As we plan trips to visit family or just get away this summer, our eyes are turned toward that most important of questions: Where are we going to eat? Fortunately, there are a lot of new restaurants opening right now that we’re itching to try. We keep track of all these openings—narrowing down to just the most exciting ones—so we can share them with you each season.
In Cincinnati, a longtime pasta pop-up known for its foraged ingredients is settling into a brick-and-mortar, and in Chicago, the locally beloved Korean American restaurant Parachute is relaunching as a casual, walk-in-only operation. In Los Angeles, two chefs from the celebrated seafood spot Holbox are branching out on their own, and Rashida Holmes’s Caribbean-American pop-up Bridgetown Roti has found a permanent home.
Plus, a lot of promising restaurants have already opened in the past month to kick off the season. New Orleans gets a new meat and three restaurant, Hot Stuff, from the Turkey and the Wolf team; Miami’s Nikkei-inspired favorite Itamae AO has been revamped; and the Catskills now has Matilda, a restaurant (and connected inn) from the New York chefs behind Wildair and Contra.
These are Bon Appétit’s eight most anticipated restaurant openings of the season.
This list is organized alphabetically by city. The opening dates below are subject to change. Check restaurant websites and Instagram accounts for the latest updates.
Loulou
Chicago, IL
Opening: July
Chicago’s Lula Cafe is among the most beloved neighborhood institutions in the country—taking home the 2024 James Beard Award for Outstanding Hospitality. Chef-owner Jason Hammel opened the farm-to-table icon in 1999 in Logan Square, and besides a cookbook tied to the restaurant, Hammel’s attention has been fully on Lula. This summer, Hammel and team will debut Loulou, a restaurant, retail, and event space. There will be a weekly Sunday brunch with dishes like seasonal quiches, and their retail component spotlights products from local Chicago artisans and produce from local farms.
Parachute HiFi
Chicago, IL
Opening: August
Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark’s Parachute returns to Avondale as Parachute HiFi after a short hiatus and with a few notable changes: It’s more casual, more affordable, and walk-in-only. The HiFi addition to the restaurant’s title is a nod to vinyl cafés in Seoul. Accordingly, there will be new and vintage audio equipment playing music from the couple’s record collection. Diners can eat Korean and American dishes like a fish fillet sandwich with uni tartar sauce or a pizza pastry filled with pepperoni and kimchi. The beverage menu focuses on sool—Korean fermented and distilled drinks—plus cocktails with eccentric ingredients like Parmesan and octopus. Parachute devotees will be happy to know that Kim and Clark plan to bring back their famous bing bread, a golden, crunchy potato bread. It’s been a busy few years for Kim and Clark—they opened Anelya, their Ukrainian restaurant down the street in October 2023, and still hope to find a new space for the original Parachute in downtown Chicago.
Wildweed
Cincinnati, Ohio
Opening: July
