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A hand holds a sandwich made from a slice of focaccia overflowing with collard greens.
Superiority Burger is back open in the East Village.
Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet/Eater NY

The 15 Hottest New Restaurants in Manhattan, May 2023

A popular vegetarian burger restaurant in the East Village and a superlative Chinese restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen join the list this month

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Superiority Burger is back open in the East Village.
| Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet/Eater NY

Eater editors get asked one question more than any other: Where should I eat right now? Here, we’ve put together a map of the latest Manhattan debuts drawing NYC’s dining obsessives.

New to the list in May: C as in Charlie, a Korean American restaurant with southern roots; Chi, an ambitious Hell’s Kitchen Chinese restaurant; Mischa, a new opening from Alex Stupak, behind the small-empire of Empellón restaurants; and Superiority Burger, a sit-down version of the popular East Village burger counter.

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.

For more New York dining recommendations, check out the new hotspots in Brooklyn and Queens.

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Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi

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Top Chef star, Kwame Onwuachi, who opened two shortlived fine-dining establishments in Washington D.C., returned to his hometown New York City to open his first restaurant here. Tatiana, which debuted in early November, is the crown jewel restaurant inside of the  $550 million overhaul at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall. Onwuachi pays homage to his Bronx roots, with a menu that includes a crudo-style escovitch, a truffle chopped cheese, and patties, in a high-end dining room with color-changing cloud pendants.

A shallow bowl with halves of grapes, radish, and other vegetables and fruits.
Tatiana is Kwame Onwuachi’s first NYC restaurant.
Lanna Apisukh/Eater NY

Bad Roman

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From Quality Branded comes this over-the-top, sort-of-Italian (read: unhinged) restaurant in a 250-seat dining room in Columbus Circle. Think of it as a Buca di Beppo version of a fern bar meets White Lotus-level decadence, one story below the Michelin-starred Per Se. Look out for inauthentic twists on authentic dishes, built for fun: pepperoni cups with ranch meant to be eaten by hand, ravioli steak, shots in toy car glasses, and trompe l’oeil lemon cheesecake desserts. A two-pound lobster covered in Calabrian pasta and basil is the most expensive thing on the menu at $95.

Gnocchi are arranged on a plate with globules of caviar against a tiled background.
Caviar gnocchi.
Lanna Apisukh/Eater NY

Mischa has a disarmingly neutral dining room for an Alex Stupak restaurant — not the hyper-saturated, magical-realism-inspired decor of Empellón. It’s the backdrop for what seems to be a straightforward menu of familiar dishes paired with less obvious details: Hummus wed to garlic twists; gai lan (Chinese broccoli) for a Caesar salad; salt pork with pierogies; and fried chicken with adobo. Don’t miss the restaurant’s version of apple pie, made with an upper crust of sticky buns, that’s stealing the show.

An apple pie with a sticky bun crust on a plate.
Mischa’s apple pie is made with sticky buns.
Evan Sung/Mischa

Chi Restaurant and Bar

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Chi Restaurant and Bar in Hell’s Kitchen is a sibling to Spy C Cuisine in Forest Hills, a Sichuan spot from anesthesiologist Dr. Thomas Lo and chef Tom Lei. The place is pleasantly surprising, packing the house with its sophisticated presentation of regional Chinese dishes at competitive prices. It’s not cheap, but on par with other ambitious Chinese spots, you can grab an entree, appetizer, and drink for around $50. 

Two platters of Chinese dishes on a table.
Chi comes from the same team behind Spy C in Queens.
Melissa McCart/Eater NY

Banchan, the assortment of complimentary dishes that hit a table first at Korean restaurants, is the star of this Nomad newcomer, which comes from the same team behind PyeongAnDong in Fort Lee, New Jersey. The spread includes the usual lineup of kimchi and cucumbers, plus purple rice, soft-boiled eggs, and more. Galbi jjim, braised short ribs served in small and large portions, is another specialty, and cold noodle soup comes with Korean pear and yellow mustard on the side.

A table is crowded with banchan and other Korean dishes.
A table crowded with banchan at Olle.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Stretch Pizza

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Wylie Dufresne, the one-time molecular gastronomist behind Wd~50, has moved on from doughnuts to pizza at this sit-down restaurant in Flatiron. Find the chef stationed in the kitchen, steering a menu of chickpea fries, potato chip salad, and pull-apart sliders, plus 12-inch personal plus pizzas topped with egg yolk, horseradish, and more.

