Mimi, the Japanese restaurant at 566 Amsterdam Avenue between 87th and 88th Streets, has closed its doors for good. Owner Satomi tells us that they”ll be opening a new sushi restaurant in the space, with a new management and chef. Mimi opened in 2016. “Great authentic Japanese dishes. A shame,” wrote Javier.
Pekarna, a Slovenian-American restaurant slated to open at 594 Amsterdam Avenue (West 89th Street), has posted more information on its website, although it’s not clear when exactly they’ll open. The site says Pekarna will be a first-of-its-kind authentic Slovenian-American spot with multiple levels. “The venue will feature a restaurant and cocktail bar on the first floor and will also have seating in the basement and backyard. The basement will be able to accommodate events in 3 separate function rooms.” It will combine the now-vacant spaces of Papa John’s/Subway and Amsterdam 99¢ and plans to utilize a small outdoor area in the back. We last wrote about it at the liquor license application here. The company behind Pekarna also owns and operates apartments in Slovenia.
Beer Shop at 422 Amsterdam Avenue between 80th and 81st streets closed its doors earlier this month after three years on the Upper West Side. The shop let people try out “flights” of beers and tended to feature lots of New York varieties. Thanks to Laura for the tip.
It’s the end of an era.
I’m really curious to see what the Pekarna space is like. The exterior doesn’t seem particularly expansive, but I suppose looks can be deceiving considering they’re combining multiple storefronts, and spread across multiple levels. They’ve mentioned that the restaurant will have seating for around 330 diners—which seems kind of wild. That’d be more than The Smith at Lincoln Center. I suppose Kefi’s former Columbus Avenue location was a similar story. From the outside, you would never guess they could seat around 200 people.
I’ve also heard Dan O’Neill of the former UES cajun restaurant Infirmary is involved. That was a pretty cool spot with solid cocktails. The food was good when executed well, but not always consistent and a little pricey.
Sad about Mimi’s. As a beer fan, I was excited for Beer Shop but not once did I have a good experience going there. The people working there were either miserable or just had bad attitudes, never have encountered that at any other similar establishment in NYC.
I, too, was excited for this place to be great but went once and had terrible service. Dude behind the bar was beyond difficult to work with to simply get a growler to go. Never went back. I’ve been getting my Growlers from Gebhard’s since but wouldn’t mind a few other recommendations.
Really wanted to like the place and enjoyed the beer selection. All 3 times I went, had encountered rude service.
At the Beer Shop Eric, Thomas, and Evan were all great! About the friendliest bar staff in the city. There was always a group of super locals that all knew each other and many after work professionals. It was one of the best spots in the whole neighborhood! Not sure why YOU didn’t have a good experience there.
The only real downside was the beer was pretty pricey. You would have 3 beers and end up paying a $40 bill…
Does anyone know what happened to Beer Shop? It looked like they always had customers. Always had a good selection.
I’m with those who found the staff rude, even arrogant. I now get my growlers filled at Dive Bar, where they are just as cooperative and friendly as the Beer Shop boys were not. Good riddance.
I loved beer shop!
Mimi’s was exceptional! We will miss it indeed. Sad.
Mimi’s was insanely expensive. I love sushi, and I regularly pay high prices for high quality sushi, but Mimi’s prices were outright insulting.