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.

From conception to completion, this new food court between Times Square and Rockefeller Center took several years — and involved Anthony Bourdain’s input — to try to replicate the feel of a hawker food mall in Singapore. From an eventual collection of vendors, the counters include Hainan Jones (Hainanese chicken, steamed or fried), Mr. Fried Rice (stingray fried rice), and Mamak’s Corner (Indian food as served in Singapore). Oh, and there’s a full bar specializing in gin drinks at the 51st Street entrance.

Greg Baxtrom made a name for himself in Prospect Heights with Olmsted, his fine-dining restaurant, followed by his more casual Japanese French Maison Yaki, and family-friendly comfort joint Patti Ann’s. He now has his first Manhattan restaurant, the latest marquis spot to debut in buzzy Rockefeller Center, with plenty of smoke-show drama, in cloche-reveal dishes like the oysters Vanderbilt and the s’mores dessert.

Chef Marcus Samuelsson opened his first New York City restaurant in almost a decade in November. The menu, which emphasizes seafood, highlights the Swedish and Ethiopian flavors Samuelsson grew up with, dressed up in a 5,000 square-foot, 125-seat Chelsea restaurant, where mermaid motifs appear throughout. The chef says Hav & Mar, “is a reflection of Black joy and excellence.”

Eric Finkelstein and Matt Ross, owners of Court Street Grocers, have opened  S&P, located in the former home of Eisenberg’s, one of Manhattan’s last old-school lunch counters that closed during the pandemic. Here you won’t find much of a change on the menu aside from classics that are better than you remember them. They include tuna melts, peanut butter and bacon sandwiches, pastrami on rye, matzo ball soup, latkes, cheeseburgers, and egg cream.

In this follow-up to fish-and-chips hit, Dame from Ed Szymanski and Patricia Howard, look for British nose-to-tail fare, that Eater says is “gutsy.” Dishes rotate but might include pig’s head, scotch eggs, and meat pies of the day — seafood takes a backseat.

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

Husband-wife duo Jesse Merchant Zuñiga and Javier Zuñiga, who met working at Wildair and Contra, debuted a headquarters for their ice cream brand, Bad Habit, last month. By day, containers are sold at the East Village establishment, and by night, they’re selling small plates, including a creamy mussels toast, as well as wine. They’re also offering spiffed up ice-cream based desserts like baked Alaska.

Burmese food has always been a rare find in NYC, but Little Myanmar is one of a handful of restaurants that spotlight the cuisine across the city. The family behind the operation famously started out with Yun Cafe, a tiny stall inside a subway station in Jackson Heights (which remains open). But in the East Village, Little Myanmar stretches out with more space (and with more equipment) and that’s clear in the menu: The restaurant boasts an extensive range of punchy salads, grilled skewers, and both subtle and spicy curries. Don’t miss the goat curry, which Eater critic Robert Sietsema praised as one of the best versions of the dish in the city.

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.

This new Lower East Side spot focuses on Mexican mariscos from Iris Avelar, who is also a co-owner of La Superior taqueria in Williamsburg. There are fish tacos, Mexican-style shrimp cocktails, and ceviche, but the carne asada tacos are so good they almost overshadow the seafood theme. Don’t miss vegetarian dishes like tortilla soup, either.