Starr Restaurant Group’s Borromini opened on Aug. 25 on Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square. | Photo courtesy of Starr Restaurant Group.
It’s hard out there for independent restaurants. But that isn’t stopping Big Name Chefs and restaurateurs from creating new concepts.
From a new Korean-Italian restaurant coming from Nancy Silverton’s culinary team, to Stephen Starr’s near complete takeover of Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square with the new Borromini, the second half of 2025 promises to bring some long-awaited new restaurants across the country.
Among them will be the return of Babbo, the landmark New York restaurant made famous by Mario Batali with chef Mark Ladner on the opening team in the kitchen. Batali, of course, went on to face accusations of sexual assault and harassment and divested his shares in the restaurant company that included Babbo.
This year, however, restaurateur Starr acquired Babbo (and sister concept Lupa). He is working with Ladner to rework the menu, and the restaurant is being renovated with the plan to open next month, but few details are available.
Here’s a look at some of the potentially game-changing restaurants coming onto the scene in the back half of the year.
Lapaba
Los Angeles
Scheduled to open in October in Los Angeles’ lively Koreatown, this is the latest venture from the Nancy Silverton empire. It’s a partnership with siblings Tanya and Joe Bastianich, along with Robert Kim, of ABSteak fame (and Mama Lion and Norikaya).
Lapaba is a portmanteau for La Pasta Bar (such wordplay is common in Korean culture), and this concept brings together culinary influences from Italy and Korea to create a concept that is very Los Angeles.
A rendering of the streetfront of Lapaba coming to Los Angeles. | Image courtesy of Lapaba.
In the kitchen are husband-and-wife team McKenna Lelah and Matthew Kim (no relation to Robert), who met while working at Silverton’s Osteria Mozza in 2014. They went on to work both separately and together with chefs like Grant Achatz (Next) and Dave Beran (Dialogue, Pasjoli) and now Lapaba will be their first concept created together.
The couple lives in Koreatown, so Lelah said they are working hard to create a concept that really speaks to LA, a mecca for both Italian and Korean food.
With only 35 seats, Lapaba will have only bar seating, except for a private room for larger parties. The restaurant will have a dedicated pasta room for in-house pasta making.
On the menu will be dishes like a Cacio e Pepe made with dduk, or Korean rice cakes. Kim said he fell in love with the pasta dish while in Rome.
“To me, it was life changing,” he said. “I think subbing out a pasta with the rice cakes is a no brainer. They really soak up the flavor.”
Also coming is a variation of what is known in Korea as “Army Stew,” or Budae-jjigae, a dish believed to have originated during the Korean war out of surplus American military rations, like Spam, American cheese, hot dogs and instant noodles. A kimchi suppli (rice ball street food snack), for example, will be stuffed with Spam and mozzarella.
“We wanted to open something that’s approachable to people, where they don’t feel intimidated,” said Lelah. “Everyone says they want to open a neighborhood spot, but we really think this speaks to the neighborhood.”
Maroon
Las Vegas
Kwame Onwuachi has cemented his stardom with the New York restaurant Tatiana, and the Washington, D.C. concept Dōgon. Later this year, he brings his exploration of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora to Las Vegas with the planned Maroon by Kwame Onwuachi, scheduled to open in the Sahara Las Vegas.
Onwuachi’s restaurants are known for storytelling, touching on the New York-raised chef’s Jamaican roots. The name “Maroon” refers to the African slaves owned by the Spanish colonial occupiers in the 17th Century. When the British took control, some of those slaves were freed by the Spaniards and escaped to the mountains, rather than submit to British rule. They became known as Maroons and are believed to be the creators of jerk seasoning, made with the herbs and chilis that grew wild.
Maroon will be a steakhouse, though details on the menu were not yet available at press time. The restaurant moves into the space previously occupied by José Andrés’ Bazaar Meat, which is reportedly moving to another spot on the Strip (Venetian Resort).
Kwame Onwuachi is bringing a steakhouse to Las Vegas. | Photo courtesy of Kohshin Finley
“Expanding my restaurant portfolio outside the East Coast is a huge milestone in my career,” said Onwuachi, in a statement. “I’m thankful to be welcomed into such a dynamic culinary community, located right in the heart of Vegas. It’s beyond overdue to have more Afro-Caribbean restaurants on the Strip, and I’m grateful for the platform because this will mean so much to so many.”
