Quick Bites
- Ugly Baby — Chef Sirichai Sreparplarn’s fiery Thai institution is back, reborn in a larger Williamsburg home at 364 Grand Street.
- Pies ‘n’ Thighs — The 20-year-old Williamsburg Southern favorite opened a second location at 244 Flatbush Avenue in Park Slope, one block from Barclays Center.
- Sono — A Korean-Italian trattoria at 176 1st Avenue in the East Village, with housemade soju and handmade noodles dressed in fermented sauces.
- Pure Green — The acai-and-smoothie chain opened a new Upper West Side outpost at 2041 Broadway on April 17.
- Six NYC restaurants were shuttered by the Department of Health between April 10 and 17 for pest-related and health-code violations.
Brooklyn
Ugly Baby Returns — Williamsburg
It’s finally happening. After closing its Carroll Gardens home in late 2024 and leaving a hole in the city’s spicy-Thai universe that no other kitchen could quite fill, chef Sirichai Sreparplarn’s Ugly Baby is back in business — this time at 364 Grand Street in Williamsburg, in the former Emmy Squared space. The new storefront is roughly 2,500 square feet, bigger than the original, which (mercifully) should mean fewer sweat-splattered neighbors when you order something north of a five-chili rating.
The menu keeps the boundary-pushing approach that made the original a cult favorite — lemongrass, galangal, chili, makrut lime, and what the team describes as a “wild use of bizarre umami factors” — but with more room to experiment. If you ever wanted to know what real Thai heat feels like, this is the address to have on your phone.
Pies ‘n’ Thighs — Park Slope
Pies ‘n’ Thighs, the Williamsburg Southern institution that has been deep-frying chicken since 2006, opened its second Brooklyn location at 244 Flatbush Avenue (at 6th Avenue) in Park Slope on April 1. It’s a block from Barclays Center, which means it’s about to become the default pre-game meal for anyone who has ever ordered a biscuit doused in honey butter. The menu carries over the greatest hits — fried chicken, catfish, biscuit sandwiches, and actual pies.
Manhattan
Sono — East Village
Sono, a Korean-Italian trattoria at 176 1st Avenue, has been building quiet buzz since it opened in March. The concept is exactly what it sounds like: handmade pasta with fermented sauces, bottarga pasta with nori and pollack roe, housemade soju, and a handful of Korean-inspired sides that feel less like fusion and more like a thoughtful conversation between two pantries. Early reviews describe it as one of the more ambitious new trattorias of the spring.
Pure Green — Upper West Side
The acai-bowl-and-smoothie chain Pure Green opened a new Upper West Side location at 2041 Broadway (between West 70th and West 71st) on April 17. Not exactly a culinary earthquake, but if you live in the area and want a quick bowl before a park walk, the block now has another option.
Seasonal
Pier i Cafe Returns to Riverside Park
Pier i Cafe, the open-air seasonal restaurant on the Hudson, reopened for the 2026 season this past week. It’s one of those places that instantly resets your mood — solid drinks, casual food, and a sunset view that reliably beats whatever you were scrolling on your phone.
Closings
Six restaurants were ordered closed by the NYC Department of Health between April 10 and 17, mostly for pest-related and sanitary-code violations, according to the Department’s running enforcement log published on Patch. These are administrative shutdowns rather than permanent goodbyes — most of these spots reopen after the issues are resolved — but it’s worth checking current status before heading to a new-to-you spot this week.
There were no major permanent closures announced over the last 48 hours, which is a rare piece of good news in a city where closure headlines usually outpace openings.
What We’re Watching
Chinatown’s Phê, the bánh mì café next to sister restaurant Mắm, is still targeting May for full operation. Lou & Bev’s, the bakery-by-day, pizza-and-wine-bar-by-night concept, is still on the spring 2026 calendar. And a new rotisserie from the Margot and Montague Diner team is slated for the West Village later this season. We’ll keep tracking.