A chef sits behind a counter.
The chef Wylie Dufresne is now making pizza.
Eater

Balkan StrEAT

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This fast-casual spot serving burek, yeasted doughnuts, cevapi, and Balkan-style burgers comes from William Djuric, an alum of Bouchon Bakery, Gramercy Tavern, and Momofuku Ssam Bar. The menu is split into several categories: baked goods, a grill section, and full plates with items like stuffed pork schnitzel rolls with kashkaval cheese, goulash, and cabbage rolls. A second location in the East Village is opening this spring.

Chevapi at Balkan Streat on a metal tray.
Chevapi at Balkan Streat.
Max Flatow/Balkan Streat

One of the borough’s best new spots arrived last summer in the form of Claud. This restaurant masquerading as a neighborhood wine bar found a fast following online with its escargot croquettes and massive slices of devil’s food cake, and both live up to the hype.

An overhead photograph of hands tugging at bread and scooping vegetables from a bowl on a busy table.
Escargot croquettes, shrimp, and other dishes at Claud.
Teddy Wolff/Claud

Ariari is one of more than a dozen restaurants in the Hand Hospitality portfolio, replacing the team’s former East Village restaurant Oiji. Raw seafood dishes take the stage here, but also order chicken skewers, lamb stuffed fried pepper, steamed monkfish, and spicy seafood udon noodles.

Fish served with lettuce wraps.
Fish served with lettuce wraps.
Ariari

Superiority Burger

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Few restaurants have garnered as much excitement over a reopening as Superiority Burger, which took over the former home of Ukrainian diner Odessa with an expanded menu, booze, a back bar, and on-again, off-again late-night hours. Of course, you can get the namesake burger, but also consider the collard green sandwich, the yuba verde, the roasted white sweet potato, beet salad, and more. Be sure to save room for the superlative desserts.

A slice of orange-colored pie with white pearls is served on a plate.
Don’t miss dessert at Superiority Burger.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

C as in Charlie

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C as in Charlie is a new Korean American restaurant that excels at getting its customers drunk: The owners, a trio who grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, roam the dining room with off-menu bottles of sake and soju, pouring shots for customers or one another. The menu pulls from the team’s southern roots, with a “Seoul’sbury steak” served on a bed of gruyere grits and an ox bone cream pasta that riffs on the Korean soup seolleongtang. Plates are tapas-sized and priced below $15 each. On weekends, the restaurant serves food until midnight, making it a solid option for a late-night, sit-down meal in the area.

An overhead photograph of a busy table of food with polaroid photographs, shot glasses, and money.
C as in Charlie opened last fall.
Tim Dongho Yun/C as in Charlie

Raf’s, which took over the iconic Parisi Bakery space earlier this year, is a white tablecloth restaurant from the team behind the Michelin-starred Musket Room. The savory menu from chef Mary Attea includes tardivo salad, escargot, ricotta and peppers, mafaldine, and sfincione, among other French and Italian dishes. Camari Mick, who handles the sweets side at the Musket Room, and Raf’s, sells baked goods during the weekend at the front bakery.

A bowl or red curly pasta.
A dish from Raf’s in Noho.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Torrisi Bar and Restaurant

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Torrisi Bar and Restaurant is a revival of sorts for Torrisi Italian Specialties — the Nolita restaurant which closed in 2015 — reborn in the historic Puck Building. Since its original incarnation, Major Food Group has been on a global expansion tear, bringing its theatrical red-sauce hits like Carbone to other cities. At Torrisi, the team attempts to keep things local by infusing some New York elements in dishes like chopped liver, and an octopus dish said to be inspired by a Baxter Street Vietnamese restaurant.

The chopped liver with Manischewitz.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Foul Witch

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The Roberta’s team debuted its long-promised Italian restaurant and wine bar in the East Village last month. At the moment, no pizza is served, but you won’t miss it, when you try one of the several small plates of pasta, like veal tortellini or the goat garganelli. While Roberta’s fine dining restaurant Blanca remains closed, this is a more casual a la carte sibling.

