What’s the best way to handle multiple heat waves? Margaritas, with a side of tacos and maybe a slice of pizza. Luckily, restaurants slinging all of these are opening up this July in the Big Apple. Mexican is certainly having a moment this month, from Casa Felix from the group behind Philippe Chow serving margaritas and share plates, to Taco Lane, an Asian-influenced taco spot in the Village with a menu that includes options like XO fish and shiitake mushrooms. And while pizza in this city is never in short supply, we’re also thrilled to try a few new slice joints this month: Keepers, which will specialize in cracker-thin bar pies, as well as Masani, a Forest Hills spot from the husband-and-wife duo behind @foodbabyny.
But if you’re looking for something a little more white tablecloth, we also have you covered. Not only has Mūje, the new concept from the chef behind Michelin-starred Jungsik, opened, but we also have all the details on Oberon, the sleek, vegetable-forward space inside the brand-new addition to the New Museum.
Read on to find out which tables are worth setting an alarm to book this month. Below are the 10 best restaurants opening in New York this July.
The Best New Restaurants to Try in NYC Right Now
Bark Barbecue
25 Thames St., Brooklyn, NY 11206
Bushwick
Summertime means barbecue, but most New Yorkers can’t exactly set up a backyard grill. That’s why Bark Barbecue might become your new favorite third space: the 8,000-square-foot spread in Bushwick has more than enough room for you and literally all of your friends. Self-taught pitmaster Ruben Santana’s menu is most closely aligned with the barbecue style that hails from Central Texas (meats cooked “low and slow” over live fire), but the flavors here also owe a debt to the chef’s Dominican upbringing. Hero ingredients include imported Dominican oregano, Constanza Melaza molasses and naranja agria (sour orange). We recommend grabbing plates to share, especially the crowd favorites of brisket, smoked carnitas and rib tips, along with the cerdo à la leña, a whole hog pit-smoked and inspired by a similar Dominican tradition.
Bark Barbecue.
Cole Saladino
Casa Felix
190 7th Ave., New York, NY 10011
Chelsea
Merchants, the group behind Philippe Chow, pivots to Mexican with the opening of Casa Felix this month. With Mexico City’s ebullient nightlife as a major influence, the menu here is particularly focused on tequila and mezcal beverages, along with innovative share plates designed by chef Rey Martinez. A little gem salad, for example, is enlivened by Oaxacan-inspired grasshopper vinaigrette. As for what you should drink: beverage director Steven Restrepo shines with his margaritas and palomas, but an early favorite is the Some Like It Hot, a mezcal sour made with pasilla chile, hibiscus and lime.
Casa Felix.
Casa Felix
Graciela
81 Greenwich Ave., New York, NY 10014
West Village
Chances are, if you’ve been to Buenos Aires, someone told you to check out Don Julio, one of the city’s most venerated steakhouses. And now you won’t have to hop on a jet south to try some of restaurateur Pablo Rivero’s cuisine: his New York debut, Graciela, opened mid-month. In collaboration with Alex and Adam Saper (the brothers who launched Eataly in the U.S.), Rivero’s newest spot is inspired by Argentine bodegóns, or taverns. Its point of pride is one of the largest live-fire cooking surfaces in New York, thanks to both a bespoke Argentine parilla and a Josper oven, stoked by imported quebracho blanco charcoal. Highlights from the menu include a New York strip steak milanesa, ossobuco empanadas and lubina (branzino) a la parrilla. Wines, of course, are plentiful and geared toward organic and biodynamic labels; there are also many options for vermouth and vintage Fernet pours.
Graciela.
Nico Schinco
Grimm Tavern
659 Vanderbilt Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11238
Prospect Heights
While we still mourn the closing of Olmsted, happily, the space on Vanderbilt is occupied once again. Lauren and Joe Grimm, the couple behind Grimm Artisanal Ales in East Williamsburg, make their foray into food with this opening, with a menu focused on laid-back American tavern cuisine. Chef Greg Massaro’s dishes elevate classics like a smash burger made with chuck brisket, short rib and dry-aged beef tallow, or a pan-fried brook trout with porcini mushroom and tomato. Grimm Tavern marks the first time the Grimm group has expanded beyond beer and wine on its beverage menus, with this restaurant offering spirits and signature cocktails.
