Quick Bites
- Smokey Bones — every U.S. location closed for good as of April 27, including all three New York State outposts (Colonie, Liverpool, Ronkonkoma). Parent company FAT Brands’ Twin Hospitality unit filed Chapter 11 in January.
- Jeju Noodle Bar — the Michelin-starred West Village ramyun bar opens its second location in Nolita this May, with a menu that diverges from the original.
- Avant Garden (East Village) — leading a wave of restaurants planning Cinco de Mayo specials on Tuesday, with a menu spotlighting the cuisine of Puebla.
- Sushidokoro Mekumi — the eight-seat Hudson Square omakase counter quietly closed after just six months. Its $300, 18-course tastings of Ishikawa Prefecture seafood are done.
Manhattan
Opening soon — Jeju Noodle Bar (Nolita). Chef Douglas Kim is bringing his ramyun-meets-fine-dining playbook to a second address this May. Expect new dishes built specifically for the Nolita room — not a copy-paste of the West Village original. If you’ve never had the uni caviar ramyun at the OG, the new outpost is your second shot.
Closed — Sushidokoro Mekumi (Hudson Square). One of the most quietly hyped omakase rooms of late 2025 has shut down after just six months. The eight-seat counter from chef Yuki Tanaka served 18-course tastings at $300 a head built around seafood flown in from Ishikawa Prefecture. No replacement concept has been announced.
Cinco de Mayo watch. Avant Garden in the East Village is doing a full menu pivot to the cuisine of Puebla on May 5. Several other restaurants are running one-night-only menus — keep an eye on Resy and The Infatuation’s running list before you make Tuesday plans.
Brooklyn
Recently opened — Arthur (Greenpoint). Still finding its rhythm three weeks in, chef Kevin Finch’s neighborhood bistro on Manhattan Avenue is the highest-impact opening Greenpoint has had this spring. The barbecued scallops with tableside beef consommé are the calling-card dish; the beef tartare with black garlic oil is the under-the-radar pick.
Holding steady — Bar Chimera (Williamsburg). The three-room hybrid (wine bar / martini bar / whiskey bar under one roof) opened April 18 and has been packed every weekend since. Walk-ins are easier on Sunday and Monday nights.
Queens
No major confirmed openings or closings in the borough in the last 48 hours. Tip from the food desk: if you’re heading to Flushing or Elmhurst this weekend, the Cinco de Mayo runoff hits Roosevelt Avenue every year — Tortilleria Nixtamal in Corona traditionally extends hours.
The Bronx & Staten Island
Quiet weekend on the boards. Outdoor dining is the bigger story right now — roughly 1,800 roadway and sidewalk setups citywide are eligible to operate as the 2026 season begins, but program rules continue to shift. If you’re planning to sit outside this Cinco de Mayo, call ahead.
Chain News
Smokey Bones — gone. The barbecue chain closed every U.S. location on Monday, April 27. New York State lost all three of its outposts: Colonie, Liverpool, and Ronkonkoma. Parent company FAT Brands acquired Smokey Bones in 2023; its majority-owned partner Twin Hospitality Group filed Chapter 11 on January 26, 2026. Workers in New York reported finding out through Facebook after their final shifts. None of the closed locations were inside the five boroughs.
What We’re Watching Next
Cinco de Mayo on Tuesday will surface a wave of one-night menus across the city — we’ll have a rolling list. Mắm’s bánh mì spinoff next door to the Lower East Side flagship is reportedly close to opening its full coffee program. Cleo, the Paris-London-Montreal-inspired rotisserie from the Margot and Montague Diner team, is the West Village opening to circle for late spring.
Tips on a new opening or a quiet closing? Send them our way — we’re a restaurant-friendly publication and we keep a running list every day.
