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An overhead photograph of a rectangular sheet of ravioli on a colorful plate.
The ravioles du Dauphiné at Café Chelsea.
Noah Fecks/Café Chelsea

The 15 Hottest New Restaurants in Manhattan, September 2023

A French bistro inside of the Hotel Chelsea and the new location of I Sodi join the list this month

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The ravioles du Dauphiné at Café Chelsea.
| Noah Fecks/Café Chelsea

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 September: Cafe Chelsea, a French bistro inside the Hotel Chelsea, and a new location for the lasagna-famous, I Sodi.

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

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Tatiana

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Tatiana landed on top of the New York Times list of the 100 best restaurants in the city — five months after it opened. Its chef, the Top Chef star Kwame Onwuachi, serves a menu with upscale versions of iconic New York dishes: mushrooms inspired by Chinese takeout, crab rangoon with oxtail, and shawarma roasted chicken. The restaurant is located in Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall, which reopened last year after a $550 million renovation.

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

Nasrin's Kitchen

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Nasrin’s Kitchen is located on the second floor of a Midtown building, above a deli — an unlikely home for Persian noodle soups and beef stews simmered with saffron. The new restaurant is the permanent home of a business from Nasrin Rejali, an Iranian refugee who worked in catering, then ran a buffet at a sports bar, and later launched her own pop-up. Now with a 60-seat restaurant of her own, Rejali serves kebab platters, Persian baklava, and fesenjoon, a stew with walnuts and pomegranate molasses.

Gormeh sabzi and ghaymeh with basmati rice.
Gormeh sabzi and ghaymeh with basmati rice at Nasrin’s Kitchen.
Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet/Eater NY

Mischa is the new restaurant from Alex Stupak, the chef who opened the Mexican restaurant Empellón Taqueria in 2011. The American restaurant is known for its unusual menu pairings — Caesar salad with Chinese broccoli, apple pie with sticky buns — served in a corporate-looking space above a food court. Its most popular dish: a $29 hot dog.

A curving frankfurter in a bun.
The $29 hot dog at Mischa.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Café Chelsea

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Café Chelsea is the new French restaurant at Hotel Chelsea. It’s spread out over two rooms, with chandeliers, tiled floors, and banquettes that might remind you of Balthazar. The menu serves bistro staples — roast chicken, steak frites — and a few dishes that break the rules, like a “maitake au poivre,” with mushrooms instead of steak, and ravioles du Dauphiné, a rectangular sheet of ravioli that’s common in Paris but rare in New York. The restaurant is open for breakfast and dinner.

The bar at Café Chelsea, a new restaurant at the Chelsea Hotel.
Café Chelsea opened at the Chelsea Hotel in July.
Annie Schlechter/Café Chelsea

Cecchi's

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Cecchi’s is a place “that makes everyone feel like a regular,” says Eater’s critic, Robert Sietsema. The new restaurant, which took over the old home of Café Loup, has a supper club atmosphere: Small tables draped in white tablecloths are crowded together in a low-lit dining room, with upholstered booths for larger groups. The restaurant calls itself an American bistro. It serves ribs, chicken a la king, and one of the best burgers in town.

The dining room at Cecchi’s.
The dining room at Cecchi’s.
Cecchi’s

Libertine

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In a wave of new French restaurants, Libertine is the bistro we’ve been waiting for. The restaurant serves simple-sounding dishes — sausage with mashed potatoes, scallops with seaweed — that “are a joy to eat,” writes Eater’s critic, Robert Sietsema. The jambon persille is a slice of pork and bright green jelly, and the oeufs mayo consists of boiled eggs in a bowl of fresh, foamy mayonnaise. The corner restaurant has a short bar with red stools and many, well-spaced small tables.

A sausage drapes mashed potatoes.
A pork sausage with mashed potatoes at Libertine.
Evan Sung/Libertine

Rita Sodi, one of the owners of Via Carota in the West Village, opened the Italian restaurant I Sodi in 2008. It moved to this new address, around the corner, this summer, where it’s just as good “but more importantly, it is nearly the same,” writes Eater critic, Robert Sietsema. Look for seasonal salads, bresaola, a generous slab of lasagna, and braised peas, which never leave the menu.

