By Scott Etkin and Lisa Kava
La Salle Dumpling Room, the Chinese restaurant that has been closed since the start of the pandemic, has reopened at 35 West End Avenue between 61st and 62nd Streets. It is sharing space with Friedman’s West, the American-style restaurant that’s under the same ownership. “We were listening to our guests, and the neighborhood really wanted the return of the La Salle Dumpling Room,” said Jonah Phillips, Managing Partner at Friedman’s Restaurant Group, which also owns Pick-a-Bagel and Community. Over the last six months they have “re-engineered” the kitchen to accommodate both menus. There’s another La Salle Dumpling Room on Broadway and La Salle (124th) Street, but the Lincoln Center location offers more vegan and gluten-free options, such as Impossible soup dumplings. “It’s really fun to see people at the same table eating pork fried dumplings, cobb salad, General Tso’s chicken, and spinach dip,” said Phillips. “We love the different cultures at the dining table – it’s so New York.”
Andy’s Deli, on the corner of 80th Street and Columbus is closing on October 13, due to a rent increase. It had been in the space for 32 years. “The new owners moving in will make a new type of cafeteria style restaurant, replacing Andy’s Deli and joining the store next to it,” which used to be a Rituals cosmetics shop, writes Billy Amato, president of the West 80th Street Block Association. Before Andy’s, the location was home to a “true bona fide original Puerto Rican Bodega with the best Puerto Rican food that you could buy,” which opened in 1954, writes Billy. Andy’s deli was a favorite neighborhood spot for many longtime loyal customers. “I am heartbroken. I will miss their tuna sandwich forever,” one regular told WSR.
Osteria Accademia, an Italian restaurant, has opened at 646 Amsterdam Avenue between 91st and 92nd Streets. Huseyin Ozer, the owner of popular UWS Mediterranean restaurants Bodrum and Leyla has partnered with Leyla’s general manager Murat Akinci, who has worked in management at other UWS restaurants including Nice Matin and French Roast. The scholarly theme – a nod to Columbia University and the other schools in the neighborhood – is incorporated into the decor, which features 3,500 vintage books repurposed from a decommissioned library line.
The Chelsea House, a seafood bar and grill, has opened at 710 Amsterdam Avenue at 94th Street. The Chelsea House is open for dinner and serves seafood sandwiches and baskets in addition to main dishes. It is available for private events. Its first location is on 9th Avenue in Chelsea. (Thanks to Joseph for the tip.)
MACC Wine Bar at 51 West 106th Street, which had weekly live jazz performances, has had paper covering the windows for a few weeks. WSR tried to reach MACC by phone but it appears the phone is not being answered. MACC Wine Bar opened in 2019. (Thanks to Ruth for the tip.)
Warby Parker, the eyeglasses store, will be opening two new locations on the UWS: at 2875 Broadway between 111th and 112th Streets (formerly a Chase bank), and at 284 Columbus between 80th and 81st Streets (formerly a Flying Tiger Copenhagen store). There’s also an existing Warby Parker at 185 Columbus Avenue at 68th Street. Warby Parker was founded by Neil Blumenthal in 2010, originally as an online-only business. (Thanks to Matthew for the tip.)
An eviction notice has been posted on the storefront of Kirsh Bakery & Kitchen at 551 Amsterdam between 86th and 87th Street. Originally opened in 2016, it has been closed since August. (Thanks to Betsy for the tip.)
Again, how many more optician stores does one neighborhood really need?? So boring.
Only one problem – if you investigate the labs Warby Parker use to make their lenses you will understand why they are so cheap. Before looking into it I went through 4 pairs of glasses that scratched without any abuse on my part. Yes, they replaced them. But the hassle and inconvenience of returning them and wearing scratched lenses did not make up for spending a little more money. I’m not into advertising anyone, but a close-by shop with an “x ” in their name actually gave me a choice of labs based upon my research. I’ve had them 2 years withou a single scratch. Competition is what makes America great.
