The summer months brought plenty of heat across the South, both outside and in the kitchen, as new restaurants popped up everywhere, from Texas to Florida, serving Japanese, Tex-Mex and Italian cuisine.
In San Antonio, Carriqui is serving dishes inspired by South Texas foodways in a nearly-400-seat dining room, while Houston’s Pacha Nikkei is focused on Peruvian-Japanese Nikkei cuisine. Up the road in Dallas, longtime restaurateur Mico Rodriguez is back for another round, opening the Tex-Mex spot, Doce Mesas.
New Orleans restaurant Sukeban embraces the Japanese izakaya, serving hand rolls and drinks at an intimate counter, while Atlanta’s Gigi’s Italian Kitchen has transformed from a weekly pop-up into a permanent concept serving red sauce pasta and fresh produce. Finally, Miami’s always-buzzing restaurant scene just welcomed Gekkō, a collaboration between hospitality guru David Grutman and rap star Bad Bunny. Expect over-the-top décor and high-end Japanese beef.
Here are the six new or soon-to-open restaurants across the south.
