In 2026, the restaurant industry is preparing to move at a fast clip. Some trends are already starting to appear, with groundbreaking chefs opening more conservative outposts, such as steak houses or brasseries, and next-generation chefs taking huge leaps. To sense what’s to come, look to these nine exciting restaurant openings from dynamic chefs and restaurateurs, including a Korean American steak house that pays tribute to California wine country and an American culinary leader expanding to Japan.
SoNoMa by SingleThread, Kyoto, Japan
For some restaurateurs, opening a new spot might mean just going a block or city over. Kyle and Katina Connaughton, however? They’re crossing the ocean. The owners of Grand Award winner SingleThread Farms in Healdsburg, California, will be opening SoNoMa by SingleThread in Kyoto, Japan, inside the Capella hotel. The couple spent several years living in Japan and will bring their wine country philosophy to Kyoto, with Katina working with farmers in Japan’s Kansai region to grow “unique Northern Californian” varieties of vegetables. “We are expressing the terroir and sensibilities of Kyoto while connecting guests to the ethos—the wine country state of mind of our Sonoma home,” Kyle Connaughton said in a press release.
Opening: March 2026
Saverne, New York City
Alsatian chef Gabriel Kreuther—known for his eponymous, Grand Award–winning establishment—is heading across New York City to open his latest restaurant, Saverne. Located inside the Spiral office building in Hudson Yards, the restaurant is named after a commune in Alsace. The menu will be a “re-interpretation of the classic brasserie” centered on wood-fired grilling, and more info on the dishes is yet to come.
Opening: February 2026
Union Square Hospitality Group, Detroit and Boston
Star restaurateur Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group will expand to both Boston and Detroit in 2026. (The group has deep ties to New York City—these will be its first expansions in the United States.) Late last year USHG announced a collaboration with Detroit real estate developer Bedrock to open multiple restaurants inside the newly built Hudson’s Detroit mixed-use complex downtown. What those restaurants will be is yet to be seen. In Boston, chef Hilary Sterling will bring her refined Italian cooking with a second iteration of Best of Award of Excellence winner Ci Siamo in the Seaport District.
Opening: spring 2026 (Detroit), early summer 2026 (Boston)
Monami, San Francisco
Husband-and-wife duo Junsoo and Hyunyoung Bae are highlighting their love of California wines with their second San Francisco restaurant, Monami, a “modern Korean steak house” in the Pacific Heights neighborhood. A follow-up to Best Award of Excellence winner Ssal—which embraces California produce and Korean flavors in a tasting menu format—Monami draws from chef Junsoo’s tenure at Meadowood and Hyunyoung’s experience at Grand Award winner the French Laundry. Ssal’s wine director, Giacomo Latona, will oversee this program as well.
Opening: Fall 2026
Or’esh, New York City
First came Best of Award of Excellence winner the Corner Store in Soho, with its ever-present swarm of wannabe diners after repeated celebrity sightings. Then came Eighty Six, an equally tough reservation in the West Village, which took over the infamous Chumley’s dining room. Now, Catch Hospitality Group is going for a hat trick with Or’Esh, a Mediterranean-leaning destination also in Soho led by chef Nadav Greenberg, formerly of the landmark Israeli restaurant Shmoné. CHG is co-owned by founders Mark Birnbaum and Eugene Remm alongside mogul and diplomat Tilman Fertitta, with several Restaurant Award winners across the country.
Opening: February 2026
Gibson’s Tavern, Chicago
One of Chicago’s most iconic names in dining, Gibson Restaurant Group, is expanding into the recently redeveloped Fulton Market District with Gibson’s Tavern, “an elevated take on classic American cuisine.” Gibson’s operates several Restaurant Award winners, including its landmark Gibson’s Bar and Steakhouse, Gibson’s Italia and collaborations with José Andrés, Bar Mar and Bazaar Meat. The Gibson’s Tavern wine cellar will be overseen by the group’s wine director, Cassandra Sakai.
Opening: Fall 2026
Oyatte, New York City
Coming hot off his time as the “culinary monster” on the hugely popular Netflix Korean cooking show, Culinary Class Wars, chef Hasung Lee is planting his flag with Oyatte in New York City’s Murray Hill neighborhood. Lee brings with him his serious culinary pedigree, with experience at Grand Award winners the French Laundry in Napa Valley and Copenhagen’s Geranium as well as New York City’s Gramercy Tavern and the groundbreaking Korean tasting menu destination Atomix. Wine will be central, with sommelier Cécile Chastanet—formerly of Grand Award winner Per Se—leading the cellar.
Opening: March 2026
Ox & Olive, Washington, D.C.
In a string of high-profile chefs expanding into steak houses, Washington, D.C., chef Ryan Ratino will focus “on all things beef” with the opening of Ox & Olive in Georgetown. The menu will be rooted in American steak house essentials—oysters, Martinis and rib eyes. Ratino’s other projects include the Japanese-influenced tasting menu Jônt and the contemporary bistro Bresca as well as Ômo by Jônt, outside of Orlando. Ratino also plans to strike west to Los Angeles in the near future.
Opening: spring 2026
Gingie, Chicago
From the hit-making Boka Restaurant Group, whose roster includes Stephanie Izard’s the Girl and the Goat and Best of Award of Excellence–winning steak house Swift & Sons, Gingie is landing in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. The restaurant will be headed by chef Brian Lockwood, formerly of Grand Award winners the French Laundry and Eleven Madison Park, who most recently served as a culinary consultant on FX’s The Bear. The wine list, from Boka’s Ashley Santoro, will highlight Old World wines and varieties.
Opening: February 2026
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