Selene arrives in SoHo with exactly the kind of confidence that makes New Yorkers pay attention before a room has even settled into its final rhythm.
That confidence makes sense. The restaurant is tied to Reno Christou and the Kyma orbit, it lives in a large Grand Street space, and it is being sold as a modern Greek destination with enough polish to matter for birthdays, dates, and downtown group dinners. In other words, Selene is not trying to be a hidden gem. It wants to be a power room.
If you are trying to decide whether it is worth chasing early, the answer is probably yes, especially if your ideal night includes seafood, a stylish room, and at least a little bit of theatrical service. Start with the official ModernHaus Selene page, the official Resy booking page, Eater's opening preview, and The Infatuation's review.
Why Selene matters right now
Selene matters because it fills a very specific gap in Manhattan dining.
There are already Greek restaurants in the city that lean ultra-formal, and there are Greek restaurants that push more celebratory, louder energy. Selene appears to be aiming for the middle lane that a lot of diners actually want: serious enough for a special occasion, social enough that the room still feels alive.
That positioning is smart. Downtown diners want places that can do seafood towers, whole fish, cocktails, and a little spectacle without tipping fully into nightclub mode. Selene looks built for that assignment.
The people behind Selene
The available reporting consistently points to Reno Christou and James Ragonese as the central names behind the project. Christou's history with Kyma and broader Greek dining in New York is part of the pitch itself, and Eater framed the opening as a reunion of two hospitality veterans with experience across Kyma and LDV circles.
That matters because Selene does not read like a random concept dropped into a beautiful room. It reads like a restaurant designed by people who know what high-spend Manhattan diners want from a Greek big-night reservation.
The restaurant is also referred to as Selene by Kyma in several previews, which is useful shorthand for expectations. Diners familiar with Kyma will likely recognize some of the celebratory DNA, even if Selene is trying to present a more refined, more design-forward version of that energy.
The concept, and why the room is part of the meal
Selene is a modern Aegean restaurant, but that phrase only gets you halfway there.
The stronger description is that it is a seafood-first downtown Greek restaurant with scale. Eater reported on a three-story concept with a dramatic skylight and rooftop component. Other coverage highlighted a retractable atrium and a terrace feel. The restaurant's own positioning leans into coastal purity, citrus, flame cooking, and a room that looks like it was built to photograph well at dusk.
That matters because the room is not just a backdrop. At restaurants like this, the room changes how people order and how long they stay. A place built for fish, spritzes, shared spreads, and second rounds of cocktails becomes more than a dinner stop. It becomes an evening.
What to order at Selene
The current public materials point in a pretty clear direction, even before every diner in New York starts posting their own table spreads.
Start with spreads, crudo, and a cold seafood plate
Selene looks strongest when you let it play its coastal hand early. The menu descriptions in press coverage and official materials point to Mediterranean spreads, crudo, carpaccio, and tartare, which is exactly how you should begin if you want the meal to feel like the restaurant's clearest self.
This is also the smartest move for the room. Shared starters suit the social format better than everyone quietly protecting their own appetizers.
Whole fish and grilled seafood are likely the core move
Both official descriptions and press previews emphasize pristine seafood and live-fire or charcoal-minded cooking. That usually means the whole fish is not optional if you are trying to understand the restaurant seriously.
If you are with three or four people, that should be the anchor order. Let the table build around it.
Lamb, seafood pasta, and bigger-format mains deserve attention too
Eater's preview mentioned dishes like dry-aged lamb chops, spaghetti with crab and bottarga, and short rib with orzo. That is useful because it suggests Selene is not trying to be only a fish temple. It wants range.
That makes it a better group reservation than a stricter seafood-only concept. A mixed table can split dips, fish, a pasta, and a meat dish without anyone feeling trapped by the menu.
Price, vibe, and who it is actually for
Selene is not a casual weeknight fallback. Even without a full public menu price sheet in the available reporting, every signal points to a real-occasion check.
Expect a $$$ to $$$$ night once you start ordering the food the restaurant seems built to sell. Whole fish, cocktails, wine, and a couple of seafood starters will move the total quickly.
