The Eater New York Heatmap has existed for nearly two decades to answer the age-old question: “What’s hot and new in Manhattan?” Eater editors do thorough reporting on the most exciting restaurant openings to hit NYC, as well as smaller openings and hidden gems worth having on the radar. Though the local dining scene has endured tremendous challenges in recent years, the city’s spirit of breaking ground and exploring new cuisines and forms continues every month. In this map, we narrow the field to those places that are drawing the most excitement, buzz, crowds, and early positive chatter, focusing largely on restaurants that have only been open for six months or less. When an Eater editor visits a new restaurant, even if it just opened, we share insider tips on what to expect and what’s worth ordering as well.
Best New Restaurants in Manhattan, According to Eater Editors
From a Union Square seafood spot to a dynamic new food hall
New to the list in October: Time Out Market with standout stalls like Kebabwala, seafood newcomer Seahorse, the Eighty Six in the former Chumley’s, and Mexican Limusina from the Bad Roman team. Banh Anh Em exits the heatmap, along with Ha’s Snack Bar, both of which opened in March; Adda, and Printemps’ Maison Passerelle, which opened in April.
For more New York dining recommendations, check out the new hotspots in Brooklyn and Queens. And for an insider’s perspective on how to eat well no matter where you are in NYC, pick up our new book: The Eater Guide to New York City.
Best New Restaurants in Manhattan, According to Eater Editors
From a Union Square seafood spot to a dynamic new food hall
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The Eater New York Heatmap has existed for nearly two decades to answer the age-old question: “What’s hot and new in Manhattan?” Eater editors do thorough reporting on the most exciting restaurant openings to hit NYC, as well as smaller openings and hidden gems worth having on the radar. Though the local dining scene has endured tremendous challenges in recent years, the city’s spirit of breaking ground and exploring new cuisines and forms continues every month. In this map, we narrow the field to those places that are drawing the most excitement, buzz, crowds, and early positive chatter, focusing largely on restaurants that have only been open for six months or less. When an Eater editor visits a new restaurant, even if it just opened, we share insider tips on what to expect and what’s worth ordering as well.
New to the list in October: Time Out Market with standout stalls like Kebabwala, seafood newcomer Seahorse, the Eighty Six in the former Chumley’s, and Mexican Limusina from the Bad Roman team. Banh Anh Em exits the heatmap, along with Ha’s Snack Bar, both of which opened in March; Adda, and Printemps’ Maison Passerelle, which opened in April.
For more New York dining recommendations, check out the new hotspots in Brooklyn and Queens. And for an insider’s perspective on how to eat well no matter where you are in NYC, pick up our new book: The Eater Guide to New York City.
Limusina
Limusina, the new three-level Mexican restaurant from Quality Branded, behind Bad Roman and Twin Tails, has opened on the edge of Hudson Yards. It occupies what used to be a parking garage, remodeled into a 5,000-square-foot restaurant seating more than 200, with design nods to the site’s history, and hidden private rooms behind the bar. The menu features raw bar towers, whipped queso, aquachiles, lobster al pastor, Yucatan red snapper, carnitas pork shank, short rib quesa birria, desserts like jelly-doughnut conchas and a sweet-corn sundae, and cocktails such as a Tajin martini and frozen vampiros.
Markette
For this new Chelsea restaurant (which opened as Haymarket but changed its name to Markette earlier this August), chef India Doris has drawn from her experiences as a Londoner growing up in a Caribbean household who has since cooked in New York, Spain, and France. This translates to a modern European food menu with so many Caribbean touches served in an elegant yet jovial space. There’s the shepherd’s pie made with braised oxtail and cheddar polenta, salt cold fritters with a spicy aioli, and the star of the menu — the roast half chicken, her take on the famed Nando’s peri peri chicken, that’s quite spicy in a good way.
Bartolo
Basque-focused Lower East Side restaurant Ernesto’s dove into the West Village with its new Madrid tavern-style restaurant Bartolo. This means a slightly sunken, comfy, luxe, and warm space, all the better to enjoy chef Ryan Bartlow’s Spanish cuisine. Snack on the gildas, slurp down melon soupy ajo blanco, and always ask about the arroz del dia, which recently was a superb squab iteration. End the meal with the rightly savory tarta de queso.
Seahorse
Seahorse is the splashy seafood brasserie from Mercer Street Hospitality and restaurateur John McDonald, now open inside the revamped W New York – Union Square. Designed by Rockwell Group, the 125-seat room leans nautical —scallop tiles, midnight-blue banquettes, and a sea-themed mural — while chef John Villa sends out a seafood menu that includes crudo, swordfish, and branzino, among other options, with flourishes like spicy lobster cavatelli, corn ravioli, and even duck à l’orange; a dessert cart and signature cocktails round it out.
