New York has French bistros on every corner. Italian trattorias down every block. What it hasn't had is a proper British seafood pub. Not one that feels like a costume, anyway. Dean's, which opens today at 213 6th Avenue in SoHo, is the real thing.
It comes from Annie Shi and Jess Shadbolt, the team behind one of New York's most beloved restaurants, The King. If you've eaten at King, you already know these two don't do things halfway. If you haven't, you're about to understand why the food world has been watching this opening for months.
The Story Behind Dean's
To understand Dean's, you need to understand The King. In September 2016, Shi and Shadbolt (along with Clare de Boer, who has since departed) opened King in a small, light-filled SoHo space at the corner of Avenue of the Americas and King Street. They had almost no money, no prior experience opening restaurants, and they literally Googled "how to write a business plan." Shi's father helped build it. Shadbolt grouted the tiles herself.
King became one of New York's most celebrated restaurants. Seasonal French and Italian cooking, an emphasis on conversation and gathering, and a philosophy that food should make you "want to taste it twice." The Michelin Guide produced a video feature on the restaurant, and in 2025, the team published a cookbook that Cultured Magazine praised for its accessibility and technical depth.
They expanded with Jupiter at Rockefeller Center and Shi opened Lei, a wine bar. Dean's is the latest addition, and it's a departure. Where King is French-Italian, Dean's is unabashedly British. Where King is refined and understated, Dean's wants to be the place you show up for a pint and accidentally stay for three hours.
The name is personal. Shadbolt grew up in England, and Dean's draws directly from her memories of coastal British cooking, the kind of food you eat at pubs near the water where the fish came in that morning.
The Chef: Jess Shadbolt
Shadbolt trained at London's legendary River Cafe, where she met de Boer and Shi. The River Cafe is famous for producing world-class chefs who cook with radical simplicity, letting ingredients lead.
Her cooking philosophy is rooted in family. She grew up spending rainy Saturdays making jams, breads, and cakes with her mother. She's talked about a "golden ratio" of one part olive oil to one part cooked greens as a foundation for building flavor. Nothing flashy. Just deeply considered food that rewards attention.
At Dean's, she's channeling a different side of her heritage. Instead of the French-Italian vocabulary she's used at King for nearly a decade, she's cooking from England's coast. Seafood forward. Pub-spirited. Still unmistakably her.
Resy's profile of the restaurant quotes Shadbolt directly: "The menu has breadth to it because the beauty of the pub is that it can be something for everyone in all of these different moments." She describes Dean's as the kind of place that works for a casual pint with oysters, a birthday dinner, or a date night.
The Menu
Dean's leans into British coastal cooking with a seafood-first focus. The full menu is still being revealed, but here's what press coverage has confirmed:
Raw Bar and Starters
- Raw seafood (oysters and seasonal selections)
- Potted shrimp on hot buttered crumpets
- Dressed crab on hot buttered crumpets
Mains
- Fish pie
- Stargazy pie (the iconic Cornish pastry where fish heads poke through the golden crust, a showstopper for the table)
- Roasted Scottish langoustines
- Boiled ham
- Cold roast beef
Dessert
- Sticky ginger pudding
Drinks
- Guinness on tap
- Cocktails (full program)
- English wines and spirits
The menu is designed to be broad. You can come in for a quick pint and some oysters at the bar, or settle in for a full multi-course meal. That flexibility is the point, and it's what separates Dean's from the more structured dining experience at King next door.
The Space
Dean's occupies a compact 600-square-foot space at 213 6th Avenue, right next door to King. What Now New York reported on the early plans, noting the tight footprint designed for intimacy.
Inside, there are about 20-24 seats plus 6 at the bar. The vibe is warm and low-lit, more coastal England than midtown steakhouse. Think candlelit, conversational, the kind of room where strangers at the bar end up talking to each other.
There's also potential for outdoor seating, which in SoHo is worth its weight in gold. The location on 6th Avenue between King Street and Charlton Street puts it right in the heart of one of the best walking neighborhoods in Manhattan.
How to Get a Reservation
Reservations are live now on Resy. They drop two weeks in advance at 9:00 a.m. Given the hype around this opening, expect them to go fast, especially for Friday and Saturday evenings.
Walk-ins are also welcome, which is a deliberate choice. Dean's is built to be the kind of place you wander into. The bar seating is available without a reservation, and afternoon pints are practically encouraged.
