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According to Larry David, if it's three days past the new year, then I don’t need to wish you a “Happy New Year.” So, I won’t, but these bars and restaurants will. Kicking off 2025, a handful of bars and restaurants opened their doors, joining our vibrant and ever-changing dining scene in New York. From a Queens eatery bringing its jumbo-sized wontons to Chinatown to a Philly cheesesteak spot from an award-winning actor, here are some of the best restaurants and bars that opened in New York this month.
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1. Bananas, East Village
The phrase “bananas” has been used as a slur to describe Asian Americans who present as culturally white. Chef-owners Chris Ng and Kyaw Lwin have decided to embrace the term, using it to express their culture, their way. With a combined background at Blue Ribbon Sushi and BondSt (chef Ng) and Yakiniku Futago and Michelin-starred Shmoné (chef Lwin), Bananas blends New American with Asian-influences, from Sake Steamed Mussels to a marinated pork and deep-fried banana found in the Char Siu Fried Banana.
2. Danny & Coop’s, East Village
Actor Bradley Cooper gave New Yorkers an early Christmas gift last year, soft opening his Philly cheesesteak restaurant in the East Village. Today, the restaurant functions more as a pop-up, posting opening hours and dates on its Instagram page. But if you catch it, you’ll be rewarded with an $18 Philly cheesesteak, and you just might see the man himself behind the counter.
3. Ha’s Snack Bar, Lower East Side
For six years, Anthony Ha and Sadie Mae Burns have trekked our city streets, bringing egg-scallion bánh mìs and cabbages stuffed with pork shank with their Vietnamese pop-up, Ha’s Đặc Biệt. As of this month, the couple have finally settled down, opening Ha’s Snack Bar on January 6. A chalkboard lays out the specials of the day, which have thus far included snails bubbling in tamarind butter to bass crudo showered with nuoc cham. Plenty of wines lay behind the bar and in ice buckets, ready to be paired with it all.
4. Pitt’s, Red Hook
Chef Jeremy Salamon truly charmed us with his Jewish and Eastern European fare at Agi’s Counter. He seems to be doing it again, this time in Red Hook. Named after chef Salamon’s nickname as a kid, Pitt’s evokes all the nostalgic vibes from his time cooking in The Triangle Region of North Carolina, from Fried Saltines and gouda pimento on the menu down to the decor, notably the colorful plates of china mounted on the wall. Service always starts with complimentary Warm Caraway Pull-apart Rolls before segueing into Carolina Rice Grit with Bottarga and a Grilled Mutton Chop for two with fries and mint jelly for dipping.
5. Maxi’s Noodle, Chinatown
Last year, Maxi’s Noodle was named the number one Chinese restaurant in the U.S. by Yelp. Continuing the good news (for them and for us), the Queens eatery now has a new spot on Mott Street. Her third location, chef Maxi Lau-O’Keefe’s latest continues to dish out home cooked foods from Hong Kong including noodle bowls with braised beef and duck to supersized wontons, plumped up with shrimp and pork.
6. Nerina, Greenpoint
For almost eight years, you could find executive chef Moshe Grundman at midtown’s upscale Greek restaurant, Nerai. This month, he took the train over to Greenpoint, bringing his Mediterranean culinary techniques with him. Alongside shareable mezzes with housemade pitas and seafood from the shore, including grilled octopus and Cretan spiced scallops, there’s a full list of biodynamic and organic Greek wines ready for the swirling and sipping.
7. Cafe Commerce, Upper East Side
A long-time favorite of the West Village, Harold Moore’s Commerce Restaurant closed its doors in 2015, citing a legal battle with the landlord. Ten years later, Moore is back, trading out white table cloths for more casual digs in the Upper East Side. Favorites from the restaurant's past can be found here, like the roasted chicken and coconut cake, alongside new dishes soon that will soon to be, like the Feast of Shells (clams, mussels and shrimp) only served on Tuesdays.
8. Schmuck., East Village
One of the world’s best bars is finally open in the East Village. From the team behind the five-star dive bar in Barcelona, Two Schmucks, Schmuck. has finally arrived after a year plus of exciting pop-ups and construction delays. The soon-to-be, if not already, neighborhood hotspot features 22 cocktails in all, from a cinnamon bun and coffee drink to a salad-inspired tipple.
9. Chicken Guy!, Times Square
Guy Fieri is back in Times Square. Do with that information as you will.