After a few months with just a handful of liquor license applications for new bars and restaurants, there are now quite a few people looking to open new establishments on the Upper West Side. We plan to take a closer look at plans for some of these spots in the weeks ahead, but here are just a few things we’ve learned:
The old Time Out sports bar on Amsterdam Avenue between 76th Street and 77th Street has sat empty for years and has become a bit of an eyesore. But now a fancy restaurant is on its way, according to a liquor license application. The unnamed spot will serve all sorts of fish that you cannot get in a can, including John Dory with roasted fig, and Bronzino. For land-lovers, there’s an Angus beef burger and french fries cooked in goose fat. The place will be run by a company called BT Restaurant Enterprises.
A new bar/restaurant is going into the space vacated last year by the famous P&G Bar on the corner of 78th Street and Columbus Avenue. The new spot, called 78 Below (the space is below the sidewalk), will have live music just like P&G Bar, according to the application.
Another unnamed bar/restaurant is attempting to get a license to serve liquor in the space on 105th and Broadway that formerly held Italian restaurant Meridiana, although details about it were still sketchy.
And The Smith has filed its application to open a very big new bar and restaurant in the large space vacated last year by Sushi a go-go and Josephina’s at 1900 Broadway near 65th Street. No details on how the new location might differ from the East Village one — they included a copy of their current menu with the liquor license application. The Smith is expected to open this summer.
