s the team’s sixth location in NYC. 230 E. 51 Street, Second Avenue
South Street Seaport: Casa Tulum is a new Seaport Mexican restaurant from the owner of a decades-old East Harlem restaurant, El Paso. 229 Front Street, near Beekman Street
Times Square: Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips restaurant launched in Times Square, and Eater critic Robert Sietsema says on a first visit was its own kitchen nightmare. 1500 Broadway, at West 44th Street
Union Square: Urbanspace opened the doors on its latest food hall, this time inside of tech hub Zero Irving with burritos from Summer Salt and fried chicken from Bobwhite Counter. 124 E. 14th Street, near Irving Place
Williamsburg: Southern California-based hard kombucha brand Juneshine debuted its first NYC taproom. 98 Berry Street, at North Eighth Street
December 8
Gowanus: Italian deli and sandwich shop The Sideboard, which opened in 2020, now has an attached bar called Side Bar. The team tells Eater that sandwiches can be ordered at the bar until 6 p.m., with plans to keep them going into late night once the bar gets its bearings. 400 Third Ave 1R, a Sixth Street
Greenwich Village: Pubkey, a self-proclaimed “Bitcoin bar,” has opened on Washington Place. A menu posted behind the bar lists hot dogs, chopped cheese sandwiches, and Blue Collar Sbagliatos, a bottle of Miller High Life with a shot of sweet vermouth and Campari. 85 Washington Place, near Sixth Avenue
Industry City: The Bronx’s Gun Hill Brewing Company now has a new taproom and brewery inside the Sunset Park complex. 68 34th Street, Industry City Building 6
Jersey City: In addition to its several Manhattan locations, Australian bakery import Bourke Street Bakery now has an outpost in Jersey City. 331 Marin Boulevard, near Morgan Street
Lower East Side: Filipino restaurant Kalye is now open on the Lower East Side. It is unclear if it is related to Kalye Bistro, which opened in Woodside in October. Eater has reached out for more information. 251 Broome Street, between Ludlow and Orchard streets
Lower East Side: Japanese spot Sake No Hana, opened this week, joining several hospitality projects that the clubstaraunt Tao Group has in the area’s Moxy Hotel. The rooftop bar (Highlight Room), the lobby cafe and bar (the Fix), and nightclub (Loosie’s) are open as well. Piano lounge (Silver Lining) opens Saturday. 145 Bowery, at Broome Street
Midtown West: Detroit-style square pizza Emmy Squared from the Emily’s team, now has a new Manhattan location with 120 seats. 200 West 60th Street, at 10th Avenue
Midtown: Five Acres, Olmsted chef Greg Baxtrom’s first Manhattan restaurant, opens today, December 8, with smoke-show theatrics. It’s the last of the major marquis openings, which includes Le Rock, Naro, and Jupiter. 30 Rockefeller Plaza, rink level
Midtown West: Taru is Masa alum Tony Inn’s solo project that opened this week, going all out on luxury, with eye-popping prices to match (think $600 wagyu), in an 82-seat dining room, with other dishes including furikake duck breast with umeboshi, gyoza with shwarma spice, sushi, as well as miso monkey bread for dessert. There’s an attached, smaller 10-seat omakase counter, priced at $375 per person, for 20 courses, called Kotaru, according to a spokesperson. 30 W. 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth avenues
Nomad: The Ivory Peacock is a gin-focused cocktail bar now open in Manhattan. 38 W. 26th Street, near Sixth Avenue
Upper West Side: After receiving accolades as the chef at L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon when it earned two Michelin Stars, and Le Cirque when it garnered a three-star review from the New York Times, Christophe Bellanca has ventured out on his own with Essential by Christophe. A bear sculpture covered with Basquiat drawings greets guests at the entrance, while a photo of Bruce Springsteen’s hand and a framed Robuchon chef’s jacket line the walls. The menu includes dishes such as sweet blue prawns, lightly poached in shrimp butter, Dover sole on the bone served with coco beans, or spiced duck with butternut tian, nectarine honey reduction, and black garlic aioli. 103 West 77th Street, near Columbus Avenue — Beth Landman, contributor
Williamsburg: All-day cafe Good Thanks expands across the bridge, now with a Williamsburg outpost in addition to its Lower East Side original. 374 Graham Avenue, near Skillman Avenue
December 1
Bayside: Cajun-style seafood spot the Monster Crab has opened a third location in Bay Terrace Shopping Center, following two locations in Long Island. Look for a menu of hush puppies, soups and salads, raw bar, seafood baskets, po’ boys, and rolls. 211-35 26th Avenue, near Corporal Kennedy Street
Brooklyn Navy Yards: Dominican and Colombian restaurant Sabor got its start in College Point, Queens, later expanding to a small kiosk at the Brooklyn Navy Yards back in 2018. Now, Sabor has relocated to a larger storefront within Building 77, serving rotisserie chicken and maduros. 141 Flushing Avenue, at Vanderbilt Avenue
Chelsea: Portuguese custard tart shop Joey Bats Cafe is open at Chelsea Market, according to a spokesperson. The food stall marks the cafe’s third location since opening on the Lower East Side in 2018. 75 Ninth Avenue, between West 15th and 16th streets
