The Congee Village Team Has a New Dim Sum Restaurant — and More Openings

Since March 16, 2020, when the state first temporarily closed indoor dining, hundreds of new restaurants have opened, including a Brooklyn location of a Tokyo-based restaurant, a permanent location for a Vietnamese American pop-up, and a buzzy Mexican leaning spot in Greenwich Village.

Here’s a roundup of the restaurants and bars that opened in August. 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.

August 25

East Village: A creative new sandwich shop called Little Kirin landed in the East Village last month with dishes like a salmon katsu po’boy, pho short rib, and a five-spice braised pork with sesame aioli. In addition, there’s build-your-own egg sandwiches with options like ginger-scallion aioli, Spam, and hash browns. 81 St. Mark’s Place, near First Avenue

East Village: Ravi DeRossi’s latest vegan restaurant is Rabbit, an all-raw food tasting menu spot. The meal will run you $75 before drinks, with seatings are at 6 and 8:30 p.m. 122 E. 7th Street, between First Avenue and Avenue A

Flushing: Joon Omakase brings high-end omakase to the Murray Hill section of Flushing with courses featuring egg souffle with truffle, caviar and scallops, and uni and toro wrapped in fried tofu. 158-14 Northern Boulevard, between 158th and 159th streets

Flushing: La Mira Gelateria is helping revive the recently re-opened New World Mall with its Asian twists on gelato. Founder Sharon Ye, former gelato apprentice in Italy, is bringing scoops of longan rose, sesame seaweed, and peach oolong flavors shaped like bears, piggies, and pandas to downtown Flushing. 133-35 Roosevelt Avenue, between Prince Street and College Point Boulevard, at the New World Mall

Lower East Side: The team behind New York favorite Congee Village, which operates in Flushing and the Lower East Side (the latter has been a staple since 1996), has launched an 180-seat restaurant called Congee Dim Sum House, the third switch up at this address, Bowery Boogie reports. Much like at Congee Village, this new venture will focus on Cantonese cooking — now with 37 types of dim sum, including pork stomach with white pepper, pork soup dumplings, to pork buns, and chicken feet. The menu features some Congee Village classics as well, such as several congees and honey walnut shrimp. For dessert, expert pineapple buns and lava buns in the shape of pigs. 207 Bowery, between Delancey and Rivington streets

Midtown: Fast-growing Nashville-style hot chicken chain Dave’s Hot Chicken has flapped its wings down to NYC with its first local outpost, backed by Drake. 944 8th Avenue, near West 56th Street

Midtown: Inside of the Gotham Hotel is now the Reading Room which offers beef carpaccio, grilled octopus with tzatziki, peri peri chicken, and a surf and turf burger. Breakfast launched earlier this summer, while dinner started this July. 16 E. 46th Street, near Madison Avenue

Prospect Heights: Mooliauno’s Trapp Kitchen is now open on Washington Avenue, with a menu that appears to include wings, waffles, lobster and crab ravioli, and lamb chops with mashed yams. 621 Washington Avenue, near Dean Street

Soho: The New York Times reports that Rose Garden — set-up with faux-roses — is now blooming at the NoMo Soho hotel. The outdoor restaurant, that plans to stay open through winter as long as the weather allows, features a menu with dishes like duck wings with gochujang, octopus carpaccio, and lamb kofte, in a kitchen run by Evan Bergman, an alum of the Charlie Palmer Group. 9 Crosby Street, at Howard Street

West Village: As of July, the West Village is now home to a pizzeria called Daddies. The new spot comes from social media presence-slash-proprietor Frank Prisinzano — behind popular East Village Italian restaurants like Lil’ Frankie’s — who faced a lawsuit from ex-workers earlier this year over wage theft allegations. 450 Hudson Street, near Morton Street

Woodside: Dollar Hits, a Filipino skewer shop with a Los Angeles fan base, has opened its first NYC outpost. 39-4 64th Street, at 39th Avenue

August 18

Cobble Hill: Bee’s Knees Provisions is a new cheese shop and wine bar from Taj Singh, owner of Ditmas Park’s the Castello Plan bar. It fills the shoes of another locally beloved cheese shop, Stinky Bklyn, which closed in 2020. 215 Smith Street, between Baltic and Butler streets

Dumbo: The owners of One Girl Cookies, have flipped their Dumbo store to become an all-day cafe called Dawn’s ‘Til Dusk, according to a representative. The kitchen is led by Madalyn Summers, who’s worked at M. Wells Dinette, Torrisi, and Estela. 33 Main Street, at Water Street

East Village: Hi-Note is a new karaoke bar from alums of the sceney Baby Grand bars, the team tells Eater. 188 Avenue B, near East 12th Street

