Dining out feels different today. COVID-19 shuttered thousands of restaurants across the country, and the ones that have fought tooth and nail to stay open are still reeling from its effects. Paper menus have been replaced by QR codes, plexiglass barriers have been installed in between booths and many restaurants have adjusted their hours or closed altogether as they struggle to find help.
Despite the odds, new restaurants still opened their doors. Opening a restaurant is never easy, but in a pandemic, it sounds downright crazy. Yet these spots – which range from taco joints and sandwich shops to the first U.S. outpost of a Michelin-starred Italian restaurant – did just that, weathering the odds to bring something new and needed to our dining scenes. These establishments are doing more than just serving great food – they’re rethinking hospitality, creating equitable kitchen environments and challenging our perceptions of what it means to be a great restaurant in 2021.
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Dining out feels different today, but it still feels special – and these restaurants show us why.
Editor’s Note: This year’s list was limited to restaurants that opened between September 2020 and September 2021.
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