Fidel Caballero debuted his contemporary Mexican restaurant Corima in January 2024, and in its first year of service, it gained a Michelin star, garnered Caballero a James Beard semifinalist nod, and landed on our Best New Restaurants of 2024. Now Caballero is getting ready to open his second project Vato. “Opening a second restaurant represents a new level of maturity for me as a professional,” Caballero says. “I’m especially excited to bring together two regions close to my heart. Chihuahua is pure nostalgia for me—its tortillerías, burritos, and flavors from my upbringing—while the Basque Country is where I grew as a chef and fell in love with its eating culture.”
Along with Vato, our eight most anticipated fall openings include a home for Southern comfort food from a legendary barbecue family in Buda, Texas (south of Austin), and a Filipino American grillhouse in Philly.
This list is organized alphabetically by city. The opening dates below are subject to change. Check restaurant websites and Instagram accounts for updates.
Roxie’s
Buda, TX
Opening: November
For over fifty years, Salt Lick and barbecue have been synonymous in Central Texas. Now the team is opening Roxie’s, a Southern comfort spot in nearby Buda at the multi-use development Buda Mill & Grain Co. The setting is fitting—owner Scott Roberts’ father used to buy grain for their family cattle at the mill for years. Roxie’s is a tribute to Roberts’ grandmother Roxanna, with her family-style recipes on display. Think crocks of pimento cheese, chicken-fried steaks cooked in beef tallow, and deviled eggs garnished with fried chicken bites. For dessert, pies with lard-laden crusts are the main attraction, in varieties like sour cream cherry, banana cream, key lime, or rotating daily specials. In true Roxie fashion, expect frozen peach bellinis inspired by the namesake’s peach cobblers.
Vato
Brooklyn, NY
Opening: November
We loved Corima, one of our Best New Restaurants of 2024, for its uni gin sours, sourdough flour tortillas, and beef cecina tlayudas. Chef-owner Fidel Caballero and his wife Sofia Ostos are now opening a second, more casual Mexican spot in Park Slope. Vato is an all-day bakery, tortillería (yes, featuring their signature flour tortillas), and restaurant. During the day, the counter-service café will serve Chihuahuan-style burritos like chile relleno with refried beans or chicken in mole negro, pastries like yuzu cream conchas, single-origin coffee, and flour tortillas available by the dozen. For dinner service, Caballero is cooking a Basque and Mexican menu that features charcoal-grilled jumbo prawns with pickled peppers and salted limequat aioli, Spanish-style cod and potato omelet with pil-pil sauce, and pork milanesa with rajas con queso and sweet corn—all accompanied by natural wines. Vato’s wood-and-concrete space features an open kitchen and a backyard patio for the warmer months.
Crying Tiger
Chicago, IL
Opening: October
Thai Dang, the James Beard Award-nominated chef behind the celebrated Vietnamese restaurant HaiSous, is joining forces with restaurant group Lettuce Entertain You and managing partner Amarit Dulyapaibul to open Crying Tiger, a Southeast Asian spot in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. While Dang’s Pilsen restaurant focuses solely on Vietnamese cooking, Crying Tiger features Southeast Asian dishes more broadly, with shareable plates like sugarcane beef wrapped in betel leaves, clay pot lobster pad Thai, and crispy prawn toast on Chinese donuts. This restaurant marks a full circle moment for Dang, who began his culinary career with Lettuce Entertain You at the since-closed seafood restaurant L2O.
Radicle
Chicago, IL
Opening: October
When Daisies opened in 2017 in Chicago’s Logan Square, it quickly established itself as a must-visit restaurant for handmade pastas and Midwestern cooking. Chef-owner Joe Frillman and team are now gearing up to open Radicle, an all-day coastal Italian drinking spot just down the street from Daisies in its first, original space before a relocation. We’re most excited for the promise of $10 cocktails from bar manager Nicole Yarovinsky, like a Sunday negroni with pomegranate, a sbagliatto rossini with strawberry and rose vermouth, and various low-proof and no-proof standouts. Frillman designed the menu to pair alongside the drinks. Snacks include crispy lake perch with whitefish tonnato, prawns with Campari aioli, and smoked mackerel with pretzels and mustard zabaglione. Of course there’s always the option to hit Radicle for a drink and Daisies just down the street for dinner.
Hermon’s
Los Angeles, CA
Opening: November
Last Word Hospitality has continued to open hit after hit in Los Angeles, whether seafood gem Found Oyster, tiny Portuguese charmer Barra Santos, or most recently the Malaysian-inspired Rasarumah. Their next venture is Hermon’s, a chophouse in a former church banquet hall in the neighborhood of the same name. The 89-seat restaurant boasts an all-booth dining room, a U-shaped bar, and an eclectic mix of vintage artwork on the walls. Diners can share starters like coconut shrimp and loaded potato fritters followed by housemade pastas. Don’t miss the burger with green peppercorn sauce and cheddar soubise, and Josper grill coal-fired larger plates like whole grilled trout with blistered cherry tomato, preserved lemon oil, and toum, or T-bone steaks with chermoula.
Stars
New York, NY
Opening: November/December
Joshua Pinsky and Chase Sinzer, the duo behind the lauded bistro Claud and seafood bar Penny, are gracing the East Village with yet another spot. Stars won’t share a building with its siblings, but we predict it’ll share the hype. The 12-seat wine bar will focus on affordable wine options from France, but will also shine light on winemaking regions in Spain, Germany, Italy, and the U.S. Stars will also serve snacks from Pinsky, like shrimp toast and a selection of cheeses.
Manong
Philadelphia, PA
Opening: October
Fans of Philly’s Filipino BYOB Tabachoy are in luck. Chef-owner Chance Anies’ new project will open in Fairmount just three years after Tabachoy opened its doors. Manong, which means “elder brother” in Ilocano (his paternal family’s Filipino dialect), will occupy more space than Tabachoy, with 80 seats and a full liquor license. The menu is completely different with one exception: lumpia. Manong’s focus will center Ihawan-style cuisine—think skewers and longanisa sausage made in-house—plus comfort dishes like Filipino spaghetti with housemade banana ketchup and Carvel-style ube ice cream cake for dessert. Expect an all-day vibe, with Herman’s Coffee in the mornings and a bottle shop-market with housemade goods like the banana ketchup available for purchase.
Jue Let
San Antonio, TX
Opening: November
At San Antonio’s forthcoming Jue Let, chef-owner Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin wants to honor the Chinese chef who served as James Beard’s family’s private cook and one of his culinary mentors. Dobbertin is a three-time James Beard semifinalist and the mastermind behind Asian American hit Best Quality Daughter. Her new cocktail bar in the historic Pearl multi-use complex turns the focus on drinks, but with cocktail-friendly fare on offer too. The cocktails span no-proof and low-proof, to spirit-forward and martinis with a specific focus on tea. Diners can savor bar snacks and small plates like a grilled baozone (half bao, half calzone) and a crab louie onigiri. For those looking to celebrate, private party rooms will double as karaoke rooms.