Pork belly at Manila Street
As observed before, the restaurant industry can go in growth cycles. “Grow, contract, repeat.”
After a very difficult 2020, though existing restaurants are still enduring effects of the pandemic, many new ones are opening. 2021 has brought such a burst of openings, in fact, that it could eventually rival 2014, which brought Lampo, The Alley Light, Oakhart Social, Parallel 38, Public Fish & Oyster, MarieBette, Red Pump Kitchen, and Al Carbon, among others. A rundown of openings in the first half of 2021:
- Broadcloth – Tasting menus from former Clifton Inn Chef Tucker Yoder
- Café Frank – Jose de Brito’s own restaurant, at last
- Champion Ice House – Fried chicken and beer with Craig Hartman
- Danbap – Korean BBQ bowls located at Kung Fu Tea
- Lampo2GO – In IX Park, takeout location of beloved pizzeria
- Manila Street – a brick and mortar for the popular Filipino food truck
- South & Central – Dairy Market steakhouse from Wilson Richey
- The Ridley – Southern-inspired cuisine in The Draftsman hotel
- Vision BBQ – In-house smoked barbecue, to-go
- Yummy MO:MO – Nepalese in a gas station
Plus, there are more to come in the second half of the year: a Jean-Georges restaurant in Keswick, another French place on the downtown mall, a new Al Carbon, Dairy Market additions, and more.