Cobble Hill: Chicago dogs, Italian beef, and other foods from the Windy City find a new home this week at Bobbi’s Italian Beef, a sandwich counter that previously operated out of the Dekalb Market Hall in Downtown Brooklyn. 228 Smith Street, between Douglass and Butler streets
East Village: Down and Out, a new cocktail and oyster bar named after the 1933 novel by George Orwell, opens this evening on East Sixth, according to a spokesperson. The bar with a post-Prohibition theme lists cocktails made with chamomile tea-infused rye, brown butter fat-washed bourbon, pumpkin spice, and cold brew, all priced between $14 and $16. 503 E. Sixth Street, near Avenue A
Flatiron: The Ivy Lounge Piano Bar at Royalton Rooftop Park Avenue is open, with its electric yellow piano a centerpiece of the place. Shows are Wednesday to Friday from 6 to 10 p.m. during which diners can also get snacks. 420 Park Avenue South, near East 29th Street
Flushing: Glitzy Flushing mall Tangram now has a beer hall called Hoi Polloi with rotating beers and a michelada with Chinese chile-garlic sauce. The food menu is filled with skewers from Korea, Jamaica, Germany, and Japan. Tangram Mall, at 133-36 37th Avenue
Greenpoint: Japanese chef Yuji Tani has relocated from Japan to Brooklyn to open House, his eight-seat Japanese French restaurant inside 50 Norman, a three-in-one location in Greenpoint. The first destination, Dashi Okume, opened in the fall along with a Japanese housewares shop. House is tasting menu-only, with seven to nine courses starting at $150 per person, with dishes like stracciatella and strawberries, or foie gras pilaf with Kyoto-style pickles. Tani was chef, then owner, of the original House Nishi-Azabu that opened in Tokyo in 2007. 50 Norman Avenue, between Guernsey and Dobbin streets
Greenpoint: Joining the city’s lineup of Korean fried chicken spots this week is Sweetie’s K-Chicken, a new restaurant from a mother-daughter team in north Brooklyn. The shop sells wings and tenders, along with Korean corn dogs, tteokbokki, fishcake soup, and other snacks, according to North Brooklyn Dispatch. 676 Manhattan Avenue, near Norman Avenue
Greenwich Village: Figaro Cafe is back after shuttering in 2008, a spokesperson confirms. Originally called Le Figaro Cafe, the restaurant that opened in 1957 was first home to beatniks like Jack Kerouac, and later Bob Dylan and Lou Reed, followed by actors Al Pacino and Sam Shepard, but mainly, it was an inexpensive place to hang out and get coffee, with food that “was nothing to write home about,” the New York Times reported when it closed. In the newest rendition of the place, husband-and-wife owners Mario and Marta Skaric and partner Florence Zabokritsky are calling the place a “cocktail bar and modern American restaurant,” in the same yet upgraded space with an updated menu of crudo, appetizers, salads, burgers, sandwiches, and sides. 184 Bleecker Street, near MacDougal Street
Little Italy: Greenwich Village cafe Bao Tea House has opened a larger second location on Mulberry Street, according to the Times. The new shop sells 17 bao, with space for indoor dining at a bar and an upstairs area. 122 Mulberry Street, near Hester Street
Midtown East: A new, half-acre public park in Midtown has three new food stalls: EatOffBeat, a fast-casual food stall, with a location in Chelsea Market, Local Roots Cafe, Carroll Gardens cafe from the vegetable CSA of the same name, and Manhattan coffee shop, Black Fox. 550 Madison Avenue, between East 55th and 56th streets
Midtown West: The team behind Forest Hills Szechuan spot Spy C has launched a more upscale and ambitious sibling in Manhattan called Chi Restaurant. Find mala boneless pork trotters, lobster mapo tofu, and truffle pork soup dumplings. The restaurant serves a pyramid-shaped chocolate mousse for dessert, while wine and cocktails are also available. Brunch is to follow. 492 Ninth Avenue, between West 38th and 39th streets
Nolita: The heavyweights at Major Food Group have opened Torrisi Bar and Restaurant in Manhattan this week. The new spot from chef Rich Torrisi is located inside the landmarked, 19th-century Puck Building. 275 Mulberry Street, at Jersey Street
Nomad: In the expanding world of sushi by David Bouhadana’s By Bou, with locations around New York, New Jersey, Florida, and Chicago, Sushi Suite 1001 has returned. Located inside an unmarked hotel suite in Hotel 32 32, Sushi Suite 1001 is a reservation-only, four-seat sushi counter where chef Takeshi Sato, former omakase chef for Sushi Ginza Onodera, prepares a 60-minute, 17-course omakase for $147. Hotel 32 32, 32 East 32nd Street, near Fifth Avenue
Tribeca: Par Ici, a new ground-floor cafe, has debuted inside the new Hotel Barrière Fouquet with salmon sandwiches, Japanese sweet potatoes with yogurt, and beef tartare with mango salsa. 28 Desbrosses Street, at Washington Street
Williamsburg: The latest Williamsburg hotel to open with a restaurant is Bohemia, at the new, 64-room CODA. Bohemia’s menu looks to Southeast Asian street foods with dishes like crispy nasi goreng croquettes, vegan chicken lettuce cups, and slow-cooked lamb ribs with noodles and a chile crisp-fried egg. 160 N. 12th Street, between Berry Street and Bedford Avenue