Flushing: The Siam Thai team tells Eater they’re now open with snacks pulling from regional Thai cooking. The online menu includes duck in a red curry, spicy pork soup, and a stir-fried basil filet mignon. 157-02 Northern Boulevard, near 157th Street

Long Island City: Little Banchan Shop is the latest venture from chef-owner Hooni Kim, a pioneer in NYC’s modern Korean dining scene. He’s now focused on bringing banchan that build off organic, gluten-free versions of foundational Korean seasonings — doenjang, ganjang, gochujang — and high-quality produce and meats from the top produce and meat suppliers in the industry. Expect kimchi in different maturation phases, sauteed zucchini rounds, and barbecue sets. 5-28 49th Avenue, between Fifth Street and Vernon Boulevard

Long Island City: Rang brings modern Indian tapas and spice-forward cocktails from Delhi-born and Queens-raised chef Abishek Sharma. According to a representative, expect saag paneer kofta, chile chicken bao buns with Sichuan sauce, and cucumber- and earl grey-infused vodkas combined with yuzu and Darjeeling tea. 11-03 44th Avenue, at 11th Street

Midtown East: Chef Guo is now open, a tasting-menu restaurant that offers 15 savory courses, three tea courses, and dessert from chef Guo Wenjun. The cooking is a combination of Chinese imperial and western styles, with dishes like fried foie gras au jus or mustard greens, black rice, and lobster tails. Wenjun is a Chinese master chef of imperial cuisine — as such, the menu is priced accordingly at just over $500 per person. 130 E. 50th between Lexington and Third avenues

Midtown: Beloved Filipino fast food chain Jollibee opens its doors today with new items exclusive to the Times Square location — a cheeseburger, Mandarin orange crispy chicken salad, baked cheddar macaroni and cheese, and biscuits — in addition to its cult-favorite chicken joy. 1500 Broadway, between West 43rd and 44th streets

Midtown: Bakery and coffee shop Pavé debuts with cortados, cappuccinos, and sandwiches on freshly baked breads. The spot comes from chef Jonghun Won and restaurateur Jin Ahn, who is also behind Noreetuh and Huli Huli. 20 W. 46th Street, between Fifth and Sixth avenues

Midtown: After spending some time in takeout-and-delivery only mode, Japanese hot pot favorite Hakata TonTon is now firing on all cylinders. The beloved restaurant — which shut down during the pandemic, and then was revived by prolific restaurant group Hand Hospitality — has taken over a new space in Midtown with a menu of old faithfuls and new stars including a “Shake Shake” ramen and a whole pickled tomato. 35 W. 35th Street, between Fifth and Sixth avenues

Seaport: After eight years of planning, Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s jaw-dropping, 53,000-square-foot marketplace at the Seaport is finally here. The sprawling food hall within the historic Tin Building includes six sit-down restaurants, six counter-service spots, four bars, and retail shops. 96 South Street at Beekman Street

Washington Heights: A Dominican restaurant called Jalao — named after the country’s coconut and honey candy — has opened inside the boutique Radio Hotel, another newcomer to the neighborhood, according to the New York Times. It’s the first U.S. expansion for Jalao, which also maintains a location in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. 2420 Amsterdam Avenue, near West 181st Street

Williamsburg: Lilia and Misi co-owner Sean Feeney has opened a casual pizzeria for the first time on his own, fittingly called Fini Pizza (Feeney is also a co-owner of Billy Durney’s acclaimed Red Hook Tavern and Hometown Bar-B-Que). The new slice shop joins Williamsburg’s ever-growing pizza scene in a kitchen helmed by Fini Pizza co-owner Will Unseld (former chef-de-cuisine at Misi and a Lilia alum). Feeney tells Eater that new venture is inspired by the pizzerias he “grew up with in New Jersey and the ones I’ve come to love in NYC.” To that end, there are several slice options on the menu as well as Italian ices and beer. Misi and Lilia chef Missy Robbins is an investor; however, she is not involved in the restaurant itself. 305 Bedford Avenue, between South Second and Third streets

August 11

Astoria: From the team behind the West Village’s Urban Vegan Kitchen is another vegan spot Urban Vegan Roots, this time in Astoria food hall World Artisan Market, LIC Post reports. A website menu lists a peach salad, mac and cheese, pumpkin seed pesto pizza, and more items that are all prepared sans meat or dairy. 34-47 31st Street, near 35th Avenue

Bed-Stuy: A coffee shop landed in Bed-Stuy called Bótani that, according to its Instagram, doubles as a plant store. 173 Lewis Avenue, near Van Buren Street

Bed-Stuy: Dick and Jane’s, a cocktail bar with sibling locations in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, opened a Bed-Stuy venture, according to the company’s Instagram post. 300 Malcolm X Boulevard, at MacDonough Street