Reservation Strategy
- Book two weeks out when reservations drop at 9 a.m. on Resy
- Weekday dinners (Tuesday, Wednesday) will be easiest to snag in the first month
- Walk-ins work, especially for the bar and early afternoon
- Solo diners will find the 6-seat bar particularly welcoming
- The outdoor seating (when available) likely won't take reservations, making it a prime walk-in target around 4 p.m.
Price Range
No official price list has been released yet, but based on the King team's track record and the Meatpacking/SoHo neighborhood, expect $$$$. The Infatuation classified it in the high-end tier. A full dinner with drinks will likely run $80-120 per person. A pint and some oysters at the bar could be a much more accessible $30-50.
How Dean's Compares to Dame
The obvious comparison is Dame, the British seafood restaurant a few blocks south in SoHo that became one of the hardest reservations in the city. Both serve British-influenced seafood. Both are in SoHo. Both are tiny.
But they're different beasts. Dame is more refined, a proper restaurant experience with tasting-menu energy, even if it technically isn't one. Dean's is a pub. The Guinness on tap, the stargazy pie, the walk-in-welcome ethos, these are signals that Dean's wants to be more casual, more repeatable, more "I'll just pop in."
If Dame is where you go for a special occasion, Dean's is where you go on a Tuesday because you want a good pint and someone to grill you some langoustines.
Who It's Best For
- Date night: Intimate, candlelit, 24 seats. Hard to beat for a cozy evening.
- Solo dining: The bar is designed for exactly this. Show up, order oysters and a Guinness, talk to the bartender.
- Friend groups (small): Perfect for 2-4 people who want to share a fish pie and a bottle of something English.
- Pre-theater (Hell's Kitchen adjacent): Not ideal, but SoHo-to-Broadway is doable.
- Food tourists: If you're visiting NYC and want something you genuinely can't get elsewhere in the city, this is it.
What Critics Are Saying
As of opening day, no full reviews exist yet. But the pre-opening buzz has been intense:
- Resy's blog published a full feature calling it "an ode to the British pub"
- The Infatuation flagged it as one of NYC's most exciting spring openings
- Indagare included it in their spring dining preview
- The City Edit NYC featured it as a must-visit
- Four Hundred Magazine put it on their March Hit List
The King team has earned enormous goodwill in the New York food world. Expectations are high, but the track record suggests they'll deliver.
Practical Details
- Address: 213 6th Ave, SoHo, New York, NY
- Hours: Daily, noon to midnight
- Reservations: Resy (2 weeks out, 9 a.m. drops), walk-ins welcome
- Price range: $$$$ ($80-120 dinner, $30-50 bar snacks and drinks)
- Dress code: Smart casual. This is SoHo, not the Upper East Side.
- Accessibility: Ground floor, compact space
- Good for: Date night, solo dining, small groups, food enthusiasts
Is Dean's worth the hype?
It's opening day, so the verdict is still out on the food itself. But the pedigree is undeniable. The King is one of the best restaurants in New York, and Shadbolt is cooking from a deeply personal place. The concept fills a genuine gap in the NYC dining scene. All signs point to yes.
How far in advance should I book?
Two weeks is the max right now, with reservations dropping daily at 9 a.m. on Resy. The first few weeks will be the hardest. After that, weekday evenings should loosen up.
Can I just walk in?
Yes. Dean's explicitly welcomes walk-ins, especially at the bar. Your best bet for a walk-in dinner seat is Tuesday or Wednesday before 7 p.m.
What should I order first?
Start with oysters and a Guinness at the bar. If you're sitting down, the stargazy pie is the signature everyone will be talking about, and the dressed crab on hot buttered crumpets sounds like the sleeper hit.
Is Dean's connected to The King restaurant?
Yes. They share ownership (Annie Shi and Jess Shadbolt) and are literally next door to each other at 213 6th Avenue. Think of them as siblings, same family, very different personalities.
How does Dean's compare to other British restaurants in NYC?
Dame is the closest comparison (British seafood in SoHo), but Dean's is more casual and pub-focused. If you like the Spotted Pig's legacy of British cooking in New York, Dean's picks up that torch with a seafood focus.
Is it good for groups?
Small groups of 2-4, absolutely. The space is only 600 square feet, so parties larger than 4 will be tight. For bigger groups, King next door or Jupiter at Rockefeller Center might be better bets from the same team.
