10 New York City Restaurants to Visit This Summer
Whether it’s glamorous fine dining, cocktails alongside world-class art, or chefs exploring international ingredients in innovative ways, New York City’s hot spots are all offering something special when it comes to creativity. As this list of T&C's new favorites proves, dining out in the Big Apple has never been more thrilling.
Greywind
At Greywind, James Beard Award winner Dan Kluger’s new restaurant, the chef continues to celebrate the seasonal market-driven cooking that he is known for. No one treats vegetables as creatively as Kluger, and fans will be happy to see garden-forward dishes like local radishes with grapefruit and mint; sugar snap peas with bonito vinaigrette and buttermilk; English pea and fava fritters; and carrot hummus. The menu also leans into rotisserie cooking with a delicious cauliflower with pickled apricots, chilies, and mint, and a perfectly prepared half chicken with chiles, asparagus, and chicken-mayo. It would be smart to save room for dessert as the lemon cake with yuzu curd and strawberry cream cheese semifreddo are both out of this world. Not ready to call it a night after your final course? Head downstairs to Spygold, a plush cocktail bar designed by the award-winning Parts and Labor Design, where you can enjoy classic and seasonal cocktails that highlight artisanal New York spirits.
Anto
Founder and owner Tony Park has long wanted to create a restaurant that combines his Korean heritage and customs with New York’s culture of refined and luxurious hospitality. Anto, his new Korean steakhouse located in the iconic 1912 townhouse that was once home to Lidia Bastianich’s Felidia, does just that. Executive Chef Imsub Lee, has crafted a progressive menu that takes guests through a series of traditional Korean preparation styles and presentations. A set of additional "Siksa," or sharable kitchen courses, and a diverse selection of raw and chilled seafood leads to a butcher block with a selection of American and Japanese Wagyu beef, Mangalitsa, and Iberico pork, along with a rotating menu of seasonal specialties. The beverage program, curated by assistant general manager and wine director Joo Lee features a wine list of roughly 1,100 labels alongside a cocktail program designed by craft mixologists Emily Chen and Andrew Lau.
Bar Vinazo
The wine bar craze shows no sign of slowing down, and a noteworthy new entry is Bar Vinazo, a handsome, 30-seat Spanish gem from Brooklyn restaurateurs Ilyssa Satter and Joe Campanale (Fausto, LaLou). Diners can choose from an international list of 150 organic, biodynamic, and natural wines to accompany an array of Spanish meats, cheeses, and conservas (tinned fish). The menu also features a list of classic tapas as well as larger plates based on family recipes such as the fideuà, the Catalan fideo paella. A peaceful 40-seat garden offers visitors an option for al fresco summer nights.
Sushi Ichimura
Legendary Japanese sushi chef, Eiji Ichimura (Uchu, Ichimura at Brushstroke), has teamed up with Kuma Hospitality Group (l’abeille, l’abeille à côté) for Sushi Ichimura, his return to New York. Ichimura, whose career includes two Michelin stars for both of his former restaurants, will serve his signature edomae-style omakase and present the freshest fish and ingredients, sourced directly from Japan and aged to showcase each courses’ peak flavor. The 20-course menu consists of seasonal appetizers including a housemade mochi rice cracker filled with Hokkaido uni and caviar, followed by over 12 courses of delicately aged nigiri sushi and temaki, as well as his signature triple-layered otoro, finished with seasonal desserts served with tea. Also a feast for the eyes, each dish here is served on rare antique Japanese lacquerware and ceramic plates handmade by Shiro Tsujimura, one of Japan’s most prominent contemporary ceramic artists. The 10-seat jewel box room also features a 16th-century gold leaf covered Japanese screen depicting the famous “The Tale of Genji.”
Libertine
Dining at Libertine, the West Village’s latest must-visit bistro, is like taking a little trip to Paris. A zinc bar, original penny tile floors, cafe tables, and vintage Serge Gainsbourg and Cy Twombly posters set the mood while the menu focuses on cuisine du marché, the greenmarket-guided cooking found in bistros across the French countryside. An expert beverage program curated by owner Cody Pruitt showcases an entirely all-natural French wine list and cocktails made with small batch French spirits. Executive Chef and partner Max Mackinnon’s offerings include freshly baked sourdough bread served with butter from Normandy and additions like anchovies and chicken liver, cured ham hock and pork shank in a parsley aspic, gougéres with aged comté, oeufs mayo with trout roe, broiled scallop with seaweed butter and leeks served in the shell; golden chicken with foraged wild mushrooms and vin jaune sauce; and a saucisse purée that gives Les Arlots a run for the money. Desserts like 30 month comté; rice pudding with caramel and hazelnuts; and chocolate mousse with chartreuse crème fraîche, round out the menu.
