The Most Anticipated Restaurant Openings of 2020
Before you clink your prosecco on New Year's Eve, don't forget to make your resolutions, and high on your list should be eating at some of these buzzy restaurants opening next year. From long-anticipated debuts to big returns from big stars (hi, Preeti Mistry), here are some of the most exciting new restaurants opening in 2020.
Khora, Cincinnati, OH
Estimated opening: Spring
Edward Lee and Kevin Ashworth are opening a new restaurant in Cincinnati's forthcoming Kinley Hotel, between downtown and the Over the Rhine neighborhood. Ashworth, who worked alongside Lee for over a decade in Louisville at 610 Magnolia, MilkWood, and Whiskey Dry, is from the Cincinnati area, and is plotting fun twists on regional classics—including a pasta inspired by Cincinnati chili. The name Khora comes from "khorasan," one of the oldest ancient grains (also known as kamut), and the menu will be pasta-driven, sourcing grains from the Ohio valley and milled to order for the restaurant.
2020 at 37 W. 7th Street, Cincinnati, OH
Callie, San Diego, CA
Estimated opening: Early summer
After a decade of working alongside Daniel Boulud in New York, Travis Swikard is debuting his first solo project, a California-Mediterranean restaurant. Named after the Greek muse Kallos, Callie will be serving dishes that span the Mediterranean coastline, while sourcing as many ingredients from the San Diego area as possible. "I’m not going to say it's 'healthy,'" Swikard told us in 2018, "but that’s what California cuisine is: bright, light, textured, vegetable- and seafood-forward."
1195 Island Ave, San Diego, CA (East Village neighborhood)
Locust, Nashville, TN
Estimated opening: March
Noma and The Catbird Seat alum Trevor Moran will open a more permanent version of his kakigori (Japanese shaved ice) pop-ups, with rotating savory items like dumplings.
2305 12th Ave. S., Nashville, TN
Juhu Chinese Menu, Oakland, CA
Estimated opening: Summer
After shuttering all of her Oakland restaurants in 2018, chef Preeti Mistry is back with two brand new concepts. Mistry says she will be "taking over an island" in the middle of the upcoming food hall called Oakland Assembly that will open next year in Oakland's Jack London Square. On one side of the island is Juhu Chinese Menu, Mistry's Indo-Chinese concept that will serve things like piping hot bowls of fresh hakka noodles wok-fried with seasonal vegetables, bacon fried rice, and stir-fried crispy cumin lamb. There will also be plenty of vegan and vegetarian options, she says. Mistry is also using the concept to bring back one her most beloved dishes, the crispy cauliflower manchurian. It was a menu favorite at her now-shuttered Oakland restaurant Juhu Beach Club, and Mistry says it sold 50 percent better than everything else on the menu. — Khushbu Shah [Read full story here.]
Laser Wolf, Philadelphia, PA
Estimated opening: February
The forthcoming Israeli shipudya (skewer house) from Mike Solomonov and Steve Cook is one of Philadelphia's most longed-for openings. Zahav chef de cuisine Andrew Henshaw will helm the kitchen, with plenty of cooking over charcoal and fresh pita baked in house.
1301 N. Howard Street, Philadelphia, PA
Mentone, Santa Cruz Area
Estimated opening: Early 2020
David Kinch, of three-Michelin-starred Manresa, will finally open his casual, French and Italian Riviera-inspired restaurant just outside of Santa Cruz.
174 Aptos Village Way, Aptos, CA
Damian, Los Angeles, CA
Estimated opening: Early 2020
Originally slated for a late summer 2019 opening, the hotly anticipated concept from Enrique Olvera and Daniela Soto-Innes is almost here, though a date has not been confirmed. The superstar chefs will draw from their work at Pujol and Cosme for a uniquely Los Angeles concept, located in the Arts District. Expect housemade tortillas and a mezcal bar. (Ditroit will be their second, more casual concept—a back alley taqueria.)
2132 E 7th Place, Los Angeles, CA
Ernest, San Francisco, CA
Estimated opening: January
Rich Table alum Brandon Rice's first solo project is named after his grandfather and inspired by his travels, including his stages at Quique Dacosta in Spain and Noma in Copenhagen. He'll be making bread in house, and there will be beef tartare served with nori for guests to make handrolls.
Casa Cruz, New York, NY
Estimated opening: Fall
Restaurateur Juan Santa Cruz is bringing his London hotspot Casa Cruz to the Upper East Side, returning to the city for the first time since a pop-up in 2016. The Argentinean-inflected menu "will also have nods to New York classics," the restaurant said, and will be open from breakfast onward.
Philotimo, Washington, D.C.
Estimated opening: Early 2020
Award-winning Officina chef Nicholas Stefanelli is pivoting to Greek with a regionally-minded exploration of the country's cuisine by shining a spotlight on lesser-known dishes.
1100 15th Street NW, Washington DC 20005
Girl and the Goat, Los Angeles, CA
Estimated opening: Summer
In partnership with Boka Restaurant Group, Stephanie Izard will open a second location of her beloved Chicago restaurant in L.A.'s Arts District. "As a Chicagoan, of course the thought of spending more time in the sunshine was an original selling point, but after exploring the city more and getting a feel for the neighborhoods and the restaurant scene in L.A., we all developed an appreciation for all that the city has to offer," Izard told Food & Wine.
March, Houston, TX
Estimated opening: Early 2020
There aren't many details about the next project from Goodnight Hospitality, the Houston hitmakers behind Rosie Cannonball and Goodnight Charlie's, but we have a feeling it's going to be good.
1624 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX
Loveluck, Philadelphia, PA
Estimated opening: 2020
The team behind Barbuzzo is opening a bar and restaurant in Philly's iconic, much-instagrammed Love Park, inside a retro-chic building designed by Rohe Creative.
Silver Apricot, New York, NY
Estimated opening: January or February
Simone Tong, chef and owner of Little Tong Noodle Shop, is opening a 25-seat restaurant the traces "the evolution of American Chinese food."
PatiO's Café, Washington, Virginia
Estimated opening: Summer
Three Michelin-starred chef Patrick O’Connell is opening a lively, casual bistro across the street from his famed Inn at Little Washington. "The menu will be affordable and have something for everyone," O'Connell said in a statement, citing French sidewalk bistros as inspiration.
389 Main St, Washington, VA
Gigi's, Los Angeles, CA
Estimated opening: Early 2020
This classically inspired bistro will bring cozy, French vibes to Hollywood's La Brea Corridor.
904 N. Sycamore, Los Angeles
