In 2025, New York City’s dining scene welcomed a wave of new restaurant openings. The list includes notable names like Madras Cafe, Yamada, and Buttermilk’s Farmhouse.
Fresh Lineup of Restaurants Opened Across NYC in 2025
New restaurant openings shaped New York City’s dynamic dining scene this year. From Japanese ramen to bold Indian flavors, New York has become a hub of iconic restaurants and continues to push the boundaries.
1. Madras Dosa
A Boston-based South Indian restaurant chain, Madras Dosa, opened its first New York location in Times Square earlier this year. The restaurant plans to open additional locations across the region, including Manhattan, Park Slope, Astoria, and Long Island City. The restaurant serves traditional and aromatic vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, Samosa Chaat, Pav Bhaji, Pani Puri, and Keema Pav. However, the speciality of the restaurant is its authentic South Indian Masala Dosa and Vada paired with hot sambhar and delicious coconut chutney.
When: January 2025
2. L&L Hawaiian
L&L Hawaiian BBQ brings the comfort and uniqueness of Hawaiian-style food and is expanding in New York City. Originating in Hawaii, the restaurant chain has expanded across New York City, Manhattan, and Brooklyn. Each location of L&L Hawaiian BBQ offers its classic and original dishes like Hawaiian Plate Lunch, Hawaiian BBQ mix, and more. L&L Hawaiian BBQ gained traction with its fast-casual service model, affordable pricing, and its nostalgic vibe. Locals and tourists recommended dishes include Chicken Katsu and Loco Moco.
When: Early 2025
3. Yamada
In 2025, Kooth Hospitality and Chef Isao Yamada brought an authentic Kaiseki Chef’s experience to Manhattan. The restaurant, Yamada, offers a seasonal multi-course tasting menu. The idea of this dining experience is inspired by seasonality (shun), harmony (chōwa), and mindfulness (ikigai). The upscale restaurant offers a high-quality, seasonal tasting menu; most of the ingredients are sourced from Japan.
The spring menu at the restaurant offered monkfish liver with soy sauce and red shrimp with spring clams for starters. The dinner menu continues with chawanmushi, a smooth steamed egg topped with king crab and sea urchin, followed by shashimi and otoro tuna.
Yamada’s drink menu focuses on its well-curated wine and sake collections, with specialties like Japanese sake, shochu, whisky, and highballs.
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When: April 2, 2025
4. Casasalvo
A Mediterranean restaurant, Casasalvo, founded by Sicilian Chef Salvo Lo Castro, found its home in SoHo. The chef is internationally acclaimed for preparing meals for fashion icons, global leaders, and two popes. The restaurant showcases Southern European cuisine with thoughtful design by the chef. Featuring a white and green palette, marble floors, walnut panels, a gold onyx bar, and Mediterranean greenery, the space feels refined and elegant.
Chef Castro launched three cafes across Manhattan; the menu includes traditional Italian dishes like Spaghettone with lobster cream and tomato, Ravioli Ragù Mediterraneo, and Paccheri Guanciale and Pistacchio.
When: July 20, 2025
5. Mommy Pai’s
This August, a Thai chicken spot, Mommy Pai’s, was launched in New York’s Nolita neighborhood. Founded by Chef-partners Ann Redding and Matt Danzer, Mommy Pai’s is to honor Redding’s mother, Ampai. The Chef-duo runs several other popular restaurants, including Thai Diner, Uncle Boon’s Sister, and Mr Donahue.
The restaurant serves Purple Sticky Rice and Lettuce Wraps, Coconut Rice & Beans in Banana Leaf, and Waffle Fries. The restaurant also offers refreshing tropical drinks like Mango Coconut and Spicy Tamarind Orange.
When: August 8, 2025
6. Buttermilk’s Farmhouse
Beloved breakfast and lunch joint, Buttermilk’s Farmhouse, opened a second location in Bay Shore, Long Island, after its success in the Patchogue location, which was opened in 2018. The eatery offers a wide range of breakfast options, including French toast, pancakes, waffles, and more.
For the kids, the restaurant features a special ‘Calves Menu’ available at $8.95. The menu includes pancakes with a choice of toppings, from bacon to strawberries and chocolate chips.
When: August 29, 2025
7. Narkara
Narkara, another Thai restaurant backed by Verasak Sangsiri of Kinnaree Hospitality Group, has opened in Union Square. Along with Sangsiri, Tanapon Srisupha, owner of At Nine Thai, and Rocky Romruen, an expert in hospitality with 10 years of experience, will be part of Narkara.
The restaurant offers dishes inspired by Northern and Northeastern Thai cuisine, including soup nor mai, kanom Krok Pu, Gaeng Kradang, and Samrub Sai Ua.
Gaeng Kradang, Soup Nor Mai, Samrub Sai Ua, Sai Krok, and Kanom Krok Pu are some of the signature dishes served in the restaurant.