Two plates, one with pasta the other with meat.
Goat garganelli at Foul Witch.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Etrusca

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Elisa Da Prato is the chef and owner of Etrusca, who spent her childhood shuttling between El Paso, Texas, and Barga, Italy, a hilltop town in Tuscany’s northwest. Tucked away on Stone Street in Fidi, the restaurant has no sign to speak of, and an interior that looks like a Tuscan farmhouse with bunches of dried herbs and ropes of garlic on the walls, and flickering candles on rustic wooden tables. Look for a brief menu of Italian dishes, many of them dressed with mushroom dust and flowers.

Tiny fish filets laid out in a rib cage formation.
Cantabrian anchovies at Etrusca.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi

Top Chef star, Kwame Onwuachi, who opened two shortlived fine-dining establishments in Washington D.C., returned to his hometown New York City to open his first restaurant here. Tatiana, which debuted in early November, is the crown jewel restaurant inside of the  $550 million overhaul at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall. Onwuachi pays homage to his Bronx roots, with a menu that includes a crudo-style escovitch, a truffle chopped cheese, and patties, in a high-end dining room with color-changing cloud pendants.

A shallow bowl with halves of grapes, radish, and other vegetables and fruits.
Tatiana is Kwame Onwuachi’s first NYC restaurant.
Lanna Apisukh/Eater NY

Bad Roman

From Quality Branded comes this over-the-top, sort-of-Italian (read: unhinged) restaurant in a 250-seat dining room in Columbus Circle. Think of it as a Buca di Beppo version of a fern bar meets White Lotus-level decadence, one story below the Michelin-starred Per Se. Look out for inauthentic twists on authentic dishes, built for fun: pepperoni cups with ranch meant to be eaten by hand, ravioli steak, shots in toy car glasses, and trompe l’oeil lemon cheesecake desserts. A two-pound lobster covered in Calabrian pasta and basil is the most expensive thing on the menu at $95.

Gnocchi are arranged on a plate with globules of caviar against a tiled background.
Caviar gnocchi.
Lanna Apisukh/Eater NY

Mischa

Mischa has a disarmingly neutral dining room for an Alex Stupak restaurant — not the hyper-saturated, magical-realism-inspired decor of Empellón. It’s the backdrop for what seems to be a straightforward menu of familiar dishes paired with less obvious details: Hummus wed to garlic twists; gai lan (Chinese broccoli) for a Caesar salad; salt pork with pierogies; and fried chicken with adobo. Don’t miss the restaurant’s version of apple pie, made with an upper crust of sticky buns, that’s stealing the show.

An apple pie with a sticky bun crust on a plate.
Mischa’s apple pie is made with sticky buns.
Evan Sung/Mischa

Chi Restaurant and Bar

Chi Restaurant and Bar in Hell’s Kitchen is a sibling to Spy C Cuisine in Forest Hills, a Sichuan spot from anesthesiologist Dr. Thomas Lo and chef Tom Lei. The place is pleasantly surprising, packing the house with its sophisticated presentation of regional Chinese dishes at competitive prices. It’s not cheap, but on par with other ambitious Chinese spots, you can grab an entree, appetizer, and drink for around $50. 

Two platters of Chinese dishes on a table.
Chi comes from the same team behind Spy C in Queens.
Melissa McCart/Eater NY

Olle

Banchan, the assortment of complimentary dishes that hit a table first at Korean restaurants, is the star of this Nomad newcomer, which comes from the same team behind PyeongAnDong in Fort Lee, New Jersey. The spread includes the usual lineup of kimchi and cucumbers, plus purple rice, soft-boiled eggs, and more. Galbi jjim, braised short ribs served in small and large portions, is another specialty, and cold noodle soup comes with Korean pear and yellow mustard on the side.

A table is crowded with banchan and other Korean dishes.
A table crowded with banchan at Olle.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Stretch Pizza

Wylie Dufresne, the one-time molecular gastronomist behind Wd~50, has moved on from doughnuts to pizza at this sit-down restaurant in Flatiron. Find the chef stationed in the kitchen, steering a menu of chickpea fries, potato chip salad, and pull-apart sliders, plus 12-inch personal plus pizzas topped with egg yolk, horseradish, and more.

A chef sits behind a counter.
The chef Wylie Dufresne is now making pizza.
Eater

Balkan StrEAT

This fast-casual spot serving burek, yeasted doughnuts, cevapi, and Balkan-style burgers comes from William Djuric, an alum of Bouchon Bakery, Gramercy Tavern, and Momofuku Ssam Bar. The menu is split into several categories: baked goods, a grill section, and full plates with items like stuffed pork schnitzel rolls with kashkaval cheese, goulash, and cabbage rolls. A second location in the East Village is opening this spring.

