credit: Canva
There is no one single restaurant or type of cuisine that represents Midtown East, Murray Hill, and Kips Bay. For every upscale steakhouse like The Grill there’s a diner such as Gemini (which is open round-the-clock on weekends and till 1 a.m. Sundays through Wednesdays). New American and Neapolitan, Cuban and Korean, Turkish and Tex-Mex: The neighborhood has it all. Below are a just a few of the newest and most notable eateries.
credit: Copinette
The team behind cult sushi sensation Sugarfish opened the New York outpost of its L.A. KazuNori restaurant in April 2022. The menu is hand rolls, a few sashimi options, and beverages; the seating is counter only, and no reservations (though you can also order to go). The rolls are made to order, with crispy nori wrappers, warm rice mixed with the company’s proprietary vinegar blend, and exceptional seafood. That’s it—and for numerous sushi aficionados, it’s more than enough.
Like KazuNori, GG Tokyo opened in April 2022 and includes sushi on its menu, but that’s as far as the similarities go. As much a cocktail bar as a restaurant, it takes its name from Tokyo’s buzzy Golden Gai district, and it offers DJs and live music on some weekends. Along with sushi and sashimi, dishes include miso-maple salmon, marinated skirt steak with chorizo hash and gochujang vinaigrette, and Japanese fried chicken. The decor—Noguchi lighting, a neon mermaid by artist Kate Hush, a mural by fellow artist Daniel Dugan—is as enticing as the cocktails (try the Ceremony, made with shochu, matcha-oat syrup, and Peychaud’s Bitters and served in a Japanese tea kettle).
credit: GG Tokyo
Vegan kosher Italian food: That seems like quite a restrictive niche for a restaurant. But Coletta, which opened in Kips Bay in February 2022, will delight nonvegan, nonkosher diners as well as much as does those who shun meat and treif. Fig jam and “prosciutto” pizza, sunchoke and “scallop” risotto, and confit potato lasagna disprove any misconceptions you might have about vegan or kosher food being boring or bland. Start with a strawberry Bellini, end with tiramisu, and admire the hand-painted murals and the rustic trattoria-style decor between sips and bites.
Coletta. credit: Coletta
Not only is P.J. Clarke’s the oldest restaurant in Midtown East, but it’s also one of the oldest restaurants in the city. Frank Sinatra, Nat “King” Cole, and Jackie Onassis were among its notable regulars in the decades since it opened as a saloon in 1884. While much of its offering remains unchanged—oysters and clams from the raw bar, burgers served with house-cured pickles, Guinness on tap—more-contemporary dishes and cocktails have been added. You can now choose to start your meal with shrimp taquitos, cheesesteak egg rolls, or warm zucchini chips with tzatziki, and mains include eggplant rigatoni and cedar-plank Faroe Islands salmon.
P.J. Clarke’s. credit: P.J. Clarke’s
It might seem odd that a Scandinavian restaurant has a Frida Kahlo self-portrait among its neutral, serene furnishings, but it’s a hint that Aquavit is more than Swedish meatballs and herring. In the more-formal dining room you can choose between the five-course and the eight-course tasting menus, featuring the likes of scallop and white asparagus and black cod with peas presented in elegantly simple (or simply elegant) ways. For à la carte, head to the bar. Here the menu includes chilled pea soup, cod with trout roe, and yes, Swedish meatballs and herring. You can also enjoy a flight of the namesake liquor in flavors such as lingonberry and horseradish, along with house cocktails such as the intriguingly named Coffee and Cigarettes.
Aquavit. credit: Aquavit