New Italian and Mexican food is coming to the Upper West Side, and two unique Kosher spots have opened.
Spiga to Go is opening at 57 West 84th Street, replacing Primo Pizza. According to the menu, it will be serving pastas and other Italian dishes, including veal saltimbocca. We also had an update last week on the restaurant going into the old Spiga space on 84th. Thanks to Holly, Melanie, Daniel, ZKG, Marv and Kirk for the tips.
West Side Noodle Company is moving into the space previously occupied by Yasha Ramen on Amsterdam between 106th and 107th. West Side Noodle Company will also be serving ramen (the menu isn’t up yet). “West Side Noodle Company guarantees a bold flavor you’ve never experienced before. Enjoy West Side Noodles from the comfort of your own sofa when you order for delivery!” its website says. Thanks to Scott, Dave and @d_mags212 for the photos.
Kureiji, serving Kosher poke, sushi, and rolled ice cream, is open at 506 Amsterdam Avenue (84th). See the menu here and here. Thanks to Allison for the photos and tip.
A new restaurant, likely serving Mexican and/or other Latin food, will open at 153 Amsterdam Ave (at 67th Street). It is owned by Chef Julian Medina who operates Toloache. “The Toloache restaurants (three locations) are known for good Mexican and Latin cuisine in a bistro setting,” notes the Lincoln Square BID. “Chef Medina also owns Tacuba (two locations), Yerba Buena (two locations), and other eateries around the city.”
Gina La Fornarina, which closed its restaurant on 73rd and Amsterdam, is taking over the space at 2020 Broadway (at 69th Street), with a dual concept — Gina La Fornarina and Gina Mexicana. It will serve “a menu that offers a mix of the best of the Chef’s Italian and Mexican fare with a full bar,” according to the Lincoln Square BID. “The Gina restaurants are owned by Paola Pedrignani, which includes Gina Mexicana, Gina Americana, and others.” Thanks to Amy for the photos and tip.
Barcibo Mediterraneo is opening up in the former location of Barcibo Enoteca at 2020 Broadway (at 68th Street). “The restaurant will have a full bar with an extensive wine selection and a menu of smaller plates. The location will also have a new chef running the kitchen,” according to the Lincoln Square BID.
Amaze Fusion and Lounge, the Asian fusion restaurant on Amsterdam between 82nd and 83rd Street that was once Sushi Hana, has closed, with the phone being “temporarily disconnected.” The inside appears to be gutted and there’s a listing up for the space. WSR tipster Tom wrote that “the inconsistent food was often quite good, and the lunch special was an amazing deal. Not the biggest loss to the neighborhood recently, but an unwelcome one nonetheless.” Thanks to Bob and Tom for the tips.
Starbucks plans to close all of its Teavana stores by next year, and that would include the one at 2261 Broadway (81st). Thanks to Paul, Thomas, Batya and Gretchen for the tips.
PetSmart is opening a small store at 670 Columbus Avenue (92nd-93rd), according to the Commercial Observer. “The retailer is planning to open a micro-version of its traditional 13,000- to 20,000-square foot stores, of which there are five active locations in the Big Apple. PetSmart expects the new store to open in October.”
Noi Due Carne has opened at 141 West 69th Street, the former home of Andanada. The Kosher restaurant is currently serving a price fixe menu (see it here), but plans to offer an a la carte menu as of next week.
Mac Cosmetics on Columbus between 66th and 67th is closing at the end of September and is reopening in the Time Warner building on the second floor next to Sephora, according to two in-the-know sources. The company did not respond to a request for comment.
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Whoa. Not one, not two, but several items about openings in the Lincoln Square area. It’s rare that anything happens below 72nd St., it seems. Unless you count restaurant closings.
Noi Due Carine’s menu is dreadful and very limited. There is a beyond limited Kosher market for this awful menu. They need to realize how people’s eating has changed, even Kosher as this will close before they even get started. Their food tends to be very heavy and doctored up.