Creepies
Chicago
David and Anna Posey have earned acclaim individually (he at Blackbird and she at Publican, both of One Off Hospitality) and together, with their Michelin-starred restaurant Elske, opened in 2016.
Now, next door to Elske in Chicago’s West Loop, the couple in late August opened a second concept called Creepies.
The name is an inside joke between Anna and David that kind of stuck. The menu is described as neo-bistro fare with Midwestern influences.
The new Creepies is next door to the acclaimed restaurant Elske in Chicago. | Photo courtesy of Galdo Photo.
Opening bites, for example, include warm brie gougères, as well as tomatoes and peaches with crispy tapenade and labneh.
Among the entrees, roasted chicken with liver and wine sauce; roasted lamb with Swiss chard and herbs de provence. And, for dessert, a Raspberry Sherbert Meringue Cake with buttermilk.
Amazónico Miami
Miami
The Amazon is a very long river and it meanders through a lot of culinary territory. Husband-and-wife restaurateurs Silva and Marta Seco explored that notion with the restaurant Amazónico, which launched in Madrid in 2016.
Later the concept grew with locations in London, Dubai, Monte Carlo and, soon, Miami, where Amazónico is scheduled to open later this month. It will be the first in the U.S.
Details on the menu were not available, but it’s going to be a big restaurant, with three floors and a rooftop, seating nearly 400 diners. On the second floor: a bar and lounge with a DJ playing “elec-tropical sounds.”
Amazonico’s design, music and cuisine are influenced by Brazil in the 1930s. | Rendering courtesy of Amazonico Miami
The design will give the impression of dining in the rainforest, with dark wood, volcanic stone and lots of green.
Borromini Ristorante
Philadelphia
Stephen Starr is one of the top-grossing restaurateurs in the country, and his concepts span the East Coast, from New York to Miami. But Philadelphia is his hometown, and his company Starr Restaurant Group has shaped the city’s fine-dining landscape.
Open this month is his latest addition to Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square, where he already operates the French bistro Parc and the high-end steakhouse Barclay Prime (as well as others near the square).
Now open is the 200-seat Italian trattoria Borromini, which was developed with executive chef Julian Baker in partnership with Ladner, who created a 100-layer lasagna for the restaurant.
Italian classics are on the menu at Borromini, as well as Mark Ladner’s 100-layer lasagna. | Photo courtesy of Starr Restaurant Group.
Designed by restaurateur Keith McNally (Balthazar) with Ian McPheely, Borromini is reportedly a $20 million space sprawling two floors and about 15,000-square feet. There’s a two-story mural created to look like an ancient fresco of Pompeii.
On the menu are classics like Carbonara; Spaghetti al Pomodoro; Tortelloni di Ricotta in sage brown butter with parmigiano and toasted pine nuts; and Osso Buco di Vitello. Los Angeles chef Silverton (who partnered with Start to bring her Osteria Mozza to Washington, D.C.), reportedly contributed focaccia di Recco with stracchino cheese to the menu.
Eleven Madison Park
New York
This restaurant, of course, isn’t new. But on Oct. 14, this iconic New York restaurant will be switching back to a menu that includes meat after four years of eschewing animal products.
Don’t be expecting a meat orgy. The restaurant’s website indicates the plant-based menu will remain the primary offering, but guests will have an option to include select animal or seafood proteins in a few of the seven to nine courses.
That might include an oyster, a bit of lobster or honey-lavender glazed duck, according to The New York Times. Chef and owner Daniel Humm is also considering a chicken dish.
Chef and owner Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Park in New York. | Photo: Shutterstock.
In an Instagram post, Humm wrote, “Change is fundamental to who we are and how we grow.”
Humm’s decision to go plant based was driven by concerns about climate change, and it was a bold swing. The restaurant in 2022 became the first to earn three Michelin stars for an entirely plant-based menu.
But, as he approached his 20th anniversary with Eleven Madison Park, Humm wrote the move “unintentionally kept people out. This is the opposite of what we believe hospitality to be.”
After listening to feedback, Humm said the decision was made to embrace choice.
“Eating together is the essence of who we are, and I’ve learned that for me to truly champion plant-based cooking, I need to create an environment where everyone feels welcome around the table,” wrote Humm.
Lisa Jennings is a veteran restaurant industry reporter and editor who covers the fast-casual sector, independent restaurants and emerging chain concepts.
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