Check Out These 12 New Fall 2018 Restaurant Openings In NYC

While New Yorkers may not be ready to say goodbye to summer, they can eagerly look forward to the upcoming new fall dining scene. From Brooklyn, all the way to the Upper West Side – make sure to put these restaurants on your dining bucket list.

Playboy Club NYC

Photo Credit: Steven Gomillion

This September, Playboy Enterprises and Merchants Hospitality have come together to launch Playboy Club New York in midtown Manhattan, serving as Playboy’s North American flagship location. Embodying the sophisticated life made famous by one of America’s most iconic brands, Playboy Club New York will look to celebrate all things provocative, playful, and of course, exclusive.

The restaurant’s epicurean offering was created by Nobu veteran and Creative Director Richie Notar. Notar has developed a menu with “gastronomic attitude” for the Playboy Club with carefully curated dishes that use only the best ingredients possible. The Playboy Club also features a sushi menu created by Tabitha Yeh, Playboy Club’s Executive Chef. Yeh is considered a new rising star in the Chef’s world with recent openings in San Francisco and Shanghai.

512 W 42nd Street

Hortus

Photo Credit: Hortus NYC

Hortus, a fresh idea for destination dining in NoMad, just opened at on Fifth Avenue. Leading the helm are General Manager/Partner Suhum Jang (Per Se, Daniel, Jung Sik) and executive chef Seungjoon Choi (Blanca, Marea, Lowlife, Gammeok), who have reinvented modern Asian cuisine in New American style, infusing local and seasonal ingredients with contemporary flavors.

The name Hortus, Latin for garden, reflects the emphasis on freshness, and the theme of the garden runs through the interior. The restaurant is divided into four distinct areas: first floor bar dining, second floor main dining room, sun-lit lounge, and outdoor garden dining.

271 Fifth Avenue

The Ribbon 

Photo Credit: The Ribbon

Brothers Bruce and Eric Bromberg are bringing their Upper West Side hit, The Ribbon, to a new neighborhood this fall. The Ribbon is set to open soon in the old New York Times Annex on West 44th Street. This location of The Ribbon will pay homage to the area’s original identity, Longacre Square, while introducing the bustling Times Square neighborhood to the Bromberg Brothers’ renowned hospitality, extensive whiskey collection, and menu of spit-roasted meats, seafood and Blue Ribbon classics.

220 West 44 Street

Eléa 

Photo Credit: Kyma Flatiron

Eléa, set to open in October 2018 by Reno Christou and partners, will transport an airy, Greek island ambiance to Manhattan’s Upper West Side. The two-story space will have a welcoming neighborhood feel with wood and white-washed design elements throughout the main-level bar and lounge, lower-level dining room, and striking wine room. In addition to approachable dishes primed to please local diners time and time again, Eléa’s menu will also draw elements from the best of its downtown sister restaurant Kyma Flatiron. 

217 West 85 Street

Le Cave

Photo Credit: Noah Fecks

Down dimly lit stairs tucked away in the West Village, enter La Cave – a romantic dwelling beneath the bustling Bistro Pierre Lapin from chef Harold Moore and partner Julia Grossman. Lit by ornate chandeliers and candlelight, the subterranean space offers a respite from New York City’s moody lounges, with a pale blue ceiling and walls covered in neutral oil paints cultivating a charming atmosphere like none other. Experience an intimate Parisian-inspired evening as you sip an array of authentic wines and indulge in carefully crafted hors d’oeuvres and bite-sized desserts.

99 Bank Street

Brooklyn Chop House

Photo Credit: Brooklyn Chop House

Brooklyn Chop House, a new restaurant owned by Robert (DonPooh) Cummins, restaurateur, business executive and music industry impresario, who has worked closely with the likes of Mary J. Blige and Diddy, and operated by restaurateur Stratis Morfogen, brings the romance, youthfulness, and nostalgia of Brooklyn to the Financial District of Manhattan. Akin to its name, and being a stone’s throw from Chinatown, Brooklyn Chop House will serve Dim Sum & Chops giving diners everything from Homemade Dumplings and Noodles to 50 – 60 day dry-aged Prime Steaks and Double Thick Cut Chops.

Seating 150, with two private rooms that can range from 10 – 75 people, Brooklyn Chop House pays homage to its late 1800’s building with an old-world New York design, and will be the neighborhood spot this area needs as the residential population grows, but with the crave-worthy food being served, is bound to be a destination for food and drink enthusiasts from all over New York City.

