A Running List of New Restaurants That Opened in New York City

More than six months into the coronavirus pandemic, restaurants across the city are reopening their doors, some by stretching the limits of outdoor dining regulations and others by making early — and expensive — forays into indoor dining.

© Fat Coy [Official]
The mushroom sloppy at Fat Choy

For many others, though, the arrival of fall has meant finally being able to move forward with spring and summer openings that were been stalled by the pandemic. In the more than six months since the state’s restaurants closed for indoor dining, at least 160 new restaurants have opened their doors, sometimes because their concepts could be adapted for delivery and outdoor dining service, but more often because their owners saw no other choice. The newcomers include subterranean Burmese restaurants, modest Punjabi pit-stops, Korean-American bistros, and corner coffee carts.

Here’s a round-up of the restaurants and bars that opened their doors in September. This list will be updated weekly. If there’s an opening in your neighborhood that we’ve missed, let us know at [email protected].

October 8

Clinton Hill: The sandwich pros behind popular Brooklyn spot Mekelburg’s have opened Guevara’s, a new Cuban vegan sandwich and coffee shop right across from their original deli and grocery. The menu at the new spot includes vegan Torta Milanesa made with a generous portion of crispy, fried eggplant standing in for the meat, plus housemade doughnuts filled with guava jelly and topped with cream cheese icing. The shop also sells all-vegan groceries and a selection of plants that co-owner Daniel Mekelburg says have already been flying off the shelves. 39 Clifton Place, at the corner of Grand Avenue

East Williamsburg: Seitan Rising, “your new favorite queer bakery” opened its doors in East Williamsburg this August. The newly opened vegan cafe comes from the founders of vegan deli meat Seitan’s Helper and vegan baked good pop-up Pisces Rising. At the team’s first brick-and-mortar storefront, there’s a selection of daily housemade pastries, sandwiches, and vegan meats available for purchase, including meatless versions of pepperoni, mortadella, roast beef, and maple bacon. The cafe is employee- and women-owned. Closed Monday to Wednesday. 2 Morgan Avenue, near Flushing Avenue

Forest Hills: Tea shop mini-chain Prince Tea House has opened a new location in Forest Hills this week, its eighth in the city. In addition to roughly one hundred types of tea, the cafe serves coffee, crepe cakes, and sandwiches for partial indoor dining. 15 Station Square, at 71st Avenue

Harlem: Popular Hamilton Heights noodle destination the Handpulled Noodle has opened a new outpost further south, called The Noodle. Much like the original, this takeout and delivery restaurant will be doing several types of hand-pulled noodles, dumplings, and baos. 370 Malcolm X Boulevard, between West 128th and 129th Streets

Lower East Side: The city’s selection of top-notch vegan restaurants has blossomed during the coronavirus pandemic, and the latest entrant comes from restaurateurs Justin Lee and Jared Moeller. The duo’s first project, called Fat Choy, is loosely Chinese-American influenced and serves dishes like charred scallion rice rolls and sesame pancakes stuffed with mushroom ragu. Closed Mondays. 250 Broome Street, near Ludlow Street

Midtown: Close to two years after opening its first United States roastery and cafe in Industry City, North Australian coffeemaker Gumption Coffee is expanding with a second location in Midtown Manhattan. The new cafe comes from co-owner Clare Lim and roaster Hazel de los Reyes, whose entry into the coffee scene started with their first project, an acclaimed coffee shop called Coffee Alchemy, which opened in Sydney, Australia in 2003. 106 West 45th Street, between Broadway and 6th Avenue

Tribeca: Frozen yogurt mega chain 16 Handles has opened a new outpost in Tribeca, its twelfth in the city. 155 Chambers Street, between Greenwich Street and West Broadway

Upper East Side: Sicilian mini-chain Piccola Cucina has officially debuted its fourth NYC location after a delayed full opening in March. Chef Philip Guardione’s restaurant is now open for outdoor dining along with limited indoor dining as well, after a summer of takeout and delivery. 106 East 60th Street, near Park Ave

October 1

Astoria: Bar Dalia, the sophomore project from the team behind neighborhood cocktail bar Mosaic, opened its doors for business earlier in the pandemic. Its drinks and food menu borrows from South America, with more than a dozen cocktails on deck, including mezcal-infused riffs on a margarita, Moscow mule, and Negroni. Bar snacks like elote, tostones, chicharron, and chorizo round out the bar’s menu. 33-17 31st Avenue, between 33rd and 34th Street

Bensonhurst: Taiwan’s wildly popular chain of bubble tea stores Tiger Sugar opened its fourth New York City location in September. The new location of the brand, which claims to have birthed the original caramelized brown sugar milk tea with cream mousse, is now open in Bensonhurst. 2132 86th Street, near Bay 28th Street

Crown Heights: Eric See, the popular pastry chef behind Brooklyn’s now-shuttered Awkward Scone, has opened a new restaurant, Ursula, where he’s leaning into the standout New Mexican food that turned his first Bushwick bakery into a hit. 724 Sterling Place, at the corner of Bedford Avenue

Dekalb Market: Miznon, the incredibly popular and very good sandwich maker, has branched out with its first Brooklyn location at Dekalb Market. The international fast-casual chain opened its first United States location in Chelsea market in January 2018 and was an immediate hit. A week after opening, Eater critic Robert Sietsema found that people were still waiting more than a half-hour to try the restaurant’s pita sandwiches. 445 Albee Square West, between Dekalb Avenue and Willoughby Street

East Village: One of Los Angeles’s most revered carnitas tacos arrives in Manhattan this week. Amigo by Nai, a collaboration between chef Ruben Rodriguez of Spanish fine dining spot Nai Tapas and Carnitas El Momo co-owner Juan “Billy” Acosta, will serve the latter chef’s wildly popular carnitas tacos, which rank among Los Angeles’s best. 29 Second Avenue, between East First and Second Streets

Greenpoint: A longtime coffee roaster opened his first customer-facing storefront this week on the corner of Meserole and Manhattan Avenues. Named for founder Reuben Villagomez’s daughter, Paloma Espresso serves coffee, bags of beans, and sourdough toasts from Brooklyn’s popular She Wolf bakery. The new corner coffeeshop is the latest from Villagomez, a coffee roaster who has worked in the industry for the last decade-and-a-half, previously selling coffee beans from South America and Africa to various coffeeshops. 117 Meserole Avenue, at Manhattan Avenue

Rockaway Beach: Located within a luxury seaside apartment complex, Bar Marseille isn’t the just-walked-in-from-the-beach kind of restaurant often found in the Rockaways. This newly opened spot with ground floor and rooftop dining rooms nods to the south of France with a menu of moules frites, bouillabaisse, nicoise salad, and lots of rosés. 190 Beach 69th Street, near Rockaway Beach Boulevard