The Noi Due Carne menu shown here requires a bit of explanation. Despite the word “carne” (meat, in Italian) in the restaurant name, there’s no meat on this menu. This is a special menu for a limited period of nine days that fall each summer during which kosher regulations proscribe eating meat or poultry. These nine days will end this year on August 2. After that, I’m sure, Noi Due Carne will have a different menu.
Well if you read it correctly, it does say “The Kosher restaurant is currently serving a price fixe menu… but plans to offer an a la carte menu as of next week.” So maybe in their a la carte menu, something will appease your picky palate.
The Lush Cosmetics on Broadway between 76th and 77th is closed. There was a note in the window that said they’re relocating to 77th and Broadway.
The Lush website says the Broadway store is closed for renovations (as is the Union Square one, for what it’s worth).
“PetSmart is opening a small store at 670 Columbus Avenue (92nd-93rd)”
So would this be between the existing party-goods store and The Trader Joe that has yet to open?
Amaze had good food & a really good lunch deal, but the dinner prices were a bit pricy. I did like their bento boxes, though a bit overpriced, though anytime I ordered it for delivery they’d seem to forget to add in my rice. Place was usually empty.
I feel a lot of the UWS restaurant closings the past year is due to the overpricing of it’s menu. I went to order delivery from LAND the other night but saw they raised their prices considerably. Some dishes & appetizers are $3.00 more now they they were a year ago. That’s a big price jump for 1 year.
That’s a shame to hear! I love LAND, but their prices were already a bit too steep for (mostly) take-out Thai food….it is so good though…
I believe there is also a relatively new dumpling place that has opened on west end Ave and 65th or so. It’s another La Salle dumpling house. It is really good!
Isn’t there an Ollie’s (Sushi & Chinese) on that block?
The Ollie’s is on Freedom Place (the short north-south street between Riverside Blvd and West End Avenue), near 68th Street.
There was some sort of Chinese restaurant/take-out on West End, near 61st Street, that closed a year or two ago, and was supposed to open as a dumpling house, but I haven’t been past it recently, so I don’t know if that has happened yet.
Thanks for the details, I wasn’t quite sure if Ollies was in the area called Freedom Place. Someone in this forum said it was a good place to get lunch. I definitely want to check it out. I didn’t hear about the Szechuan place on Columbus until I just heard that it was closing.
Ollie’s = overpriced, average tasting, tiny portions. No idea how they thrive.
It wasn’t hard to read the tea leaves on Teavana closing (pun intended – I’ll be here all week). There is often a line for their free samples (they are very gracious about this) but I rarely see anyone actually buying anything.
If Julian Medina’s new UWS spot is anywhere near as good as his Toloaches, etc., the line forms–behind me!
Julian Medina!
I live adjacent to the spot where the Julian Medina restaurant is supposed to open and NO WORK has taken place in several months. It looks a long way off if at all.
Funky Cold Medina!
More Closings:
Bourbon Street – any info?
T&R Pizza – killed by the gas leak and bad landlord.
Crumbs – 97th Street near Whole Foods. I guess the chain can’t seem to sell $10 cupcakes anymore.
Crumbs went bankrupt, and is a business school textbook case in what can go wrong when a small “mom and pop” business goes public.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crumbs_Bake_Shop
Please bring back the Bagel Nosh.
Two restaurants at the same address-2020 Broadway?
A Toloache-style restaurant would be a GREAT addition. I’m only sad it’s so far south.
$10 for a soup and $13.95 for a buffalo mozzarella caprese salad at Spiga to Go? Yeah, I don’t expect them to last long in that spot, at all.
Starbucks under construction on West End Ave between 60/61 Street.
I would NOT eat at any of the Noi Due restaurants. Not only is the owner a jerk, but he keeps his restaurant supplies in an open alleyway where there is an open rat infestation. There are multiple write ups about this is you google Noi Due RATS.