New York City's 25 Most Anticipated Fall Openings

As Labor Day approaches, so too does the season of big restaurant openings. Between now and the end of the year, many new restaurants will make their debut. This fall will see the arrival of new projects from some of the city's most acclaimed chefs and new hotel restaurants from more than one major restaurateur. There will also be a couple big moves, a few promising up-and-comers, and maybe, just maybe, Brooklyn Fare Manhattan will finally open. Here is a guide to the 25 most exciting restaurants opening before the end of the year.

[Olvera and his team at Gastronomika 2011 [Photo: Adalberto R. Lanz]]

Cosme
Where: 35 East 21st St., Flatiron District
Major Players: Enrique Olvera
The Story: A Mexican restaurant from the world-renowned chef behind Pujol in Mexico City. This will be somewhat more casual than Pujol, but still offer the forward-thinking Mexican cuisine Olvera is known. Expect ceviches, chiliquilla with burrata, and sea urchin tostadas, plus fresh tortillas, possibly made at Olvera's own Brooklyn-based tortilleria.
Projected Opening: Early September
[All Coverage of Cosme]

[Floyd Cardoz by Krieger]

White Street
Where: 221 West Broadway, TriBeCa
Major Players: Dan Abrams, Christine Cole, Dave Zinczenko, Floyd Cardoz, Jason Lawless
The Story: Shortly after leaving his longtime position at North End Grill, acclaimed chef Floyd Cardoz returns with this project from media tycoons/restaurateurs Dan Abrams and Dave Zinczenko, and BondSt vet Christine Cole. The modern American restaurant in the former Churrascaria Tribeca space will have a glamorous interior (think marble and chandeliers) and global influences on the menu. Former Tocqueville chef Jason Lawless will be "working closely" with Cardoz as chef de cuisine.
Projected Opening: Early September
[All Coverage of White Street]

[Krieger]

Marta
Where: 29 E. 29th St., Midtown
Major Players: Nick Anderer, Terry Coughlin, Peter Juusola, Danny Meyer, Joe Tarasco
The Story: A pizza restaurant from the Maialino team in the new Martha Washington hotel. While Anderer will help oversee menu creation, Gramercy Tavern vet Joe Tarasco will oversee the day-to-day as chef de cuisine. The all-day restaurant will center on thin-crusted, Roman-style pizzas cooked over embers.
Projected Opening: Late August/early September
[All Coverage of Marta]

[Krieger]

Dirty French
Where: 180 Ludlow St., Lower East Side
Major Players: Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi, Jeff Zalaznick
The Story: The first ever non-Italian restaurant from the hitmaking Torrisi team. This French restaurant in The Ludlow hotel will have nods to Morocco and New Orleans on the menu, and a dining experience every bit as extravagant as the one at Carbone. Think dirty rice, rotisserie-cooked meats, côte de boeuf served in stages, and tableside oyster service.
Projected Opening: September
[All Coverage of Dirty French]

[Michael Benjamin]

Aldo Sohm Wine Bar
Where: 151 W. 51st St., Midtown
Major Players: Maguy Le Coze, Eric Ripert, Aldo Sohm
The Story: Almost 30 years after opening Le Bernardin, Eric Ripert and Maguy Le Coze plan a wine bar spinoff of the four-star restaurant. As the name suggests, the new place will be helmed by Le Bern's master sommelier, Aldo Sohm. Besides a top-notch wine list, this elegant lounge next door to Le Bernardin will offer a small, simple food menu.
Projected Opening: September
[All Coverage of Aldo Sohm Wine Bar]

[Brooklyn Fare Photo; Jarred Sippel Photo]

Brooklyn Fare Manhattan
Where: 431 W. 37th St., Hell's Kitchen
Major Players: Cesar Ramirez, Moe Issa, Jared Sippel
The Story: The Manhattan offshoot of Cesar Ramirez and Moe Issa's Michelin-starred restaurant, with a menu by Jared Sippel, formerly of Frasca Food & Wine in Boulder. This will be a more casual restaurant than the original tasting counter, with a French and Italian-influence menu. After many, many, delays, will this finally be the season that Brooklyn Fare Manhattan opens? An employee at the grocery store says it could open as early as next month.
Projected Opening: September
[All Coverage of Brooklyn Fare Manhattan]

[Sushi Lounge photo; Alex Stupak by Krieger]

Empellon St. Marks (Name tbd)
Where: 132 St. Marks Place, East Village
Major Players: Alex Stupak
The Story: A third restaurant from the East Village's resident fancy taco expert. Alex Stupak has taken over the former Sushi Lounge space on St. Marks, with plans to turn it into a mini tortilla factory. The new bar/restaurant will be centered around a tortilla production facility, which will also supply fresh tortillas to both Empellon Cocina and Empellon Taqueria.
Projected Opening: September
[All Coverage of Alex Stupak]

