New Chinese food and much more in this edition of Upper West Side openings and closings.
A new Chinese restaurant called Lava Kitchen is set to open at 2656 Broadway between 101st and 102nd Street, the former home of Sura. Its newly created Yelp page promises “The best Chinese street food boutique in Manhattan. Lava soup Malatang (vegetables and meat cooked in a spicy soup) is our specialty. We also have Chinese style beef noodle soup, steamed buns, dumplings and some special cold dishes. Come and melt your tongue!” Thanks to Sasha and Celeste for the tips and photos.
Astro West, which sells fossils, meteorites and gems has opened at 102 West 79th Street, just West of Columbus Avenue. “In addition to specimens for the established collector and enthusiast, they also carry items for children like crystal growing kits, starter gem collections, and geodes,” according to the Columbus Avenue BID.
The Duane Reade on 72nd Street near West End Avenue is nearly empty. “The 2 remaining staff members looked too gloomy for me to ask details,” Priscilla tells us. “So what replaces a Duane Reade in a space with such a large frontage? It’s not really a good location for a bank.”
Cedra Pharmacy, a specialty pharmacy with “concierge services”, looks like it’s close to opening at 2268 Broadway between 81st and 82nd Streets. We last wrote about it here. Thanks to Kevin for the photo.
New York Look is close to closing its store at 1884 Broadway between 62nd and 63rd Street after 33 years. It also closed its location at 2030 Broadway. Thanks to Kevin for the photo.
I miss Sura. it was the best Thai around the UWS.
Wrong. Thai Market is the best Thai food on the UWS. It’s the closest food to what I ate when I was in Thailand.
Give it a shot – Amsterdam between 107th and 108th.
Here is the story with Sura: It was fine for years. Some dishes were better than others, but it started to go downhill. Then, all of a sudden, they closed and quickly re-opened, and the new menu and dishes were fantastic, among the best Thai food I’ve ever had, certainly the best on the UWS, beating Thai Market easily. I was told by a worker there they got a new chef. However, it was “too little too late”, and they closed just a few months after their re-launch. THAT is the Sura I miss, the one that was open a few months before they closed for good.
I happened to have liked Sura better than Thai Market, but I don’t think people are “wrong” if they liked Thai Market better. I think you’re allowed to write “Wrong,” as one person did, only if you’re a Republican presidential candidate named Trump.
Tried Thai a few times. I think I’m right
The Duane Reade is going to be a daycare center. (Source, I live upstairs)
Re: Duane Reade space….Oh no! We need a supermarket badly;or something more interesting and useful. These blocks are important to our commercial success
as well as helping to make the neighborhood desirable to live in.How mundane and boring to give such a nice large space to a daycare center. What a pity…..surely someone else can afford the rent. An antique emporium, a lovely consignment shop etc etc just NOT a daycare center! Hopefully it won’t happen.
“How mundane and boring to give such a nice large space to a daycare center.”
The children aren’t worthy of it?
Children ought to be confined to the day or night nursery with nanny.
um, you must be quite elderly or very young if you don’t realize how useful a daycare facility would be. I’m currently on the waitlist (6+ months in advance as my son is not even born yet) for multiple daycares in the neighborhood and praying a spot opens up.
Hi anonymous: I’m neither young nor old but I want to see a thriving neighborhood and a daycare center on a major crosstown block does not help us in any way. Daycare centers can exist in apt buildings or side streets out of sight. Just look at 57th, 86th, 23rd etc. …these major streets are interesting commercially valuable destinations. Truly we do need a real supermarket (think Morton Williams) but I watch with envy as neighborhoods (High Line, Chelsea etc) become
Diverse, eclectic, stimulating and desirable and here the best we can do is a daycare center??? No please NO.
In so far as there may be other spaces no less well-suited for a daycare center but not as well-suited for other establishments that could take the space-in-question and that this therefore may not be the best use for it, you may have a valid point.
But writing,
“How mundane and boring to give such a nice large space to a daycare center.”, as you did, has a Dickensian (think Oliver Twist) ring to it. It sounds as if you are suggesting that you would be fine with children in daycare being reduced to a cramped and less-than “nice” space.
Surely, I am not the only one to find a certain general snobbery and particular disdain and contempt for children and parents who have a need for daycare services in your comments.
—–
“stimulating and desirable”
Careful, now, that could lead to more need for daycare services…
I agree that we need something other than a day care center to liven up the neighborhood, but there’s already a consignment shop across the street by Fischer Brothers. I just found the older thread and I was under the impression that Patel Bros was going into the DR spot. Must have misunderstood the conversation. 🙁
Any idea which daycare company?
Bright Horizons.
https://commercialobserver.com/2016/09/former-duane-reade-space-on-west-72nd-street-to-become-child-care-center/
Anyone know what’s going into Josie?
No, but after something does go in, we can say, “Hey, what’s gotten into Josie lately?”
We already amused ourselves over the ““concierge services”, but i bet there’s a few creative ideas out there.
Go!
I won’t miss New York Look. I found their clothes poorly fitting. I’ve got skinny arms but the armholes were so small they chafed me.
I checked out the Cedra website.
WHAT A CROCK!
Such PRETENSION.
Such ARROGANCE.
Who needs them. I’ve been served by ARROW PHARMACY (9th and 57/58) as Cedra claims to offer for years. Compounding, assessment of meds, delivery. Who needs Cedra?!!
Why the animosity toward Cedra? It beats going to DR and getting the wrong meds, or showing up and the meds aren’t ready, or when the meds are delivered they’ve mixed up your order with that of another customer. We need something uptown too. Does a pharmacy located at 57th and 9th service the entire UWS?
A correction: The Lava Kitchen at 2656 Broadway is aback south, between 100th St. and 101st. There is still a Thai restaurant in the area — Sookk is up between 102nd and 103rd.
Also, maybe this happened three months ago and I only just noticed, but Saji’s Japanse take-out just off the corner of Broadway and 109th has closed.
I’m shocked that the two remaining employees at Duane Reade looked gloomy.
Duane Reade employees are usually sparkling, witty, bright, and engaging.
How long have you ever been stuck at a low-paying job like that? I don’t mean to justify lack of courtesy, competence or helpfulness on the part of any employees but a little humility and sympathy for people presumably less fortunate (perhaps less privileged?) than you can go a long way.
I thought the previous thread mentioned that an Indian spice store was going in the DR location. Was that a joke?
The DR at 102d & Broadway has been half-empty for weeks now. I wonder what’s going on with it. The employees deny they’re closing.
The DR on 88th & Bway is also getting bare …
Woohoo! Amazing that a Duane Reade is closing a location. I’ve never seen that happen on the UWS.
I stopped shopping DR 20 years ago (major scam strategy) and shop only at PriceWise, the best prices, products and people! Please go there and don’t let them close.
the Duane Greed on 82nd and bway claosed about a year or so ago
IIRC, the space at Broadway and 98th that is now a Westside Market was formerly a Duane Reade.
Meteorites pay the rent? Amazing.
Mostly stopped going to DR once Walgreen’s got their mitts on the place. Prices went up dramatically. Now only use the pharmacy and that is more out of habit than anything else.
Lava Kitchen is still not open. I am tired of food propaganda stating “it is set to open”. If you’re not open, keep the announcement “unannounced” until you are.