As summer fades and crisp weather sets in, fall ushers in one of the busiest seasons for restaurant debuts. This year is no exception, with a wave of projects from seasoned hospitality vets plus established concepts moving in from out of state and overseas.
In the East Village, Chef Hiroki Odo of Flatiron’s Two-MICHELIN-Starred kaiseki counter odo is preparing to launch what he calls a “kaiseki izakaya,” a 22-seat spot where rice takes center stage in forms that span both food and drink. On the Upper West Side, a new Thai barbecue concept will introduce moo krata grilling, uniting team members from beloved Thai kitchens Chalong and Soothr. And straight from London, the acclaimed JKS Restaurants group is planting its U.S. flag in New York with the lavish Ambassador’s Club, a Punjabi restaurant opening in NoHo.
But there is so much more to get excited about – so read on.
Musaafer, Tribeca
Debut: August 25
Musaafer, the Houston-based fine-dining Indian restaurant that earned its first MICHELIN Star last year, is making its New York debut at 133 Duane Street. Spanning over 10,000 square feet, it’s an ambitious project from co-owners and couple Mithu and Shammi Malik that will launch in phases. First up, a grand, transportive ground-floor à la carte restaurant seating 144 guests across partitioned spaces. The design, which involves mirrors, intricate, angular architecture and borrows ideas from iconic Indian landmarks like the Taj Mahal, was crafted by Delhi-based Chromed Studio. Corporate executive chef Mayank Istwal brings a menu that fuses traditional regional Indian dishes with progressive culinary techniques—from foams and spherification to modernist French-inspired plating—resulting in globally inflected interpretations of flavors from across the subcontinent. Signature dishes from Houston are coming to New York, including his shrimp simmered in coconut, cilantro, turmeric and curry leaf, served alongside copra pav bread. Another highlight is his butter chicken experience: tandoor-roasted, deboned chicken legs presented in two sauces—one a classic rich tomato base, and the other a tomatillo green curry. Once up and running, the team plans to debut an intimate 88-seat lower-level bar, Saaqi, featuring a separate, yet-to-be-announced menu. On the same level, the team will unveil a “Chef’s Studio” space offering a tasting menu, also forthcoming.
Julie Soefer / Musaafer
Unglo, Upper West Side
Debut: September 5
The team behind Central/Isaan street food favorite Soothr has joined forces with chef Nate Limwong of Southern Thai spot Chalong to open Unglo, a 3,800-square-foot restaurant at 35 W. 64th Street. The concept centers on moo krata—a communal Thai hybrid of barbecue and hot pot—where diners cook meats, seafood and vegetables on a circular grill built into volcanic rock tables, or by simmering them in the surrounding moat of broth. Guests can choose from a range of set menus, each paired with house-made dipping sauces. Beverages include Thai beers and playful cocktails named after butchers—think Mr. Flank, a mix of bacon-washed whiskey, caramel-like bael fruit and coriander. Expect a spunky aesthetic that channels 1980s Miami Vice with blue glass blocks and 112 seats.
Pratya Jankong / Unglo
Sushidokoro Mekumi, Hudson Square
Estimated Debut: Early September
Kanazawa’s Sushidokoro Mekumi—which earned Two Stars in 2016 and 2021 when MICHELIN released regional guides—has long been a pilgrimage site for global sushi enthusiasts. Now, chef Takayoshi Yamaguchi, whose umami-driven approach is informed by research into how diet shapes a fish’s fatty acid profile, is opening a second location at 70 Charlton Street. The new counter features eight mustard-hued seats along a hinoki wood counter. Yamaguchi’s longtime apprentice, Hajime Kumabe, will run the show, presenting a roughly 16-course menu that opens with otsumami like abalone paired with a drop of sauce made from its own liver, and Hokkaido hairy crab finished with kanimiso. Later courses could include aged grouper temaki and wild sea eel nigiri featuring rice at various temperatures, culminating in two tamago preparations: a hot futomaki-style roll and a quickly torched slice. Desserts offer two choices, such as strawberry daifuku and hojicha dacquoise. Guests can pair the meal with premium sake, umeshu, beer and European wines.
One Story / Akanishigai
Arvine
Estimated Debut: September
Joe Anthony, longtime second-in-command at Two-MICHELIN-Star Gabriel Kreuther, will return to Manhattan to launch Arvine. The compact, 1,500-square-foot contemporary American restaurant is a partnership with former Bouley wine director Adrien Falcon, who will curate an extensive wine program highlighting rare bottlings, older vintages and around a dozen by-the-glass selections. Expect a focus on French selections alongside bottles that complement dishes like sake-steamed clams with adzuki beans and yuzu kosho butter, and quail “saltimbocca” with polenta and summer squash caponata. The 70-seat restaurant was designed by Angelika Adams (Essential by Christophe) and is divided between a front bar room—featuring a 17-seat bar, illuminated wine storage and teal banquettes—and a rear dining room, unified by walls of exposed brick.
