The best new restaurants in NYC that opened in September 2017

The Jane Hotel may be best known for the raucous late-night party scene in its hidden ballroom, but a new restaurant replacing Cafe Gitane might make the hotel a destination in the earlier hours, too. Matt Kliegman and Carlos Quirarte (the Smile) have opened an all-day Italian restaurant and café with plates from chef Joey Scalabrino (Lighthouse). Nosh on house-made sourdough with Sicilian olive oil, or burrata pizza slathered in vodka sauce for dinner, plus salads and sandwiches for lunch and breakfast dishes like a fried-egg sandwich with mortadella, provolone and pickled cucumber. The airy interior is shaded in hues of white, gray and black, with illustrated murals by Stefano Castronovo.

The Michelin-starred Thai restaurant Uncle Boons has opened a, well, sister restaurant with this takeout spin-off. The chef-owners Ann Redding and Matt Danzer are keeping the meals wallet-friendly, too: Main plates—like a curry crab omelette and fried-chicken laab–all cash in at $16 and under. The compact spot retains a dash of vintage decor left over from Mr. Donahue’s (the owners’ former restaurant), with a wood-paneled counter, an exposed-brick wall and throwback posters. 

Added To Empire Stores’ impressive list of culinary big names in its renovated waterfront warehouse—which includes Cecconi’s, VHH Foods and Smile to Go—is this Vegas and Miami import decked out in wood pillars, exposed schist-rock walls and Cuban terra-cotta tiles. The globally inspired small plates are churned out from an open-fire grill, a raw bar and a traditional kitchen. Executive chef and partner Timon Balloo (Sushisamba) curates a list of signature dishes like bacon-wrapped dates, goat cheese croquettes, Korean-style grilled short ribs and specialty sushi rolls that can be eaten inside the massive venue or outside on the patio that overlooks Brooklyn Bridge Park.

McCarren Hotel & Pool already has a popular rooftop bar and an outdoor pool, but executive chef Hong Thaimee (Ngam, Perry St) is adding one more destination to the mix by opening her eponymous Thai restaurant in the basement. The dishes, served prix fixe at the chef’s counter or à la carte, are inspired by Thaimee’s visits to her hometown of Chang Mai, a city in Thailand. Try authentic fare like tod munn fak thong (pumpkin balls), pla tom mai phai (fish in bamboo) or kale and crispy noodles with anchovy. The cocktails are serious business too: The spirit-forward quaffs are advised by big names Tonia Guffey (Dram, Flatiron Lounge) and Karen Fu (Donna Cocktail Club, the NoMad).

Yes. Dale Talde. Again. His 2017 roster already includes opening Massoni, the Heights and Atlantic Social, but the prolific chef and his Three Kings Restaurant Group are adding another restaurant inside Hotel 50 Bowery to join the Crown, the rooftop bar that opened there earlier this year. Rice & Gold will serve a mix of Filipino, Chinese and global dishes—think bibingka (coconut bread) with chicken-liver mousse and corned-beef tongue skewers layered with adobo onion. The industrial space itself is adorned with hanging grain silos and a custom graffiti art installation that dominates a full wall. 

Moving into the Flatiron District is this retro-glam supper club from owner Eric Biberman (Rainbow Room, Altman Building). The front of the venue functions as a Parisian-style café, while the back is outfitted with banquette-style seating and a DJ booth for the “supper club” aspect. Nibble on light bites like toasts, charcuterie boards and crêpes, along with liquor-infused chocolates by Ada Azarya (Cioccolada) and chocolate and cocktail pairings for the boozehounds. The 1920s French-inspired space is also home to family-style brunches, dessert-focused “sweet” dinner parties and weekly live jazz and burlesque performances.

In case you didn’t get the hint from the large indoor graffiti mural of a man smoking hookah, this Indian tapas restaurant in Murray Hill has a focus: It offers more than 40 flavors of hookah alongside Asian-leaning cocktails, including those with cardamom and house-made mango lassi. Restaurateur Abishek Sharma (Surya, Badshah) and his partners and friends Maneet Dhillon and Marjit Singh created a menu full of tapas (chicken tikka, spicy chicken wings, masala calamari) and a “bread bar” that’s like fully loaded naan-driven pizza—served in a casual setting of low ceilings, and exposed brick walls.