Yes, 2025 was a strong year for restaurants, but after years of pop-ups, stalled projects and long build-outs, 2026 is shaping up to be even more compelling. Many of the most anticipated openings come from James Beard Award winners and chefs with Michelin pedigrees—some leaning into elaborate multi-course tasting menus and intimate counter seating, others returning to neighborhood roots with restaurants built for regulars rather than buzz. Ahead, we’re spotlighting the new restaurants set to shape the year ahead, featuring picks in major cities (think: New York, Miami and Chicago) as well as those in smaller markets such as Paso Robles and Oklahoma City.
KARYU: Miami, FL
Opening: January 2026
Oniku Karyu, the Michelin-starred restaurant from Tokyo, makes its Miami debut in the Design District with KARYU, a small, counter-only tasting menu built around Tajimaguro wagyu (the lineage behind Kobe beef). The progression moves from light broths and katsu sando to more involved dishes like tableside sukiyaki (Japanese hot pot), paired with a sake-forward drinks list. With only a handful of seats, the experience is intentionally intimate. The space itself takes cues from the Tokyo original, using natural wood, textured plaster, ceramic details and low lighting to keep the focus firmly on the food.
Dougla: Oklahoma City, OK
Opening: February 2026
Slated to open on Valentine's Day, Dougla is helmed by James Beard Award–winning chef Andrew Black. The restaurant, housed in a 2,500-square-foot space with 70 seats and an 18-seat bar, will draw on West Indian, Indo-Caribbean and African influences, tracing the flavors and techniques that shaped Black’s upbringing and honoring his grandmother, Elysabeth Badoo. Diners can feast on jerk chicken, escovitch-style fish, and Trinidadian doubles (curried chickpeas served on two fried flatbreads) in a space that's warm, unfussy, and communal—designed to feel less like a dining room and more like being welcomed into the chef’s home.
Gingie: Chicago, IL
Opening: February 2026
In Chicago’s buzzy River North neighborhood, Gingie marks Chef Brian Lockwood’s first brick-and-mortar restaurant, backed by James Beard Award-winning restaurateurs Kevin Boehm and Rob Katz. After stints at kitchens like Eleven Madison Park, El Celler de Can Roca and Frasca Food and Wine, along with a turn as consulting chef on The Bear, Lockwood takes a more relaxed approach here, focusing on shareable dishes that blend European technique with Japanese influences. Unlike the tasting menus he’s best known for, Gingie is fully à la carte, letting diners order as they please rather than committing to a fixed experience.
JouJou: San Francisco, CA
Opening: Winter 2026
JouJou is the latest project from David Barzelay and Colleen Booth, the team behind two-Michelin-starred Lazy Bear and True Laurel, ranked No. 64 on The World’s 50 Best Bars list for 2025. The playful, French-leaning restaurant will pair California-sourced ingredients with a mostly à la carte menu that leans heavily on seafood, including staples like oysters and frites and shellfish platters. Multiple dining spaces—from a lively main bar and raw counter overlooking the chefs to quieter rooms and curved banquettes—make it just as suited to a quick glass of Champagne as a longer, celebratory evening, bringing a sense of fun back to dining out in San Francisco.
Oriana: New York, NY
Opening: Winter 2026
Oriana is a yet-to-debut live-fire restaurant from chef Andy Quinn and sommelier Cedric Nicaise, the duo behind West Village favorite The Noortwyck. Framed as a love letter to American live-fire cooking, the restaurant is built around a large wood-fired grill, turning out seasonal vegetables, seafood and shareable cuts of meat meant for the center of the table. Wine plays an equally serious role: The 7,000-bottle cellar focuses largely on European producers and is sure to impress any oenophile.
Emilia: Philadelphia, PA
Opening: Winter 2026
Located in Philadelphia’s Fishtown–East Kensington corridor, Emilia marks a long-anticipated next chapter for chef Greg Vernick and longtime collaborators Meredith “Meri” Medoway and Drew Parassio. More than 14 years in the making and Vernick’s first opening in over six years, the restaurant is intentionally designed as a neighborhood trattoria as opposed to a spot to see and be seen. And while pasta is undoubtedly the star, the menu also moves through seasonal vegetables, antipasti and wood-fired entrées. It feels refined without feeling precious, channeling Vernick’s attention to detail into a restaurant meant for regular, frequent visits, not just special occasions.
Maize: Denver, CO
Opening: Spring 2026
Slated to debut next spring, the 16-seat Maize is the first tasting menu restaurant from Johnny and Kasie Curiel of Fonda Fina Hospitality, following the success of their Michelin-starred Alma Fonda Fina and Mezcaleria Alma. The experience centers on an 18-course menu that explores Mexican cuisine through the lens of masa, prepared in-house from carefully sourced heirloom corn. The meal unfolds across multiple stations, moving from raw preparations to hot dishes that spotlight regional techniques, moles and more.
Dootsie's: Greenville, SC
Opening: Spring 2026
When it launches this spring, Dootsie’s brings a personal take on Italian cooking to Greenville from chef Joe Cash of Scoundrel, which recently earned its first Michelin star. The menu blends classic Roman pastas with Italian American staples, including a reworked spaghetti Bolognese inspired by Cash’s grandmother, the restaurant’s namesake. An open kitchen and glass-enclosed pasta room keep the focus on fresh pasta, rolled daily in full view, doubling as entertainment of sorts.
Cleo Downtown: New York, NY
Opening: Spring 2026
Cleo Downtown marks the first Manhattan restaurant from Halley Chambers and Kip Gleize of Three Top Hospitality. Designed as both a sit-down spot and a go-to for takeout, the 40-seat West Village haunt pairs warm, low lighting and an energetic playlist with polished service. The menu reimagines the classic rotisserie through a New York lens, with golden chickens—served half or whole—turning behind a marble counter, alongside sea salt–dusted fries, bright herb-forward sauces, seasonal vegetables and market-driven salads, with the option to add caviar if the mood strikes. A serious cocktail program and a natural-leaning wine list round things out.
Aubergine: St. Paul, MN
Opening: February 2026
After a year of Twin Cities pop-ups, husband-and-wife duo Bjorn and Megan Jacobse are opening their first brick-and-mortar in their hometown with Aubergine. The restaurant will serve classic French fare with a Midwest flair, with an emphasis on Lyonnaise dishes like fish en croûte, smoked meats, buttery pastries, foie gras and sauce-driven plates. We'd also be remiss not to mention the wine list, which pulls from producers around the world and is organized by grape rather than region.
The Pass by Charlie Palmer: Paso Robles, CA
Opening: June 2026
Debuting at the Paso Robles Inn in June 2026, The Pass by Charlie Palmer takes a familiar local landmark in a more contemporary direction. The name nods to the town and the kitchen’s final station, reinforcing the restaurant’s strong connection to place. The menu centers on open-fire cooking, with prime cuts, seafood and seasonal produce reflecting the rhythms of California wine country. Designed as a modern tavern rather than a destination restaurant, it’s meant to fit naturally into Paso Robles dining life while still delivering the level of craft Palmer is known for.