Elastika / Arvine
elCielo, NoMad
Estimated Debut: Mid-September
Juan Manuel Barrientos made history in 2007 as the first chef to earn a MICHELIN Star for modern Colombian cuisine with the debut of elCielo, a restaurant in Medellin. Since then, he has expanded the brand to Washington, D.C., and Miami. His latest outpost at the Virgin Hotel New York City marks the third U.S. location, spanning 10,800 square feet on the property’s fourth floor with minimalist design that incorporates full-length windows, textured metal screens, and marble floors. Guests will be able to choose from three distinct experiences: a 20-course fine-dining tasting menu ($289), a shorter cocktail tasting menu at the bar paired with snacks or an à la carte bistró menu with dishes like a beeswax-aged ribeye. Across all concepts, Colombian ingredients and culinary traditions take center stage, reimagined through modern techniques such as liquid nitrogen and intricate plating.
elCielo, NoMad
La Cueva (Tarrytown, NY)
Debut: September 25, 2025
Tarrytown House Estate will debut La Cueva at Cellar49, a new pop-up dining experience from celebrity chef Dale Talde and the team behind Goosefeather. Housed in the historic Biddle Mansion, Cellar49 will transform into La Cueva (or cave in Spanish) for a speakeasy style. La Cueva reimagines the classic steakhouse through the bold lens of Mexican cuisine.
Ambassadors Clubhouse, NoMad
Estimated Debut: OctoberA slew of London restaurants from the JKS Restaurants portfolio are making the jump overseas, starting with Mayfair’s year-old Ambassadors Clubhouse—a buzzy, opulent Punjabi spot—set to debut at 1245 Broadway. The nearly 8,000-square-foot, 175-seat restaurant will be broken into intimate rooms layered with plush interiors, patterned carpets, marquetry and hand-painted stencils. The menu will spotlight high-level Indian cooking that bridges India and Pakistan, balancing traditional dishes with contemporary interpretations. Expect London signatures like tandoor-barbecued butter chicken thigh chops and chilli cheese croquettes with a tomato chutney. Unlike most of New York’s fine Indian restaurants, Ambassadors will give equal weight to its bar which is still in development but will be led by London-based James Stevenson and feature tequila and mezcal-cocktails infused with regional Indian flavors.
Ambassadors Clubhouse, NoMad
Bazaar Meat by José Andrés, NoMad
Estimated Debut: October
Chef José Andrés is reimagining two of his New York City projects, both with an emphasis on meat. At The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad, The Bazaar will transition into Bazaar Meat—a concept with counterparts in Las Vegas and Chicago. While the former spotlighted progressive and classic Spanish cooking, this iteration will channel the same theatrical spirit now hinged on fire-kissed beef, pork and lamb–some in large format presentations. On the menu: Japanese wagyu seared tableside on a hot stone, and a range of American wagyu cuts sourced from domestic ranches. True to Andrés’s playful, dramatic style, expect dishes like a chili-and-lime Super-Giant Chicharrón topped with Mexican crema espuma, and a modernist riff on the Caprese salad with cherry tomatoes and liquid mozzarella. The restaurant will occupy the same 5,500-square-foot space, refreshed with new artwork and additional booths. To match the menu’s flair, a roaming martini cart is in development, alongside signature Bazaar Meat cocktails such as jamon ibérico-spiked Andres & Cooper with mezcal, sweet vermouth, amontillado sherry and Cynar.
BjoÌrn Wallander / The Bazaar NY
Txula
Estimated Debut: October
Chef José Andrés is re-concepting his Spanish wood-fired restaurant Leńa within Mercado Little Spain at Hudson Yards into Txula, a Spanish steakhouse that continues to be helmed by chef-partner Nicolas Lopez. This time around the live fire, 70-seat, 800-square foot restaurant—which is getting a facelift from Rockwell Group with freshly reupholstered leather booths and new minimalist lighting fixtures—will highlight a Josper-cooked 60-day aged beef ribeye and American Wagyu short rib, alongside Spanish lamb and Ibérico pork. Lopez is also planning a house cheeseburger made with 60-day aged ribeye patty and pickled piparra peppers. To drink, vermouth-based cocktails, and riffs on Andres’ classics like his Salt Air Margarita reworked with chile de arbol infused tequila and mezcal, plus piparra pepper brine and bay leaf to become the Salt Air Donostiarra. And no Basque meal would be complete without cheesecake; here the team will have a tableside cart featuring Basque burned cheesecake to which guests can choose another cheese that will be grated atop, then finished with olive, salt and Spanish honey. When in season, truffles, too.
