New York’s Restaurant Scene Surges With New Openings

Oriana opened on Mott Street in May from Eleven Madison Park alumni Andy Quinn and Cedric Nicaise. The restaurant serves live-fire cooking in a restored 1890s building. The same month, chef Sujan Sarkar brought Chicago's Indienne to New York, joining what 50 Best called a new wave of high-end Indian dining that includes Semma in the West Village.

Galerie Magazine has spotlighted new restaurants around the city. HED NYC in Chelsea, from San Francisco's Michelin-recognized hed 11, offers a five-course Thai menu that rotates among regions every three to four months; Grub Street reported the menu costs $126. Oyatte, chef Hasung Lee's first independent restaurant, serves an eight-course hyperseasonal tasting menu across two floors. El Cielo, from Colombian chef Juan Manuel Barrientos, opened atop Virgin Hotels with a 15-course 'Experience' menu.

September brought imports and neighborhood spots. El Califa de León, the Mexico City taqueria that sells only tacos, reopened on September 8 after an August soft opening, according to Grub Street; its rib-eye taco costs $19. Bar Etienne opened August 31 in the West Village with a French kitchen from Michael Bray and Keith Larry, including a French onion grilled cheese. In Greenpoint, Texas pitmasters Jonny White and Chuck Charnichart opened Kirbee's the weekend before Labor Day, with a full opening set to begin over Labor Day weekend; the menu includes brisket, charro beans, and green spaghetti.

The fall pipeline is heavy with chef-driven projects. Daniel Boulud is combining three Lincoln Center restaurants into Brasserie Boulud, a 10,000-square-foot French brasserie opening mid-September at 1900 Broadway. Daniel Humm is opening Humm, a more casual restaurant at 435 Hudson Street, in October. London chef Thomas Straker is bringing his first restaurant outside the U.K. to 59 Grand Street in Soho in October.

Other notable openings include Mythily, a Tamil and South Indian restaurant from Top Chef contestant Rasika Venkatesa at 129 Havemeyer Street in Williamsburg, opening mid-September. Vitor Mendes, formerly chef de cuisine at Theodora, plans a modern Brazilian restaurant on the Lower East Side with Amazon rainforest ingredients. Enrique Olvera is turning the former Atla in Noho into Bar Cosme, a bar with prix fixe and a la carte menus and asador-style dishes. The Kisa team is opening Good Time Country Buffet in the East Village with a $26.99 all-you-can-eat Southern menu.

Across the reporting, several patterns stand out: live-fire cooking appears at Oriana, Graciela, and Bar Cosme; high-end Indian dining is growing with Indienne and Semma; and imports from London, Mexico City, Chicago, and San Francisco are arriving this season.