Good morning, friends. If you missed it over the weekend, John shared his latest list of top picks + places he recommends right now. (He’ll be sending these monthly, so if there’s anything in particular you’d like to see, let us know.)
This week, we’re rounding up some of the best/coolest/rarest NYC restaurant merch, which has become such an iconic part of LIFE here and the places we frequent (it’s hard to ride the L train without seeing someone in an I’d Rather Be at Bernie’s tee or a now elusive Grand Central Oyster Bar baseball hat).
These collectible pieces are a way to capture the stamp of a place but also to mark time in a city and restaurant scene that stops FOR NO ONE. Best of all: Buying/wearing them can help your favorite restaurant thrive. Plus, when you spot someone wearing swag from a spot you love, that kind of spark of NYC magic is hard to replicate. But first…
Newsy Things This Week:
Comeback Kids—Café des Artistes is reopening in 2027 under AirMax Hospitality (Tokyo Record Bar, Roscioli); Jon Neidich (Saint Denis, The Nines) is resurrecting Donohue’s Steak House; and Broadway institution Sardi’s (which got a shout-out in HTSI’s list of showbiz’s favorite hangouts) is set for a revival this November.
Table Stakes—#Ad **Today, OpenTable released its 2026 Restaurant Impact Report, which explores the ways restaurants power more than the dining industry: They fuel local economies and create jobs, bring people together, and make life more joyful. And they do this all best when their tables are filled. The report puts a cost on the ongoing issue of no-shows:
On average, restaurant operators say they lose $80 every time a table for two misses their res. But the impact doesn't stop there: Six in ten diners spend roughly $138 at neighboring businesses around their meal. OpenTable data also reveals when tables are most likely to go empty: the week around Valentine’s Day had the year's highest no-show rate, and 10 pm is the most common no-show slot. The good news, though, is that no-shows are down 4% year over year.
Read the full report to find out which cities show up, which don't, and how securing tables via deposits cut no-shows by 60%. **Thank you, OpenTable, for partnering with us on this announcement ✨
Cream of the Crop—The Wall Street Journal looked into the latest must-have souvenir from Paris: artisanal butter.
Bistronomy—The L.A. Times’ Bill Addison calls Lielle “the new crown jewel of L.A. fine dining”—and one of the decade’s most exciting debuts. Swedish chef Marcus Jernmark, with Michelin stars from Stockholm and Singapore, opened it in February in the lower level of a Pico Boulevard townhouse after four years of learning the city. It’s four courses for $150, changing every five or six weeks, with optional luxury pastas around $60. The cooking pairs Scandi instincts—curing, fermenting, fruit matched with meat—with California produce, in a format Jernmark calls “bistronomy”: small space, pared-down operations, very high execution. Addison singles out the 36-hour sourdough with house-churned butter, a monkfish “BBQ” with mussels and bouillabaisse broth, and the boozy cardamom buns that close the meal.
Golden Ticket—A new Vanity Fair profile describes what Eugene Remm is selling with The Corner Store, The Eighty Six (AKA the “crocodile Birkin of restaurants”), and Or’esh as “[making] everyone feel…like members of a club that doesn’t officially exist.”
What We’re Buying This Week:
1. Shoes by a chef. Next time we make Alison Roman’s white bean stew, we’ll be wearing these suede clogs she designed with Margaux.
2. Made In’s limited-edition set of CeramiClad® cookware, designed specifically for small spaces.
3. A new guide to vintage-inspired cake decorating from the geniuses behind London’s April’s Baker.
4. This glossy round tray from Luca Guadagnino’s new Zara collection that feels inspired by the film director’s hotel, Palazzo Talia.
5. All Things Butter by Thomas Straker (whose SoHo restaurant opens this week) has finally launched at Whole Foods in the United States.
If you have a piece of restaurant merch you’ll never get rid of, drop its origin story in the comments. See you next week. — Team OTH
Restaurant merch—never not trending. Where you eat says a lot about who you are: the table you scored, the people you know, the food you like, + the corner of the city you like to call HOME.
A tote from the neighborhood pizza place you’ve been going to for a decade; a hoodie (AKA badge of honor) from the spot that took months to get into… each one is a small sentiment that marks where we’ve been, what we ate, and where we’d go back (if we could).
From local favorites to one-of-a-kind keepsakes, our definitive OTH guide to the best NYC restaurant merch we’d add to our own collection spans T-shirts, kitchen gadgets, design objects, and way more. Some are new, lots are vintage, and all are almost as good as the meal itself.
GRAPHIC TEES
1. Vintage Sardi’s Liza Minnelli Art Tee, 2. ‘90s Carnegie Deli T-shirt, 3. Lure Fishbar 20th Anniversary T-shirt, 4. Vintage Serendipity 3 Dessert T-shirt.
HOODIES (+ A CREWNECK)
1. Montague Diner Throwback Sweatshirt, 2. Raf’s Signature Hoodie, 3. Fanelli Cafe 2022 Upside Down sweatshirt, 4. The Cornelia Street Cafe Vintage Logo Hoodie
ACCESSORIES
1. Barney Greengrass Fish Hat, 2. Katz’s Collectible Pins, 3. Dame Football Scarf, 4. Raoul’s Martini Socks
CARRYALLS
1. Radio Bakery x Offbeat Sweet Bag, 2. Gage & Tollner Tote Bag, 3. Cervo’s Tote, 4. Sailor Tote Bag
DESIGN OBJECTS
1. King Blanket, 2. John Derian x Antonello Radi Sardine Sul Piatto II Oval Tray, 3. Lot of 63 Vintage NYC Restaurants + Hotels Matchboxes, 4. Sidia x Don Angie Saucy Candle
KITCHEN GADGETS
1. The Odeon Sugar Globe, 2. Buvette Tea Towel, 3. Zabar’s Original Bagel Guillotine, 4. The Four Horsemen Crab Claw Magnets
PANTRY ITEMS
1. MISIPASTA Boxed Rigatoni, 2. Roscioli Trio of Sauces, 3. Roberta’s Chili Oil, 4. Via Carota White Negroni
LUXURY GOODS
1. Alison Lou x Kaspia 14K Diamond Caviar Tin Pendant, 2. Bemelmans Bar Martini Box, 3. The 21 Club Vintage Playing Cards, 4. Vintage Set of Four Seasons Restaurant Ashtrays (circa 1959)
BONUS VINTAGE (B/C WE ❤️ VINTAGE)
1. 1947 Menu Holder from New York Central Railroad (Closed 1968) Dining Car, 2. Keen’s Small Serving Bowl, 3. Lutèce (Closed 2004) Saucer, 4. Dean & DeLuca (Closed 2019) Metal Lunchbox, 5. Copacabana (Closed 2020) Wrapped Sugar Cube, 6. Brasserie Les Halles (Closed 2016) Matchbook, 7. 1949 Knife and Fork NYC Restaurant Guide, 8. Live Bait (Closed 2018) Snapback Hat, 9. 1939 Ruby Foo’s (Closed 2015) Menu
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Live Bait...it's highly likely I shared a beer with some of you at the bar there...also Ludlow Street Cafe, finding a tee from this era would be THE DREAM.