The look and feel of Bridges, a Chinatown hotspot that opened in 2024, is exactly what you want from a “cool” downtown restaurant: a casual, starkly minimal room with soft lighting, great acoustics, and chrome-framed chairs. Chef Sam Lawrence, who co-owns the place with Nicholas Mouchel and Josey Stuart, presides over a tapas menu that blends French bistro, Basque, and Japanese traditions—slivers of anchovy on toast, a duck confit croquette, sashimi dressed with yuzu. They’re small and flavorful—just what you want when paired with an excellent, ice-cold gin martini. —Elena Clavarino

Elena Clavarino is the Senior Editor at AIR MAIL