The 12 Hottest New Restaurant Openings
Start making dinner plans
Looking for an awesome restaurant recommendation? No matter the occasion, price point or neighborhood, the DINE app has you covered. You can download it here.
New York
Ikinari Steak
Don't expect to sit and linger at this popular Japanese steakhouse chain's first New York outpost. When diners place an order for steak, salad, soup and rice at the counter, they're then directed to a "standing station" and handed a hot skillet, allowing them to cook their steaks for as little or as long as they like. For those who prefer to sit, there are 10 chairs in the space.
Dumpling Spot
The father-and-son team behind Xi'an Famous Foods has opened the aptly named Dumpling Spot inside an old Xi'an location in Manhattan's Chinatown. The menu includes Three Treasures dumplings made with pork, shrimp and chives, as well as pork and cabbage dumplings, a vegetarian option, and chicken and chive dumplings. Meanwhile, Xi'an has relocated to a larger space just down the block.
A&E Supply Co.
North End Grill alums Adam Harvey and Ennio Di Nino have now added a dinner program to their Gowanus butchery and coffee shop. The meat- and vegetable-heavy menu includes lamb merguez with wheat berries and kohlrabi, chicken nugget gnocchi and a Buffalo blue wedge salad, which swaps bacon for chicken confit and crispy chicken skin.
Los Angeles
Hot-Star Large Fried Chicken
Taiwan's celebrated fried chicken specialist has landed in San Gabriel Valley, peddling his popular large chicken breasts, dusted in sweet potato flour and fried to a crisp. The menu is simple; the chicken comes three ways: regular, crispy and barbecue, along with sides like wings and sweet potato fries. Thankfully, the team offers plastic gloves to help keep the grease on the trays, not your face.
San Francisco
Glena's Tacos & Margaritas
Mike Gaines, who was the opening chef at Kin Khao and has logged time at Manresa, is keeping things straightforward and casual at his new Mexican spot. You'll find al pastor tacos with pineapple and charred onion, fried chicken tortas with cotija cheese and black beans, and ceviche tostadas with gulf prawns, avocado and cilantro. For dessert, churros are fried to order.
Chicago
Rhyme or Reason
As you might guess from the name, this restaurant/bar features plenty of live music. The bar area is decorated by local graffiti artist Jas Petersen, and the menu nods to the 1970s with a section dubbed You Fancy Funk, which includes a duck potpie, as well as B.S. Pancakes, made with Brussels sprouts, bacon and sour cream, and there's kung pao cauliflower for snacking.
Curious, a Chef's Playground
Diners at this Ukrainian Village restaurant better be, well, curious, as chef Laurel Khan plans to change the menu almost constantly. So far, Indian lentil curry, a Malaysian preparation of lamb shanks and Pakistani oxtail have graced the tables. For the moment, the restaurant is BYOB.
Houston
Ramen Tatsu-Ya
This Austin-based ramen favorite has expanded to Houston, bringing its steaming hot bowls and chewy noodles with it in a style it describes as "traditional Japanese ramen meets DJ culture." There are seven ramens on offer, including a classic tonkotsu topped with wood ear mushrooms and chashu pork slices, as well as a veggie ramen made with a soy-and-mushroom broth and loaded with Brussels sprouts, tofu and fresh greens.
Presidio
The Texas-inspired menu at this Houston Heights restaurant jumps around from braised goat empanadas and chicken-fried steak to a spicy chickpea and white bean stew. Grab a seat on the patio and settle in for a night of dinner and live music.
Miami
Forte dei Marmi
Michelin-starred chef Antonio Mellino, who owns both the Amalfi Coast and London locations of Quattro Passi, has brought a bit of Italy with him to Miami—oh, and his son, who is joining him in the restaurant. In addition to the familiar burrata and tomatoes, there are more adventurous plates like calamari, sliced like pasta and served with caviar, mint and Hawaiian black salt. Save room for dessert—the sweets menu is nearly as long as the list of entrées.
Point Royal
You can find Geoffrey Zakarian's newest venture tucked into the numerous restaurant options at Miami Beach's Diplomat Beach Resort. The celebrity chef's seafood-focused menu is stocked with seafood towers, ricotta and blue crab dumplings, seafood gumbo and shrimp 'n' grits made with Anson Mills grits.
Detroit
Shake Shack
The Motor City's long-awaited first Shake Shack is finally flipping burgers, and, as is the chain's tradition, the location also offers a few exclusive dessert options. In Detroit's case, it's concretes (frozen custard concoctions) in flavors like Motor City Mix, a blend of vanilla custard with peanut butter sauce, dark chocolate, and Rocky's roasted peanuts and chocolate toffee. The Shack, stationed conveniently across the street from Campus Martius Park, is also pouring Michigan-brewed beers like Griffin Claw's El Rojo Red Ale.