This is a season of restaurant comebacks. In Detroit and Miami, restaurants are reopening years after closing, while a Los Angeles chef is looking ahead to a new project after shuttering the doors to his beloved Cantonese deli in Chinatown. In New York, Time and Tide will debut as the legacy project of the late Jamal James Kent, with recent Top Chef winner Danny Garcia at the helm.
There’s also a new Caribbean restaurant from the Momofuku team, which departs from the Asian American flavors that defined the once-global restaurant group. We track openings year-round in the lead-up to our annual Best New Restaurants list, and these are the ones we are most excited about this Fall.
Many restaurants have opened in the past month to start the season on a high note. Black Dragon, a new take-out spot in Philadelphia, serves what chef Kurt Evans describes as a fusion of Black American and Chinese flavors; New York’s Kellogg’s Diner has been reimagined with a Tex-Mex spin; Niven Patel opened Paya in Miami, focused on tropical flavors and ingredients; and the team behind Kindred just debuted their new Mediterranean restaurant, Albertine, in Charlotte.
These are Bon Appétit’s nine 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.
Cantina Rosa
Chicago, IL
Projected opening: November
Cantina Rosa was born from the bar program at Virtue, a restaurant celebrating Southern cuisine by James Beard Award–winning chef-owner Erick Williams. Williams and Virtue general manager Jesus Garcia noticed a demand for cocktails in the city’s Hyde Park neighborhood and decided to open a bar just around the corner in a former laundromat space. The name is an homage to the duo’s grandmothers, Rose and Rosa. While Virtue focuses on Southern cooking, Cantina Rosa will spotlight Mexican culture and Garcia’s heritage. Beverage whiz Paul McGee is helping to curate a drinks menu with agave- and sugarcane-derived spirits, bourbon, and charanda. There are drinks like the Jushu, a frozen mezcal-based cocktail with acacia honey, lime, and mango vinegar, or the Royal Hawaiian made with Mexican gin, fresh pineapple, orgeat, and lemon. Bar bites like chicken tamales and refried bean sopes with crema and queso fresco will round out the experience.
Lady of the House
Detroit, MI
Projected opening: October
Kate Williams closed the doors to her lauded restaurant, Lady of the House, in 2021 when the building was sold. Now, the popular Detroit spot is returning. Williams opened the original in 2017 to much acclaim—a James Beard nomination for Best New Restaurant and Best Chef: Great Lakes, plus a coveted spot on numerous national best new restaurant lists. Williams’s menu will honor her family roots with an ode to Irish hospitality, French influence, and Midwestern background (the chef is a Detroit native). The menu focuses on produce from local suppliers and farms, particularly urban ones in downtown Detroit. Fans can expect the return of many of their old favorites, like toasted rye sourdough with rich shrimp butter, whole roasted chicken with challah migas and lemon rosemary gravy, and potato doughnuts with dried yogurt and chamomile sauce. The new Core City space is meant to feel cozy and welcoming—Williams called on her Instagram followers for well-loved teacups and used china to make the dining room feel like her grandmother’s living room.
