Union Pool Is Shutting Down For The Winter & Other NYC Restaurant Updates

Events to Know About

• Bronx Night Market is now open every weekend through November. Stop by Fordham Plaza from noon to 6pm to try things like lobster rolls, chicken and waffles, and grilled kebab from local vendors. You can find out more information and RSVP here.

• The Smile is hosting a stoop sale on Sunday, October 18th from noon to 4pm at their spot in Noho. Expect live music, drinks from Yardy, t-shirts, records, fresh farm produce from the Hudson Valley, and tamales made by La Morada. Find out more details here.

• There’s a socially-distanced swing dance class happening in Astoria Park this Sunday from 3pm to 4pm. It’s completely free.

• A bunch of restaurants and bars are hosting regularly-scheduled outdoor music, and we put them all into one guide.

• If you’re looking for live comedy, a bar in Bushwick called Artel Garden is putting on an outdoor stand-up show this Sunday, October 17th at 2pm. You can show up at 1pm for brunch, drinks, and a live DJ, and buy a $10 ticket for the show here.

New Restaurants We're Excited About

• Starting Monday October 19th at 8am, Frenchette will officially open their new bakery in the Arcade Bakery space on Church Street in Tribeca. Expect baguettes, dark malted rye, croissant sandwiches with kimchi, comte, and egg, and breakfast cookies. If you’re eating a cookie for breakfast, just own it and call it a “cookie.”

• Tlaxcal Kitchen, a Mexican street food pop-up in Jackson Heights, announced that they will soon transition to selling dishes like sheep barbacoa, cochinita pibil, and birria out of a bar on East 36th Street (called Under The Volcano). According to Tlaxcal Kitchen’s Instagram, diners can expect a focus on the ingredient maguey (a type of agave plant).

• The team behind The Handpulled Noodle just opened a new Chinese noodle shop in Harlem called The Noodle where you can pick between classic, thick, sweet potato, and rice hand-pulled noodles to pair with things like spicy cumin lamb stir fry or ginger chicken soup.

• There’s a new counter spot on Henry Street in Chinatown serving mortadella sandwiches, lasagna by the slice, and matzo ball soup. You can check out L’ito’s from noon to 8pm, Tuesday through Saturday and follow them on Instagram. for menu updates.

• A delivery-only Mexican restaurant called Gastronomy Underground is serving taco feasts throughout Brooklyn on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Each delivery includes information about the cultural context of every dish, and a curated playlist to go along with your meal.

• Find more brand new NYC restaurants on our Openings guide, and stay on top of what’s coming in the months ahead here.

It's Very Fall Outside

• In case you forgot, seasons change. And since outdoor dining is extended indefinitely, restaurants have been setting up enclosed tents and heat lamps to keep diners warm.

• You look so good in burnt orange. Go show off that new mask and do some fall stuff. We wrote about pumpkin patches, haunted trails, and more great day trips to take within 90 minutes of NYC..

• It may surprise you to hear that there’s some very good wine produced right outside of the city. Bring a fleece, choose a designated driver, and visit one of these great vineyards.

NYC Guide

Where To Do Fall Stuff Within 90 Minutes Of NYC

Closings & Other Updates

• Union Pool in Williamsburg announced this week that they’ll be closing until spring 2021. Their last night of service will be Wednesday, November 11th.

• After announcing that they would close at the end of August, a ton of support and donations helped 88 Lan Zhou in Chinatown survive. Now, this dumpling shop on Bowery will officially close its doors on October 31. You can stock up on their excellent frozen dumplings by stopping by their shop and following them on Instagram here.

• Unfortunately, Queens Comfort in Astoria and Zoma in Harlem have shut down permanently. Keep track of our running list of places that have closed as a result of the pandemic here.

• According to the Mayor, the percentage of people testing positive for Covid-19 has decreased slightly (as of Wednesday, our seven-day average is now 1.46%). This is encouraging for humans, businesses, and humans working in businesses. As a reminder, restaurants in areas of Brooklyn and Queens are still under dining restrictions for at least another week or so. Use this map to see exactly the areas impacted.