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- New rooftop at Zoli adds a casual draw
- What’s replacing Atla and other incoming restaurants
- A buzzy British chef and other notable openings
- Reopenings and comebacks
- Community notes: fundraisers and losses
- Events, pop-ups and where to watch summer celebrations
- Neighborhood and smaller-scale news
- Auctions and longer-term projects
- Quick reference: openings, closings and key dates
This week in New York’s dining scene brings rooftop openings, long-awaited returns and a handful of notable closures — news that matters if you’re planning summer nights out, hunting new menus, or tracking how the industry is supporting staff and communities. Below are the latest developments chefs, restaurateurs and diners are talking about across the city.
New rooftop at Zoli adds a casual draw
The seafood-focused restaurant Zoli, from chef Ned Baldwin, has added a small rooftop bar at the Amant arts campus in East Williamsburg. The teak-lined terrace — seating roughly 25 people — opened with a compact, snack-forward menu and price points that peak under $23.
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Expect small plates such as shrimp chips with an onion dip, a stone-fruit and ricotta salad, a deviled crab roll and an inventive fried fish dog. The roof launched regular service on weekends before expanding to Wednesday through Sunday dinners; about half the seats are reserved in advance, the rest for walk-ins. Starting July 16 the space will host a rotating guest-chef series.
What’s replacing Atla and other incoming restaurants
At 372 Lafayette Street — the former home of Atla — Enrique Olvera’s hospitality group is preparing a nightlife-focused concept called Bar Cosme for this fall. The menu will complement Cosme’s offerings with raw and lightly cooked plates, tortillas and asador-style items, and a bar program developed by Sebastián Tollius.
In Tribeca, the team behind Beefbar is opening an Italian project, Ludico Tribeca, at 339 Greenwich Street. The two-level space, seating about 150, retains vaulted ceilings and includes a wine room, a skylit private dining area and a back bar that opens onto Jay Street. Design credits go to David Rockwell.
A buzzy British chef and other notable openings
Chef Thomas Straker — who has gained an online following in London — has confirmed a timeline for his first New York restaurant, set to occupy the former Lucky Strike at 59 Grand Street in SoHo this fall. Based on his London work, the menu will likely favor modern British flavors and generous use of butter.
The Theater District will see one high-profile closure: the Lambs Club at the Chatwal Hotel intends to close after service on July 25. The space is slated to be redeveloped as a new eatery under different ownership.
Reopenings and comebacks
Massara, the Campania-inspired restaurant from chef Stefano Secchi, has returned to its original Flatiron address at 913 Broadway after a year operating elsewhere while the site recovered from a fire. The wood-fired pizzettes that helped build the restaurant’s reputation are back, and Massara is staging a summer Pizza Room Takeover series with guest pizzaioli.
Elsewhere, Hell’s Kitchen’s Thai spot VIV reopened after a five-month renovation with a menu that mixes Thai street-food snacks and late-night rice- and porridge-based dishes, supported by a cocktail program developed with a Bangkok team.
Community notes: fundraisers and losses
Williamsburg Venezuelan restaurant Lulla’s has been collecting donations to aid communities affected by recent earthquakes in Venezuela. In Bed-Stuy, Bar Birba is temporarily closed after an electrical fire next door; while insurance covers physical damage, the team is raising funds to support employees during the closure.
Donna Siafakas, who co-owned the long-running Greenpoint institution Peter Pan Donuts, died on June 30. The shop dates back to the 1950s, and the family purchased it in 1993.
Events, pop-ups and where to watch summer celebrations
Several short-term and celebratory events are coming up for the holiday weekend and beyond.
- Fourth of July fireworks:
- Hudson River viewing: The Yacht Club in Chelsea and the Gansevoort Meatpacking are both hosting paid viewing parties with food and DJs.
- New York Harbor/East River viewing: Red Hook Barrel Yard will run a party with burgers and seafood towers; Alma in Brooklyn is planning a rooftop event with margaritas and ceviche.
- Greenpoint lobster rolls: Sailor & Siren — a lobster-roll pop-up — has announced a permanent Greenpoint restaurant at 817 Manhattan Avenue, debuting with caviar- and uni-topped variations.
- Hamptons pop-up series: Thomas Straker has been previewing his New York project with a Sunset Supper Club at the Surf Lodge; a slate of guest chefs will appear through the summer.
- NOLA pop-up: Bacchanal’s New Orleans wine-and-cheese program is hosting a Fourth of July pop-up at Prospect Heights restaurant Gertie with ticketed, timed sessions that include drink credits and live music.
Neighborhood and smaller-scale news
A new independent cookbook shop, Wild Sorrel Cookbooks, opened in the East Village, the first solo venture by a longtime bookseller who previously worked at Three Lives & Company.
Fast-casual growth: Indian taco spot Taco Mahal is opening a third location on the Upper East Side, and Super Burrito added a fourth outpost in Murray Hill.
F&F Pizza in Brooklyn is continuing its guest-chef series with a lineup focusing on New Haven-style makers, pairing local and Connecticut pizzerias across July and September.
Auctions and longer-term projects
Barbetta, a historic Theater District restaurant known for its Barolo and Barbaresco holdings, has had bottles from its cellar consigned to Zachys for an online auction running from June 30 through July 13. The sale comes from the estate of Laura Maioglio, who ran the family restaurant for decades.
Outside the city, former Take Root operators Elise Kornack and Anna Hieronimus are planning Vale, a 30-acre farm-and-restaurant project on the Esopus Creek in the Catskills that will bring a farm-driven kitchen to the region.
Quick reference: openings, closings and key dates
- Now open/returned: Massara (913 Broadway); Stars — expanded weekend daytime coffee service.
- New openings: Bar Zoli rooftop (opened July 10); Sailor & Siren Greenpoint (opened July 3 party); Ludico Tribeca and Bar Cosme (expected this fall).
- Closing: Lambs Club — last service July 25; space to become Wolseley Restaurant under new ownership.
- Auctions and fundraisers: Barbetta wine auction June 30–July 13; Lulla’s and Bar Birba staff/community fundraisers active now.
If you want updates as openings and pop-ups are confirmed, or details on ticketed events and collaborations, keep an eye on reservation platforms and restaurant announcements: summer schedules are shifting quickly and weekend seat availability moves fast.
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