These Are 2018’s Most Anticipated New Restaurants

Just as tech enthusiasts eagerly anticipate every new product release, foodies comb through food magazines and blogs to learn about new restaurants. We’re not talking about Carl’s, Jr.’s plans to open two new restaurants in New York in 2018. We’re talking about restaurants on the nicer end of the dining spectrum. These are some of the most anticipated new restaurants and expansions foodies are talking about currently.

The Slanted Door

This iconic and wildly popular restaurant on the waterfront in San Francisco’s Ferry Building announced this year that it will be adding a location in Las Vegas. Charles Phan’s success in San Francisco is likely to translate well to a Las Vegas base. They open in the summer of 2018 in a corner spot on the ground floor of the Forum Shops at Caesars. Phan’s much-heralded, James Beard award-winning modern Vietnamese cuisine-focused restaurant originally opened in 1995 and by 2015 had earned an impressive spot as Restaurant Business Magazine’s 29th highest grossing independent restaurant in the United States.

A Rake’s Progress

The Line Hotel teamed with James Beard Award-winning chef Spike Gjerde for A Rake’s Progress. From the looks of it, it will be another award-winning proposition. Gjerde is well-known for his restaurant in Baltimore, Woodberry Kitchen.  There he practices using the local food system to supply ingredients including Mid-Atlantic farms and waters. With A Rake’s Progress in Washington, DC, he’ll also be looking for a local food system.

Beholder

Indianapolis may not be on your radar as a food destination. However, Chef Jonathan Brooks has made waves there with his restaurant Milktooth. Based on the popularity of that venture, the anticipation is high for his next, Beholder. He’s partnered with Josh Mazanowski to bring what they expect to be a fun night out (since Milktooth focuses on daytime fare).

We want it to be sexy, delicious food, we want people to feel sexy and comfortable in the space.

Birdsong

With the closure of AQ this year, the San Francisco food scene was dealt a blow, but the space will be given new life as Birdsong. It’s the first restaurant of Chef Chris Bleidorn whose experience includes a stint at Alinea, a longer period at Benu, and he was chef de cuisine at Atelier Crenn. This list has created some buzz for his new freshman venture. His plan is both a tasting menu and also a la carte items themed as heritage and Pacific Northwest cuisine. Think wood-fired, fermented, aged, and wild game.

Under

One of the most interesting and exciting restaurant openings coming our way is near Båly, a Norwegian village on the southern coast of Norway. Why so interesting? The restaurant is underwater, similar in concept to those in the Maldives, Dubai, and Israel. Many seafood restaurants have seafood tanks in them but this concept makes the restaurant the tank in the sea. Of course, the entrance is at ground level, and it leads you to a fully-submerged multilevel restaurant designed by architecture firm Snøhetta.

The structure will become a part of its marine environment, coming to rest directly on the sea bed five meters below the water’s surface.

There will be a lobby level, a champagne bar level, and also a dining room level. The setting is spectacular on its own so the decor will be subtle and subdued. Danish chef Nicolai Ellitsgaard Pedersen is developing the menu which is likely to feature seafood prominently.

New restaurant openings always offer such promise and excitement. These are just a few of some of the most anticipated restaurant openings for 2018. So, tell us, which one will you be trying? In terms of great restaurants and great food, we’ve also created a list of The World’s Five Best Cities for Food you’ll want to review.