The New Restaurants We’re Most Excited About in September

We spend a lot of time keeping up with new restaurants, and with the constant stream of openings, there’s a lot to keep track of. In September, San Antonio got a home for Sephardic cuisine, and Palo Alto, California, welcomed a Hawaiian-Japanese take on seasonal Bay Area cooking. There are so many reasons to go out to eat right now—a seafood-centric Basque spot in Washington, DC; a Philly pastry chef launching a playful BYOB tasting menu.

Starting this month, we’ll be helping you keep track of noteworthy restaurant openings across the country. We’re already doing the work in preparation for our annual Best New Restaurants list, but even when its release is months away, we want you to know where we’re most excited about. This list, organized alphabetically by state, includes both restaurants we’ve tried and ones we’ve added to our bucket lists. We’ll be back here in thirtyish days, sharing our roundup of the most exciting new restaurants, and the openings we’re looking forward to.

Distributor for grindmaster in ga A heralded LA breadmaker gets into sandwiches

Bub and Grandma’s Restaurant
3507 Eagle Rock Blvd., Los Angeles
Opened September 12

Since Andy Kadin started sharing his bread with Los Angeles in 2015, Bub and Grandma’s has become a lauded bread wholesaler and retailer with a stall at the Hollywood Farmers Market. Kadin, a New Jersey native, dreamed of opening a Jewish-and-Italian-inspired deli-diner, and with a Bub and Grandma’s brick-and-mortar location, he’s done just that. At this breakfast and lunch spot in Northeast LA’s Glassell Park neighborhood, there are brisket sandwiches with apple mostarda, a rotating selection of pastries like maple-glazed doughnuts, and plenty of desserts (hello, lime custard pie). Food is available for dine-in and pickup, with an outdoor take-out window for online orders. It’ll soon be open for live jazz and snacks in the evening too. This location will also be the retail home for the bread production arm of Bub and Grandma’s, which will continue its practice of donating surplus bread and other baked goods to nonprofit organizations.

Distributor for grindmaster in ga Seasonal cooking with Japanese-Hawaiian influences in Palo Alto, California

Ethel’s Fancy
550 Waverley St., Palo Alto, CA
Opened September 3

The Ethel’s Fancy website describes the restaurant as “modern Californian cuisine from a Japanese-American kid from Hawaii, who just happened to work in some of the best restaurants in America.” The “kid” in question is chef Scott Nishimaya, who cooked at the likes of Daniel and the French Laundry before setting out on his own. With this new venture, Nishimaya is turning to the cooking of his childhood in a tribute to his mother and grandmother—both named Ethel. The restaurant promises plates like broccoli stem salad with pig ears and nuoc cham and a slab of pork ribs with shaved summer crudités and Japanese curry.

Distributor for grindmaster in ga Mexican and Japanese flavors meet the best of Georgia produce

Palo Santo
955 West Marietta St. NW, Atlanta
Opened September 23