[Image courtesy Mu Ramen]

Mu Ramen
Address/Neighborhood: 1209 Jackson Ave., Long Island City
Major Players: Joshua and Heidy Smookler
The Story: A permanent version of the wildly successful pop-up the Smooklers ran earlier this year out of a bagel shop (and later their apartment) in Long Island City. The pop-up came to an end after Pete Wells named Mu Ramen his favorite in the city, and the couple was overwhelmed with reservation requests, so expect a packed house when it opens. Joshua is a Per Se vet, and his menu for the new restaurant includes things like foie gras-stuffed chicken wings and tofu burrata, as well as ramen.
Projected Opening: Late September/early October
[All Coverage of Mu Ramen]

[El Colmado at Gotham West by Krieger]

El Colmado Butchery
Where: 53 Little West 12th St., Meatpacking District
Major Players: Seamus Mullen
The Story: A version of the Tertulia chef's tapas bar in Gotham West Market, in a space all its own. Expect a bar with small plates similar to those found at El Colmado, plus a market area with food to go.
Projected Opening: October
[All Coverage of El Colmado Butchery]

[Image courtesy Bowery Meat Co.]

Bowery Meat Company
Where: 9 E. 1st St., Noho
Major Players: Josh Capon, John MacDonald, Peter Kane, Paul DiBari
The Story: A take on the classic steakhouse, in the former Veselka Bowery space, from the team behind Lure Fishbar and El Toro Blanco. Lure's chef, Paul DiBari, is in as executive chef, and John McDonald promises a "major red meat selection," plus an extensive raw bar.
Projected Opening: Late September
[All Coverage of Bowery Meat Company]

[Facebook]

Ramen Lab
Where: 70 Kenmare St., Nolita
Major Players: Shigetoshi Nakamura, Kenshiro Uki
The Story: The highly regarded, New Jersey-based ramen noodle makers Sun Noodle are opening a restaurant/education center in Manhattan. Chef Shigetoshi Nakamura has offered seminars and "ramen flights" at a six-seat space in the Teterboro factory for years, and will expand upon those offerings at this new space. Ramen Lab will host a variety of tasting sessions and seminars, plus serve a full menu of ramen in styles less commonly found in New York.
Projected Opening: Late September
[All Coverage of Ramen Lab]

[The space in January. Zach Ligas]

Tijuana Picnic
Where: 151 Essex St., Lower East Side
Major Players: Alex Lopez
The Story: A Latin/Asian restaurant from the Indochine/Acme team, in the old Laugh Lounge space. The menu from chef Alex Lopez, previously of Kittichai, includes such items as "galangal-marinated-chicken tacos" and "roasted pork neck with Thai-spiced chimichurri."
Projected Opening: September
[All Coverage of Tijuana Picnic]

[Instagram/arrogantswine]

Arrogant Swine
Where: 173 Morgan Ave., Bushwick
Major Players: Tyson Ho
The Story: After time spent apprenticing to respected barbecue master Ed Mitchell at The Pit in Raleigh, N.C., and a year of hosting whole hog pop-up dinners, Tyson Ho is opening what he calls a "church of pork" in Bushwick. Rather than the Texas-style barbecue found at many of the city's best barbecue joints, Arrogant Swine will serve Caroline-style whole hog barbecue, plus several varieties of cured pork.
Projected Opening: September or October.
[All Coverage of Arrogant Swine]

[Nick Solares]

Chez Jef
Where: 241 Bowery, Lower East Side
Major Players: Mathieu Palombino
The Story: A French bistro from the pizza expert behind Motorino, in the space that once held Bowery Diner. Palombino, as it turns out, is also an expert on classical French cooking, which he proved at his Chez Jef pop-up in the same space earlier this summer. Now, as planned, he's turning it into a permanent restaurant. Chez Jef will be open all day, and will serve dishes like steak frites, alongside charcuterie made by a charcutier brought in from France.
Projected Opening: Fall
[All Coverage of Chez Jef]

[Justin Smillie by Krieger]

Upland
Where: 345 Park Ave. South, Midtown
Major Players: Justin Smillie, Stephen Starr
The Story: Acclaimed chef Justin Smillie left his position at Il Buco Alimentari (where he earned three stars from the Times) to pursue this new project with the king of big box restaurants, Stephen Starr. At Upland he'll serve California-style cuisine, including dishes like sprouted chickpea croquettes, and garganelli with braised rabbit and "fresh dug peanuts."
Projected Opening: October
[All Coverage of Upland]

[Krieger]

Dirt Candy
Where: 86 Allen St., Lower East Side
Major Players: Amanda Cohen
The Story: Amanda Cohen will close her tiny vegetarian restaurant at the end of August, in order to move it to a much larger space on Allen Street. The new Dirt Candy will have a bar (the current one doesn't), and it will be interesting to see what Cohen does with more room to maneuver. She does, however, promise to "preserve everything that made little Dirt Candy so special."
Projected Opening: November
[All Coverage of Dirt Candy]