Liz Clayman / Txula
odo East Village
Estimated Debut: Late NovemberChef Hiroki Odo of Flatiron’s Two-MICHELIN-Starred kaiseki den, odo, are branching out to 536 East 5th Street with a concept the chef describes as a “kaiseki izakaya,” a more casual à la carte spot rooted in kaiseki principles but centered on rice. The entirely gluten-free restaurant will seat just 22 guests between tables and a 12-seat counter, framed by minimalist, textural design and a fully open kitchen. Odo plans to explore rice beyond its natural form in approachably priced dishes such as thicker-style, chewy, house-made champon rice noodles cooked in a stock. He’ll also offer a seasonal, daily changing iron pot rice dish which guests can customize into various forms: sampled as is, with green tea poured atop, or crisped into grilled onigiri. Odo also plans to cook with rice-based ingredients such as rice oil. The beverage pairing will highlight rice shochu, rice beer and a selection of Japanese sakes, including a sake sangria.
Odo East Village
abc kitchens
Estimated Debut: Late fall
Over the past two years, Jean-Georges Vongerichten has been developing his first-ever Brooklyn restaurant in the long-vacant Empire Stores, adjacent to Time Out Market Dumbo along the waterfront. The new venue will bring together his three seasonal Flatiron concepts—abc kitchen, abc cocina and abcV—under one roof. Anchoring the space is a 36-seat central bar crafted from pink lava stone and rose quartzite, framed by landmarked stone walls made from reclaimed slabs of the Brooklyn Bridge. As the brand’s flagship, the menu will showcase signature American, Mexican and vegetable-forward dishes—from peekytoe crab toast and pork tacos to green chickpea hummus—alongside new plates. The indoor/outdoor space will also feature a glass greenhouse that doubles as a flower salon by day and a private dining room by night, plus a retail area selling vintage flatware, glassware and more.
abcV / abcV
Hwaro, Times Square
Estimated Debut: October There’s no shortage of haute Korean tasting counters in New York, and now Sungchul Shim, the prolific chef behind MICHELIN-Starred modern Korean concepts Kochi and Mari, will debut his own earthy toned, contemporary space on the second floor of 776 8th Avenue adjacent to his newish Korean-American Gui Steakhouse. The 22-seat circular marble counter overlooks the open kitchen where Shim will serve a 13-course ($295) seasonal menu that highlights Korean ingredients and techniques, alongside influences from the broader East Asian landscape. Think a seasonal fish in a fermented coconut milk vinaigrette with pickled shallots and serrano pepper, and a dumpling filled with foie gras and duck pastrami. Beef will make its way into the menu too via a tasting of various cuts like smoked A5 wagyu knuckle and coulot. Gui bar manager Gelo Honrade will oversee Hwaro’s beverage program, which is still in the works, but will highlight Asian flavors; for example the gin and pisco-based Lemond, which calls for hallabong (like a cross between a pomelo and tangerine), plus Korean pear, Yakult, Soy Milk and yuzu liqueur.
Melissa Hom / Kochi
Allegretto al Forno, Williamsburg
Estimated Debut: Late NovemberFive years after debuting their European-American, MICHELIN-Starred brasserie Francie, Chef Chris Cipollone and general manager John Winterman are set to open their second act: Allegretto al Forno, a 1,600-square-foot wood-fired Neapolitan pizza spot located next door. The proximity will enable the two restaurants to share both staff and ingredients. Francie pastry chef Justin Binnie is in charge of Allegretto’s pizza dough recipe (he’s planning to make a crispier take on Neapolitan pies), and one of his pies will come topped with Italian duck sausage, apricot and pistachio pesto (he’ll make the sausage with the unaged legs from Francie’s celebrated duck). Expect small plates from a little gem Caesar to fried bucatini “aglio e olio” with hazelnut and peperoncino; guests will be able to pair them with Italian wines and bitters-based cocktails. While Allegretto will offer 60 seats, most of those will be on the all-season rear patio; inside will be a 10-seat bar with a few compact booths. Designed by Glen Coben, who also conceived Francie, the interiors balance exposed brick, marble and warm wood, with a central wood-fired pizza oven as the glowing centerpiece.
Allegretto al Forno
Hero image: elCielo, NoMad
Written by
Kat Odell
Kat Odell is a contributor to The MICHELIN Guide. She is based in New York.
Dining and Cooking