Sliced rounds of white meat wrapped in burnished skin and tumbling forth, by a pile of dark spinach.
Coniglio in porchetta at I Sodi.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Roscioli

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One of the biggest names in Rome’s food scene opened a restaurant in Manhattan this summer. Roscioli, a restaurant and wine bar, took over a townhouse in Soho that used to be home to the tasting menu spot Niche Niche — it’s the restaurant group’s first location outside of Rome. It’s tasting menu only, for now, with four courses and four glasses of wine for $105 per person. This fall, the restaurant will serve a more casual menu upstairs that’s open to walk-in customers.

Pasta with a wine glass.
Roscioli is currently in tasting menu mode, but a more casual upstairs restaurant and Italian shop will open soon.
Cole Wilson/Eater NY

Superiority Burger

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When Superiority Burger reopened this year, GQ called it the “buzziest restaurant in America.” The restaurant started as a vegetarian burger counter on East Ninth Street; it closed in 2021 and moved to this larger space on Avenue A with lots of seating, a full bar, and late-night hours. The burger is still excellent, but the yuba verde sandwich stuffed with greens and tofu skin, as well as the collard greens on focaccia, are even better. Be sure to save room for the excellent desserts.

A spread from Superiority Burger in the East Village.
Superiority Burger serves martinis and vegetarian sandwiches.
Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet/Eater NY

Sartiano's

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Alfred Portale, one of New York’s most influential chefs, who led the kitchen at Gotham Bar and Grill for years, is behind the menu at Sartiano’s — although Eater’s critic says it’s “more about the scene than the food.” The Italian American menu consists of caviar cannoli (four for around $50) and baked clams with pancetta. It’s run by Scott Sartiano, owner of Zero Bond, a members-only club frequented by Mayor Eric Adams: Enjoy the scene.

Paccheri at Sartiano’s.
The paccheri at Sartiano’s.
Teddy Wolff/Sartiano’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 restaurant the Musket Room. The menus — with service now available for breakfast, lunch, and dinner — include French and Italian dishes made using the nearly-century-old oven. Camari Mick, a star pastry chef at the Musket Room, makes the exceptional baked goods and desserts.

A table with croissants and a cup of espresso.
Raf’s sells pastries in the mornings.
Melanie Landsman/Raf’s

Torrisi Bar and Restaurant

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Torrisi is the fancy new restaurant from Major Food Group, the restaurant empire behind Carbone. It’s an upscale revival of Torrisi Italian Specialties — their Nolita restaurant that closed in 2015 — located in Manhattan’s historic Puck Building. The kitchen riffs on Italian American dishes, with nods to New York foods and restaurants thrown in, like a chopped liver with Manischewitz, and an octopus dish the owners say is inspired by a Vietnamese restaurant in the neighborhood.

A glass plate with chopped liver and a side of crackers.
The chopped liver with Manischewitz.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Foul Witch

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The owners of Roberta’s opened a new restaurant this year with Italian dishes, minus the wood-fired pizzas. In a high-ceilinged space with cream-colored walls, the team serves agnolotti with sugar snap peas and veal tortellini, plus meats like grilled tripe and roast goat shoulder. Eater’s critic fell under its spell during an early visit.

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

Scarr’s

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Scarr’s is credited with making one of the city’s best slices of pizza. In June, it moved across the street to this larger location: The menu has stayed the same although the quality may have shifted. The original location opened on Orchard Street in 2016. It’s known for its New York-style slices made with house-milled grains.

Scarr’s Pizza is now open in its new home.
Scarr’s moved across the street this summer.
Emma Orlow/Eater NY

Mei Lai Wah Wonton Noodle

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Wonton Noodle Garden closed after 40 years this summer: Its lease on Mott Street had come to an end and the landlord didn’t want to renew. It reopened around the corner under this new name, which nods to Mei Lai Wah, a popular restaurant in the area from the same owners. The affordable menu of pork wontons and pan-fried noodles has stayed the same, and the new location has a full bar.

