Where to Eat in March: Raf’s, Chi, Moody Tongue Sushi, and More 

Leave it to the dynamic duo behind The Musket Room — chefs and co-owners Mary Attea and Camari Mick — to open a new neighborhood all-day café and restaurant befitting the old Parisi Bakery space in Little Italy. Named for the paternal grandmother, Rafaela, of co-owners Jennifer and Nicole Vitagliano, it’s clear that with Raf’s, they’re paying homage to the history of Little Italy, while also cultivating a legacy all their own. Expect to see sfincione (Sicilian-style pizzas), mussels in a saffron broth with sea urchin rouille, and a contemporary take on the canelé.

Raf’s opens on March 8 but reservations are available now.

Should you find yourself in want of a memorable dining experience that’ll surprise you (in the best ways, we promise), head to Chi before the crowds get there. Chi is Chinese cuisine reimagined, specializing in Sichuan cuisine but incorporating Cantonese, Italian, and Cajun traditions, too. The list of must-order dishes is lengthy: perfectly balanced cucumber salad; steamed pork belly with Castelvetrano olives (trust us, it works); light-as-air fried beef tendon chips topped with caviar; mala boneless pork trotters; and sautéed white mushrooms in preserved egg yolk sauce, to name a few. Whatever you do, double (or triple) up on the tofu dishes, like the salt-and-pepper tofu, minced crabmeat with bamboo fungus tofu, or the mapo tofu with abalone. And be sure to dine with a crew.

Beer and sushi may not be the most obvious of pairings, but Moody Tongue Sushi is proof that it works. It also helps that the beer comes from Chicago’s two-Michelin-starred Moody Tongue Brewing Company, and the sushi from Hiromi Iwakiri, a 25-year sushi and kaiseki veteran of Kodama Sushi, Lan, and Hirohisa. Here, you have the option to order a la carte or opt for a brewmaster’s tasting menu of nigiri and beer pairings. A reserve selection of beers includes shaved black truffle rice lager, pressed Asian pear saison, and oak barrel-aged Flanders red ale.

One of our favorite Vietnamese restaurants is back, following a lengthy R&D and family trip to Vietnam, and we couldn’t be happier. Jerald and Nhung Dao Head’s Mắm made their name with their signature bún dau mam tôm, a platter of pork intestines, blood sausage, tofu, and rice vermicelli served with pungent shrimp paste, but these days they’re cooking up whatever they feel like. Last month featured vịt cháy tỏi (crispy duck with crispy garlic, duck broth with bamboo, and glass noodles), savory sticky rice, and beef hot pot — who knows what’s in store this month? Whatever it is, though, we can guarantee it’ll be worth a visit to Forsyth Street.

Reservations are recommended here.

Leave it to prolific restaurateur Salil Mehta (Kebab Aur Sharab, Wau, Laut Singapura, Singlish, and Laut) to open yet another hit, this time focused on Peranakan cuisine that’s special to Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and southern India. And this time, he’s brought in Margaret Goh, a Singaporean chef of Peranakan descent, to assist in developing the recipes, too. If you’ve never had Peranakan food before, don’t delay: It’s a unique blend of Chinese, Malay, Javanese, and Indian influences that’s hard to find outside of southeast Asia. Some standouts you’ll want to consider include kuih pie tee (pastry cups with jicama, egg, and shrimp); KL-style Hokkien mee (noodles) with crispy lard; and Aunty Margaret’s babi pongteh (a Teochew-style braised pork belly dish).

There is no dearth of omakase experiences in New York right now, but this one, from the teams behind Okonomi/Yuji Ramen and Osakana, promises to be something special. By day, this is a prime fish retail market and bento box takeaway spot, but on Friday and Saturday nights, it becomes Okonomi Kappo Counter, where chef Daniel Lee creates a whimsical omakase meal utilizing the freshest of seafood and Japanese ingredients at hand. Pro tip: It’s BYOB, so bring that special bottle you’ve been saving.

The food of Busan, South Korea, gets a spotlight at this East Village spot from the folks at Hand Hospitality (Her Name is Han, Jua, LittleMad) and it’s both comforting and seafood-centric — everything you’d want as the weather makes its transition from winter to spring. Do order some mak-hwe (thinly sliced fish with lettuce wraps); octopus sook-hwe (the perilla seaweed vinaigrette is chef’s kiss); dolsot al-bap (poached eggs, fish roe, and uni cream) served in a hot stone bowl; and the beef soo-yook soup.

Palestinian classics shine at Rawia Bishara’s beloved restaurant, and if you haven’t been yet, you owe it to yourself to go. Since opening in Bay Ridge some 25 years ago, it’s since become a dining destination and helped establish the neighborhood’s reputation for Middle Eastern cuisine. Come to Tanoreen to feast on dishes like fetti, featuring layers of rice and vermicelli with lamb or chicken and a tahini-yogurt sauce, whole fried or baked fish, and knafeh made with fresh cheese and rosewater.

Two guys, a deck oven, and a pizza place — that’s what you’ll find in Ridgewood, Queens, these days, thanks to chefs Zach Hughes (formerly of Roberta’s) and Paul Cacici (formerly of Union Square Café and Llama Inn), both of whom met while working at Ops (another very fine New York pizza establishment). Hughes spent three years working at Roberta’s, and over the past few years, he’s hosted pizza pop-ups all over, perfecting his own style of pizza that’s “breadier than your New York classic slice but not as puffy-crusted” as a Neapolitan pie.

New York loves its speakeasies and hidden restaurants, and this one might be a first of its kind: a Thai steam table counter housed inside an unassuming bodega in Astoria, Queens. The menu, from Ruammit Thai’s Jalen Lucky, Thai Diva’s Vasinee Levy, and Nisakorn Quispe, changes all the time, encouraging repeat visits. Dishes at Secret Thai Street Food might include fried fish balls, tom yum noodle soup, crispy pork belly larb, and tom zabb.

Walk-ins only.

Through April 19, you still have a chance to stop by Grotto, a cocktail bar pop-up developed by queer couple Austa Somvichian-Clausen and Victoria Geddes specifically for queer women, non-binary, and trans folks. The pop-up launched earlier this year at the Soho House on Ludlow Street, and was supposed to end in February but has been extended through next month. It’s a safe and most of all fun spot to go for cocktails, conversation, and full brunch and dinner menus. Drinks include plum Negronis, Midnight Martinis, and zero-proof pandan coladas, and for food, there’s everything from shakshuka and buttermilk pancakes for brunch to gnocchi and whole branzino for dinner. What also makes a night (or day) out at Grotto so fun? The unique social seating model, whereby you inform Grotto how social you’re feeling so that you’re seated accordingly in the room. The pop-up takes place every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday, and reservations are required.