150 Nassau Street (Spruce Street)

The Ash Room At Sushi Noz

Photo Credit: Sushi Noz

Sushi Noz partners Joshua Foulquier, David Foulquier, and Sushi chef Abe Nozomu add another experience to their intimate Edomae-style sushi restaurant. Headed by former Sushi Yasuda chef Jun Matsuzaki, the omakase at this counter will be $175 per person, and will offer diners a more casual dining experience with no set seating times; and reservations taken only two weeks in advance. The exquisite seven-seat counter made of all ash wood engulfs diners’ senses, and the Sukiya design brings peace and tranquility to all who walk through the Sushi Noz door.

181 East 78 Street

Steak & Lobster

Ever dream of a restaurant that was all surf or turf? Well, owner Don Fellner, and chef Masato Okamoto have and created just that. At Steak & Lobster one can have their surf, and their turf, individually or together. The debut of Steak & Lobster, will allow diners to choose from various marinades, rubs, and sauces in the preparation of their meat or crustacean. Cooked on the restaurant’s charcoal grill, or pan-seared, all steaks offered are grass-fed and hormone-free; lobsters, offered grilled or steamed, will range from 1 1/4 lb. to monster-size; all entrees will sell for between $20 and $22, including side dishes (any lobster over 1 1/4 lbs. will be MP). For those who prefer their Steak & Lobster on a bun, chopped steak and lobster rolls will be offered. Seating 170, and set in a vibrantly designed lofty space, Steak & Lobster will bring another high-energy restaurant to the growing Upper Chelsea area of Manhattan.

129 West 29 Street

Nikutei Futago

Photo Credit: Nikutei Futago

The team behind Yakiniku Futago is bringing an extraordinary Japanese Yakiniku BBQ experience to New York this fall. Nikutei Futago will specialize in upscale Yakiniku using only Japanese Wagyu, allowing diners to experience the ultimate umami and beauty of Japanese beef. There will be three tasting-menu options, and like at Futago, the meat will be grilled on the table by the diners themselves.  

The restaurant spans two floors and features 38 seats, mostly consisting of semi-private tables. The design transports guests to a traditional Japanese ryokan; after arriving through the entrance tucked behind a Japanese garden, diners will be greeted softly and guided to their tables. There are two Nikutei Futago locations in Tokyo, and this will be their first U.S. outpost. Expect specialties like their signature “Nikubako,” an assortment of Japanese Wagyu in a wooden box, Wagyu Otoro Nigiri, Japanesque desserts, and an extensive sake list. 

341 West Broadway

Ristoro del Cinghiale

Photo Credit: Ristoro del Cinghiale

Ristoro del Cinghiale, located in NoMad and opening on September 18, is the second restaurant venture from Restauranteur and Founder Nicola Marzovilla, who also founded the 24-year-old iconic Italian spot i Trulli, next door. Designed by architect Giuliano Fiorenzoli of Florence, the open kitchen style restaurant will also feature a wood-burning oven, a cozy bar and a 35-seated outdoor private dining room, which is open year-round.  The ingredient-driven menu will be comprised of Tuscan meats, cheeses, handmade pastas, fired-roasted steak and more. Beginning on Monday, October 15, the Tuscan style restaurant will be open for lunch featuring an express style lunch menu made up of two course options and a glass of wine.

122 East 27 Street 

Benno

Photo Credit: Parts & Labor Design

Acclaimed chef Jonathan Benno, formerly of Per Se and Lincoln Ristorante, will be introducing his third and final project in the historic and newly redesigned hotel, The Evelyn, in NYC’s vibrant NoMad neighborhood. Opening November 2018, Benno will be a fine-dining restaurant featuring Mediterranean cuisine. The menu will focus on the area where Italy and France meet at Liguria and Provence, as well as highlight additional regions along the Mediterranean coast.  “There may be some spices from Morocco, Espelette pepper from Spain, and wine from Sicily—the beverage program will also explore the unique wines & spirits from these provinces,” says Benno. 

Chef Benno’s other new concepts in The Evelyn include Leonelli Taberna, a casual Roman-inspired trattoria with an accompanying cocktail bar and lounge (opened June 25); and Leonelli Focacceria e Pasticceria, a bakery and café inspired by the great bakeries of Rome and New York’s rich history of Italian-American pastry shops (opened July 11).

7 E 27th Street

Philippe Downtown

Photo Credit: Philippe Chow NYC

Philippe Chow, the renowned Beijing style restaurant, will be opening a second location in the Meatpacking District this Fall. The spot to see and be seen, Philippe Downtown will bring its signature dishes including the Chicken Satay, Green Prawns, Cotton Candy Baked Alaska and more to a newly renovated space that was formerly inhabited by sushi spot, Megu.