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The 12 Most Exciting Restaurant Openings in New York City This May

New York’s restaurant scene is getting Tokyo-imported pizza, an old-school soda shop and much more.

There’s a noticeable shift in atmosphere when May arrives in New York, and we don’t just mean weather fronts. The stretching of daylight hours, the blossoming of flowers, the gradual warming of temperatures—it all contributes to a population that’s nearly dizzy with happiness (and maybe some spritzes, too). Capitalizing on this citywide explosion of joy, May has, historically, also been a booming month for new restaurants. And this year is no exception, with many projects that were delayed due to the brutal winter now finally ready to welcome guests. When you add in the spots that were already planning for a May opening, we’ve got a proper bumper crop of places to explore.

But if you’re feeling overwhelmed at where to start, we can help with that: we’ve been tracking May’s best new openings for months now, and have chosen our favorite dozen. It’s an especially fruitful time for imports, whether you’re interested in checking out one of Chicago’s most famed Indian spots, or Tokyo’s take on Neapolitan pizza (it turns out New York isn’t the only place that can sling a pie). And old-school American also seems to be trending, both in bar and soda shop form, just in time for our country’s 250th birthday. 

Read on for the 12 best new restaurants to try in New York this May.

The Most Noteworthy NYC Restaurant Openings for May 2026

The Standard Soda Shop

6 River St., Brooklyn, NY, 11249

Just in time to take advantage of warm, late spring nights comes Bar Susanne, a new cocktail and raw bar with a menu focused on items from local waterways. Seafood, obviously, is what you want to order here: the menu, crafted by executive chef Jackie Carnesi, includes everything from classics like a shrimp cocktail with an intriguing roasted shrimp shell aioli, to cheekier offerings like the sour cream and onion caviar service—served with fried onion petals and chive sour cream, naturally. Drinks-wise, the beverage program, created by Milos Zica (Employees Only), is heavy on martinis, but is also notable for its selection of agave and New York wines. Our pick for a cocktail? The Talented Miss Ripley: olive oil fat-washed gin, oregano, vermouth, lemon, coriander and an oil pearl.

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