New on Resy: Ci Siamo, Emma’s Torch, Wau, and More

From the Mediterranean and Beyond

Lightning strikes again with Danny Meyer’s latest — a stylish new Italian place on the second floor of Manhattan West, just opposite Hudson Yards. Chef Hillary Sterling, whose Italian fare drew raves at Vic’s, is making pastas in-house and cooking meat and fish on a custom-built wood-fired grill. The frosting on the torta: Claudia Fleming, who dazzled dessert-lovers at Meyer’s Gramercy Tavern for years, is the pastry chef.

Find out everything you need to know before you go, here.

A comfortable old-style dining room, complete with vintage tin ceiling, tile floors, and bentwood chairs? Check. A frequently changing menu of Northern Italian specialties? Check. Roughly a quarter-century of consistently good cooking? Check. If that sounds like your kind of place, step right up to this neighborhood trattoria that draws diners from all over the metropolitan New York area.

Chef Franklin Becker (Little Beet) extols the bright flavors of Spain with this sit-down tapas restaurant, part of his new Manhattanville Market food hall on Columbia University’s West Harlem campus. Come for excellent Spanish jamón and other Mediterranean-flavored small plates.

This charming bistro from tapas masters Alex Rajj and Eder Montero draws inspiration from ports of calls from around the world with a menu featuring dishes like perfectly cooked octopus and a cod pot pie with sweet and hot pepper sofrito. Pro tip: They’ve also got a great selection of natural wines, too.

While some of us perfected our sourdough during the pandemic, acclaimed chef Wylie Dufresne (WD-50 and Alder) decided to tackle pizza and the result is this: a pop-up residency at the Union Square location of Breads Bakery where you can take home some of the city’s best pies. This month, guest chef Brooks Headley (Superiority Burger) collaborated on a new pie for the lineup; next month, it’s Silver Apricot chef Simone Tong.

Sant Ambroeus originally opened as a pastry shop and confectionery in Milan in 1936, arriving in Manhattan for the first time in 1982. Since then, it’s been delighting New Yorkers ever since with its elegant, all-day takes on Italian classics, from tonnarelli cacio e pepe and vitello tonnato to espresso.

Newly reopened HaSalon is still a wild ride, especially if you book the late seating — which starts off as dinner and ends as a full-blown dance party. Israeli chef Eyal Shani arrived in New York with Miznon several years back, but the opening of HaSalon in 2019 signaled the true Manhattan debut for the avant-garde chef.

Michelin-starred chef Jonathan Benno tips his chapeau to France’s bistronomy movement with this Parisian-accented restaurant in the Evelyn Hotel. Green and white marble, plenty of high-gloss wood, and a bright U-shaped bar give the place a casual-elegant atmosphere, and the fare is classic French with an accent on seafood.

From India to Japan and Everywhere in Between

Japanese and Chinese culinary flavors and techniques harmonize in the kitchen at this Japanese-accented Cantonese restaurant adjacent to (and with the same owners as) the buzzy Basement speakeasy in Chinatown. Chef Akiko Thurnauer (formerly of Mission Chinese and Nobu Tribeca) is in charge, offering her own take on both traditional and modern Chinese fare.

Kampung-style dishes from Malaysia and India, like roti telur and mee goreng, shine at Wau, helmed by Salil Mehta, the same chef and restaurateur behind Laut and Laut Singapura. At Wau, it’s Southeast Asian comfort food at its best.

Japanese tapas dazzle at this izakaya in Industry City’s Japanese Village. Hanging lanterns and shiny wood-slat floors set the mood, and there’s a stellar drinks menu to match the extensive choice of snacks. Pro tip: Don’t miss the featured beers from Japas Cervejaria, a women-owned Japanese-Brazilian brewery in São Paulo.

You’ll think you’re in Seoul when you settle into any one of the three distinct dining areas here — one with a woodsy vibe; one in classic style framed in light wood; and one hard-edged contemporary dining room. Choose according to your mood, and then dig into classic Korean barbecue or elaborate imperial cuisine — dishes once reserved for Korea’s royal family.

Take the stairs two at a time up from the high-energy jazz and world music club Nublu to grab a seat at this small, dimly lit Lower East Side sushi and cocktail bar, where vinyl records provide the soundtrack and the omakase menu is one of the greatest bargains in town.

A Taste of the Americas

Along with outposts in the West Village, the Lower East Side, and Hudson Yards, this popular Williamsburg edition of Jajaja (“Ha ha ha” in Spanish) reinvents Mexican food from a vegan perspective. Think chayote squash “fish,” beet and pumpkin enchiladas, and kale pancakes with coconut mango jam

A cultural hub made for New York, Intersect gathers hospitality, design, and technology into one sleek space. But what you’re booking is a restaurant helmed by Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group, where a lineup of acclaimed chefs-in-residency will take over the space. This time, beginning on October 20, it’s acclaimed chef Nina Compton, showcasing her signature cuisine influenced by the Caribbean and the Gulf Coast.

With a roster of neighborhood favorites already under his belt (The Clam, Market Table), chef Mike Price delivers another well-tuned concept in the Mary Lane, where seasonal cuisine shines. Think the greenmarkets’ best-in-class produce and a menu built on comfort.

Dress to be seen at this sparkling Meatpacking District hotspot. It’s oysters, pasta, steaks, and more on the menu, plus world-class people-watching in the clubby tile-floored dining room or on the greenery-bedecked terrace in the shadow of the High Line.

What better way to dine than to eat well, and know you’re also supporting a wonderful cause? The mission at Emma’s Torch is to train and support recent refugees from around the world while turning out internationally inspired fare based largely on regional ingredients — a doubly cool twofer at this lovely Carroll Gardens spot.

Muted hues and sheer steely curtains define this fourth-floor dining room, run by celebrity chef Charlie Palmer (Aureole, Charlie Palmer Steak, etc.) at the iconic Knickerbocker Hotel on Times Square. Come for a power lunch or a pre-theater dinner.

Iconic mugshots of rebels like David Bowie and Prince on the wall and blue velvet seating set the mood at this two-level bar and restaurant from Dermot Lynch and Jarek Krukow (Sel Rrose), with cocktails named after other famous rebels, including James Dean and Han Solo. Come ready to drink, nibble, and have fun.