The best new restaurants in NYC you need to try

What is it? An exploration of northern Mexican cuisine with seasonal Micheladas from chef Alan Delgado and beverage director Ivy Mix. 

Why we love it: Underneath the Brooklyn Bridge rises a titan. Or rather, Titán. It's one of the brighter spots to land in Dumbo, warm and welcoming, with terracotta walls and a glowing arched bar stocked with Mexican spirits—mezcal and tequilas to sotols and Mexican rums. The food is sure to warm you as well, including oysters that bubble in a rich bone marrow butter, chicharrones draped in melted Chihuahua cheese and guajillo-braised pork shoulder. For the larger plates, an order comes with your choice of corn or flour tortillas. But if you know anything about Delgado's Ciudad Juárez-style burrito spot in Fort Greene, Los Burritos Juárez, you know the answer: flour. Use them to sop up every bit. 

Time Out tip: The backyard is perhaps one of the better recesses in Dumbo, or at least the greenest, as it's flush with trees and vines that climb brick walls. There's also a projector out back plus a series of outdoor tables to soak it all in. 

Address: 5 Front St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Opening hours: Tue–Sun 5–10pm; Brunch Sat, Sun 11am–3pm

What is it? Once a Dominican-style barbecue pop-up and market stall, Bark Barbecue has finally found a new home in Bushwick to cook its hogs, all 8,000 square feet of it. 

Why we love it: Ruben Santana is a true New York success story. And that's because he's done it all. Starting a humble BBQ operation out of his garage in Queens, Bark eventually rode the pop-up circuit before finding a home on the rooftop of Time Out Market. And as of this summer, new lines are queuing at his massive barbecue spot in Bushwick. What we've come to know and love about Bark over the years can be found here: tender brisket, thick with layers of bark on it, sweet maduros and Dominican-style fried pork belly, crunchy, fried and hot. Line up and work your way through the queue for a little of this and a little of that, before staking your claim at one of the long tables and digging in already.

Time Out tip: We can't vouch for the Tres Golpes enough (we did name it one of our best sandwiches in the city), as the smoky pulled pork, savory hunks of fried cheese and sweet smashed maduros can barely be contained between the slices of bread. 

Address: 25 Thames St, Brooklyn, NY 11206

Opening hours: Mon-Thu 11am-8pm; Fri, Sat, Sun 11am-9pm

What is it? An excellent pizza shop that made its mark in NYC with fermented, earth-shattering slices now has a third location, this time in Little Italy. The newest iteration follows the same model (and menu) as the other standing slice shops, but we promise that it's a good thing.

Why we love it: Little Italy marks a third slice shop for L'Industrie—yes, the very one marked by long lines and all the hype a slice shop can muster. All of the favorites you know and love from the other two can be found here, including weekly sandwich drops and their iconic Burrata pie with meaty dollops of the cold stuff plopped right on top. The gelato machine also made its way over too, cranking out cool scoops of cantaloupe and pistachio swirls. 

Time Out tip: We don't want to jinx it quite yet, but the lines are rather...decent compared to its predecessors. But once things amp up, and they will, you can always skip the line, regardless, if you order a pie ahead of time for pick up. 

Address: 197 Grand St, New York, NY 10013

Opening hours: Daily noon–10pm

What is it? The new hotspot from the team behind The Corner Store is one of the hardest reservations in town.

Why we love it: Curious about the food at Or'esh? All you have to do is look at the name, which translates to 'light' and 'fire' in Hebrew. Much of the Mediterranean menu passes through the wood-fired flames or the coal-fired oven here, producing an exceptional range of seafood, meat and seasonal veggies. Start with the Jerusalem bagel, flanked by babaganoush, matbucha and mint tzatziki, before moving on to the skewers, particularly the 18-layer wagyu New York strip and the ratatouille, both skewered and roasted over charcoal. Also, it is a Mediterranean restaurant after all, so you can't go wrong with one of the grilled fishes. 

Time Out tip: Snap to it when it comes to ordering the snapper two ways, as it has a tendency to sell out.  

Address: 450 W Broadway, New York, NY 10012

Opening hours: Mon–Sat 5–11pm

What is it? Brendan Kelley (Aska and Per Se) and Daniel Grossman (Gage & Tollner and Foul Witch) first opened Confidant in Industry City, billed as the complex's first fine-dining spot. Just nine months later, they picked up shop and moved to Brooklyn Heights, where they've settled into the title of "neighborhood restaurant" quite nicely. 

Why we love it: With new digs in Brooklyn Heights that look like "a cross between a hip wine store and the first floor of a Brooklyn townhouse," the new Confidant feels a little lived in, a little homey and a little like your new neighborhood spot. Dishes from its former life made the way over to the new table, including the dry-aged program for fish and meat alike and the trout mousse piped thick on chewy slices of sourdough bread. The prawn pot pie? You bet this marvel made its way over, too, and it continues to stop us in our tracks with its flaky, dome-shaped head and spicy stew on the inside.

Time Out tip: Blending a little something old and something new, the revival also brought along pasta to its ranks, including the Spicy all'Arabiata and Trottole Vongole with little neck clams.   

Address: 127 Atlantic Ave, New York, NY 11201

Opening hours: Wed–Sun 5–10pm

What is it? A new Malaysian spot in Greenpoint whose poached half chicken alone is worth a ride on the G train. That and the melding of Malaysian cuisine with a Brooklyn eye will have you coming back for more.