Customers pass in front of an enter a restaurant called Mei Lai Wah Wonton Noodle.
Mei Lai Wah Wonton Noodle in Manhattan’s Chinatown.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Tatiana

Tatiana landed on top of the New York Times list of the 100 best restaurants in the city — five months after it opened. Its chef, the Top Chef star Kwame Onwuachi, serves a menu with upscale versions of iconic New York dishes: mushrooms inspired by Chinese takeout, crab rangoon with oxtail, and shawarma roasted chicken. The restaurant is located in Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall, which reopened last year after a $550 million renovation.

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

Nasrin's Kitchen

Nasrin’s Kitchen is located on the second floor of a Midtown building, above a deli — an unlikely home for Persian noodle soups and beef stews simmered with saffron. The new restaurant is the permanent home of a business from Nasrin Rejali, an Iranian refugee who worked in catering, then ran a buffet at a sports bar, and later launched her own pop-up. Now with a 60-seat restaurant of her own, Rejali serves kebab platters, Persian baklava, and fesenjoon, a stew with walnuts and pomegranate molasses.

Gormeh sabzi and ghaymeh with basmati rice.
Gormeh sabzi and ghaymeh with basmati rice at Nasrin’s Kitchen.
Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet/Eater NY

Mischa

Mischa is the new restaurant from Alex Stupak, the chef who opened the Mexican restaurant Empellón Taqueria in 2011. The American restaurant is known for its unusual menu pairings — Caesar salad with Chinese broccoli, apple pie with sticky buns — served in a corporate-looking space above a food court. Its most popular dish: a $29 hot dog.

A curving frankfurter in a bun.
The $29 hot dog at Mischa.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Café Chelsea

Café Chelsea is the new French restaurant at Hotel Chelsea. It’s spread out over two rooms, with chandeliers, tiled floors, and banquettes that might remind you of Balthazar. The menu serves bistro staples — roast chicken, steak frites — and a few dishes that break the rules, like a “maitake au poivre,” with mushrooms instead of steak, and ravioles du Dauphiné, a rectangular sheet of ravioli that’s common in Paris but rare in New York. The restaurant is open for breakfast and dinner.

The bar at Café Chelsea, a new restaurant at the Chelsea Hotel.
Café Chelsea opened at the Chelsea Hotel in July.
Annie Schlechter/Café Chelsea

Cecchi's

Cecchi’s is a place “that makes everyone feel like a regular,” says Eater’s critic, Robert Sietsema. The new restaurant, which took over the old home of Café Loup, has a supper club atmosphere: Small tables draped in white tablecloths are crowded together in a low-lit dining room, with upholstered booths for larger groups. The restaurant calls itself an American bistro. It serves ribs, chicken a la king, and one of the best burgers in town.

The dining room at Cecchi’s.
The dining room at Cecchi’s.
Cecchi’s

Libertine

In a wave of new French restaurants, Libertine is the bistro we’ve been waiting for. The restaurant serves simple-sounding dishes — sausage with mashed potatoes, scallops with seaweed — that “are a joy to eat,” writes Eater’s critic, Robert Sietsema. The jambon persille is a slice of pork and bright green jelly, and the oeufs mayo consists of boiled eggs in a bowl of fresh, foamy mayonnaise. The corner restaurant has a short bar with red stools and many, well-spaced small tables.

A sausage drapes mashed potatoes.
A pork sausage with mashed potatoes at Libertine.
Evan Sung/Libertine

I Sodi

Rita Sodi, one of the owners of Via Carota in the West Village, opened the Italian restaurant I Sodi in 2008. It moved to this new address, around the corner, this summer, where it’s just as good “but more importantly, it is nearly the same,” writes Eater critic, Robert Sietsema. Look for seasonal salads, bresaola, a generous slab of lasagna, and braised peas, which never leave the menu.

