4 Midtown, Chelsea Spots Make 'Most Anticipated' Restaurant List

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Just a few weeks into 2022, the city's gourmands are already clamoring for seats at some of the restaurants planning to open before the year is done — including four spots in Midtown and Chelsea.

The upcoming eateries were included in a new list by Eater NY, rounding up 13 of the "most exciting" restaurant openings slated for 22. Included on the list is one spot each in Midtown, South, the Flatiron District, NoMad, and Chelsea.

Here's a look at each one.

Mel's (85 10th Ave., near West 16th Street):

Moving into the spot once occupied by Mario Batali's famed Del Posto, Mel's will be led by Melissa Rodriguez, who served as executive chef in the old restaurant. The first of three enterprises they plan to open in the space, Mel's will be "a weeknight hangout" for dishes like wood-fired pizza, grilled steak whole roasted fish, according to Eater. It's set for a February opening.

Ipanema (3 West 36th St., near Fifth Avenue):

This Brazilian and Portuguese restaurant formerly operated nearby for more than 40 decades before closing in 2020. Now, Carlos and Victor Pedro — son of original owner Alfred Pedro — will open the new version in March, focusing on mainstays like seafood stew, roast pig and an all-day cafe serving pastries, Eater reports.

S&P (174 Fifth Ave., near 22nd Street):

Taking over the storefront formerly home to beloved Eisenberg's Sandwich Shop, this restaurant will be run by the team behind Brooklyn's Court Street Grocers. Initial plans to largely preserve the space and name ran into copyright problems, leading the owners to rebrand it as S&P — but maintain plans to serve "tuna melts, individual cans of sardines," and other classic dishes, according to Eater. It will open in April.

Zaytinya (25 West 28th St., on Broadway):

Run by Spanish chef José Andrés, Zaytinya will be an outpost of his Washington D.C. restaurant of the same name. It will feature a "crowd-pleasing menu of meze" with Mediterranean roots, Eater reports. An April opening is planned.

Read Eater's list "NYC's Most Anticipated 2022 Restaurant Openings" here.

Patch reporter Kayla Levy contributed.

This article originally appeared on the Midtown-Hell's Kitchen Patch