Best New Restaurants In NYC, SF, Chicago & More
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New York
Bistro Pierre Lapin
Harold Moore, who ran the beloved but now-shuttered Commerce, has a new West Village project. This one is French and named for Peter Rabbit, or as the team says, "Monsieur Pierre Lapin himself, a smartly dressed bunny hailing from the alleys of Paris." The restaurant is open all day and serves escargot with favas and a sunny-side-up egg, rabbit-stuffed tortellini, a whole roast chicken, and Le Burger with foie gras and Worcestershire sauce.
Atomix
Ellia and Junghyun "JP" Park, the duo behind Atoboy, have gone upscale with their latest project. While the first floor operates as a lounge, you'll find a U-shaped bar downstairs that seats 16, where the kitchen is serving a destination-worthy tasting menu. Meals start with two snacks, followed by eight savory courses and then two desserts. Provocative dishes like twigim, or the langoustine with nasturtium and anise hyssop, are accompanied by cards that explain them and their cultural roots, which diners are encouraged to take home.
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Oxomoco
Justin Bazdarich, who helms the ovens at Speedy Romeo, is now overseeing a wood-fire grill in Greenpoint at a Mexican restaurant named for the Aztec goddess of night. There's chicken al pastor and pork-cheek carnitas tacos prepared on corn tortillas from Tamoa, as well as early don't-miss summer dishes like hamachi with rhubarb aqua chile and hibiscus.
North 3rd Street Market
New York really can't seem to get enough of the food hall concept. Now, there's one in the mustachioed Shangri-La of Williamsburg, replete with outposts from Bien Cuit, Chuko, Di Fara (yes, that Di Fara), Baba's Pierogies and the dumpling specialists at East Wind Snack Shop. All in, the market is home to 20+ vendors, including a few retail options.
San Francisco
Pearl
By day, this space is a café for those who live in Outer Richmond serving wood-fire bagels, rhubarb buckle, and guava and sweet cheese turnovers. The evening gives way to a more formal service and family supper options of roast octopus with German potato salad, haricots verts and an olive-almond relish. There is also fresh handkerchief pasta with white Bolognese, Grana Padano and black pepper.
Besharam
What was Daniel Patterson's Alta in the Minnesota Street Project is now a Gujarati-meets-California restaurant helmed by Heena Patel, a chef whose résumé includes a stint at La Cocina, the SF-based culinary incubator that advocates female chefs of color. Though Alta is out, Patterson is still a partner in this project. As for food, expect elevated Indian-leaning bites like grilled paneer kebabs, blue cheese naan, tapioca fritters called kanji wada and fish moilee in a coconut curry sauce served with fava dill rice.
Chicago
Dutch & Doc's
There's no lack of new options near Wrigley Field. Joining the madding crowd is Boka Restaurant Group's Dutch & Doc's in Hotel Zachary, which is also home to Big Star and Mordecai. The menu reads like 2018 in a nutshell: quinoa and kale with avocado and sweet potato, cauliflower toast with ricotta and apple, and deviled eggs.
Ramen-san
The newest member of the Lettuce Entertain You family is a West Loop location of the company's ramen shop. The ramens are all made with the superbly chewy noodles from Sun Noodle. There's a classic tonkotsu and a far less traditional fried chicken and kimchi choice. For ramen newbies, there's a handy list of the components that go into ramen alongside descriptions.
Washington, D.C.
Lupo Marino
The newest addition to the Wharf is this Italian spot that might transport you to the coasts of Italy with dishes like the summery stracciatella with summer squash, fava beans and ramp salsa verde; pizzas like one topped with fungi and preserved lemon; and a panino with confit tuna with escarole and roast peppers.
Milk Bar
Logan Circle is home to the first-ever flagship for Christina Tosi's dessert wonderland. This location is bigger than many of the pocket-size spots she operates in New York and includes a space for weekly baking classes, a display for whole cakes and lots of new products the team is testing out.
Austin
Arlo Grey
Kristen Kish is a somewhat unlikely room service chef. The winner of Top Chef and a protégé of Boston's Barbara Lynch, she's more familiar with turning out a tasting menu than room service. But she welcomes the challenge in Austin at The Line hotel, where her restaurant debuted with a burger topped with caramelized onions, Kewpie mayo and pommes aligot in place of cheese, as Eater reports.
Houston
La Vista 101
After shuttering last year, La Vista is back open, this time as La Vista 101. John "J.D." Woodward is in charge of the kitchen this go-round and is serving grilled Spanish octopus, a handful of pizzas and a wild boar fettuccine Bolognese. For something lighter, there's the catch of the day, cooked in a wood-fire oven.
Nobu
Nobu Matsuhisa's signature restaurant has landed in Houston, opening for dinner in The Galleria just days ago on June 1. Those who have dined at other Nobu locales will recognize signature offerings, like the black miso cod, and the lengthy sushi menu, which can be ordered à la carte or as part of an omakase.
Miami
Novikov Restaurant and Bar
Miami's latest restaurant import is this sprawling spot from London. It's set up right downtown along the water. The menu is almost as sprawling as the space, offering maki, sashimi, robata and dim sum, so there's something for everyone.
Devra Ferst is a food writer, editor and cooking teacher based in Brooklyn. She cares much more about babka than any one woman should. Follow her on Instagram at @dferst.
Atomix (New York, NY)
Meals start with two snacks, followed by eight savory courses and then two desserts at Elia and Junghyun Park's new upscale project.
Photo: Diane Kang
Atomix (New York, NY)
While the first floor operates as a lounge, you'll find a U-shaped bar downstairs that seats 16, where the kitchen is serving a destination-worthy tasting menu.
Photo: Diane Kang
Oxomoco (New York, NY)
Justin Bazdarich, who helms the ovens at Speedy Romeo, is now overseeing the wood-fire grill at Oxomoco in Greenpoint.
Photo: Oxomoco
Oxomoco (New York, NY)
Expect items like chicken al pastor and pork-cheek carnitas.
Photo: Oxomoco
Oxomoco (New York, NY)
Oxomoco's dining room.
Photo: Oxomoco
Besharam (San Francisco, CA)
Look out for elevated Indian-leaning bites like grilled paneer kebabs and blue cheese naan at Besharam in San Francisco.
Photo: Alta Group
Besharam (San Francisco, CA)
Heena Patel, a chef whose résumé includes a stint at La Cocina, the SF-based culinary incubator that advocates female chefs of color, is in charge of this Gujarati-meets-California restaurant.
Photo: Alta Group
Arlo Grey (Austin, TX)
Top Chef winner Kristen Kish is using her background in fine dining for the comfort food dishes you'll see on the menu at Arlo Grey.
Photo: The Line Hotel
Arlo Grey (Austin, TX)
The restaurant is located inside The Line Hotel in downtown Austin.
Photo: The Line Hotel
Arlo Grey (Austin, TX)
Burrata cheese in cucumber broth with olive oil.
Photo: The Line Hotel