In New York, the possibilities are endless and so are the dining options. In a city where new restaurants pop up every week, we’ve highlighted the latest design-forward outposts that are worth visiting.
Beefbar New York
Photo by Francis Amiand
The first Beefbar restaurant has landed stateside. Located in the former original Nobu location, the Tribeca outpost boasts a selection of beef cuts curated by executive chefs Thierry Paludetto and Peter Jin that informed Monaco-based design firm Humbert & Poyet‘s mission to impress across a serene dining room and Italian-inspired cocktail lounge with a soaring bar. “Beefbar New York is our first project in the U.S., so it is an important landmark for us,” says Humbert. The duo showcases their refined approach in airy volumes and eclectic combinations of colors, textures, and materials such as pastel hues, green Verde Alpi marble tables, and bas relief frescoes with florals. Indeed, the 6,000-square-foot steakhouse exudes an understated opulence thanks to tall arched windows, from which natural light pours in, and a stylish private dining room found behind a wood-slatted wall. “It was essential to us that the overall aesthetic reflect the cosmopolitan soul of the city as well as its history,” adds Poyet.
BondST Hudson Yards
Photo by Sean Litchfield
Following 25 successful years in NoHo, Japanese restaurant BondST has opened a second location on Manhattan’s West Side. BondST Hudson Yards, designed by Jeffrey Beers International (JBI), boasts a dining room, lounge seating, indoor/outdoor patio, two private dining rooms, a 14-seat bar, and an open-kitchen omakase bar. The design nods to Japanese style and materiality, balanced with lantern-inspired light fixtures and furnishings upholstered in playful textiles. The secondary dining room is akin to a “secluded Japanese garden pavilion,” says JBI principal Tim Rooney. “As you approach, the soft glow of modern Japanese lanterns guides your way through the tranquil sanctuary. Much like the innovative BondST menu, the pavilion itself is a blend of traditional Japanese architecture and contemporary design, with clean lines and minimalistic yet elegant features. Surrounded by lush bamboo, white oak wood planks, and Japanese rice paper operable screens, the atmosphere is serene and romantic—a hidden oasis.”
Café Carmellini
Photo by William Abranowicz
The Fifth Avenue Hotel is enchanting guests with the glamorous Café Carmellini, an upscale brasserie helmed by chef Andrew Carmellini and designed by Martin Brudnizki. Once a Gilded Age mansion with architecture by McKim, Mead & White, the venue added this restaurant to its layout last year with the intention of honoring the site’s opulence and history. An elegant mix of old-world allure and new-world amenities, the venue’s sophistication is showcased through an open kitchen with marble counters, Juliet balconies with bronze railing details, and two larger-than-life trees. “We wanted to encapsulate a feeling of elegance and sophistication, capturing the grandeur of an upscale Italian Brasserie in a bygone era,” says Brudnizki.
COQODAQ
Photo by Jason Varney
A play on the French word for “rooster” and an onomatopoeia for “cock-a-doodle-doo” in Korean, COQODAQ, designed by Rockwell Group, is making fried chicken sexy. Backed by restaurateur Simon Kim of Korean steakhouse Cote and helmed by executive chef Seung Kyu Kim, the restaurant “contrasts fried chicken—a simple and humble dish—with a beautiful, elevated, and sexy space,” says firm founder and president David Rockwell, noting a material palette comprising hunter green leather, dark walnut wood, architectural lighting, champagne glass, and soapstone. Plus, the standout: a mirrored wall that creates an infinity effect. With playful details at every turn, the space holds hidden motifs alluding to items on the menu, like crackled plaster wall panels behind the banquettes that are reminiscent of the crispy skin on fried chicken. Wanting to envelope guests in a warm, inviting energy, the team placed significant emphasis on the lighting design, which shifts in tonality and mood as the day turns to night.
Little Maven
Photo by Alejandro Leon
Little Maven in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood combines the aesthetics of classic American diners, the city’s downtown lofts, 1960s groove, and modern neo-pop to create a whole new experience. “It’s the kind of place that charms and excites you,” says Natalie Imran, design director and partner at New York-based Studio Valerius. Guests experience an “explosion of color and light” in the main dining room, she adds, where the focal point is a large abstract mural by artist JULU that lives behind the bar. The restaurant also includes a hidden back room for private dining and wine tastings. Here, a black and white mural composed of a single meandering line by artist Esteban Monsalve envelops diners. “Guests are pulled into a world of art, color, funky patterns, and unique textures,” Imran says. “You can feel joy and creativity all around.”
Metropolis by Marcus Samuelsson
Photo by Adrian Gaut
The culinary anchor of the recently opened Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC), Metropolis by Marcus Samuelsson is an American restaurant that’s an inviting addition to the rebuilt World Trade Center site. “It was less about creating a specific aesthetic and more about creating a series of spaces that are welcoming, comfortable, and flexible,” says founder and president David Rockwell of locally based Rockwell Group, which led the design. A mix of sapele wood ceiling ribbons connected by backlit nodes that drop down like chandeliers and exposed trusses contribute to the restaurant’s dramatic yet engaging aura. “One of the driving ambitions for the lobby and restaurant is that it will be used as a new community space for Lower Manhattan,” Rockwell adds. “This was front and center as we designed the interior—creating a celebratory, communal atmosphere that connects guests with each other, whether they’re the first party there for dinner or the last one there, post-show.”
OCTO
Photo by Steve Jang
Harmony and warmth radiate from within the walls of OCTO, a Korean-Chinese restaurant brought to Manhattan’s K-Town by Steven and Christina Jang, who are also the owners of New Wonjo—New York’s oldest 24-hour Korean BBQ joint. A melting pot of Asian flavors, the venue impresses with its use of natural materials, spacious interiors, and art selection. Steven led the design, which “is deeply reflective of [our] personal style,” he says. A fusion of both Chinese and Korean influences and contemporary New York, OCTO’s highlights are its large white oak tables, burgundy touches (an updated take on the classic red hues used in Asian cultures), and commissioned Korean folk art by Seongmin Ahn. “The visible contrast between traditional and modern art creates a harmony between old and new,” Steven says, “honoring [the past] while incorporating it into the current setting.”
San Sabino
Photo by Nicole Franzen
Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli, the chefs behind popular Italian restaurant Don Angie, recently launched Italian-American seafood restaurant San Sabino in collaboration with restaurant group Quality Branded. Situated in an intimate West Village space adjacent to Don Angie, San Sabino was spearheaded by Brooklyn-based firm GRT Architects. “We created a mood that resists easy categorization by following visual instincts, rather than trying to evoke a certain style, place, or epoch,” says GRT founding partner Rus Mehta. “The yellow on gray colorway feels fresh without being novel for its own sake. The floor is a great example—quiet, warm gray natural stone mixes with upbeat, glossy yellow porcelain in a pattern that flirts with history without quoting it directly.”
Yingtao
Photo by Max B
First-time restaurateur Bolun Yao tapped locally based Glen & Co. Architecture to bring his vision for Yingtao to life. Boasting a menu full of reimagined family recipes, Yingtao further leans into its familial ties via a large-scale mosaic portrait of Yao’s grandmother installed by the open kitchen, which “makes the space feel like home,” Glen Coben, founder of Glen & Co., says. Further, the firm explored how to use black to create an inviting space. “To avoid the heaviness and broodingly dark effect of using black, we employed a high-gloss finish on the surfaces that allow light to reflect,” Coben adds. “The light also reflects off strategically located accents of gold to create a sense of whimsy and reflection. The use of an exposed grain on the flame-torched shou-sugi ban wood with a dark, polished stain adds depth.”
