By Caroline Grogan By Caroline Grogan | November 15, 2021 | Food & Drink,
Gotham Guide is a weekly list of new restaurants, special menus and pop-ups throughout New York City. Support local businesses and head out on a culinary adventure with our suggestions below.
This week’s Gotham Guide is packed with limited-time offers, from a chocolate pumpkin-flavored donut to a dinner hosted by the NYC food TikTokers everyone loves to hate. Whether you’re in the mood for grab-and-go items like a smoothie or chirashi bowl or prefer to lounge at a cocktail bar, these new openings have something for everyone.
See also: Mr. Purple’s Veuve Clicquot Winter Chalet is Back
370 Lenox Ave / Website
Juicery Harlem, a collaboration between Jappy Afzelius (Executive Chef of TSISMIS) and husband-and-wife celebrity DJ duo Sasha Hart and Jay Vallo, is now officially open. The juice bar uses a Goodnature Juice Press System to create their menu of cold-pressed juices, innovative smoothies, and juice shots as well as two sandwiches. The juice bar will eventually expand to include a larger food menu as well as a cocktail program.
37 W 48th St / Website
On November 19th, Dough Donuts’ new outpost at Rockefeller Center will join forces with Raaka Chocolate to release a one-day-only limited-count flavor. The Raaka Chocolate Pumpkin Swirl Dough Doughnut is exclusively available at Rock Center and features the bakery’s signature brioche base with a dark chocolate glaze swirled with a pumpkin spice-kissed white chocolate inspired by Raaka’s Pumpkin Swirl bar.
176 8th Ave / Website
@TheVIPList, restaurant reviewers, and TikTok influencers Audrey Jongens and Meg Radice will host a three-course dinner and wine pairing at French bistro Loulou in Chelsea on Wednesday, November 17th. Coming in at $95 per person, the meal will raise funds for the restaurant, which reopened after an arson attack in late August.
Reservations can be made via Resy.
14 E 60th St / Website
Italy’s Aperetivo is back, turning the Upper East Side restaurant into one big bar from 4 pm-6 pm. Guests can enjoy a signature bar menu paired with samples of complimentary food, making it the perfect spot for after-work drinks, date nights, or pre-dinner drinks. The large space features an open kitchen with a pizza oven, and food offerings include appetizers like fritto misto and baked clams as well as oven-baked thin-crust pizzas and signature house-made pastas.
119 Kent Ave / Website
Plant-based restaurant JaJaJa Plantas Mexicanas expands to their fourth location this month, bringing their innovative vegan food to Brooklyn with dishes that appeal to plant-based and non-vegan guests alike. The restaurant is known for its Mexican comfort food, with dishes including a beet & pumpkin empanada, coconut queso quesadilla, and a selection of street tacos. All-day brunch includes kale pancakes stacked with coconut mango jam, brunch tacos, and a breakfast burrito.
315 5th Ave / Website
Innovative Japanese sushi restaurant Bentos offers expertly prepared, chef-made sushi bowls - known as chirashi - that are perfect for a quick take-out lunch or for holiday gatherings so each guest can customize their bowl. Chirashi sushi consists of a rice bowl with vegetables and sashimi, allowing the flavor of the fish to stand out. Bowl options include the classic sushi bowl with tuna, yellowtail, salmon, and spicy tuna as well as the unagi bowl for eel lovers. While Bentos also offers counter-style sit-down dining, its main focus is providing fresh and delicious takeout and delivery options.
729 8th Ave / Website
Imagine you’re studying abroad in Italy again with a trip to All’Antico Vinaio at their new permanent NYC location. The famous Florentine sandwich shop with locations in Florence, Rome, and Milano is currently open Wednesday - Sunday 12 pm-7 pm and will be open seven days a week as of November 22nd. The menu includes All’Antico Vinaio’s legendary sandwiches using Italian meats, cheeses, and spreads, with vegetarian options also available.
113 Franklin St / Website
Greenpoint eatery Sereneco has officially launched its new brunch menu, bringing elevated, seasonal American cuisine to the ground floor of the historic Pencil Factory building. The warm and relaxed atmosphere is reflected in their cozy brunch dishes, including baked eggs with housemade focaccia, a smoked salmon croissant, buttermilk pancakes with berry compote, and a quinoa bowl. When brunch turns boozy, check out their standout cocktails including the ‘Pencil Pusher,’ made with gin, ginger-mint kombucha, lemon, honey, and lavender.
5 W 31st St, 2nd Fl / Website
Osamil Upstairs, sister restaurant to Korean gastropub Osamil, has at last reopened since it closed in March of 2020. Helmed by beverage director Gelo Honrade, the space is the perfect place to unwind while trying some of the best cocktails NYC has to offer. Standout drinks include the ‘Life is Like a Movie,’ made with popcorn-infused tequila, Don Papa rum, coconut, corn, and lime, and the ‘Mr. Black,’ an espresso martini made with Ketel One vodka, Mr. Black cold brew coffee liqueur, espresso, vanilla, and coconut.
Photography by: All'Antico Vinaio