Sliced rounds of white meat wrapped in burnished skin and tumbling forth, by a pile of dark spinach.
Coniglio in porchetta at I Sodi.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Roscioli

One of the biggest names in Rome’s food scene opened a restaurant in Manhattan this summer. Roscioli, a restaurant and wine bar, took over a townhouse in Soho that used to be home to the tasting menu spot Niche Niche — it’s the restaurant group’s first location outside of Rome. It’s tasting menu only, for now, with four courses and four glasses of wine for $105 per person. This fall, the restaurant will serve a more casual menu upstairs that’s open to walk-in customers.

Pasta with a wine glass.
Roscioli is currently in tasting menu mode, but a more casual upstairs restaurant and Italian shop will open soon.
Cole Wilson/Eater NY

Superiority Burger

When Superiority Burger reopened this year, GQ called it the “buzziest restaurant in America.” The restaurant started as a vegetarian burger counter on East Ninth Street; it closed in 2021 and moved to this larger space on Avenue A with lots of seating, a full bar, and late-night hours. The burger is still excellent, but the yuba verde sandwich stuffed with greens and tofu skin, as well as the collard greens on focaccia, are even better. Be sure to save room for the excellent desserts.

A spread from Superiority Burger in the East Village.
Superiority Burger serves martinis and vegetarian sandwiches.
Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet/Eater NY

Sartiano's

Alfred Portale, one of New York’s most influential chefs, who led the kitchen at Gotham Bar and Grill for years, is behind the menu at Sartiano’s — although Eater’s critic says it’s “more about the scene than the food.” The Italian American menu consists of caviar cannoli (four for around $50) and baked clams with pancetta. It’s run by Scott Sartiano, owner of Zero Bond, a members-only club frequented by Mayor Eric Adams: Enjoy the scene.

Paccheri at Sartiano’s.
The paccheri at Sartiano’s.
Teddy Wolff/Sartiano’s

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 restaurant the Musket Room. The menus — with service now available for breakfast, lunch, and dinner — include French and Italian dishes made using the nearly-century-old oven. Camari Mick, a star pastry chef at the Musket Room, makes the exceptional baked goods and desserts.

A table with croissants and a cup of espresso.
Raf’s sells pastries in the mornings.
Melanie Landsman/Raf’s

Torrisi Bar and Restaurant

Torrisi is the fancy new restaurant from Major Food Group, the restaurant empire behind Carbone. It’s an upscale revival of Torrisi Italian Specialties — their Nolita restaurant that closed in 2015 — located in Manhattan’s historic Puck Building. The kitchen riffs on Italian American dishes, with nods to New York foods and restaurants thrown in, like a chopped liver with Manischewitz, and an octopus dish the owners say is inspired by a Vietnamese restaurant in the neighborhood.

A glass plate with chopped liver and a side of crackers.
The chopped liver with Manischewitz.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Foul Witch

The owners of Roberta’s opened a new restaurant this year with Italian dishes, minus the wood-fired pizzas. In a high-ceilinged space with cream-colored walls, the team serves agnolotti with sugar snap peas and veal tortellini, plus meats like grilled tripe and roast goat shoulder. Eater’s critic fell under its spell during an early visit.

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

Scarr’s

Scarr’s is credited with making one of the city’s best slices of pizza. In June, it moved across the street to this larger location: The menu has stayed the same although the quality may have shifted. The original location opened on Orchard Street in 2016. It’s known for its New York-style slices made with house-milled grains.

Scarr’s Pizza is now open in its new home.
Scarr’s moved across the street this summer.
Emma Orlow/Eater NY

Mei Lai Wah Wonton Noodle

Wonton Noodle Garden closed after 40 years this summer: Its lease on Mott Street had come to an end and the landlord didn’t want to renew. It reopened around the corner under this new name, which nods to Mei Lai Wah, a popular restaurant in the area from the same owners. The affordable menu of pork wontons and pan-fried noodles has stayed the same, and the new location has a full bar.

Customers pass in front of an enter a restaurant called Mei Lai Wah Wonton Noodle.
Mei Lai Wah Wonton Noodle in Manhattan’s Chinatown.
Luke Fortney/Eater NY

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