After a relatively slow August when it came to restaurant openings, September got off to a bang. Back-to-school season became back-to-restaurant season, with new spots debuting across the country. In Los Angeles, Wes Avila opened the Mexican steakhouse MXO, while the Michelin-starred Tokyo import Udatsu Sushi put down its first roots stateside.
Moving to the Midwest, the lauded Parachute was reborn after a decade as Parachute HiFi, a more casual concept from Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark. Over on the East Coast, New York saw three notable debuts: The Michelin-starred Joo Ok relocated completely from Seoul to Manhattan. The duo of Jeremiah Stone and Fabián von Hauske Valtierra are serving updated brasserie classics at Brass, and Alex Stupak is cooking up his take on seafood standbys at the Otter.
Plus, Washington, D.C., got two new heavy-hitters from a couple of the best chefs in the country: Michael Rafidi at the funky Levantine spot La’ Shukran and Kwame Onwuachi at the Afro-Caribbean Dōgon.
Below are the eight most exciting restaurant openings of September..