Bushwick: Cocktail bar Witching Hour is mixing up drinks (and maybe spells), according to to its Instagram. It appears the bar also has karaoke nights. 1312 Decatur Street, at Knickerbocker Avenue

East Village: The Brindle Room, known for its standout burger, has been revived after shuttering in spring 2020 following a 20-year run. The relaunch is located in the former home of Virginia’s, which also closed this winter and is gearing up for a neighborhood return this fall. 647 East 11th Street, near Avenue C

East Village: Cocktail bar Pouring Ribbons closed after a decade in service here. Now, the second-floor space has been replaced by 11 Tigers, a self-proclaimed “speakeasy with Thai heart and Japanese soul,” EV Grieve reports. The opening menu includes shishito peppers with truffle salt and bonito flakes, takoyaki balls, shrimp tempura, tuna larb, oysters with horseradish, ikura, and chile-lime salt, as well as a cocktail list using ingredients like yuzu. 225 Avenue B, near East 14th Street

East Williamsburg: The team behind LES pin-up bar Nurse Bettie has debuted Sleepwalk, a cocktail bar with moody lighting, murals, and a 1920s theme — open until 4 a.m. daily. 251 Bushwick Avenue, between Johnson and Montrose avenues

Flushing: Beijing-based chain Ju Qi opened its first and flagship U.S. outpost at the sleek and spacious new Tangram mall, where the restaurant will take over at least 6,000 square feet and serve signature dishes like roast duck, roast mutton, braised pork meatballs, and durian desserts in stunning presentations. 133-36 37 Avenue, between College Point Boulevard and Prince Street, at the Tangram mall

Greenwich Village: Restaurateur Marc Forgione — who revived rustic Italian restaurant Peasant in 2019 — has brought another restaurant back to life. This time its One Fifth located in the celebrity-studded apartment building at the same address. The new Italian restaurant is a partnership with Forgione’s father, Larry, an acclaimed chef. It replaces the former home of the disgraced Mario Batali’s Otto. 1 Fifth Avenue, at Eighth Street

Jamaica: In 2018, Bangladeshi street food cart Tong made waves in the dining scene with its hit fuchka, bite-size semolina shells that burst with mashed yellow split peas, potatoes, red onions, egg yolk shavings, and tamarind water. In addition to founder Naeem Khandaker’s six mobile locations, he’s now opened Tong’s first permanent location in Jamaica with a bigger menu that features flaming fuchka and luchi platters. 153-35B Hillside Avenue, between Parsons Boulevard and 155th Street

Little Italy: Italian restaurant Margherita NYC recently refreshed its identity and interiors, and now goes by Pep’s on Grand. The menu, according to its website, has remained somewhat the same with burrata pies and chicken parm sandwiches, along with new additions like salmon with celery root cream. 197 Grand Street, between Mott and Mulberry streets

Lower East Side: Downtown Manhattan has a new churro spot in town dubbed El Churro with an open-kitchen for onlookers. EV Grieve reports that the spot also serves coffee and soft serve. According to its Instagram bio, vegan options are available. 175 East Houston Street, at Allen Street

Mott Haven: Playa Gelato, the South Bronx’s “first gelato shop,” per its website, serves gelato for omivores, vegans, and yes, they even have a version for dogs. 124 Alexander Avenue, between Bruckner Boulevard and East 134th street

Murray Hill: Wolfnights, a wrap chain known it equal measure for its handmade bread and installed swing seating, has opened its fifth outpost in NYC, according to a representative. 489 Third Avenue, at East 34th Street

Prospect Heights: Amy’s Vegetarian — not to be confused with the frozen food company embroiled in union-related controversy — opened in Prospect Heights in early July. The vegetarian-friendly fast casual establishment has veggie bowls, falafel, and other items with a Middle Eastern bent. 490 Bergen Street, at Sixth Avenue

Windsor Terrace: Syko is a new takeout counter in Windsor Terrace with a rare menu that features Syrian and Korean dishes, separately, rather than fused. There’s fattoush, muhamarra, and kibbeh, alongside bulgogi kimbap, japchae, and various banchan, served to-go, though a couple of seats are available outside. Partners in business and life, Rosette Khoury Kim and James Kim, who are Syrian and Korean respectively, piloted the launch for Syko with packaged foods they sold at popular South Brooklyn bodega J&H Farm, beloved for James’s mother’s homemade kimchi. Rosette’s brothers, Mazen and Michael Khoury are the chefs. 116 Windsor Place, near Prospect Park West

August 4

Bed-Stuy: Brownstoner reports that Caroline’s Donuts — serving, you guessed it, doughnuts — debuted in Brooklyn last month. Caroline’s offers traditional flavors like glazed or chocolate and more atypical versions like mango or apricot. 202 Ralph Avenue, at Decatur Street