Excuse me? Warby Parker is a third of the cost of all the UWS opticians, which have become ripoffs.. Their customer service is excellent, as well. Glad they’re opening 2 more stores.
But that’s just the problem: The people who most need opticians (and I’m one of them) can’t see far enough without glasses to find all the rest.
Cato, YOU ROCK!!! Welcome back.
The “287 Broadway between 111th and 112th Streets” address listed as a new Warby Parker location must be missing a digit. 287 Broadway is a block north of City Hall.
you’re right, Dan. It’s 2875. Thanks!
I think the address for Kirsh Bakery & Kitchen is also wrong, it’s at 551 Amsterdam, not 176 Amsterdam. (Between 86th and 87th Streets is correct.)
Right, again. Fixed.
Why don’t you just send Bree140 copy whatever you going to publish for proofreading for corrections — LOL
Gluten-free dumplings would be amazing. Can’t find a menu that mentions them though.
Really hoping for a good new book shop in the hood. There is an independent book shop renaissance happening in NYC, but mainly relegated to downtown neighborhoods and Brooklyn.
Strand and Shakespeare and Co. are fine, and Westsider is excellent of course, but I think that a Mcnally Jackson or similar would do amazing business and would fit perfectly on the UWS.
You’ve got book culture on 114 & 112. West Sider & the Strand 2 blocks apart. We need a store in the 90s or low 100s, that’s the gap right now
Well, I was speaking more in terms of the type of book shop that would work or that in my opinion, we need. A well curated general book shop with a selection of international magazines and periodicals such as McNally Jackson or Books Are Magic would be fantastic. The UWS is a magazine desert aside from the Barnes and Noble. There are fantastic magazine shops below 14th Street, and the independent magazine world is exploding for quite a number of years now. Strand and Shakespeare are shops that I like, and support as much as I can but both feature a very mainstream selection of basic titles. Book Culture is great but unless you live above 96th street is not very convenient. Granted we are doing better than the UES at the moment, but there is certainly room for more!
No word about Kyuramen at 2787 Broadway?
Soft opening last night
There is an Andy’s Deli on 74th st and Amsterdam that’s been there for years are you talking about that one closing? I’m not aware of one on 80th & Columbus
The Andy’s deli that has closed is on Columbus Avenue at 80th St.
Two different locations. 295 Amst Ave & 74th is the Andy’s Deli you’re talking about. 418 Col Ave & 80th is the Andy’s Deli that’s closing, mentioned & pictured above.
We have yet to see the thing we need most in the 80″s is a real grocery store
Key Food and Gristedes are in the 80s? Plus Broadway Farm. None of these are ideal but you can get most basic provisions at any of them.
The DSW would be a great location for a grocery store, but I doubt it will ever happen.
I will never happen….
Columbus Avenue store rents are ridiculous.
Martin, Kyuramen appeared open (or close to it) just the other day.
It’s definitely open. Had large floral displays outside and looked pretty busy last night. Not very ethnically varied though…mostly Asian customers. But I live close and will give it a try.
“Not very ethnically varied though…mostly Asian customers ”
Huh?
I guess we have to enforce equity even in restaurant patrons.
Yes, indeed…
Huh???
La Salle Dumpling’s “other” location is not on 124th and Broadway (there is no 124th street on Broadway). It’s on La Salle St.. Hence the name.
Thanks, added.
I hope MACC Wine Bar reopens.
No love for Andy’s? I never went in. Maybe the folks who frequented it and appreciated it are long gone from UwS,
I lived close to Andy’s and loved it. The guys who worked there were so helpful. There are a bunch of people in the area who are sad to see them close.
Many empty storefronts for such a high profile block across from the AHM. Not good.
A lot of this is do from the pandemic. You will start seeing a little bit of improvement on Columbus Avenue within the next year. A lot of these stores will start filling up on that block opposite the museum from West 81st Street down to 76th St.