Time Out Market
Time Out Market has opened its second location and first in Manhattan, with stalls like Kebabwala, Patty Palace, Lori Jayne, Taqueria El Chato, and others; the space will also feature a cocktail bar and terrace seating. Expect dishes like Kebabwala’s goat, chicken, and bison kebabs, Lori Jayne’s burger riffs, and tacos from El Chato.
The Eighty Six
At 86 Bedford Street in the West Village — the storied former home of Chumley’s — The Eighty Six is the latest from Tilman Fertitta, Eugene Remm, and Catch Hospitality Group. The team is also behind Corner Store, the celebrity-magnet in Soho. The new 35-seat steakhouse swaps the Frog Club’s froggy decor for velvet banquettes, geometric marble floors, and literary nods from Rockwell Group. Chef Michael Vignola’s menu moves from oysters with gin-celery mignonette and horseradish-snow shrimp to 60-day-aged rib-eyes, and a cheesesteak. Cocktails are theatrical — smoked martinis, fat-washed pours, a clarified grasshopper in a teacup.
Ops
The team behind Bushwick’s Ops has opened this East Village restaurant with odes to St. Louis pies of co-owner Mike Fadem’s youth in the form of the tavernetta. This 50-percent whole wheat pie comes in variations like the Hawaiian. It’s also selling pizzas in the style that the Bushwick location is known for, like the Rojo with mortadella and pickled peppers. Also on the menu: inventive salads as well as lasagna. Expect a fairly-priced natural wine selection as well as cocktails. The space itself is less warm than the Bushwick one, but it’s a crowd-pleasing option, especially if you’re going to see a movie at Village East across the street.
Le Chêne
Yes, another splurgey French restaurant. French chef Alexia Duchêne struck out on her own with this new West Village restaurant over the summer. The result is a high-end dining destination with luxe classic French dishes served in a bright, chic room. There’s the decadent uni French toast, rich foie gras with wagyu beef tongue, and the showstopping pithivier terre y mer, where the puff pastry is stuffed with potato gratin, pork farce, and smoked eel. Don’t skip the complimentary bread sourced from Bread Story.
Chateau Royale
Did the West Village need another pricey French restaurant? Probably not. But it got a very glamorous one at that with Chateau Royale. A dressed-up offering from the team behind nearby bistro Libertine, this restaurant specializes in spotlighting lesser-seen dishes like duck a l’orange. There’s some beautiful showmanship here, down to the tableside martini cart.
Kabawa and Bar Kabawa
Momofuku’s first New York opening in years, Kabawa, is spearheaded by Paul Carmichael, a longtime chef for the group. You might remember the alleyway space as Ko, which the team has flipped following its closing, to turn into a Caribbean restaurant with modern inflections. It first launched with Bar Kabawa: an a la carte front area where patties (with stuffings like conch) are served alongside expertly crafted daiquiris, like one with bay leaves. But now, the back dining room — and main stage — has opened with $145 three-course prix fixe menu which includes choices like pepper shrimp spiked with sorrel, scotch bonnet peppers, and thyme; cassava dumplings stewed in a Creole sauce; black bass with curry; and coconut and cream cheese turnovers for dessert.
Muku
Muku is a new 10-seat kaiseki counter in Tribeca from the team behind Michelin-starred L’Abeille, led by chef Manabu Asanuma. The minimalist space centers on a seasonal tasting menu that shifts from sashimi and delicate broths to grilled fish and composed vegetable dishes, evoking Kyoto traditions in a downtown setting.
Mommy Pai’s
New York’s summer vibes are continuing well into September with the Thai Diner team’s new fast-fasual outpost in Nolita dedicated to all things chicken fingers. There are fried (duh) and grilled options, in flavors like lemongrass, coconut, or Muay Thai. Pair the poultry with sides like the bouncy Mommy Jakes or fries, plus round out the order with juices inspired by Gray’s Papaya — do try the mango-coconut. There are also sandwiches and soft serve. Mommy Pai’s is a takeout affair — the stand features quirky imagery involving the namesake matriarch, co-owner Ann Redding’s mother Ampai — but, yes, there’s an outdoor patio.
Santo Taco
Cosme’s Enrique Olvera and team debuted Esse Taco in Williamsburg last year. Now, Cosme’s lesser-known founder, Santiago Perez, has launched his own solo taqueria. In a prime corner where Noho meets Nolita, attached to La Esquina, Santo Taco is already busy, but service moves quickly. There are just a few stools inside, but the majority of the seating is outside, making it perfect for a Friday lunch while escaping the office. The best order here is the impressively thin steak trompo (New York strip and sirloin with avocado salsa).
Lei
Lei comes from Annie Shi, a partner in Soho’s King and Jupiter in Rockefeller Center. As her most personal project yet, this wine bar restaurant, located in the heart of Chinatown, focuses on modern Chinese small plates. Dishes by chef Patty Lee are heartfelt — from the celtuce to the house-made shaobing and cat’s ear noodles. Don’t sleep on their take on eight treasure pudding with sticky toffee.