Bushwick: A new non-alcoholic bar Curry in Handi, appears to be ready for business, according to an Instagram post. The company refers itself as the “first-ever halal bar” with dishes like masala fries, scallops tikka masala, and steamed fish in banana leaves. 443 Bushwick Avenue, between Cook Street and Flushing Avenue

Clinton Hill: The now-open White Tiger Tavern is a sibling to White Tiger, a Korean-leaning restaurant located nearby on Prospect Heights’s Vanderbilt Avenue stretch. At this new spot, the team tells Eater that guests can expect several reprised dishes like the spicy curry popcorn chicken, kimchi fries, and sesame-tofu gnocchi. But there’s fun newcomers too, including Korean-style tacos, skewers, and more paired with soju drinks and cocktails with ingredients like lychee boba. The White Tiger Tavern location is bigger with more interior seats as well as with a backyard. 455 Myrtle Avenue, near Washington Avenue

East Village: Right when we’re convinced there’s no need for another European wine bar restaurant in Manhattan, we’re forced to make exceptions: Le Dive in Dimes Square was one, and Claud is the latest, though appears like it won’t be the last. This East Village bar, set below street level, comes from Joshua Pinsky and Chase Sinzer, two friends who met in the kitchen of the two-Michelin-starred Momofuku Ko. The pair is looking to Europe, and some of their favorite meals at home, for their menu of escargot croquettes, simply prepared roast chicken, and devil’s food cake for two. The wine cellar is home to some 1,000 bottles, but only 250 or so of them will make an appearance at a time, allowing the team to rotate their list with the seasons. There’s close to 50 seats inside, with 17 seats at the bar set aside for walk-ins. 90 E. 10th Street, between Third and Fourth avenues

Fidi: Though Fidi already has a Di Fara outpost, there’s also a new slice shop called Tradita’s that’s appeared on the scene. 83 Maiden Lane, at Gold Street

Fort Greene: Adam Baumgart, a former chef at Diner, and Mark Connell, owner of Manhattan dive Botanica Bar, tell Eater they’re combining forces on a new pizzeria. Oma Grassa serves pies like a pepperoni, zucchini, or anchovy version with salads and antipasti to start. 753 Fulton Street, at South Portland Avenue

Lower East Side: A new fast casual Chinese restaurant appears to have debuted in downtown Manhattan back in June called Potluck Club. The Instagram bio lists the restaurant as a “newish take on old classics” with a menu of blood orange salad, salt and pepper chicken with scallion biscuits, and oyster mushroom rice rolls. The team launched as a moon cake pop-up back in 2020. 133 Chrystie Street, between Broome and Delancey streets

Soho: Ah yes, just what summer was missing: A TikToker-run ice cream shop. The scoop spot in question is called Catch’n Ice Cream by Dylan Lemay, attempting to make a name for itself with scoops thrown into the air. A representative tells Eater that attendees can expect ice cream “ball” flavors like cookie dough, Fruity Pebbles, and a vegan strawberry. Cakes as well as a cakes served in a cup are available. If the interactivity brings to mind Coldstone Creamery’s heyday, that’s because Lemay is a former employee. 65 Bleecker Street, between Broadway and Crosby Street

Upper East Side: Bel Ami is a French patisserie that first debuted on the Upper East Side back in 2010. Now, East Side Feed shares that a second location has launched in the neighborhood. 866 Lexington Ave, at East 65th Street

Upper East Side: After 16 years on East 81st Street, uptown Italian staple Sandro’s closed in February. Now, East Side Feed reports that it’s relocated a few blocks away. 322 East 86th Street, between First and Second avenues

Upper West Side: I Love the Upper West Side reports that Agave, a Mexican and Southwestern restaurant chain with outposts throughout Manhattan, has opened the doors on the Upper West Side. 688 Columbus Avenue, between West 93rd and 94th streets

Upper West Side: Another location of Detroit-style slice shop Jet’s Pizza has landed in Manhattan, West Side Rag reports. Its other location seems to already be open in Chelsea. 728 Amsterdam Avenue, between West 95th and 96th streets

Tribeca: John McDonald, a restaurateur with a growing portfolio that includes Lure Fishbar, Hancock St and Bar Tulix, has opened his latest endeavor. The menu at Smyth Tavern includes uni mafaldine pasta, shrimp cocktail, meatballs with polenta, and pineapple daiquiri. The New York Times reports that the space replaces Little Park, formerly operated by Andrew Carmellini. 85 W. Broadway, at Chambers Street

Williamsburg: As You Like is a new coffee shop from the team behind Japanese breakfast spot Okonomi and its adjoining Yuji Ramen, as well as nearby fish market Osakana. The team tells Eater that in addition to coffee and matcha, pastries, bento boxes, and ceramics are for sale. A nighttime sake program is to follow. 428 Humboldt Street, at Jackson Street