Indian, Tapas, Burger Joint: New Hell's Kitchen Restaurants

HELL'S KITCHEN, NY — A tapas bar, an Indian restaurant and a newly-reopening theater: these are among the half dozen new venues coming to Hell's Kitchen in the coming months.

The six upcoming eateries will be presented Tuesday to a Community Board 4 committee as their owners sought the board's approval to obtain alcohol licenses. They are among the dozens of new restaurants that Patch has covered in recent months as the city recovers from the depths of the pandemic.

Here are the new businesses we learned about this week:

Burger Joint at Moynihan Train Hall (Eighth Avenue between West 31st and 33rd streets)

• Part of the eagerly-awaited food court coming to Moynihan, Burger Joint will serve up eight different kind of hamburgers as well as breakfast options, beers and wines, according to its application.
• Part of an existing franchise, Burger Joint will be located in a small stall, open daily from 9 a.m. to midnight.

El Cartel (613 Ninth Ave., between West 43rd and 44th streets):

• This tapas bar plans to open up in the Ninth Avenue storefront formerly home to Lenwich. It will be open daily from noon to 2 a.m., seating 60 customers across 25 indoor tables.
• Once open, the restaurant will serve South American-style tapas, adorned with a "colorful Col[o]mbian design," according to a written statement by its owner, Magda Arango. Menu items will include fresh octopus with paprika, mixed ceviche with shrimp and tilapia, and grilled chicken breast with mushroom sauce, according to the application.

Graffiti Bar (650 Ninth Ave., between West 45th and 46th streets):

• This storefront, previously home to the Thai restaurant Yum Yum, will soon house the venue Graffiti Bar.
• Affiliated with the Los Angeles-based Adonis Lounge, a gay nightclub, Graffiti Bar will be co-owned by three partners whose other businesses include District Tap House in Midtown and Lumos Bar in Greenwich Village. Besides drinks, menu items will include hot dogs, fish and chips, flatbreads and chicken wings.

Indian restaurant (813 Ninth Ave., at West 54th Street):

• A not-yet-named Indian restaurant will take the place of Yuqi's Thai restaurant near the corner of Ninth Avenue and West 54th Street. The applicants were previously affiliated with Sapphire, a local Indian franchise.
• The restaurant will be open daily for lunch and dinner service, seating 32 people indoors. Menu items will include standard Indian fare like chicken vindaloo, salmon saag and naan, with separate menu sections for vegetarian and tandoor dishes.

Theater 555 (555 West 42nd St., near 11th Avenue):

• This new liquor application is for the concession stand in the theater space at 555 West 42nd St. Most recently home to the Upright Citizens Brigade, the space has also housed the Signature and Pearl theatres, but is now under new ownership with the goal of reopening this fall.
• Its owner and operator, Eric Krebs, previously built the John Houseman and Douglas Fairbanks theaters on 42nd Street, according to the venue's website.

Unnamed bar (405 West 51st St., near Ninth Avenue):

• This not-yet-named bar was listed under the LLC "Over A Drink." It will replace the now-closed gay bar Posh, which operated in the space for nearly 20 years.
• It will be open daily from 4 p.m., closing at 4 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The listed owners are James Healey, Jason Wade Mann and Laurie Wenk-Pascal.
• The bar's drink menu will include classic cocktails like mojitos, Manhattans and martinis, as well as a selection of draft and bottled beers, according to its application. Food options will be bar staples like nachos, wings and chicken fingers, as well as spring rolls, jalapeño poppers and mozzarella sticks.

More Hell's Kitchen restaurant coverage:

• New Hell's Kitchen Restaurants: Korean Food, Event Space
  
• Taco Shop, Queer Bar Among Hell's Kitchen's New Restaurants
• New Hell's Kitchen Restaurants: Ramen, Sushi And 5 Others
• These New Restaurants Are Coming To Hell's Kitchen