Time Out’s Hot Spots in NYC

There's been a lot of buzz around this old-school Italian spot that has recently been thrust into the Instagram spotlight. Whether you're going for the "scene" or spaghetti, you can't go wrong visiting this Chinatown institution. 

London’s Chelsea institution has flown across the pond to Columbus Circle’s third-floor perch. The brasserie serves modern European fare and classic English dishes, such as beef Wellington, Cornish chicken pie and afternoon tea—all with a bird’s-eye view of Central Park.

Don't call it a coffee shop. This ultra-elevated coffee bar and café makes everything from scratch, including its own milk (almond, cashew, pepita and oat). Order cocktail-style espresso drinks like the hickory-smoked s'mores latte or the deconstructed espresso tonic in a lush space designed by Ken Fulk (Legacy Records). Treats are provided by LES wunderkind Supermoon Bakehouse.

From the steaming rice-noodle bowls of the Yunnan province to the tear-jerking orders of spicy Szechuan dry pot, dining out in the East Village is a celebration of regional Chinese cuisine, and we’re here for it. Enter artist and Hunan native Chao Wang, who opened this slurp shop to bring a taste of his home to NYC. The space is like the opposite of a mullet: party in the front and business in the back. 

A Per Se and Daniel alum is teaming up with a chef from Blanca and Marea for this modern Asian restaurant in Nomad. The elevated dishes churned out at this New American-Asian spot are fixed with local and seasonal ingredients served in sun-lit space with an outdoor garden ("hortus" in Latin).

The Seaport District kicks into culinary overdrive this summer with several food- and drink-focused programs popping up for the season. The headliner is the Seaport Food Lab, a bi-level restaurant hosting chefs from all over the country for one-week residencies, this year, the line-up is all-female with James Beard Award winner Nancy Silverton, Angie Mar of the Beatrice Inn and Noma alum Rosio Sanchez. Opens September 11th.

The Grill moved into the old Four Seasons space in the Seagram Building to buzzy fanfare and fawning reviews, so the Four Seasons is hoping the luck continues by staging a comeback itself. Stationed a few blocks south of the original space, the power-lunch behemoth now has Le Bernardin alum Diego Garcia helming the kitchen using seasonal ingreidents for updated spins on classic dishes in the two-story, mid-century-modern space.