The World Cup games may be coming to an end, but NYC bar and restaurant openings still roll on. From a museum-like bar in Brooklyn to a new New Museum restaurant to a spicy Thai offshoot in Chelsea and more, here are five sizzling-hot new places around the city to hit up this week.
dokidoki
Celebrating the unexpected kinship between Japanese and Latin culture in a relaxed environment, dokidoki is now open. It’s the first joint concept by A-K Hada and Christian Suzuki-Orellana (aka Suzu). The name is a Japanese onomatopoeia that describes the feeling of a fast beating heart, a nod to the infectious energy of Latin music that sets the high-energy tone of the bar. With that in mind, dokidoki aims to marry Latin rhythms with warm Japanese hospitality for an experience rooted in music and good energy.
The pair are offering a beautiful array of low-ABV drinks built around classic cocktails with a Japanese and Latin twist, alongside a rotating list of wines and sake. Standouts include the Tropi Hai (Yanagita mugi shochu, roasted barley tea, grapefruit, tamarind, and cinnamon), Shibuya Cafecito (iichiko and aokage shochus, coffee, relajo tea, vanilla, and whey), and Ichiki Tini (Daiyama 24 shochu, Cap Corse Blanc vermouth, pineapple, and lemon verbena). All cocktails priced at $16.
Non-alcoholic offerings are also available, including the Rosie Perez (Undone No. 20 Pop-Up Blanc, mango, genmaicha, and shishito pepper). What’s more, consulting chef Daniel Maysonet (who currently leads the kitchen at Jungle Bird in Puerto Rico) developed a menu merging Japanese techniques with the tropical profile of Caribbean and Latin American flavors. 160 Havemeyer St. #5, Williamsburg, dokidokinyc.com
The Museum Bar + Gift Shop
The Museum Bar + Gift Shop is the brainchild of co-founder Misha Chavez, who set out to create a space where everybody feels happy and enthusiastic, much like how one feels in a museum while discovering new things. With two concepts in one, the newly-opened venue draws inspiration from natural history and the cabinets of curiosity of old, inviting guests to explore plants and animals and experience new and exciting flavors. That said, diners can order the Dinosaur Chicken Nuggets, among other, more globally-influenced dishes.
“Growing up I was allowed very limited television time, unless it was related to science or animals, then I could watch as much as I wanted,” Chavez said in a statement. “My love of learning was encouraged early in life, and I’ve always been inspired by that happy, enthusiastic feeling of discovery.”
The bar is comprised of distinct spaces: the eight-seat Gift Shop in the front, which has a more casual, café-style setting. Here, the drinks lean toward lower-ABV cocktails inspired by tea, coffee, and pastries, with a spritz of the day and a rotating milk punch.
The Exhibition Hall connects the two distinct rooms within the bar, giving guests a taste of what’s to come in The Museum. Inspired by a true museum display, the walls are lined with curiosities curated for the bar, pulled from the team’s personal collection of crystals, fossils, and other oddities. In the back of the space, the Museum comes to life with a bar program spanning “permanent exhibits” that will remain on a set menu and garner inspiration from natural history museums. For example: Insectarium (honey gin, fig, red bitters, black ants, wormwood, and crickets), Ocean Life (rum, coconut, lime, curacao, and cuttlefish ink), Fossil Record (reposado tequila, sesame, sherry, and turmeric).
The plan is to also serve rotating “special exhibits,” which dive deep into a specific concept for a limited time. Non-alcoholic offerings include a Pathfinder & Soda, among other concoctions. Keep in mind the new spot is first-come, first-served, no reservations. 1329 Willoughby Ave., Bushwick, Brooklyn, no website
Casa Felix
Opening this week on 7th Avenue in Chelsea is Casa Felix, a tequila-forward social house inspired by the cinematic glamour of Mexico’s Golden Age. From the team behind Ophelia, Philippe Chow, and Art Bar, Casa Felix aims to be more of a gathering type of destination rather than a typical restaurant.
“Chelsea has always been a neighborhood where people come together, and we wanted Casa Felix to feel like a natural extension of that,” said Abe Merchant, proprietor of Casa Felix. “From cocktails and brunch to dinner and celebrations, we’re creating a place where guests can settle in, enjoy thoughtful food and exceptional drinks, and feel the warmth and hospitality.”
Chef Rey Martinez heads the culinary program and menu items include a playful Tuna Chicharrón and Arroz con Pollo, where hen-of-the-woods mushrooms stand in for chicken. Beverage director Steven Restrepo’s cocktail program centers on tequila and mezcal, naturally. Look for margaritas, Palomas, tequila spritzes, frozen cocktails, and other agave-forward creations. 190 7th Ave., Chelsea, casafelixny.com
Hungry Spicy
Now in soft-opening mode and officially opening on July 25, Hungry Spicy is the Manhattan expansion of popular Brooklyn Thai restaurant Hungry Thirsty. The new sister restaurant, which straddles the Meatpacking District and Chelsea, will focus on Thai street food. While the Brooklyn restaurant focuses only on Southern Thai cuisine, Hungry Spicy will cover more of Thailand through the menu and yes, the dishes are crazy spicy.
According to Hungry Spicy, this is not your typical Thai food: “This is real Thai spicy. Forget your average ‘spicy,’ this is the authentic Thai heat.” Spice levels start at moderately spicy, or entry-level, and go up from there. 114 8th Ave., Chelsea, no website
Oberon
When the New Museum reopened in March after a two-year renovation, the space was nearly doubled, with an additional 60,000 square feet for exhibitions, artist residencies, and public spaces. Now, there’s also a place for dining. The just-opened Oberon is nestled within the OMA-designed expansion of the Museum, an all-day restaurant and bar operated by the Oberon Group (the team behind Rucola, Rhodora, Anais, and June).
“We are thrilled to be collaborating with the New Museum and the exceptionally talented Julia Sherman on a restaurant that will serve as a gathering place for artists, the neighborhood, and museum visitors,” said Henry Rich, the managing partner of the Oberon Group.
The art-filled Oberon serves as both a neighborhood restaurant and as a destination for the art community. Oberon is collaborating with artists Ian Cheng, Minjae Kim, and Laurie Anderson on an ongoing basis, and the artists’ contributions are woven throughout the restaurant’s design, atmosphere, and programming. The menu, led by co-executive chefs Julia Sherman and Ali Ghriskey, emphasizes seasonal ingredients and everyday dining (yes, the menu includes a burger).
“We imagined the restaurant both as part of and independent from the Museum,” said Shohei Shigematsu, OMA Partner. “Conceived as a freestanding box inserted into the ground floor lobby, it will be accessible from the building’s front and back, day to night. Inside, a large dining room and fixed pockets of seating will offer space to gather or retreat.” 235 Bowery (inside the New Museum), East Village, oberonnyc.com
