Many are looking to 2025 with a mix of anticipation and dread.
It has been a rough 2024 for most, especially independent restaurants, with consumers keeping a tight grip on their wallets, despite a strong economy.
But there’s a lot to look forward to, at least in terms of new independent concepts coming from big-name chefs and restaurateurs.
Here’s a roundup of some things to look forward to in 2025:
Chef and restaurateur Stephanie Izard appears to like California, after bringing her Girl & the Goat concept to Los Angeles last year. In 2025, Izard and Chicago-based Boka Restaurant Group are planning to open Valley Goat, which will be in the new Treehouse Hotel Silicon Valley, a first U.S. location for the hotel brand.
Izard is also known for the concepts Little Goat Diner, Duck Duck Goat and Cabra in Chicago, and she’s known for her appearances on “Iron Chef,” “Top Chef” and several other cooking shows. Valley Goat, meanwhile, will celebrate the abundant produce of Northern California.
Also coming to the Western U.S. is Cote Korean Steakhouse, which currently has three locations in New York, Miami and Singapore. Developed by restaurateur Simon Kim (Coqodaq, Undercote) of Gracious Hospitality Management, the Michelin-starred steakhouse is scheduled to open in Las Vegas at The Venetian Resort early next year. It will be part of the resort’s $1.5 billion reinvestment project.
It's also kind of a homecoming for Kim, who went to UNLV and got his start in the industry in Sin City.
“While Cote Korean Steakhouse is a concept I created in NYC, the pulsating energy, music and entertainment of Las Vegas has always been intertwined in our brand’s DNA, and we’re taking that to the next level with this opening,” Kim said in a statement, promising to make it “the most iconic Las Vegas restaurant the city has ever seen.”
On the menu will be a variety of high-end cuts of beef, ranging from A5 wagyu from Kobe, Sendai and Miyazaki, to 45-, 90- and 120-day aged steak. There’s a Butcher’s Feast, which allows diners to try four cuts along with Korean sides.
Coming further West to Los Angeles is Maydan Market, developed by restaurateur Rose Previte of Washington, D.C.'s Maydan and Compass Rose. Scheduled to open in February in LA, Maydan Market is described as Previte's most-ambitious project to date: a global village designed to lower barriers of entry into the food-and-beverage industry.
A selection from Maydan in Washington, D.C. | Photo courtesy of Maydan.
One of the first culinary partners, for example, will be Lugya'h by the creator of Poncho's Tlayudas, a street food pop-up by Zapotec chef Afonso Martinez. When the market opens, Poncho's will relocate there and become Lugya'h by Poncho's Tlayudas. The word "lugya'h" comes from a Zapotec word meaning "the face and hearth of the plaza." The menu will focus on more than tlayudas, with dishes designed to showcase the flavors and food culture of the Oaxacan highlands of Mexico.
But Previte's Maydan and Compass Rose will also be represented at the market, along with other LA-based food businesses yet to be announced.
Back on the East Coast, Knead Hospitality + Design (Succotash, Mi Vida, Gatsby, etc.) is planning a psychedelic journey with the new Sagrada in Washington, D.C., which promises a one-of-a-kind experience.
The menu doesn’t include any actual magic mushrooms, but it will be designed to make diners feel like they have had a ‘shroom or two, with vibrant colors, diverse flavors and “ceremonial elements.”
In Baltimore, Irena Stein is known for the Venezuelan restaurant Alma Cocina Latina. Next year, however, she is planning to open the new Candela, a fresh arepa bar that will be a sister concept, right next door to Alma. Look for both classic and contemporary spins on the Venezuelan “daily bread,” including the traditional meat-filled arepas along with culture-blending variations.
A rendering of Nine Tailed Fox. | Image courtesy of Atlas Restaurant Group
The prolific multi-concept Atlas Restaurant Group (Azumi, Ouzo Beach, The Choptank and more) next Spring will launch Nine Tailed Fox in Baltimore. The design is described as “blending modern elegance with traditional Chinese elements,” but details on the menu are yet to come. In the kitchen will be Executive Chef Jeffrey Mei (Benny Chows, One Dim Sum, Yauatcha), who is originally from China.
Peter Elias of Elias World Hospitality has two new concepts coming to Ocean City, Maryland. Elias, who also founded Spain Wine Bar in Ocean City, is planning to open The Bistro and Lounge, a 750-seat restaurant that promises to “transport guests to Europe,” according to press materials.
Meanwhile, in nearby Ocean Pines, Elias is planning Sand & Cedar Taverna, with a menu that features Lebanese, Greek, Turkish and Moroccan dishes, a wine program that focuses on the Mediterranean and a comprehensive cocktail program.
Stellar pastry chef Shawn Gawle is opening his first restaurant in Houston early in 2025. Gawle's background includes a number of Michelin-starred restaurants, including most recently Goodnight Hospitality (Rosie Cannonball, Montrose Cheese & Wine, March), but also the California concepts Quince & Cotogna, and Saison.
A rendering of the "convival fine-casual" Camaraderie in Houston. | Image courtesy of Schaum.
At the upcoming Camaraderie, Gawle will show off his knowledge of both the savory and sweet sides of the menu, saying it will be a “convivial fine-casual” concept “inspired by the bonds of friendship, trust and loyalty that define a strong restaurant team.”
And, with the motto “everything matters,” Gawle is also designing it to be an equitable workplace with one fair wage and sustainable, organic and local sourcing.
In Miami, Da Silva Hospitality (Zucca) has two big projects coming. The first is Hereford Grill, a steakhouse in Miami that closed in 2021 after Covid and was acquired by Da Silva. After a complete redesign, the restaurant is scheduled to reopen at the same location early next year.
A rendering of Hereford Grill in Miami. | Image courtesy of Hereford Grill.
In addition, Da Silva is also planning to open Zuccaly, an Italian food hall with six food-and-drink experiences in about 9,000 square feet. Among them will be the pizzeria LaBiga, a pasta concept, a grill-and-fish station, and the gastro market PortaVia, as well as a dolci station with gelato and other desserts. It will also have a bar.
The Dubai-born Greek restaurant Gaia—reportedly loved by celebrities—is opening in Miami in early 2025. It was founded by United Arab Emirates-based Fundamental Hospitality, which is also promising global expansion elsewhere.
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