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 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.

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.

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.

This new 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 East Village location is set to open this spring.

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 creamy mussels toast, as well as wine. They’re also offering spiffed-up ice-cream-based desserts like baked Alaska.

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.

Chef Aneesa Waheed is already something of a Food Network celebrity, having appeared on Guy Fieri’s Grocery Games and Beat Bobby Flay; she also has her own line of jarred sauces and a cookbook, too. Her new restaurant, Tara Kitchen, which got its start upstate and down the Jersey Shore, offers some unusual Moroccan dishes compared to the city’s other restaurants, including r’fissa, chicken seasoned with fenugreek and saffron and bathed in cured butter called smen that’s on its way to becoming cheese. The menu also lists over 20 kinds of tagines.

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.