New York City’s dining scene continues to expand with a variety of international flavors and new establishments opening across its boroughs.
In Lower Manhattan, Straker’s has taken over the space formerly occupied by Lucky Strike on Grand Street after more than 30 years. The restaurant is the latest venture of Thomas Straker, a Washington, D.C. native who spent much of his life in England, where he developed a reputation for his bold approach to dining. Straker’s interior features plush banquettes, complementing a contemporary, seasonal menu focused on fish and farm-forward dishes. Highlights include a mussel flatbread and lamb skewers. The address is 59 Grand Street near West Broadway.
In Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, Sofra offers a culinary exploration of Egyptian cuisine, with dishes reflecting the Ottoman Empire’s influence in the region. The menu includes Egyptian staples such as koshari layered with chickpeas, lentils, and vermicelli, hawawshi baked pita with meat filling, falafel, and macarona béchamel reminiscent of pastitsio. Owned and operated by Mohammed Shaaban and Mohammed Elbhery, former engineers from Alexandria, Egypt, the restaurant’s spacious interior features backlit pottery niches and effective lighting. It is located at 8915 Fifth Avenue near 89th Street.
Uptown, Boogie Lab Bakery & Bistro specializes in sourdough breads and dishes incorporating them, from focaccia to sandwiches and pasta. The bakery is connected to Boogie Lab, a Croatian company expanding in the U.S. with facilities in New Jersey. This Manhattan location, at 4015 Broadway near West 169th Street, complements the company’s growing presence and plans for additional outlets.
In the East Village, Anderson Café & Restaurant serves bistro-style fare in an intimate setting with an outdoor patio. Run by partners with backgrounds at notable New York establishments such as Chez Ma Tante and Weil’s, the menu includes rillettes, omelets, and steak frites. The restaurant is situated at 41 St. Marks Place by Second Avenue.
Yume Ga Arukara, a Boston-based udon specialist, has opened a New York location on Fifth Avenue at 29th Street. Known for housemade noodles and broths, the restaurant offers a range of hot, cold, regular, and spicy udon options with various add-ons. The venue features a main floor with an open kitchen and counter seating, as well as an upstairs atrium. Its menu includes unique rules such as prohibiting sharing a single bowl.
San Francisco’s Bun Mee, a chain focusing on bánh mì sandwiches, has entered the New York market at 115 East 23rd Street. Managed locally by the McClave family with Vietnamese roots, the outlet offers made-to-order sandwiches alongside egg rolls, salad rolls, rice and noodle bowls, fries, and Vietnamese coffee. The interior design highlights subway tiles with red accents.
Finally, the Italian fast-food chain Piadi by La Piadineria has opened its second U.S. location at 1040 Avenue of the Americas near 39th Street. With more than 500 international locations, the chain specializes in sandwiches made on regular or whole wheat sourdough flatbreads, baked fresh to order. More U.S. openings are expected.