The upside is that it looks genuinely useful for a lot of situations:
- dates where you want a room that feels unmistakably downtown
- group dinners that need a bit of visual drama
- visitors who want something current, polished, and easy to understand
- celebrations where you want fish and cocktails instead of steakhouse heaviness
If your taste runs toward intimate neighborhood rooms and low lighting without spectacle, Selene may feel too polished. If you like a little ceremony with your seafood, this is exactly the point.
Practical details
Neighborhood and address
Selene is in SoHo at 23 Grand Street, which immediately raises its profile. SoHo still carries a specific kind of dining gravity, especially for restaurants that blur fashion crowd, hotel crowd, and destination-dinner crowd.
Hours
The official ModernHaus page currently lists evening service Monday through Saturday, with Sunday closed. Always verify before heading out because new openings can shift operating rhythm quickly.
Dress code and energy
There is no sign that Selene demands formal attire, but it is clearly a dress-up-a-little room. Think polished downtown, not black tie.
Best seating strategy
If you can choose, earlier weeknight bookings should be easier than Friday and Saturday prime slots. A bar seat or slightly earlier dinner time may be the most practical way to try the restaurant before prime-time demand fully hardens.
How to get a reservation at Selene
Use the official Resy page first. Because the restaurant is still in its early buzz phase, this is the kind of reservation where flexibility matters more than heroics.
Aim for Tuesday through Thursday. Be open to 5:30 or 9:15 instead of insisting on 7:30. Smaller parties should have an easier time, especially before the city fully locks in its favorite tables and seating requests.
This is also the exact kind of restaurant where monitoring helps. A flashy new room with high curiosity tends to generate cancellations, especially for large groups that overbook and then adjust.
What critics and early coverage are seeing
The consensus in the early coverage is not subtle. Selene is being treated as one of the more ambitious new Greek openings in Manhattan this year.
Eater focused on the reunion story and the giant SoHo footprint. The Infatuation highlighted the homemade pita, dips, and social energy. Resident and Haute Living framed the project as a major modern Aegean debut. That kind of multi-angle attention matters because it shows the restaurant is already landing in several different dining conversations at once.
It is not only a food story. It is a room story, a nightlife-adjacent story, and a where-do-we-go-for-the-big-dinner story.
How Selene compares to other NYC Greek and Mediterranean spots
Selene looks less formal than the old-school temple version of Greek fine dining, and more polished than a pure party restaurant. That middle ground is where its value probably lives.
If Avra- or Milos-style rooms can sometimes feel too business-dinner coded, Selene appears to soften that with a more downtown design language. If louder celebratory spots can feel more about volume than food, Selene appears to push back the other way with seafood seriousness and more intentional service.
That balance should make it one of the city's more useful Greek reservations, not just one of the newest.
The bottom line
Selene looks worth booking because it gives SoHo a big, polished, seafood-driven Greek room that feels built for actual New York demand in 2026.
It has the right mix of pedigree, design, and menu flexibility. It should work for dates, groups, and visitors. It will not be the cheapest dinner in the neighborhood, but it has a better chance than most expensive openings of feeling like a real night out rather than just a pretty invoice.
If you go early, lean into the fish and the cold starters. That is where the restaurant seems most likely to justify the hype.
FAQ
What kind of restaurant is Selene NYC?
Selene is a modern Greek and Aegean restaurant in SoHo with a seafood-forward menu, a dramatic multi-level room, and special-occasion energy.
Where is Selene in NYC?
It is at 23 Grand Street in SoHo.
Does Selene take reservations online?
Yes. The easiest place to start is the official Resy page.
Is Selene expensive?
Yes. Expect an upscale dinner, especially if you order seafood broadly and add cocktails or wine.
What should I order at Selene?
Start with spreads, crudo, and cold seafood, then move into whole fish or grilled seafood. Add a pasta or lamb dish if you are dining as a group.
Is Selene good for a date night?
Absolutely. It looks especially strong for dates and celebrations where the room matters almost as much as the food.
