🚕 Outdoor Dining, All Year

Good Morning NY!

New York City restaurants can now keep their roadway outdoor dining setups open year-round after Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani signed new legislation into law.

The change removes the previous requirement for restaurants to dismantle their outdoor dining structures between November 30 and March 31.

Restaurants will also be able to temporarily winterize and weatherproof their roadway setups under rules still to be developed by the NYC Department of Transportation.

The goal is to reduce the costs and logistical challenges of taking down, storing, and rebuilding outdoor dining structures every season.

The updated program will require floorboards to be removed weekly for cleaning and will move the closing time for roadway dining structures from midnight to 11 p.m.

For NYC diners, the change means outdoor meals can remain part of the city’s restaurant scene throughout the year.

Sushiro Is Coming to Times Square

Japanese conveyor-belt sushi chain Sushiro is preparing to open its U.S. flagship in Times Square, with a late-fall opening planned at Eighth Avenue and 42nd Street.

The three-level restaurant will have 150 seats across its first two floors, featuring Sushiro’s signature kaiten, or conveyor-belt, sushi service.

A subterranean level will offer a more intimate Japanese dining experience with an omakase-style prix fixe menu.

The menu will feature more than 200 items, including sushi, ramen, somen, tempura, chawanmushi, hot dishes, and Japanese-inspired desserts.

Conveyor-belt sushi is expected to start at $5 for two pieces, with some selections reaching $10.

Sushiro will also operate with a no-tipping policy, bringing its affordable Japanese dining concept to New York for the first time.

NYC’s Newest Tables

New York’s restaurant scene is welcoming a fresh wave of openings and revamps this September.

In Midtown, iDen’s Beijing Duck House has reopened in the former La Grenouille space with a $200 tasting menu and Beijing duck starting at $128.

Chelsea has a new STK Steakhouse location, while Greenpoint welcomes Kirbee’s, a Texas barbecue spot from pitmasters Jonny White and Chuck Charnichart.

The city is also getting new neighborhood spots like Behind The Booth in Chinatown, Floradora in Greenwich Village, La Collina on the Upper East Side, and Hommali in the West Village.

Meanwhile, Williamsburg’s beloved Ugly Baby has returned in a larger space with an expanded menu of Southern Thai dishes.

A New Afro-Caribbean Destination

Pastry chef Camari Mick is opening Calabash, a new bakery and brasserie in the West Village dedicated to Afro-Caribbean cuisines and communities.

The 30-seat restaurant will explore Mick’s Jamaican, Brooklyn, and recently discovered Nigerian roots through both food and art.

During the day, guests can expect laminated pastries, fermented breads, savory dishes, African-sourced coffee, and Kenyan tea.

Dinner will feature a prix fixe menu with dishes including suya steak frites, goat ragu with pappardelle, and sardines served on Trinidadian bake.

Desserts include a Jamaican gizzada-inspired sticky bun, Jamaican chocolate chip cookies, and Mick’s signature beef patty croissant.

Calabash will also serve fermented drinks, nonalcoholic cocktails, and adaptogenic beverages instead of liquor.

The restaurant is set to open this fall at 183 Christopher Street, with daytime service Thursday through Sunday and dinner on Friday and Saturday.

Outdoor Dining, All Year

New York City restaurants can now keep their roadway outdoor dining setups open year-round after Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani signed new legislation into law.

The bill removes the previous requirement for participating restaurants to take down their outdoor dining structures from November 30 through March 31.

Restaurants will also be allowed to temporarily winterize and weatherproof their roadway setups under rules that the NYC Department of Transportation will develop.

The change is intended to reduce the costs and logistical challenges restaurants faced from dismantling, storing, and rebuilding their structures each season.

The updated program will also require weekly removal of floorboards for cleaning and move the closing time for roadway dining structures from midnight to 11 p.m.

For NYC diners, that means outdoor meals can officially remain part of the city’s restaurant scene through every season.

Big Changes Around NYC

August brought plenty of movement across New York City’s restaurant scene, from closures and new openings to chef changes and fresh dining concepts.

Taïm’s four NYC locations were listed as temporarily closed amid reported unpaid business taxes.

Meanwhile, iDen’s Beijing Duck House is set to bring a high-end Chinese dining experience to Midtown in the former La Grenouille space.

Grand Central is also expanding its food offerings, with a new grab-and-go spot and a planned 250-seat Osteria Centrale.

In Brooklyn, BEM is shifting from an in-person food bookstore and café into the BEM Cultural Foundation, with dinners, screenings, and cookbook events planned.

The roundup also spotlights new ramen, Irish food, Japanese tea, and pay-what-you-can dining developments happening around the city.

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