{"id":219100,"date":"2026-05-04T11:46:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T11:46:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/219100\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T11:46:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T11:46:11","slug":"the-best-new-restaurants-in-nyc-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/219100\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best New Restaurants in NYC"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n Arthur has moved into the space that previously housed Fulgurances Laundromat.
\n Illustration: Naomi Otsu\n <\/p>\n

Welcome to Grub Street\u2019s rundown of restaurant recommendations that aims to answer the endlessly recurring question \u201cWhere should we go?\u201d These are the spots that our food team thinks everyone should visit, for any reason (a new chef, the arrival of an exciting dish, or maybe there\u2019s an opening that\u2019s flown too far under the radar). This month: spring soba, a hyperseasonal Greenpoint bistro, brunch that\u2019s worth waking up for (really), and more.<\/p>\n

Arthur<\/a> (Greenpoint)
This bistro\u2019s footprint is small, but owner Kevin Finch makes smart use of the space: Grab a bar seat, from which point you can spend your meal watching chefs delicately handle skewers of charred leeks and plop precise dollops of horseradish cream onto strips of beef. During my visit, I found myself seated next to the partner of one of the line cooks; we chatted casually as we watched him work. The whole crowd already seems awfully familiar: I watched more than a few handshakes, friendly waves, and daps up between staff and diners throughout the course of the night. Arthur\u2019s menu is highly seasonal, so I likely won\u2019t be able to order the earthy fava beans tossed with diced ham and Dutch Gouda again until next spring. But the good news is its brioche \u2014 steaming and served with cultured butter and a couple hunks of bleu cheese \u2014 is likely to stick around. \u2014Shay Cohen<\/p>\n

Strange Delight<\/a> (Fort Greene)
Strange Delight was one of our favorite new restaurants when it opened back in 2024<\/a>, but the colorful Fort Greene seafood spot has always seemed like a perfect fit for daytime service. The skylight is being put to good use now that the restaurant is open for Saturday and Sunday brunch. The daytime service began as a collaboration with Amanda\u2019s Good Morning Cafe, and pastries like her salty-sweet jalape\u00f1o cornbread and the Good Morning Bun luckily remain on the menu. But with proper breakfast dishes like the luscious eggs Sardou and grits \u00e9touff\u00e9e, chef Ham El-Waylly has brought even more modern\u2013New Orleans energy. And the already crowded NYC pancake landscape<\/a> gets a heavyweight contender with a massive Dutch baby covered in candied pecans and jam. \u2014Zach Schiffman\u00a0<\/p>\n

All of Our Picks, Mapped<\/p>\n


\n \"package-table-of-contents-photo\"\/
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

See the Map<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Soba Ulala<\/a> (Soho)
A good season for soba is early spring \u2014 if that\u2019s what this is \u2014 when the noodles can be enjoyed hot or cool. It\u2019s a good season for the new Soba Ulala for sure. The restaurant has risen on the site of the former omakase spot Hirohisa, an appreciably low-key entrant in the sushi race. Soba Ulala has some of what made that restaurant great \u2014 like a sashimi appetizer \u2014 with the added bonus of homemade soba noodles that rival some of the city\u2019s best. The spirit of omakase hasn\u2019t gone far: Besides the standard menu, there\u2019s often a full page\u2019s worth of daily specials based on the season and the current availability; the night I went, I started with a goma-dressed plate of perfect white asparagus and fiddleheads as well as a small piece of fried mackerel in a pool of cod milt, a luxury ingredient I\u2019ve only ever been offered at multi-hundred-dollar-a-head tasting menus. (It\u2019s either a connoisseur\u2019s dream or an acquired taste, depending on your POV.) As for the noodles, the uni-laden bowls get high marks, but I also loved a special niku soba with its thinly sliced beef in a rich dashi. The room has the spectral quiet of a temple, and back-slapping sushi bros haven\u2019t discovered it yet. Beat them to it. \u2014Matthew Schneier<\/p>\n

Bar Bruno<\/a> (Cobble Hill)
The harried look spread across servers\u2019 faces during a recent meal was probably proof that this neighborhood mainstay\u2019s new owners \u2014 the guys behind Greenpoint Fish and Lobster<\/a> \u2014 were not entirely prepared for the locals who descend with kids in tow for a very early dinner. That\u2019s especially true when the cuisine in question is guac-and-margs\u2013esque Mexican. But then, is there anything better late on a Sunday afternoon? The menu\u2019s standouts, not surprising given the new management, were all seafood: sweet, fresh shrimp turned into a nicely balanced aguachile; mild cubes of soft tuna tossed with mango; and a butterflied sea bass, divorciado style<\/a>, with the green salsa narrowly beating out the red to be named my own family\u2019s favorite.\u00a0\u2014Alan Sytsma\u00a0<\/p>\n

Balera<\/a> (Williamsburg)
Balera is already in demand and dazzling thanks in part to the presence of its handsome young Italian owners who run it to their taste. The kitchen is open until 1 a.m. on weekends and 10:30 during the week, turning out Roman pizzas, each made with a relatively light 180 grams of dough, rolled thin and baked until the crust is bubbly and blistered on the edges. The barely-there canvas is a boon for tomato pies, like the Rossa, sauced with an equal layer of marinara and an arrangement of anchovies, caper leaves, and olives. Any pangs for more dough can be remedied with a loaf of oil-crackled focaccia or even the cheese, mozzarella in carrozza, thinly encased sandwiches spiked with anchovy and fried proficiently. At a certain point, the lights dim and a disco ball illuminates the DJ\u2019d room, but the standard New York City caveat applies: \u201cNo dancing.\u201d \u2014Tammie Teclemariam<\/p>\n

EAT LIKE THE EXPERTS.<\/p>\n

Sign up for the Grub Street newsletter.<\/p>\n

Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice<\/p>\n

By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms<\/a> and Privacy Notice<\/a> and to receive email correspondence from us.<\/p>\n


\n See All<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n