Restaurants of the year
This years best new openings, bars, MORE
At FOUND, we capture the restaurant (and bar) scene via three primary lenses — short narrative pieces relaying our experiences dining in the field (First Person, First Word & FOUND Table), distilled lists of recommendations (The Nines), and interviews with the city’s movers, shakers, and industry insiders of taste (Routines).
FOUND is fascinated with what’s new, reporting regularly on just-opened spots before the rush. Just as interesting to us: those places that haven’t received their just acclaim, and old favorites that reward return visits. And while we will spend $350 per person for an extraordinary experience, we are equally at home at an exemplary neighborhood bistro.
Across the breadth of our coverage, we’re as focused on the room and the vibe — the way the restaurant makes you feel — as we are the food. We’re also obsessed with the movements and trends shaping the dining scene. And finally, our coverage reaches beyond the city and into weekend getaway markets (i.e., “surrounds”).
Here now, we present our restaurant of the year (says one restaurateur: “If I could generate the vibe they have at [big reveal below] at all my spots, I’d be a billionaire.”) and two Nines of our favorite new restaurants and favorite new bars of 2025.
RESTAURANTS • First Person