Will We All Be Eating at Rockefeller Center Next Year?

What is happening at Rockefeller Center? The former tourist trap increasingly seems poised to become one of Manhattan’s premier dining destinations, with several of the city’s top restaurants and bars opening concepts at the Midtown complex in the coming months. Swanky French bistro Frenchette is debuting a new restaurant this winter, and Olmsted, King, and the two-Michelin-starred Atomix are setting up shop in the development next spring.

Established, but more casual businesses — Other Half Brewery and Brooklyn’s Ace’s Pizza — are on track to open later this month, while an outpost of New York’s beloved Breads Bakery is planned for early next year. Rounding out the food scene is Pebble Bar, a three-story watering hole from the team behind Grand Army and Celestine in Brooklyn. The bar, located in a four-story Midtown townhouse nearby at the corner of 49th Street and Sixth Avenue, plans to open this winter, according to a spokesperson for Rockefeller Center.

The new arrivals join a handful of businesses already operating out of the Midtown plaza, including Lodi, a mostly knockout cafe from the team behind Estela and Altro Paradiso, and an outpost of David Chang’s fried chicken chain Fuku.

Bonnie’s, waiting for its gas to be turned on, opens anyway

Brooklyn has been holding its breath for the opening of Bonnie’s, a Cantonese-American restaurant from former Win Son chef Calvin Eng. We’re not there yet — Eng is waiting to have his gas turned on, he says — but this weekend the chef will open his doors for a two-day, “no gas party” with cold food and drinks. “Think classic raw bar but with Cantonese flavors,” the restaurant shared in an announcement on Instagram. Walk-in only from 3 to 9 p.m.

Harlem Restaurant Week returns for a Harlem Restaurant Two Weeks

Harlem Restaurant Week returns this weekend for its 12th season. From November 7 to 21, New Yorkers can nab under-$10 dishes and prix-fixe menus priced at $25 and $35 from participating restaurants. More than 50 food businesses are participating in this year’s event, including those serving smash burgers, Oklahoma barbecue, vegan Puerto Rican fare, birria tacos, and more.

Levain Bakery reopens its original location after nearly two years

Following a pandemic closure that spanned nearly two years, Levain Bakery will reopen its flagship location this weekend, at 167 West 74th Street, near Amsterdam Avenue, on the Upper West Side. The famed cookie maker, with multiple locations in New York City, will return at the store that started it all on November 6.