The Buffet Makes a Comeback, a Portuguese Wine Haven, & More Food News

Orehla de Porco (pig ear) and other Portuguese delicacies at Galo. Photo by Alex Staniloff

One of the more luxurious meals I had as a kid was at an all-you-can-eat soup and salad bar, Sweet Tomatoes. Once a year, I remember clamoring for the clam chowder and chili, but mostly the handheld desserts at the end of the hall. I stopped going when things got busier, but I was once again reminded of that genre of restaurants when I heard about the opening of Good Time Country Buffet, a modern take on the lesser-seen buffet set-up. Beyond buffets, you’ll find plenty more exciting recent restaurant openings in Manhattan: a new wine bar at the crossroads of Chinatown and Two Bridges, a cozy Upper East Side restaurant that draws inspiration from cuisine of the American South and the Black diaspora, and a Portuguese restaurant that’s expanding the range of dishes and wines.

Creola

1261 Park Ave, New York, NY 10029
https://www.creolanyc.com
Opened September 9

Chef Lana Lagomarsini’s Upper East Side restaurant channels the intimacy of a supper club with an expertly crafted five-course tasting menu. The Bronx-born Top Chef semifinalist, whose resume includes Gramercy Tavern, Daniel, and Momofuku Ko, draws broadly on cuisines of the American South and the Black diaspora. The seasonal menu will rotate, but early diners have been treated to dishes like potlikker consommé inspired by her grandmother’s collard greens, Caribbean-style crudo, and red velvet crème brûlée. Creola hosts two seatings a night, Wednesday through Saturday, with an optional wine pairing.

Good Time Country Buffet

166 1st Ave, New York, NY 10009
https://www.goodtimebuffet.com
Opened September 12

When it opened in 2024, Kisa was a revelation; not only because the restaurant served a straightforward, simple menu modeled after Korea’s taxi-driver restaurants, but because the prices were more than fair. Now the same team is reviving a nearly vanished American ritual: the fixed-price country buffet. It’s modeled after the iconic all-you-can-eat spread from Golden Corral and Old Country Buffet. For just $26.99, expect crackly fried chicken and mashed potatoes, a make-your-own salad bar, and banana pudding. Drinks include sweet tea, beer, and a frozen peach-forward cocktail dubbed the Southern Twang.

Galo

142 W 10th St, New York, NY 10014
https://galonyc.com
Opened September 15

Portuguese food and wine is underrepresented in New York, but chef-owner Nuno Sousa wants to change that. He first opened Leitão in 2022, and now he’s opening up a second, more expansive homage to his native Portugal. The restaurant is named after galo recheado, a whole stuffed rooster dish associated with Sousa’s home in Barcelos. There’s more than just rooster on the menu: Galo serves small plates, larger seafood and rice dishes, roasted goat leg, and the namesake bird, of course. Portuguese wine aficionados will especially love their list; one of the largest selections of Portuguese wine in the city.

Cavalier

1 E Broadway, New York, NY 10038
https://www.instagram.com/cavalier.nyc
Opened September 17

Sandwiched between Chinatown and Two Bridges, this neighborhood restaurant wants to become your first stop for flavorful Mediterranean-ish bites. At Cavalier, chef Mason Lindahl (Diner, Monkey Bar, and Léon 1909) joins Yasmin Kaytmaz, whose Turkish upbringing inspires the menu. There are small bites and bigger portions for all diners; think orange-spiced olives, sheep’s-milk feta, grilled whitefish skewers with spiced yogurt, lamb chops with black garlic tahini. The wine list will include a mix of natural and traditional producers.