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[title]The following venues are expected to open by March 12th. Always call ahead, as openings can be delayed.
Antonioni’s Expect red-sauce favorites at this quirky 62-seat corner joint—decorated with checkered tablecloths, animal-print wallpaper and shrines to Jimi Hendrix—from Cafe Gitane owner Luc Levy. Alongside pastas (ricotta-spinach ravioli, strozzapreti bolognese) and pizzas (artichoke-Taleggio, anchovy-raisin), entrées include Sicilian baccalà and braised Milanese beef cheeks. Italian beer such as Birra Normale and Baladin Nora are on offer at the 17-foot-long bar, while the cocktail list is heavy on Fernet Branca in quaffs like the Ace High (applejack, Cocchi Vermouth di Torino, maraschino) and a Livorno Fizz (rum, Galliano, egg white). 177 Chrystie St at Rivington St (646-998-3407)
Bar San Miguel In between offering stock tips and rants, zany Mad Money host Jim Cramer runs this boozy project: a Mexican canteen named after his go-to vacation spot, San Miguel de Allende. Outfitted with Crayola-bright Day of the Dead skulls and hand-painted plates from the eponymous ciudad, the 36-seat bar offers more than 100 varieties of tequila, employed in cocktails like the Barranca (cinnamon-infused tequila, pineapple juice) and the Aldama (avocado, green chartreuse, agave nectar). Offset the booze with Latin snacks like Oaxaca-cheese-filled empanadas, short-rib tacos and chipotle-glazed shrimp. 307 Smith St between Carroll and Union Sts, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn (718-855-2490)
Blue Bottle Coffee Inspired by Japanese kissaten (tiny tearooms), this 266-square-foot takeout shop—the SF brand's fifth NYC location—mimics leisurely Tokyo cafés with a minimalist design (white tiles, teak panels) and window counters. Choose from drip coffees, iced java (New Orleans, single-origin) and espresso drinks, including a cool-kid collaborative brew with former LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy. 85 Dean St between Hoyt and Smith Sts, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn (no phone yet)
Cafe Cambodge French-Caribbean spot Arcane is retooled with a Cambodian focus. On the menu, find Khmer-inflected dishes like slow-roasted galangal chicken, grilled red snapper with prahok (fermented fish paste) and pumpkin-stuffed, banana-leaf-wrapped tilapia in coconut curry. 111 Ave C between between E 7th and E 8th Sts (646-370-515)
Campeon Parked somewhere between feminism and Hooters, this Mexican-themed sports bar courts females with pink-tiled walls and fruity margaritas (mango, pineapple). Along with infused tequilas (strawberry-vanilla, lime-jalapeño) and local beers (Brooklyn Lager, Sixpoint), "shooters" like the Jets Nation (Bacardi, tequila and green-apple schnapps) are ready to throw back when (or, in the Jets' case, if) your team scores. Mexican pub grub includes flautas de la Merced (filled with chicken or beef), four types of guacamole (including smoky serrano and pineapple-mango) and a "super" torta stuffed with hot dogs, scrambled eggs and Oaxaca cheese. 9 E 16th St between Fifth Ave and Union Sq W (212-675-4700)
The Classon Social Club Amorino chef-owner Albano Ballerini channels the Harlem Jazz Age at this comfort-food supper club, outfitted with brick walls, amber lighting and a wraparound wood bar. Find homestyle eats like biscuits with hot-pepper jam, Landaff-and-fontina macaroni and cheese, and spicy chicken potpie with peanut gravy. Next to the bar—offering craft brews like River Horse Hop-a-lot-amus and Flying Dog UnderDog—sits a small stage equipped with a stand-up piano and drum kit, where blues and jazz acts perform Thursday through Saturday. 807 Classon Ave between Lincoln and St. Johns Pls, Crown Heights, Brooklyn (718-484-4475)
Front Toward Enemy Named after the instructions on an M18 Claymore mine, this military-inspired restaurant-bar is appropriately industrial, with a cement floor, steel-paneled walls and exposed lightbulbs. Beneath ironwork chandeliers and knotted ropes, find global bites like roasted-pepper-and-ricotta flatbreads, chili-chicken tempura and sauvignon blanc–steamed mussels. Death & Company barman Scott Teague is behind the cocktail menu, featuring creative drinks like the Divide & Conquer (gin, mescal, violet syrup) and the Monkey Fist (rum, pisco, cinnamon bark, cayenne). 40-11 30th Ave between Steinway and 41st Sts, Astoria, Queens (718-545-2269)
General Assembly A Polynesian playhouse makes way for a Pan-European grill: Fourth Wall founder Michael Stillman (Quality Italian, Park Avenue) transforms his old Hurricane Club into a 170-seat bistro. Chef-partner Craig Koketsu turns to Francophilic fare, dishing out plates like lentil-crusted fried skate wing, duck confit with apricots, and two takes on steak frites (Colorado lamb, Creekstone beef). Modeled after a Parisian salon, the restaurant is done up Art Nouveau–style, with oak countertops, herringbone wood floors and a cellar room featuring floor-to-ceiling bottles of Lillet. 360 Park Ave South between 25th and 26th Sts (212-951-7111)
La Nonna Ristorante & Bar Chef Cono Morena offers versions of his grandmother's cooking at this Southern Italian restaurant, a sibling to the nearby La Nonna Pizzeria Trattoria Paninoteca. Bronze wire chandeliers and burlap drapes decorate the 130-seat room, and a wine cellar comes stocked with 88 international bottles, focusing primarily on the Boot. The menu features house-made polenta gnocchi, bucatini with guanciale, and costolette di agnello (lamb chops with amarena cherries and goat cheese). 184 Kent Ave between North 3rd and 4th Sts, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (718-302-1100)
The Runner With a Walt Whitman focus to rival a freshman-lit course, this retrograde American spot takes more than just its name (a poem from 1855’s Leaves of Grass, in case you dozed off during class) from the storied bard. Two blocks from Whitman’s erstwhile abode on Ryerson Street, Court Street Grocers vet Andrew Burman scours menus from the writer’s era for this wood-fired restaurant, dressed with pressed-tin ceilings and antique serving trays. Late-19th-century dishes include bone marrow with apple-onion jam, salt-baked trout in caper sauce and cinnamon-spiced lamb shoulder, with provisions like honey popovers and offbeat ice creams (fennel, molasses) made in house. The booze list pulls from later years: Cocktails include Prohibition-era staples (Boulevardier, Bee’s Knees), while drafts stick to brew newbies like Radiant Pig and Other Half, of which Burman is a partner. 458 Myrtle Ave between Washington and Waverly Aves, Clinton Hill, Brooklyn (718-643-6500)