Trying new restaurants in New York City is part of the fun of being there: in 2023, there were 71 Michelin-starred eateries across the five boroughs, more than any other city in the United States. Each year, several more are nominated for (and often win) a James Beard award—a.k.a “the foodie Oscars.” And those are just the places with significant accolades: on any given day, on any given corner, you’ll see a thriving restaurant packed with its neighborhood regulars. For Gothamites, after all, going out to eat is a social activity, a hobby, and an adventure.
Over the past few months, the city has welcomed a number of notable new restaurants well worth the reservation. Below, find the hottest New York City restaurants this spring.
San Sabino (West Village)
The husband and wife culinary team of Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli describe San Sabino as “Italian American”—and indeed, their menu includes melting-pot meals like shrimp parmesan, shrimp Louie salad, lobster ravioli, as well as crab and mortadella dip. “We’re just trying to have fun and kind of put a new spin on things,” Rito previously told Vogue. Yet don’t let their delightful unpretentious fool you: their other restaurant, Don Angie, earned a Michelin star in 2021 and remains one of the most sought-after reservations in New York. San Sabino is fun, but also a tastebud tour-de-force deserving of critical acclaim. –Elise Taylor, senior living writer
Cecily (Greenpoint)
You’d be forgiven for thinking that Cecily was just another well-lit small-plates spot. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that; it’s a New York mainstay for a reason.) But Cecily—the newest venture from the team behind other Brooklyn beloved haunts like The Four Horsemen and Estella—is perhaps the platonic ideal of a modern neighborhood restaurant. The menu, just a dozen dishes long, is deceptively simple: chicory salad, butter beans, winter panzanella, roast chicken. Every dish, every ingredient, is so understandable; no fussy gastronomy here—just some of the best (and most bountiful) plates of food I’ve had in recent memory. Everything is excellent, but the mussel toast—a happy hybrid of moules-frites and a po’ boy—is worth a trip to Greenpoint alone. –Jessie Heyman, executive editor
Demo (West Village)
Calling Demo a wine bar feels diminutive—although with only forty seats and a great selection of bottles, it very much is. (“Nice night for a Cabernet Franc,” reads a recent Instagram caption.) Yet the pared-back menu is also perfection. Foccacia and olive oil come with anchovies, whereas a crab casino is crusted with Ritz crackers. For heartier fare, opt for a juicy half chicken or lobster au poivre. Just make sure to leave room for the banana pudding. –E.T.
Beef Bar (TriBeCa)
With locations in St. Tropez, Monte Carlo, Mykonos, and Dubai, Beef Bar is a restaurant that caters to a see-and-be-seen clientele—who also happens to enjoy a fine cut of meat. This spring, they put up their velvet rope in front of a 6,000-foot space in Downtown New York. Inside, a dining room with Verde Alpi marble tables awaits, lined with dining chairs upholstered in Pierre Frey fabrics. A lounge, meanwhile, embraces an Art Deco-like interior and includes a DJ booth. As the name implies, steak is the thing to order. But also don’t skip on the street food section of the menu, which features a number of creative yet more casual dishes: think Wagyu beef quesadillas, bao buns, and bite-sized croque monsieurs with ham and mozzarella cheese. –E.T.
Coqodaq (Flatiron)
I haven’t exactly checked in with any analytics agency, but Coqodaq has to be the most Instagrammed New York City restaurant as of late. (Their caviar-covered chicken nuggets are particularly the subject of social media snaps.) Viral food aside, the Simon Kim-run restaurant (of Cote fame) has captured the cultural culinary zeitgeist due to its creative take on Korean fried chicken: patrons order buckets of crispy poultry coated in soy sauce garlic or gochujang glaze, along with traditional American sides like mac and cheese or coleslaw. The result? An evening of cultural crossed, elevated comfort food. The interiors are also impressive: the David Rockwell-designed restaurant boasts grand illuminated arches, green velvet banquettes, and the most beautiful hand-washing station you’ve ever seen. —E.T.
Theodora (Fort Greene)
My neighborhood of Fort Greene, Brooklyn, has seen a fleet of buzzy openings in the past few years—the Milanese-inspired Saraghina, the impossibly popular Sailor—and now, to tucked-away 7 Greene Avenue, comes Theodora, which already has the area swooning. There’s a good reason for the fuss: the restaurant is from chef Tomer Blechman of Miss Ada (another local hotspot) and delivers a dynamic, seafood-forward Mediterranean menu. Hype can be a dangerous thing (how can a little radish possibly live up to all that pressure?), but I can happily say that in Theodora’s case, it’s entirely deserved. The restaurant is immediately transporting (the decor is Mexico City meets Tel Aviv) and the food feels just as special. You’ll be tempted to pull out your phone—especially to capture the za’atar kubaneh, a cinnamon bun-style savory pastry served with three dips—but mostly you’ll be too busy eating. The whole menu is a knock-out, just make sure you save room for dessert: a deconstructed baklava sundae with tahini ice cream. –J.H.
