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 August, July, and June’s).
September 11
A new Peruvian spot from a chef and a rapper
Peruvian chef Jaime Pesaque (of notable Lima restaurant Mayta) and Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee (yes) are teaming up to open a new fast-casual Peruvian restaurant in New York City this fall. Cholapink is opening at 32 Spring Street, near Mott Street, in Nolita in October. The menu highlights grilled street food, also known as anticuchos, with ajis (marinades and sauces) like miso-glazed chicken thighs, pineapple gochujang pork belly, yuzu-amarillo fish, and spicy peanut mushrooms.
An NYC taco fave gets private equity funding
NYC’s favorite taqueria chain Los Tacos No. 1 is getting investment money from private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners, as reported by QSR. After the news was announced, people took to commenting on Los Tacos’ Instagram page, worrying about potential quality issues and increased prices (see: the discourse about Salt Hank’s acquisition by food hall behemoth Wonder). The team responded, assuring that they’re “definitely not messing with the tacos,” and that the reason they took the investment is so that they can “keep getting better at it” and expand. The restaurant recently partnered with Gap on an apparel collaboration.
An NYC artist and restaurant owner has died
Lucien Smith, the NYC artist who had revived iconic Chinatown restaurant Food, has died at the age of 37, as reported by Cultured. The restaurant had posted last week that it was temporarily closing.
Fall restaurant season is HERE
Bad news: Summer is unofficially over. Good news: it’s fall preview season! Part one of Eater NY’s most anticipated restaurant openings of the fall is on the website; part two is over on Substack.
An anticipated Hong Kong-style diner finds its address
Turns out chef Lucas Sin is indeed opening his dream cha chaan teng Lok Kee at M Star Cafe in Chinatown, where he’d been popping up this late summer.
Mrs. and Mr. Swift’s NYC night out
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce dined at Ambassadors Clubhouseon Saturday, September 6, per a rep for the fancy Indian restaurant in Nomad. They dined in one of the private dining rooms, enjoying drinks and food. I’d bet they ordered the tableside whiskey cocktail, the Patiala Peg.
Top Chef winner pops up with bodega preview
Chef Danny Garcia continues previewing his forthcoming Latin halal restaurant, Only Goods, with a pop-up bodega this weekend. It’s taking place at 307 Bedford Avenue, near South Second Street in Williamsburg on Saturday, September 12, from 1 to 5 p.m.
A kaiseki anniversary party
Tribeca kaiseki Muku is celebrating its first anniversary with a special tasting menu this fall, featuring dishes like a rare Japanese sweetfish and harako meshi, a dish of white rice, salmon, and roe. The $375 menu is available through Saturday, October 3.
A 10-year-restaurant collab celebration
To celebrate Fish Cheek’s 10th birthday, the restaurant is teaming up with other NYC restaurants and bars for special collaboration dishes. Starting on Saturday, September 12, find the choo chee michelada and zapp popcorn chicken at Lower East Side cocktail bar Double Chicken Please; the razor clams with nam jim seafood at American Asian Hudson Square restaurant Kiko; the clam pie at both the East Village and Bushwick locations of Ops Pizza; and sliced flaky Thai coconut cake at sibling gluten-free Nolita bakery Bub’s. And then, starting on Monday, September 14, there’s a special burger at Prospect Heights Jewish bistro Gertrude’s.
September 4
A Vietnamese American bakery returns to Brooklyn
Some good news: After baker Doris Hồ-Kane shuttered her Vietnamese American bakery in February, she’s working on bringing back Bạn Bè to its original Carroll Gardens neighborhood.
Hồ-Kane launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the opening. She’s aiming to open in November at 115 Columbia Street, at Kane Street, in the Columbia Street Waterfront District.
The resurrected space will have a takeout window and a first-time indoor dine-in space. On deck are pastries and sweets like the beautiful bright-green pandan honeycomb cake and new stuff like pandan lime madeleines and pandan chocolate tiramisu. For savory vegeterian items, look for banh mi, Vietnamese crepes, and summer rolls, along with coffee and tea drinks.
The McNally son ventures into the restaurant world
Keith McNally’s son, George, opens his Tribeca restaurant, Faux, on Thursday, September 3, at 277 Church Street, between White and Franklin streets. McNally (the son) knows the restaurant life well, having worked at his father’s spots like Balthazar and the D.C. location of Minetta Tavern. Faux’s chef Kristina Ramos (who worked at Minetta in D.C.) is cooking up a coastal French menu, with highlights including broiled oysters and steak frites. The ground-floor restaurant includes a downstairs bar, Prevz, with late-night food and a bouncer. Book restaurant reservations on OpenTable.
Buy stellar baked goods for a good cause
Expert baker Natasha Pickowicz is hosting a community bake sale this weekend to raise money for Queens nonprofit Make the Road New York. Our Little Bake Sale features chefs like Pickowicz herself, Zoë Kanan of Elbow Bread, Morgan Knight of Saint Street Cakes, Flynn McCarry of Cove, Ali Domrongchai, and many others. It’s free to attend; each pastry is worth one ticket, which is $10. The event, which is a partnership with indie food publication Cake Zine, takes place on Sunday, September 6, from 3 to 5 p.m. at Little Island, the park on Pier 55 along Hudson River Park at West 13th Street.
Two NYC restaurants take over Times Square Red Lobster
A restaurant group behind NYC restaurants, including American brasserie the Smith and pizzeria Parla, is taking over the recently shuttered Red Lobster in Times Square, as reported by the New York Post. The business plans to open a fifth location of the Smith and a pizza-slice spinoff of Parla at a two-floor address at 582 Seventh Avenue, between West 41st and 42nd streets, set to debut in 2028.
A bread bakery grows in Crown Heights
In more bakery news, Apt. 2 Bread, a micro-bakery best known for its focaccia, is working on opening a bread-focused bakery named Boots Bread in Crown Heights. Carla Finley is teaming up with Megan Wang for the new venture. When the bakery opens, expect all sorts of breads made with regional grains.
What’s happening with Food?
Looks like Chinatown restaurant Food, the revitalized Chinatown restaurant now run by artist Lucien Smith, seems to have “closed until further notice,” per its Instagram.
A Radio Bakery branch is temporarily closed
The Greenpoint location of Radio Bakery is temporarily closing for renovations, from Tuesday, September 1, through Monday, September 21. To help ease the demand, the Prospect Heights location is staying open later (until 6 p.m.) through Sunday, September 13.
An Austin bar pop-up worth going to
One of my personal favorite bars ever, Austin’s Nickel City, is coming to New York City for a pop-up this month. Owner Travis Tober is taking over the bar of Romeo’s in the East Village, on Wednesday, September 9, from 8 to 11 p.m., with Dr Pepper Old Fashioneds, Mexican martinis, and more.
If you’re going to Harry Styles…
If your Labor Day weekend plans include seeing Harry Styles at Madison Square Garden this Friday, September 4, and/or Saturday, September 5, we’ve got a handy guide for you, at least when it comes to drinking and eating. Pro tip: Make sure you’re seated/standing by the time opener Jamie XX plays his final song, because Harry and company take the stage at the same time to kick off the show.
