We’ve been covering various NYC restaurants, food, drinks, bars, etc. news intel over on our daily newsletter (please sign up if you haven’t already!), but we’re also making it easier for everyone to catch up by rounding ‘em up here every week (check
out October, September, August, July, and June’s).
November 13
A new sibling-run Brooklyn restaurant
Sisters Emily Swaine and Hannah Swaine are opening their Williamsburg Italian neighborhood restaurantthis month.Swaine’s is opening on Wednesday, November 18 at 577 Lorimer Street, near Metropolitan Avenue. Emily (who had been the executive chef of Forsythia, a sous chef at Maialino, and worked at Blue Hill at Stone Barns) is dishing up an evening menu of dishes including pizzettes with toppings like clams, parsley, and chile or marinara, sliced garlic, and oregano; pasta like bucatini with royal red shrimp; and roasted vegetables like charred cabbage with green tahini and pistachio. For drinks, look for natural wines and cocktails such as the fig leaf sour and dessert-sounding Nonna’s Chocolate Milk. Hannah is running the operations. Book reservations on Resy. The restaurant will start with dinner service from 5 to 11 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. — Nadia Chaudhury
A Chinatown Hong Kong cafe handover happens soon
Longtime Chinatown cha chaan teng M Star set its final day of service for New Year’s Eve on Thursday, December 31, per Flushing Foodie. But don’t worry, the address is going into good hands thanks to chef Lucas Sin. The chef has been operating his hot pop-up Lok Kee this year, and he’s taking over the space to turn it into his very own Hong Kong cafe in early 2027. Are you one of the lucky ones who snagged reservations for the select December pop-up dates? — NC
Briefly shuttered Japanese omurice pop-up is back
The Dearbros omurice pop-up is back open after what turns out to be a pause, starting on Monday, November 9, at 5 p.m. at its temporary location at Midtown Japanese cafe BentOn on 156 E. 45th Street, near Third Avenue. Originally, the team had opened in October and had to close nine days later because the team got overwhelmed with guests. They’re looking to open a permanent New York City location too. — NC
Everyone wants to all-you-can-eat now
In an about-face from the pandemic era, people are on the prowl for all-you-can-eat (AYCE) restaurants, with the Wall Street Journal reporting an over 200 percent jump in searches from last year. The outlet rounds up national options for AYCE, from Fogo de Chão to K-Pot Korean BBQ restaurants. Eater NY has some suggestions, too. — Melissa McCart
Bondi Sushi’s opening its biggest NYC location yet
Growing NYC and Miami restaurant chain Bondi Sushi is opening what Rockefeller Group is claiming will be Bondi’s biggest location at 4,400 square feet at Rockefeller Center at 1221 Avenue of the Americas, between West 48th and 49th streets, in 2027. — NC
Halva-chocolate croissants are coming to Williamsburg
East Village Bahraini bakery Librae is making a move into Brooklyn. It’s opening in Williamsburg in early 2027, at Wythe Avenue and South Third Street, per Reddit. — NC
Celebs love NYC dining
This week’s celebrity sightings include Pedro Pascal filming an interview at Nolita restaurant Cafe Habana, where the actor had previously worked. And then, Ariana Grande stopped by Rosa Mexicano (which was featured in an episode of And Just Like That…). — NC
November 6
Soft serve > fro-yo (!?!)
Looks like Crown Heights Portuguese bakery Lisbonata is opening a spinoff location focused on its soft serve,Sofi, in the West Village, at 31 Carmine Street, between Bedford and Bleecker streets. Eater has reached out for more information. — NC
Why a chef left a hyped art museum restaurant
The New Museum’s new restaurant Oberon opened in July on the Lower East Side, by the Oberon Group (which runs places like Rhodora, June, and Rucola) with co-executive chefs artist Julia Sherman and Ali Ghriskey. But then, less than a month later, Sherman left the operation. In her Substack newsletter, Salad for President, on Friday, October 30, she explained what happened behind the paywall, calling it an “ultimate failure to launch.” She recounts how the owner told her, “food doesn’t matter,” and that she wasn’t supposed to talk about the restaurant in the press. — NC
An omurice pop-up shutter
That was quick: Osaka, Japan-based omurice-slinging restaurant Dearbros already closed its nine-day-old pop-up at Japanese cafe BentOn on Thursday, October 29, because they were overwhelmed with guests. They’re turning their attention to opening a permanent New York City restaurant. Eater has reached out for more information. — NC
A ramen restaurant returns
One of Brooklyn’s earlier ramen slingers, Chuko Ramen, closed its 15-year-old Prospect Heights location over the summer. But it turns out the team is reopening the restaurant on the border of Clinton Hill and Bed-Stuy at 395 Classon Avenue, at Greene Avenue, in January 2027. — NC
New NYC food and drink book alerts
First, Ayesha Nurdjaja, the chef and partner behind NYC restaurants Shuka and Shukette, published her first cookbook, Mediterranean All the Way. And then, drinks-focused writer Robert Simonson’s latest, Bourbon & Rye Cocktails. — NC
“Music for a pizza restaurant”
Harry Styles ended his record-breaking 30-show residency at Madison Square Garden at the end of October, and he celebrated with food, of course. For his final show on Halloween, aka Harryween, he dressed up as a full-on pizza rat, a reference to his first-night banter about how much he loves grabbing a late-night slice when he’s in NYC, and switched to the rat ears and a white shirt declaring “I am a rat.” That’s when he and his band ate pizza from Williamsburg Pizza on stage, per Yes Williamsburg. Continuing the theme, his girlfriend, Zoë Kravitz, dressed up as a plastic takeout bag. — NC
“I just wanna taste it”
Earlier during the residency, Styles celebrated the birthday of one of his fans at the show with a cake from East Village bakery From Lucie. — NC
Political dining out
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani spent his Halloween touring the final night of the Queens Night Market with New York City Governor Kathy Hochul, who had been up for reelection that week and won. — NC
Learn about an acclaimed winemaker
There’s a new documentary about renowned California winemaker Randall Grahm from director Jeffrey Reiner and producer Darin Bresnitz coming out this fall called The Terroirist. They’re hosting a preview screening on Monday, November 9, at the Loft at City Winery in Chelsea starting at 7 p.m., with a discussion between Grahm, Reiner, and moderator/winemaker/sommelier André Hueston Mack, plus wines from Grahm’s vineyard, for $36. The documentary premieres on streaming services such as Apple TV and Amazon Prime on Friday, November 13. — NC