Why we love it: The family behind Hainan Chicken House is behind Kelang, a modest, L-shaped eatery that opened last December. That is abundantly clear as their chicken, much like their former, is one of the major calling cards here—marinated in a mixture of ginger, scallion and deep, dark soy, a condiment that's popular in the family's hometown of Klang, Malaysia. However, you can glean influences from Brooklyn itself, as owner Chris Low grew up in the area. Find it with the paratha that comes with a pool of stracciatella lying over top, nodding to New York's Italian roots, while the classic rendang looks to the Caribbean by swapping out beef for oxtail.  

Time Out tip: There are two desserts on the menu, both of which pique our interest: the burnt pineapple gelato and the Musang king durian crème brûlée. 

Address: 715 Manhattan Ave, New York, NY 11222

Opening hours: Wed–Fri 5–10pm; Sat noon–3pm, 5–10pm; Sun noon–3pm, 5–9pm

What is it? A bistro with Korean influences backed by NA:EUN Hospitality, the same group that brought us Atomix and Atoboy. 

Why we love it: Even at just four months old, Somssi feels well-loved and well-lived in. And that is all due to the hand of Ahris Kim. Kim, who used to oversee operations at Atomix and Atoboy, now owns her own restaurant in Greenwich Village, operating under their hospitality umbrella. Her neo-bistro weaves in Asian influences, many of them Korean. It ranges in subtlety, as linguine comes with twirls of pickled mustard greens, cooked down but still retaining that funk and ferment. The more in-your-face dishes, the more exciting it is, with an incredible ox tongue, smoky and sweet with a tare glaze, biting like the fatty bit of a ribeye and mutton chops heavily crusted with cumin. Its exposed brick juxtaposed with tattered lace and candlelit tables make for an exciting date night out.

Time Out tip: The mini cocktail trend is here, and we are loving it. $9-10 gets you a little boozy nip, be it of the mini martini variety or the cherchez le femme that drinks like a passionfruit daiquiri. 

Address: 79 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012

Opening hours: Tue–Thu 5–9pm; Fri, Sat 5–9:30pm

What is it? One of the world's most celebrated pizzerias, which is known for its Tokyo-Neapolitan style of pies, now has a New York address.

Why we love it: World-renowned pizzaolo, Tsubasa Tamaki is meticulous as they come when it comes to his craft at Pizza Studio Temaki (PST). And it all starts with the dough. A labor of love that took 17 years to perfect, Tamaki mills his hush-hush blend of flour in Tokyo, forming it into dough that ferments for 30 hours. Post a trip to the 900-degree oven whose floor is littered with Okinawan salt, the resulting pies are noticeably saltier, but still as fluffy, chewy and blistered as ever. Try the house favorite Tamaki pie with cherry tomatoes that are on the edge of bursting and smoked mozzarella and the 5 Formaggi pie with a mish-mash of soft and funky cheeses blessed with a drizzle of sweet honey.  

Time Out tip: PST operates in the former Moody Tongue Pizzeria, and in fact, Moody Tongue franchises out the PST operation. Naturally, they run the drink list here so you can get pours directly from their brewery, or in packs to go.

Address: 123 St Marks Place, New York, NY 10009

Opening hours: Tue–Thu 5pm–10pm; Fri, Sat 5–11pm

What is it? A shiny new seafood haven that's located right underneath the Brooklyn Bridge. 

Why we love it: We admit—we are always suckers for things that are shucked and shelled. But when it's been cracked by the hands of Jackie Carnesi, it becomes so much more. At her new gig at Bar Susanne, Carnesi dresses up seafood solely plucked from New York waterways, from pickled mussels to razor clams that swim in a sweet and spicy passionfruit ceviche. What should follow, if you imbibe, is brine-y martinis or a few rounds of low-ABV spirtzers. The dessert is also just as fun, particularly the creamy mango sorbet that is shot right out of an oyster shell. 

Time Out tip: Bar Susanne also has an older sister, Cafe Susanne, that's home to coffee, teas and oyster happy hours. 

Address: 8 River St, Brooklyn, NY 11249

Opening hours: Daily 5pm-11pm

What is it? A cool and coastal-esque Italian restaurant that hawks thin and crusty pies and taps into the country's disco culture. 

Why we love it: Owners and hospitality veterans, Lourenço de Almeida, Tancredi Bareti, Oliviero Lucchetti, Lorenzo Rubini and Luca Pelliccioni dreamt up the concept for Balera on a beach trip. And it shows as the breezy Williamsburg restaurant opens up with pale blue and red tiles and terrazzo floors. But the five also wanted to create a space where they could have a good time, and that much is clear as well, as a disco ball spins in the middle of it (Balera is named after an Italian dance hall, after all). The tunes really get going in the evenings, particularly on Fridays and Saturdays nights, but the party really starts around the food, including the thin and crusty Mattarello pizzas, the fried and baked Pastanero that's like an inner tube of cheesy and sauce, and pastas, including the delightful rotolo di crespella that's rolled like a rosette. 

Time Out tip: There is a pretty strong wine list here that's naturally heavy on Italian selections. But the cocktails are just as exciting, including the hibiscus-hued Americano and the Godfather Negroni, which swaps gin for whiskey with nutty notes of Amaretto and Frangelico.

Address: 442 Graham Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Opening hours: Wed, Thu 5:30–10:30pm; Fri, Sat 5:30pm–1am; Sun 5:30–10:30pm