Latest & Greatest
The best new openings downtown—from an achingly hip Parisian-style bistro to a celebrity-frequented SoHo hotspot serving gourmet pizza rolls.
Fall has been a thrilling season for the downtown New York dining scene, with a slew of quality restaurants opening up. These range from an achingly hip Parisian-bistro-inspired hangout tucked away in Chinatown to a sceney, celebrity-frequented SoHo hotspot that pairs excellent people-watching with pricy pizza rolls. Whether you’re craving New England-style cuisine, sake served with otsumami (small plates) like wasabi salt-sprinkled shishito peppers, or a gigantic and juicy Cantonese roast duck, the best new restaurants that opened in downtown NYC this fall have got you covered.
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This new Dimes Square watering hole by Sake Bar Decibel alums Shintaro Cho and Yuri Itakura may be tiny, but its sake list is gigantic. Here, sake selections pair with traditional otsumami plates like karaage (Japanese fried chicken), shishito peppers with wasabi salt, and yellowtail sashimi with leek sauce. Still hungry? We highly recommend trying their udon noodles garnished with scallion and served with a spicy cod roe and kewpie mayo. Shochu cocktails are also available, including the aptly named “Ichiyazuke (All Nighter),” a sweet, caffeinated tipple made with coffee-infused Iichiko shochu, orange peel, and Pocky. Decorated with nostalgic items from the owners’ lives, such as a Nintendo ‘64 and old FRUiTS magazines, the warm and laidback joint is perfect for casual dates or catching up with friends.
127 E Broadway
Downtown New York’s social set has been flocking to Bridges since it swung open its doors in late September. Occupying the former home of the longstanding dim sum restaurant Hop Shing in Chinatown’s Chatham Square, this intimate, dimly lit Parisian bistro-inspired haunt offers a dining room and bar up front for walk-ins and a private back room draped by red curtains. As for the menu? Chef Sam Lawrence, formerly of Nolita’s ever-popular Estela, uses traditional French cooking techniques and Basque flavors with a twist to a beyond-delicious effect. The most popular, must-order dish is the custard-like Comté Tart with Chanterelles, made with a malted barley crust and a 24-month-aged Comté cheese tart filling and topped with Chanterelle mushrooms. Elsewhere on the menu, you’ll find small bites like cured sardines with Cantabrian anchovies and marinated bullhorn peppers on toast and mains like grilled king crab with bearnaise sauce and pickled daikon, peppers, and onion. Get ready to be overwhelmed in a good way when eyeing the extensive, excellently curated wine menu.
9 Chatham Sq
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Foodies are raving about the Cantonese roast duck at Cha Cha Tang, the new, swanky, sprawling Chinese restaurant by former Nom Wah Tea Parlor owner Wilson Tang and restaurateur John McDonald with a kitchen led by Executive Chef Doron Wong. Bring a friend or three because the deboned roast duck is massive, served with thin wheat pancakes, sliced cucumbers, spring onions, and hoisin sauce, and costs $110. Other menu hits include crystal shrimp dumplings with chili oil, XO jasmine fried rice with scallops, shrimps, lobster, and crispy garlic, and a few cha chaan teng (affordable old-school diners that originated in Hong Kong) staples, like the condensed milk-drenched Hong Kong-style French toast. Here, it’s stuffed with taro cream instead of the usual peanut butter and served at brunch and as a dessert at dinner.
257 6th Ave; T. (212) 645-0193
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Good luck snagging a reservation at The Corner Store, the glitzy, clubby, celeb-studded restaurant from Catch Hospitality that everyone’s still talking about. Located on the corner of Houston and West Broadway in the former Dos Caminos space, Taylor Swift visited this “It” restaurant twice in one month. Perhaps she’s a fan of the opulent dining room’s big velvet booths and tiled marble floors, or the fun and familiar food, from pizza rolls and spinach artichoke dip to a wagyu French dip and a Caesar salad topped with everything bagel croutons. Be sure to bookend your meal with a seriously delicious sundae made with coconut soft serve and mixed with caramel, hot fudge, and shortbread. Then there’s the Instagrammable, flavor-packed cocktails, from the sweet “Cap’n Crunch Milk Punch” (tequila, amontillado sherry, maple verjus, and, yes, Cap’n Crunch cereal) to the savory “Sour Cream & Onion” martini (cream-washed gin, vermouth, spring onion, dill). In unsurprising news, the see-and-be-seen hotspot has a dress code of “Smart Elegant attire.”
475 W Broadway; T. (212) 271-9240
It’s been just over a decade since the closure of beloved East Village mainstay Yaffa Cafe, the zanily decorated, open all-night restaurant known for its sun-filled back patio, salads served with their signature carrot dressing, and fantastic people watching. A magnet for NYU students, locals, and curious tourists, 97 St. Mark’s Place finally has a new tenant worthy of your attention. Meet Cecilia, a chic yet welcoming restaurant dreamt up by nightlife aficionado Russell Steinberg (Lucky Strike, The Box) and offering an organic wine list and American bistro fare like burgers, steak au poivre, risotto, grilled squid, salads, banana splits, and must-order chickpea fries. The pretty-as-a-postcard, candlelit space blends old-world charm with a modern flair and is outfitted with plush banquettes, a marble bar, checkerboard flooring, a wood-beamed ceiling, plus a leafy patio. It’s the kind of quintessentially East Village spot that feels like it’s been around for ages. In other words, go on and add it to your list of favorite restaurants in New York City right now.
97 St Marks Pl; T. (212) 598-5852
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The just-opened, New England-style Smithereens is a welcome addition to the East Village, especially for seafood lovers. Brought to you by a superstar team consisting of a former Claud chef and the former beverage director of Momofuku Ko, showstopping seafood dishes at this warm, tavern-like haunt include buckwheat pancakes with smoked bluefish, hake with clams, and a killer lobster roll. There’s even a candied seaweed dessert layered with black licorice cream. Smithereens also kills it in the beverage department. If you like your beverages briny, order their dirty martini—it’s made with seawater gin, pu-erh tea, and seaweed eau de vie. Have a sweet tooth? Go for the “Ben Affleck,” a bourbon-based cocktail blended with honey-nut squash, coffee, and pumpkin seed, which perfectly pairs with their apple cider donuts.
414 E 9th St
WORDS Alex Catarinella
PHOTOGRAPHY www.bridges-nyc.com