Grimm Tavern.
Paolo Verzani
Keepers
34 8th Ave., New York, NY 10014
West Village
Keepers, the newest bar and pizza joint from the team behind cocktail bar Dandelion, will start slinging pies at the end of this month. Meant to be an approachable but elevated nighttime spot, cocktails from beverage director Ricky Dolinsky will focus on Negronis, spritzes and frozen drinks, while the food menu, created in collaboration with Louis Tomczak (Paulie Gee’s), celebrates the humble bar pie—cracker-thin crust and crispy cheese on the edges. We’re particularly intrigued by Shore Thing: a pizza topped with spinach-artichoke dip and lump crab, served with a wedge of lemon.
Keepers.
Noah Fecks
Masani Pizza
96-01 69th Ave., Forest Hills, NY 11375
Forest Hills
And if the West Village is a little too far for our Queens friends to travel for pizza, we’ve got exciting news: Forest Hills is getting some new pies, too. Masani Pizza is the brainchild of food Instagrammers Mike and Alexandra Chau, and the evolution of Lillian Pizzeria, which occupied the space until 2018. In its new form, Masani offers garlic knots and pinwheels; pizza by the slice or pie with toppings like cacio e pepe or pepperoni and hot honey; and pasta provided by Brooklyn Pasta Lab. And like any classic slice joint, dessert is provided by the Lemon Ice King of Corona.
Masani Pizza.
Masani Pizza
Mūje
151 W. 30th St., New York, NY 10001
Chelsea
Chef Jungsik Yim, of Michelin-starred Jungsik, branches out from Korean cuisine with the opening of Mūje, a tasting menu spot whose influences encompass much of the Asian continent. The name, which roughly translates to “without definition,” serves as the blueprint for the restaurant: cuisine that isn’t dictated by a specific tradition or culture. As such, the eight-course $150 menu includes dishes like a chicken wing stuffed with spiced pork and dusted with Korean “prinkle” seasoning, and—the meal’s showstopper—short rib served with four unique types of wraps, in an homage to multiple Asian cuisines. Add the wine pairing to complete the experience, but there is also a selection of cocktails available, like the Midnight in Samui, a butterfly pea-infused rum drink.
Mūje.
Alexander Stein
Oberon
7 Freeman Alley, New York, NY 10002
Lower East Side
The New Museum’s addition was one of the larger architectural blockbuster stories for 2026. And now, it’s complemented by the addition of Oberon, a full-service restaurant created by Henry Rich of The Oberon Group. Executive chef Julia Sherman has conceived a vegetable-forward, zero-waste menu in an OMA-designed space that befits a concept housed inside a contemporary art museum. The burger, made with dry-aged beef, is an early favorite, but we also recommend ordering nearly all of the seasonally shifting appetizers, especially now that fruit and vegetables are at their summer peak. Don’t leave without tasting the rich chocolate mousse, which is sprinkled with espresso salt.
Oberon.
Alex Staniloff
Recente
182 2nd Ave., New York, NY 10003
East Village
Dante alums Willem Hock and Lukas Canan will open their first standalone space at the end of this month, with a concept that blends elements of both Italian and Australian cuisine. Recente, with a kitchen led by Mary Bartel (Four Twenty Five), will launch with summer-inflected dishes like a tomato and peach salad perked up with shiso and verbena, and pappardelle served with an XO-oxtail ragu. Pair it all with refreshing spritzes or low-intervention drinks, or try the specialty of the menu, the Martini Recente, a set of three variations of the classic cocktail (verde, classico and sozzo).
Recente.
Jenna Murray
Taco Lane
15 E. 13th St., New York, NY 10003
Greenwich Village
Tacos by way of Asia are the latest addition to the Village, thanks to Taco Lane, a concept from husband-and-wife duo Lane Li and Chris Wang (Noodle Lane). The menu here is tightly edited (which also means it’s not hard to try everything): six tacos that include variations like dan dan pork and smoked honeycomb tripe, as well as housemade salsas infused with Asian ingredients like Sichuan peppercorn. Wash it all down with a beer: a Tsingtao or Hitachino, of course.
Taco Lane.
Martin Betz