[Krieger]

The Little Beet Table
Where: 333 Park Avenue South, Flatiron
Major Players: Franklin Becker
The Story: A full-service version of Franklin Becker's wildly popular healthy take-out spot, The Little Beet. This will expand upon the salad and sandwich options offered at the original to include dinner items like housemade gluten-free pastas, quinoa risotto, and even a roast chicken for two. The entire menu, including all the beverages, will be gluten-free.
Projected Opening: Late fall
[All Coverage of The Little Beet]

Andrew Carmellini project at The Smyth
Where: 85 West Broadway, TriBeCa
Major Players: Andrew Carmellini, Luke Ostrom, Josh Pickard
The Story: A new project from the team that produced such hits at Locanda Verde, Lafayette, and Bar Primi. This time the Noho Hospitality Group is taking over the former Plein Sud space at The Smyth hotel for a new "corner restaurant." No word yet on a name, or what type of restaurant this will be, but rumor has it this is a farm-to-table style restaurant.
Projected Opening: December
[All Coverage of Andrew Carmellini]

[Official Site]

Le District
Where: Brookfield Place or 250 Vesey St., Battery Park City
Major Players: Jordi Valles, Peter Poulakakos, Paul Lamas
The Story: A French version of Eataly within Brookfield Place in Battery Park City. Restaurateurs Peter Poulakakos and Paul Lamas (of Financier, Harry's Italian, and other chains) will oversee the marketplace, which includes various retail areas and a cafe as well as a "restaurant district," which will include several bars, a full-service restaurant, and a chef's table. Barcelona-born chef Jordi Valles is at the helm in the kitchen.
Projected Opening: In stages, beginning in November
[All Coverage of Le District]

[Facebook]

ABC Home Grown
Where: 38 E. 19th St., Flatiron
Major Players: Jean-Georges Vongerichten
The Story: Alongside ABC Kitchen and ABC Cocina, this is Jean-Georges Vongerichten's third project in the ABC Carpet & Home complex. Vongerichten promises an entirely vegetarian (and sometimes vegan) menu with a "global perspective." This restaurant has been in the works since late last year, and at last report was slated to open by the end of 2014, but it could very well take longer than that.
Projected Opening: Late 2014/early 2015
[All Coverage of ABC Home Grown]

[Krieger]

Shuko
Where: 47 E. 12th St., East Village
Major Players: Nick Kim, Jimmy Lau
The Story: After leaving their hit omakase spot, Neta, back in October, these two Masa vets are hard at work on their next project. They've been running a pop-up version of Shuko in East Hampton all summer, so expect this pair to be primed and ready to go once fall hits.
Projected Opening: Fall
[All Coverage of Shuko]

[Google Plus]

Momofuku Ko
Where: 4-8 Extra Place, East Village
Major Players: David Chang, Sean Gray
The Story: Though it's uncertain exactly when, at some point very soon David Chang will pick up and move his Michelin-starred tasting counter to a larger space on Extra Place. The new place will a larger chef's counter, with 25 seats instead of 12, plus four tables. Sean Gray will still be the chef. Word is that Chang hopes to make Ko more of a destination restaurant with this move, so it's definitely one to watch. This is likely to be a quiet move, done without much advance warning.
Projected Opening: Fall
[All Coverage of Momofuku Ko]

[Brookfield Place: Nick Solares; Amada]

Amada
Where: Brookfield Place or 250 Vesey St., Battery Park City
Major Players: Jose Garces
The Story: Philadelphia chef Jose Garces brings an outpost of his Spanish restaurant to Battery Park City, as one of the full-service restaurants in Brookfield Place's mega food complex (where the high-end food hall Hudson Eats is already open). This will be an all-day restaurant serving traditional tapas, soups and sandwiches for lunch, and the option of a tapas tasting menu for dinner. It will be one of six full-service restaurants at Brookfield Place, next to an outpost of Parm and several other unnamed restaurants.
[All Coverage of Amada]

[Krieger]

Unnamed George Mendes Project
Where: 835 6th Ave., NoMad
Major Players: George Mendes
The Story: A rustic Portuguese restaurant from Aldea chef George Mendes. He promises lots of shellfish, and will employ wood-fired ovens. Think of this as the casual sibling to the Michelin-starred Aldea.
Projected Opening: December
[All Coverage of George Mendes]

[Krieger]

Birds & Bubbles
Where: 100 Forsyth St., Lower East Side
Major Players: Sarah Simmons
The Story: A restaurant with a focus on fried chicken and sparkling wine, from the team behind the dinner event space City Grit. In addition to the namesake dishes, Sarah Simmons plans a Southern menu of things like milk-braised pork shanks with hominy.
Projected Opening: December
[All Coverage of Birds & Bubbles]