New Midtown & Hell's Kitchen Restaurants: 8 Spots To Open On West Side

MIDTOWN-HELL'S KITCHEN, NY — The west side is gaining eight new spots, two of which are both intimate omakase spots. Plus, a group of experienced restauranturs seek to open a nearly 150-seat spot at the former location of troubled nightclub, Club Q.

The restaurants were presented to Community Board 4's Street Life Committee on Tuesday as owners sought approval for beer, wine and liquor licenses.

Here's what we learned about each new restaurant:

The Red Stache (781 Ninth Ave.)

A new spot taking over the contended space of former Casellula at 9th Avenue and West 52nd Street, The Red Stache will continue as a 40-seat wine bar with a full kitchen. Even the hours are remaining the same. A representative brought along signals of support from both neighbors and the block association. The new spot also plans to rebuild a new outdoor dining shed to replace one demolished last year by the city.

Yingtao (805 Ninth Ave.)

Coming to Ninth Avenue between West 54th and 53rd Street is a new, contemporary fine-dining Chinese restaurant. From first-time restaurateur Bolun Yao, Yingtao will have two dinner services each night for 38 diners, along with a backyard space for eight diners to enjoy a glass of wine as they wait for a table.

Sushiichi (640 10th Ave.)

This new cozy omakase sushi spot near West 45th Street will replace tables and chairs with one long L-shaped bar with stools for 11 fish fans. From the former owner of the now-closed acclaimed omakase restaurant, O Ya, the menu will feature fresh, seasonal catches, according to the restaurant’s lawyer. “It’s going to be a face-to-face, intimate, get to know your chef,” experience, the lawyer added. In addition to the small-scale setting, the restaurant will also offer delivery.

Tatsuda Omakase (354 West 44th St.)

Another ever cozier omakase spot is opening just a few minutes walk away from Sushiichi, across the street from Birdland near Ninth Avenue. This spot features only eight seats at the bar for an even more intimate setting. Owner Zhong Wen Xue previously ran an asian fusion spot in Saugerties, NY from 2019 until last February.

Italian Restaurant Name TBD (196 Eighth Ave.)

A new restaurateur is joining the current owner of Lasagna Chelsea to open a new Italian restaurant with a new name at the same location on the corner of West 20th Street, according to their application. The new spot will have seating for 44 indoors and 24 outside in both sidewalk and open restaurant dining.

Wonder (128 West 23rd St.)

Wonder plans to offer a cornucopia of food cuisines at this counter-service spot. The new restaurant between Sixth and Seventh Avenue is planning to offer Mexican, American, Indian, Greek, Italian and ramen, according to manager Vivek Anand.

Bar & Tavern Name TBD (184 Eighth Ave.)

From the owners of Cask Bar & Kitchen in Murray Hill, this 46-seat tavern will have a full bar and menu, along with 10 outdoor dining spots. Opening inside a former Bareburger near West 19th Street, the east side restaurants are “looking to replicate their success on the west side,” according to a representative. The tavern will feature small plates with a cocktail focus at night, said owner Conor Duffin.

Bar & Tavern Name TBD (795 Eighth Ave.)

A group of experienced west side restaurateurs are looking to open up a new, 142-seat, three-story bar and restaurant on Eighth Avenue between West 48th and 49th Streets at the location of former gay nightclub, Q, one of the spots where men were targeted in a string of druggings and robberies, including John Umberger who was later found dead in an Upper East Side townhouse.

The new owners, who currently run Vida Verde, The Mean Fiddler, Tanner Smith’s and Dutch Fred’s, will be removing all of the speakers and subwoofers and will not be seeking a license for dancing.

“This will be a drastically different operation to what Q Bar had been doing in the space,” said a representative, who said the team even offered to do acoustic readings in the apartments of neighbors who had expressed concerns over the nightclub’s noise in the past. None reportedly took the new owners up on the offer.