There’s a lot to be excited about in the restaurant world right now. This fall, some of our favorite chefs are expanding to new cities, transitioning pop-ups into permanent spaces, and reviving restaurants their fans were sad to see go. In Chicago, a decorated chef will pay tribute to his roots at a new spot serving both traditional and reimagined Ukrainian dishes. And chef Sam Fore, the self-described “Sri Lankan snack queen,” will launch the long-awaited brick-and-mortar location of Tuk Tuk Snack Shop, her pop-up restaurant in Lexington, KY. The menu will highlight the commonalities between Sri Lankan cuisine and the flavors of the American South.
From Chinese BBQ in Charleston to a family-style Filipino feast in New York, these are the 10 fall restaurant openings we can’t wait for.
This list is organized alphabetically by city. The opening dates below are subject to change, so check restaurant websites and Instagram accounts for the latest updates.
Zoé Tong
Austin
Opening: October
Simone Tong is known in New York for the Sichuan and Cantonese cooking on display at her restaurants Silver Apricot and Little Tong Noodle Shop. Now, Texas diners will also be able to get a taste. Tong is moving to Austin with her husband and culinary partner Matt Hyland of Pizza Loves Emily to open their first joint venture, Zoé Tong. The restaurant will serve what Tong describes as “modern Austin Chinese.” There will be roast duck with flaky scallion tortillas in the style of fajitas and an onsite smoker turning out Chinese sticky ribs. The menu will include nods to Tong’s original Little Tong Noodle Shop, like dan dan and sesame noodles. The space will also feature a retail area for diners to take home pantry items made in-house. Tong will remain a co-owner of Silver Apricot, with plans this fall to open Figure Eight, a New American-Chinese restaurant in New York’s West Village.
King BBQ
Charleston, SC
Opening: September
Shuai Wang hopes King BBQ will transport diners to New York’s Chinatowns, where roasted and glazed meats hang like ornaments in store windows. Wang was born in Beijing, grew up in Queens, and moved to Charleston with his partner Corrie in 2014. In 2019, they opened a food truck that would eventually become Jackrabbit Filly, a family-style Chinese American restaurant in North Charleston. Last summer, the pair launched King BBQ as a roving pop-up with their chef de cuisine, Brandon Olson. Olson combines his North Carolina-style barbecue roots with Wang’s Chinese flavors and techniques, resulting in dishes like scallion-ginger kielbasa and shrimp toast sliders. When King BBQ opens its brick-and-mortar this month in North Charleston, diners can expect these favorites from the pop-up days, as well as new dishes like smoked pork shoulder with a Sichuan peppercorn dip or clay pot rice topped with barbecue meats and a scallion ginger relish. You won’t be able to miss the entrance, where two stone lions stand guard.
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3rd & Fernwood
Charlotte, NC
Opening: November