The former home of Popover Cafe on Amsterdam Avenue between 86th and 87th street is being transformed into a new restaurant that will serve food 24 hours a day.
Kirsh Kitchen and Kirsh Bakery will occupy different spaces inside the restaurant at 551 Amsterdam Avenue, said Dan Kirsh, the chef who plans to run the restaurant with his wife Anat. The couple moved to the U.S. from Israel two years ago with their two children and now live in the neighborhood. Dan Kirsh said they are rebuilding the interior, and he expects it to take four or five months.
“Our special bakery will offer a menu of French toast with different toppings cook to order with our special home made milk bread and our own coffee blend roasted in Hudson Valley by Irving Farm,” Dan Kirsh wrote to us.
It turns out that Kirsh was the bakery and restaurant that Popover owner Carole Baer had said would be moving in — it just has taken a lot longer than he had expected. “This is the same business idea, we just had a big delay with permits issues and now we are back on track.”
This could be great news for a block that could use more activity at night, given that nearly half of it is under scaffolding from the West-Park Presbyterian Church, and Schatzie the Butcher will be moving uptown in a few months. No matter how great Barney Greengrass is, it sure could use more company on that block.
Here’s an article about their restaurant in Israel.
Below are some of Dan’s designs for the restaurant that he posted on Instagram.
it will be good for the homeless people who sleep on the church steps to have a place to hang out in the wee hours
My thoughts exactly, Joe.
An Israeli restaurant going in on the UWS? You don’t say!
I look forward to the 100th neighborhood take on hummus.
How long after opening before it ceases to be a 24/7 spot? How much business could it possibly do between 11pm and 6am?
i thought your comment was funny. HAHAHHAHA i love sarcasm
Suuuuure – because Israelis can only serve Israeli food.
Ah, so nice to hear positive comments about a new potentially nice restaurant in our neighborhood. And just because the guy is Israeli, doesn’t mean it’s an Israeli restaurant. Their restaurant IN Israel was not.
There is a vibrant gourmet food scene in Israel. Breads Bakery near Union Square is owned and operated by an Israeli baking prodigy who has the same items here as his place in Israel and has won awards in both countries… and not a pita in sight! This is great news for the neighborhood.
Are they aware that there are already two 24 hour restaurants close by on Broadway ? (the diner @ 90th and French Roast). Sounds like a risky proposition to keep it open 24 hours – the late night kids are hanging further south on Amsterdam. Who needs yet another “bakery”? I’m sure the residents above them can’t be happy to have a 24 hour restaurant operating, making noise all night, serving alcohol, etc.
Oh poo! The UWS loves baked goods. Have you not heard of babka? Fairway Market is a worse neighbor for noise and congestion than this place will ever be.
The Jerusalem Post article apparently spelled the name “Hirsch.” Even though their transliteration is the Hirshes’ call–wish they’d use the original!
Well I live on 88 between Amsterdam and Columbus and I have NO idea where there is a bakery nearby, so I am looking forward to it’s opening. I am so tired of ordering from the same places, so something new is exciting.
There is a bakery on 90th and Amsterdam – Georgia’s Tiny Treats (I think that is the name)
I believe Georgia formerly owned cafe on Broadway & 89th which closed due to a fire?
IMO it is a very good bakery though not cheap. Prices reflect the high cost of NYC rent.
Georgia’s, where the bread is expensive but apparently not expensive enough for them to afford a bread slicer… I’m done paying $5 for a round boule loaf that they can’t even slice for me!
This sounds fantastic!!
True, I don’t know if it needs to be open 24/7… but we sure could use a legit bakery instead of all these cupcake farms.
I just HOPE the prices aren’t outrageous like so many $8+ crepes and $2 bagels around here.
But it will likely be decent food.
It’s so hard to find a bakery that bakes regular ol’ loaves of bread. You know, the kind I can make a peanut butter sandwich with. Hot & Crusty is the only one I know of around here. Hope this new bakery does too.
BRING BACK PARTY CAKE OR CAKE MASTERS
Evidently will be called Pain Perdu, which really puts the French Toast front and center.
https://www.crainsnewyork.com/data-lists/real-estate-deal-watch/details/12/2955183
Do we agree with Crain’s that the UWS restaurant market is now “a mixture of strong residential tenants and tourists”? I tend to think that the former still significantly outnumber the latter (though I bet Pain Perdu see the site’s proximity the Belnord Hotel as a plus).
It would be nice if they made the menu kosher or vegetarian since that would attract a much larger population considering the area needs a quality kosher spot.
We asked about that but haven’t heard back. WSR
IS the new Kirtsh kosher?