With summer officially ending and fall beginning this week, it’s time to try something new. Fortunately for New York diners, the bar and restaurant openings haven’t slowed down. This week, look out for a massive new Lincoln Center brasserie from a beloved celebrity chef, the arrival of an authentic Greek restaurant in SoHo, and a Southern-style country buffet that finally landed in the East Village.
Get a reservation or get in line, because the anticipation surrounding these new spots has been crazy high.
Good Time Country Buffet
From the team behind Kisa and C as in Charlie comes the much-anticipated Southern-style, all-you-can-eat buffet in the East Village, which opened last week on 1st Avenue. The founders of Good Time Country Buffet were born in Korea and raised in Atlanta, where they grew up eating at Southern country buffets in the 90s.
Now, they’re bringing it to the New York masses, where adults pay $26.99 for fried chicken, greens, salad, spaghetti, beans, fries, and yes, sweet tea. Seniors (over age 65) pay $23.99 and kids (ages 4 to 9), just $13.99, which makes this a wallet-friendly and family-friendly local bargain. With reservations available on Resy, booking is advised but walk-ins are welcome. 166 1st Ave., East Village, goodtimebuffet.com
Brasserie Boulud
Landing in Lincoln Center in time for the fall season is Brassiere Boulud, a welcome return to the neighborhood after chef Daniel Boulud closed three restaurants last year. The theater-going crowd is rejoicing with last week’s opening, which takes over the former Boulud Sud, Bar Boulud, and Épicerie Boulud spaces.
It’s the chef’s first true brasserie in New York City, and it’s a doozy. The Rockwell Group-designed space is massive at over 10,000 square-feet, and sits across the street from Lincoln Center. Expect classic brasserie fare for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 1900 Broadway, Upper West Side, brasserieboulud.com
Kythira NP
Named for the island on which chef Nicholas Poulmentis was raised and stamped with his own initials, Kythira NP is the chef’s most personal work to date. Lucky us, it opens this week in SoHo on Grand Street.
“I want guests to feel as though they’ve spent an evening on the island that shaped me,” said chef Poulmentis. “Kythira is part of everything I do, from the dishes I cook to the wines I serve, to the way people gather around a table. This is how I was raised, and I’m doing what I can to honor where I’m from and share it with you.”
Some of the signature dishes at Kythira NP include Gogizes, handmade goat cheese gnocchi bathed in a spicy yellow pepper cream sauce and finished with sweet blue crab; and Chtapodi, sushi-grade octopus grilled served over black-eyed peas. The beverage program extends the restaurant’s sense of place through specialty cocktails, Greek wines and spirits, and Greek coffees. 32 Grand St., SoHo, kythiranp.com
Gotham Burger Social Club
This Wednesday, September 23, Gotham Burger Social Club opens its second brick-and-mortar location in New York. Now, for the first time, it’s also offering a full bar on Grand Street in Williamsburg.
“Brooklyn felt like a natural next step for us,” Puma said. “As a lifelong New Yorker, I’ve always loved the energy. Williamsburg has that neighborhood feel and sense of community that has been such a big part of Gotham from the beginning. We’ve been lucky to build an incredible group of regulars on the Lower East Side, and I’m excited to bring Gotham to another neighborhood and build that same kind of connection here.”
The cult-favorite burger concept started as an actual social club for burger lovers who were in search of a perfect burger. What began as a hobby built a devoted following and eventually took founder Mike Puma from tasting burgers to making them himself. Puma first showcased the hamburgers at pop-ups throughout New York, and ultimately, at Gotham Burger Social Club’s first permanent restaurant on the Lower East Side in 2024.
This new Williamsburg location has a similar look and feel as the Lower East Side restaurant, while paying homage to Oklahoma (the birthplace of the fried onion burger) via a mid-century modern-meets-Western aesthetic. 216 Grand St., Williamsburg, gbsc.nyc
Motek
New Yorkers of a certain age will remember longstanding brasserie, Rue 57, which operated for nearly 30 years in Midtown. Opening this Friday, September 25, in its place is the new flagship of Motek, the all-day Mediterranean chainlet founded in Miami.
This opening marks its third Manhattan location (with more to follow in the coming months). The expansive restaurant showcases Motek’s all-day menu, including the award-winning hummus, shawarma, kebabs, house-baked pita, and craft cocktails. The new flagship also introduces Motek To-Go, a new grab-and-go concept featuring salads and sandwiches, Mediterranean pastries, and coffee. 60 W. 57th St., Midtown, motek.com