When: September 2, 2025
8. Chick-fil-A
One of America’s popular fast food restaurant chains, Chick-fil-A, has opened a new location in Forest Hills. This opening in the region has created 60 job opportunities for the community. For its opening day celebrations, Chick-fil-A distributed a free entrée to those who came dressed in cow-themed accessories.
The Forest Hills location is owned and operated by Jonathan Dickson, a local from the neighborhood. Dickson has earned his experience as the owner-operator of Chick-fil-A at Queens Center Mall. The marketing, events, and community outreach programs at the Forest Hills location will be overseen by Lacy, Jonathan’s wife.
The chain features dine-in, carry-out, and a third-party delivery service. This chain will also serve the classic and signature menu items like Original Chicken Sandwich Meal, Spicy Deluxe Meal, and the most favorite chicken Nuggets.
When: September 4, 2025
9. Mexi
Mexi, a new Mexican spot by the WF Hospitality, opened as a casual spot for date nights and casual dinners in the Financial District. The restaurant has a ‘made-from-scratch’ motto, and serves vibrant Mexican flavors, home-made organic sauces, and other appealing combinations of comfort dishes.
The spot offers vibrant Mexican food, including tortillas, fajitas, and more, served with organic chipotle sauces and chicken tinga.
Jose Maria, the Beverage Director at the restaurant, has curated an extensive drink selection with small-batches of Mexican spirits, margaritas, and inventive cocktails.
When: September 4, 2025
10. Angelina Bakery
A popular Italian bakery, Angelina Bakery, offers light lunch and breakfast options. Tony Park, an Italian, founded the bakery with this family’s traditional recipes.
Baked items like pastries, signature croissants, bomboloni, coffee, and gelato. The Bakery’s new location in New York also features New York/Italian-style pizza slices and lemon sorbet cups served in natural lemon shells. Angelina Bakery also has student-friendly lunch specials. The highlight of the restaurant is that all items are prepared fresh daily in an open kitchen.
When: September 8, 2025
11. Ayah
Another upscale SoHo restaurant by 3rd Space Hospitality started serving traditional Moroccan flavors.
Ayah’s creative menu is created by chefs Geoffrey and Aïcha Sbaih and features classic Moroccan dishes with modern twists. From Tajines to chhiwates, it serves authentic Moroccan small plates.
Some of the most popular dishes in the restaurant are Chhiwates, which is made with fresh vegetables, herbs, and aromatic spices; and Ayah Pastilla is a crispy pastry filled with special chicken, almonds, and cinnamon. All the dishes in the restaurant showcase traditional Moroccan flavors and techniques.
When: September 10, 2025
12. ofCorsica
Operated by Executive Chef Andrew Minitelli, ofCorsica, a Mediterranean restaurant by the City Winery team, opened on Pier 57.
The dining space of the restaurant gives a breezy and elegant atmosphere of the Mediterranean coast with its arched ceilings and natural textures. The restaurant also showcases artwork by acclaimed artist Tobi Kahn and has huge floor-to-ceiling windows, which provide a copious amount of sunlight. For a large party, communal table and banquette seating are available in the restaurant.
The restaurant serves dishes made with expert cooking techniques and seasonal ingredients, with bold coastal flavors. Along with the restaurant, it serves an extensive wine selection.
When: September 15, 2025
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13. Yasubee Authentic Ramen
Yasubee Authentic Ramen, a popular Japanese ramen chain, opened its first-ever location in New York. The menu features spicy ramen bowls and Tokyo-inspired drinks such as Yuzu Ale and Match IPA. The restaurant also offers the iconic Tsukemen dish, in which noodles are served on the side of the broth.
Along with that, the eatery serves traditional Shiyo and Miso Ramen with small plates like stemmed gyoza, karaage, shishito peppers, and chilled furikake edamame. Customers can pair their food with selected cocktails and drinks inspired by Tokyo.
When: September 25, 2025
14. Miru
Pier 57 welcomed two new restaurants this year, one is ofCorsica, and another is Miru. The rooftop restaurant Miru opened on a 6,000-square-foot rooftop space. The team selected the name “Miru,” which is Japanese for ‘look,’ because of the views from the location.
Miru’s innovative menu is crafted by Executive Chef Rick Horiike. With plush interiors and intimate rooftop seating, the restaurant offers an upscale dining experience. The restaurant has a sushi bar, Japanese bites, and an extensive sake list.
When: September 2025
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15. Coffee Project
An independent coffee roaster and retailer, Coffee Project New York, has recently opened a new coffee bar in Hell’s Kitchen. Co-founders Chi Sum Ngai and Kaleena Teoh started a coffee shop in 2015 after quitting their jobs and following their passion for coffee. Within 10 years in business, the duo started more shops and expanded into retail, roasting, and educating about coffee.
Apart from freshly brewed coffee items, the cafe also serves Apple Toast, Mochi Ube Waffle, and Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, among others.
When: December 2025
The extensive restaurant openings in New York this year showcase its continued growth as one of the country’s most diverse dining markets.
