Latest & Greatest: Best New Openings
Trying to keep up with the latest restaurant and bar openings in Manhattan feels like trying to bathe a cat. It’s painful, exhausting, not easy. There’s always some new hip haunt that overnight becomes the only spot in the city that matters. We’re here to narrow things down. From a glamorous martini bar in Alphabet City to a crazily Kawaii sushi conveyer belt restaurant in SoHo, these are the new downtown spots to check out.
Follow fashionable New Yorkers into Madeline’s Martini, whose graffiti-covered facade on Avenue C hides a moodily lit drinking den. Madeline’s interior is sophisticated, eccentric, and somewhat peacock-themed; you’ll spot peacock paintings plus a taxidermied peacock perched above a vintage cigarette machine. The speakeasy-ish space makes for excellent people-watching, with designer-clad patrons cozying up at the classy candlelit 12-seat bar up front and knocking back martinis in the green velvet banquette-lined back room, where there is an exposed brick fireplace and DJ booth. As for Madeline’s martinis? There are many, including one with mezcal and sea lettuce brine, and they all cost $18. Overwhelmed with the options? Stick with “The Classic”—it perfectly pairs with the black caviar and horseradish sandwich—and thank us later.
171 Avenue C, Manhattan
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This charming all-day French café and bistro, housed inside the legendary Hotel Chelsea, opened its doors on Bastille Day. The bright and airy space–which includes an elegant dining room called the Grand Café and the sun-drenched and casual Petit Café–is filled with cushy banquettes, roomy booths, plants, vintage chandeliers, and artwork from guests who once lived at the storied hotel. Executive Chef Derek Boccagno’s menu includes seafood platters, steak frites, a 32-dollar cheeseburger, and a to-die-for chocolate soufflé. Plus, there’s an impressive wine menu. This atmosphere-oozing eatery is the hotel’s first restaurant since the opening of El Quijote, the Spanish restaurant that has continued to serve up paellas and tapas since 1930.
218 W 23rd St, Manhattan; (212) 518-1813
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Located on the cobblestoned Bond Street in NoHo and housed in a historic townhouse, this aptly named, semi-subterranean watering hole comes from the team behind the celebrity-frequented Pebble Bar and Ray’s. The space is dimly lit, moody, and oft-packed with fashion and non-struggling artist types, but a pool table and a menu featuring interesting cocktails keep things fun and not too fancy. There’s a cocktail with popcorn-infused rum. There’s a vodka cocktail with pistachios, beets, dill, and coconut yogurt. And if you’re looking for something super savory, get ready for “Jac’s Caprese Martini” to be your new favorite drink. As for what you should try on the snack menu? A slice of creamsicle pie is a heavenly must-order, which you’re then going to need to pair with “Jac’s Espresso Martini.”
26 Bond St, Manhattan; (646) 370-1446
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Jaded New Yorkers who feel like they’ve experienced everything, Sushidelic’s for you. Stepping into this psychedelic, neon-pink sushi conveyer belt restaurant is like being teleported into an Alice in Wonderland-meets-Hello Kitty-on-acid-inspired café in Tokyo’s Harajuku district. If you’re on TikTok, you may have already seen the enormous lipstick-shaped lights and Cheshire-like cat heads replete with dramatic lashes and protruding tongues that dangle from the restaurant’s mirrored ceiling. Then there’s the six-course omakase ($86) called the “Pure Imagination” that comes out on the conveyor belt. Artfully presented plates include assorted sashimi “parfaits” with soy sauce syringes and pastel-colored macarons stuffed with tuna and pink sushi rice. This wacky, whimsical, and mega-immersive Kawaii wonderland was created by Japanese artist Sebastian Masuda, aka the godfather of Kawaii culture, who also helmed Harajuku’s late, great Kawaii Monster Café.
177 Lafayette St, Manhattan
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If you’re a fan of Tokyo’s famed listening bars that are often hard to find and compact-sized, then head to the back of Port Sa’id, a buzzy new Iraesli restaurant, and look for a sliding door. Behind it is this teeny-tiny listening bar and record shop from LA-based music collective In Sheep’s Clothing. Sip Japanese whiskey alongside vinyl lovers while listening to ambient sounds under ambient lighting. Sonically soothe away your Monday blues at this Hudson Square hideaway on Mondays from 2–5 p.m. and experience top-tier listening sessions featuring classics and rarities from their impressive in-house record collection.
350 Hudston St, Manhattan; (212) 256-0841
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Everybody seems to be talking about this impossibly cool French restaurant—or “neo-bistro,” according to Ella Funt’s website. You’ll understand the hype once inside this East Village hotspot, where there’s a massive mural by artist Marcus Jahmal, a copper-wrapped bar, and a wildly Instagrammable gold-tiled bathroom replete with a gilded toilet. There’s eclectic artwork everywhere you look, and there’s also an eclectic, French-ish menu. Starters include oysters with maple ponzu mignonette, croquettes, and beef tartare. For a light main, try the confit egg yolk raviolo. If you’re really hungry, a whole fish (grilled Dorado) with green curry will cost you $65. But, according to online reviews and TikTokers, the food fan favorite is the uni burrata toast. We don’t disagree. In fact, we suggest ordering several of those luxe snacks along with many a cocktail.
78-80 E 4th St, Manhattan; (212) 970-8082
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Saito is an intimate, high-end (see also: excellent) izakaya and sake bar in Nolita. Its excellence makes a lot of sense when you learn that lauded sushi master Daisuke Nakazawa, known for his eponymous Michelin-starred Sushi Nakazawa in Greenwich Village, is the owner. Co-owner and Executive Chef, Hitoshi “Jin” Fujita (Sushiden, Sushi Nakazawa), provides a spectacular seafood-heavy menu, but the Japanese-style fried chicken (karaage) and grilled chicken meatball (tsukune) also deserve the attention of your tastebuds. PS: Get ready to lose your mind over the extensive sake menu.
72 Kenmare St, Manhattan; (646) 590-2969
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We’ve saved the most exciting and beyond-inventive for last. The popular and tiny East Village sandwich shop, Foxface, was recently reborn and relocated to a larger space with a woodburning kitchen on Avenue A. There aren’t any sandwiches at Foxface Natural, but the team’s penchant for unusual ingredients and food that’s “wild and natural” is still going strong. The menu changes daily, but previous dishes offered have included everything from elk tartare and kangaroo tartare to hiramasa “pastrami” and the head of a Splendid Alfonsino. Fear not, picky eaters: desserts and natural wine are always available.
189 Avenue A, Manhattan; (917) 768-5008
WORDS Alex Catarinella
FEATURED IMAGE courtesy of Café Chelsea
