Much of the restaurant world’s year will be remembered for places lost, not gained. The industry, built around small margins and still recovering from the pandemic, was hit time and again this year, and not all restaurants made it through.
But the city also welcomed many new restaurants in 2024. Preliminary data from market research firm Datassential suggests upward of 3,100 new eateries opened in New York between January and September, the latest month for which figures are available.
Below, we identify five we consider to be among the most notable. They helped define local dining in 2024 and could shape the scene for years to come. Binding them together, each is the brainchild of a highly acclaimed New York chef with a proven track record in the city.
SEA from Jungsik Yim
Perhaps the biggest news in New York dining this year came earlier this month when Jungsik, a Korean fine dining restaurant in Tribeca, earned its third Michelin star. It was the first time since 2012 a local restaurant was elevated to the honor. Owner Jungsik Yim, however, has been busy this year beyond his namesake restaurant. He, along with executive chef Jun Hee Park, opened SEA, a new Southeast Asian restaurant at 151 W. 30th St. in August. Unlike Yim’s fine dining three star spot, SEA runs relatively casual. So just as reservations fill up at Jungsik, diners less inclined to dish out $295 for a pre-fixe can sample Yim’s work for well under $100.
Borgo from Andrew Tarlow
In September, veteran Brooklyn restaurateur Andrew Tarlow took his craft across the East River for the first time to open Borgo, a trattoria in NoMad. It’s his first new restaurant in 10 years and joins a half-dozen other Marlow Collective spots, including Diner, Marlow & Sons, Achilles Heel and Roman’s. The new restaurant filled the former I Trulli space at 124 E. 27th St. “(Borgo is the) restaurant of my dreams,” Tarlow, a pioneer of the farm-to-table movement, said when it opened. The 140 seat restaurant features a wood-burning oven that anchors the open kitchen where executive chef Jordan Frosolon pushes the bounds, ever so slightly, of traditional Italian cooking. Manhattan dwellers should be delighted.
César from César Ramirez
Moments before Jungsik was bestowed its third Michelin star, there was an awkward scene on stage at the glitzy awards ceremony in Hell’s Kitchen. The team currently running Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare stood stage right; César Ramirez, who was very publicly ousted from his chef role at the acclaimed spot some 18 months back, perched alone stage left. Both had just earned two Michelin stars. And while Ramirez had taken stage in years’ past on behalf of Chef’s Table, his presence there this time was for his new restaurant César in SoHo. The $365 tasting menu opened in July as an unabashedly ambitious, open-kitchen and seafood-forward restaurant. Ramirez is best known, and in some cases infamous, for his obsessive attention to detail. His hyper focused cooking depends on exceptional ingredients from around the world, with an emphasis on products from Japan. Don’t be surprised to see him back on stage at the Michelin awards soon, perhaps once again to be bestowed a jacket embroidered with three stars.
Locanda Verde from Andrew Carmellini
For 15 years, Locanda Verde stuck to its sole location on a cozy Tribeca corner. The owners withstood innumerable offers to expand while staying busy feeding regulars, including Taylor Swift and David Solomon, chief executive officer of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. But in November, the landmark downtown restaurant opened a second location, this time on the ground floors of 50 Hudson Yards, home of BlackRock Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc. Andrew Carmellini, co-founder of NoHo Hospitality, which owns Locanda Verde, has said he wants the space to manifest a neighborhood vibe. The menu at the Midtown location is stocked with staples from the flagship, including the lamb meatball sliders and My Grandmother’s ravioli. Carmellini, who is behind restaurants like Lafayette and the Dutch, also introduced a crudo of live sea scallops, among other new items. Oh, and there’s a 700-bottle wine list. If the original location offers any insight, don’t be surprised to see some serious power and wealth when dining here. “When we think of the proverbial ‘let’s sketch it out on the back of a napkin,’ those napkins are at restaurants,” said BlackRock CEO Rob Goldstein. Locanda Verde is the kind of place “where you break bread and conceive what’s possible.”
La Tête d’Or from Daniel Boulud
Capping off the list is the latest endeavor from chef Daniel Boulud, who is popular for Restaurant Daniel and the recently reopened Café Boulud on the Upper East Side. In November, Boulud opened La Tête d’Or, his first New York steakhouse. The restaurant serves French-accented dishes on the ground floor of the renovated luxury office tower 1 Madison Avenue in the Flatiron District. Boulud sources beef from ranches in the Midwest and Japan and grills steaks over a wood-fueled hearth. In addition to vast and various dining spaces, David Rockwell has designed an omakase counter for a steak tasting menu. The biggest hit, however, is the $115 prime rib that comes out on a trolley. Yes, like a metal rolling cart on wheels.
Crain’s reporter Julianne Cuba contributed, as did Bloomberg.