Chevapi at Balkan Streat on a metal tray.
Chevapi at Balkan Streat.
Max Flatow/Balkan Streat

Claud

One of the borough’s best new spots arrived last summer in the form of Claud. This restaurant masquerading as a neighborhood wine bar found a fast following online with its escargot croquettes and massive slices of devil’s food cake, and both live up to the hype.

An overhead photograph of hands tugging at bread and scooping vegetables from a bowl on a busy table.
Escargot croquettes, shrimp, and other dishes at Claud.
Teddy Wolff/Claud

Ariari

Ariari is one of more than a dozen restaurants in the Hand Hospitality portfolio, replacing the team’s former East Village restaurant Oiji. Raw seafood dishes take the stage here, but also order chicken skewers, lamb stuffed fried pepper, steamed monkfish, and spicy seafood udon noodles.

Fish served with lettuce wraps.
Fish served with lettuce wraps.
Ariari

Superiority Burger

Few restaurants have garnered as much excitement over a reopening as Superiority Burger, which took over the former home of Ukrainian diner Odessa with an expanded menu, booze, a back bar, and on-again, off-again late-night hours. Of course, you can get the namesake burger, but also consider the collard green sandwich, the yuba verde, the roasted white sweet potato, beet salad, and more. Be sure to save room for the superlative desserts.

A slice of orange-colored pie with white pearls is served on a plate.
Don’t miss dessert at Superiority Burger.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

C as in Charlie

C as in Charlie is a new Korean American restaurant that excels at getting its customers drunk: The owners, a trio who grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, roam the dining room with off-menu bottles of sake and soju, pouring shots for customers or one another. The menu pulls from the team’s southern roots, with a “Seoul’sbury steak” served on a bed of gruyere grits and an ox bone cream pasta that riffs on the Korean soup seolleongtang. Plates are tapas-sized and priced below $15 each. On weekends, the restaurant serves food until midnight, making it a solid option for a late-night, sit-down meal in the area.

An overhead photograph of a busy table of food with polaroid photographs, shot glasses, and money.
C as in Charlie opened last fall.
Tim Dongho Yun/C as in Charlie

Raf's

Raf’s, which took over the iconic Parisi Bakery space earlier this year, is a white tablecloth restaurant from the team behind the Michelin-starred Musket Room. The savory menu from chef Mary Attea includes tardivo salad, escargot, ricotta and peppers, mafaldine, and sfincione, among other French and Italian dishes. Camari Mick, who handles the sweets side at the Musket Room, and Raf’s, sells baked goods during the weekend at the front bakery.

A bowl or red curly pasta.
A dish from Raf’s in Noho.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Torrisi Bar and Restaurant

Torrisi Bar and Restaurant is a revival of sorts for Torrisi Italian Specialties — the Nolita restaurant which closed in 2015 — reborn in the historic Puck Building. Since its original incarnation, Major Food Group has been on a global expansion tear, bringing its theatrical red-sauce hits like Carbone to other cities. At Torrisi, the team attempts to keep things local by infusing some New York elements in dishes like chopped liver, and an octopus dish said to be inspired by a Baxter Street Vietnamese restaurant.

The chopped liver with Manischewitz.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Foul Witch

The Roberta’s team debuted its long-promised Italian restaurant and wine bar in the East Village last month. At the moment, no pizza is served, but you won’t miss it, when you try one of the several small plates of pasta, like veal tortellini or the goat garganelli. While Roberta’s fine dining restaurant Blanca remains closed, this is a more casual a la carte sibling.

Two plates, one with pasta the other with meat.
Goat garganelli at Foul Witch.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Etrusca

Elisa Da Prato is the chef and owner of Etrusca, who spent her childhood shuttling between El Paso, Texas, and Barga, Italy, a hilltop town in Tuscany’s northwest. Tucked away on Stone Street in Fidi, the restaurant has no sign to speak of, and an interior that looks like a Tuscan farmhouse with bunches of dried herbs and ropes of garlic on the walls, and flickering candles on rustic wooden tables. Look for a brief menu of Italian dishes, many of them dressed with mushroom dust and flowers.

Tiny fish filets laid out in a rib cage formation.
Cantabrian anchovies at Etrusca.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

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