Ma•dé
Chef Cédric Vongerichten (Wayan, Perry Street) & his life and business partner Ochi Latjuba Vongerichten have opened Ma•dé (which translates to “second born” in Balinese) at 22 Spring Street, next door from the couple’s popular Indonesian restaurant Wayan (which translates to “first born”). Here, Vongerichten serves seasonal, seafood, and vegetable-centric small plates inspired by the cooking of Japan, France, the Americas, Indonesia, and more. The global menu includes lobster dumplings with caviar sauce and chives, deconstructed shrimp toast with cilantro and citrus chili, mushrooms with parmesan cream sauce, pine nuts, and sancho pepper, and a banana dessert with amaro and créme fraiche pecans. Guests can also enjoy vegetal and fruit accented cocktails such as the St. Jean 23. featuring Botanist gin, clarified pineapple-cilantro-makrut-lime juice with soda, and the Huatulco made with mezcal, rabarbaro, beets, yuzu vinegar, chile puya, and lemon oil.
The Bazaar by José Andrés
A long-awaited marriage of Spanish and Japanese cuisine, The Bazaar by José Andrés is opening next month at The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad, developed by Flag Luxury Group. The Michelin-starred chef and his culinary team uses the journey of Hasekura Tsunenaga, a 17th-century samurai and the first Japanese ambassador to the Americas and Spain, to inspire the menu and design. The interior, conceived by Spain’s Lázaro Rosa-Violán Studio, will offer diners a transportive and theatrical ambiance with warm shades of rust, indigo, gold, and natural wood tones.
C as in Charlie
Childhood best friends David JoonWoo Yun, Steve JaeWoo Choi, and Eric JaeHo Choi teamed up to open C as in Charlie, a lively 40-seat restaurant—a dream they’ve been collectively working on since they were young boys growing up in Atlanta. The whimsical and imaginative menu reflects their collective Korean heritage and Georgia upbringing. The Korean-Southern small plates celebrate the delicious cross-section of immigration and assimilation and include the Seoul’sbury steak, a playful twist on the American classic served with gruyere grits and galbi jus, and oxbone cream pasta, inspired by David’s mother’s rendition of seolleongtang, a traditional Korean oxbone stew, which she served with spaghetti when unable to find Korean-style wheat noodles. A well-edited list of natural wine, beer, sake, and soju is available along with playful desserts like B as in Banana, a banana pudding served with misugaru (Korean multigrain), creme anglaise and meringue.
Twenty Three Grand
Just in time for summer, New York hospitality OG David Rabin and his partner James Julius have opened Twenty Three Grand, a high-design hot spot with a Mediterranean accented menu by Chef Ashley Rath and a retractable roof allowing for al fresco dining. Snacks include caviar service with spicy tuna and homemade tater tots, a zucchini tower with crispy chips and tzatziki, and crudité with three house-made dips. Additional menu highlights include a tuna tostada, beef Carpaccio, cherry pomodoro with angel hair and Sicilian olive oil, and dishes for two like the whole grilled branzino with royal trumpet mushrooms and mint salsa verde. A nice selection of seasonal cocktails, some spirit-free, round out the offerings.
La Rubia
Colombian restaurateur Andrés Diaz has opened a café-cum-raw bar at Soho's 11 Howard Hotel. This all-day hotspot offers a dynamic menu that transitions from fresh morning pastries to a vibrant evening raw bar. In addition to ceviches and other seafood-forward dishes, La Rubia boasts a unique cocktail selection incorporating tequila and mezcal and a curated wine list which compliments the ocean-centric menu. The sophisticated, colonial-inspired décor paired with an alluring outdoor area and a music program by noted DJ and producer Nacho Isa, offers an oasis in the heart of New York City.
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