After the extension opens at the museum in February, you’ll see a big difference come Spring, a lot of foot traffic.
I’m amazed Kirsh lasted as long as it did. Ate there once, the food was terrible. Pastries were wildly overpriced. It was never ever busy. Never forgave that landlord for forcing Popover to leave.
I endured one of the surliest customer service experiences ever there, where the man running the take-out section literally looked down his nose at me with a facial expression that suggested both that I was beneath his contempt and that I was emitting some terrible odor. He acted like taking my money in exchange for his extremely mediocre food was doing me some huge favor. It was shocking and upsetting, and I swear I did nothing to invite it.
Aww, Popover! Sure wish they were still there!
Wu & Nussbaum (at 113th & Broadway) also serves La Salle Dumpling Room dumplings (I believe it’s the same owners). They are delicious! They also serve the “Impossible Menu”, which I would guess is similar to the Lincoln Center location.
We need more affordable supermarkets and 99c stores !
“Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting.”
– J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
The power was out everywhere, but that’s all we knew. Anxiety ran high, especially just two years removed from the terrorist attacks of 9/11. With the subways shut down, streams of people were walking the streets of New York, trying to navigate a way home before nightfall. We ultimately learned that as many as 50 million people were affected by a major blackout that reached as far west as Ohio. But in the moment, we were just scrambling to find supplies and host stranded co-workers.
“Take whatever you need,” said the owner of Andy’s Deli on 80th & Columbus. “With the power out, the register doesn’t work and things may spoil. Help yourself.”
At the time, the offer of free goods seemed remarkable. But I soon realized – and decades of daily interactions have reinforced: the place is simply different. Immigrant owners from Greece, work alongside employees from throughout Latin America. Some customers are wide-eyed first-time visitors and others are neighbors in sweatpants and slippers.
With two registers, a long counter and offerings stacked to the ceiling , Andy’s Deli is some parts restaurant and other parts grocery store. You’ll generally find what you were looking for – or come out with something you didn’t know you needed. There’s a constant stream of banter between customers and staff, often about whichever sporting match is on the television overhead, particularly international soccer matches.
After a few visits, one begins to appreciate the true uniqueness of Andy’s Deli: it’s the combination of holiday cards from neighbors adorning the walls; pet owners stopping by to spoil their dogs with turkey treats; travelers leaving luggage while touring the nearby Natural History Museum and the unique places the bike delivery guys reach, including picnics in Central Park.
It’s easy to recognize the regulars: the kind lady who takes care of the adopted cats living in the basement; the eccentric guy on his bike, using a bullhorn to amplify his rants and colored chalk for sidewalk scribbles. Officers from the corner precinct mix with construction workers from a nearby project. Others stand in the back, consuming beer and escaping the day-to-day.
The team that works the counter often knows your order before you actually make it. “It’s the egg white omelet with feta and no toast for your wife. The grilled cheese and tomato on wheat for your son and an egg sandwich with avocado for your daughter,” I’m reminded on weekend mornings. To which I reply: “I’ll have the Becket sandwich,” a specialty offering that comes with french fries inside and was created to honor our beloved Jack Russell who was in and out of Andy’s Deli for all eighteen years of his life.
Whether it’s the tight space, fast pace, or cross-section of cultures, the authentic interactions represent a realness that’s the best of New York. After the chaos of the last three years – and with crime, unemployment and homelessness all on the rise – it’s a communal space we desperately need more of. Yet after over thirty years as a neighborhood institution, last Friday, October 14th, was the last day of business for Andy’s Deli – another casualty of landlords raising rates and small businesses unable to survive.
There may be a day when the space formerly occupied by Andy’s Deli will yield a higher revenue to the building owners. And local residents will find another place for a sandwich, pint of ice cream or package of Advil. But as a community – both locally and more broadly defined – we’re far worse off without businesses like Andy’s Deli on the corner.
Oh my gosh! This is lovely, and heartbreaking.
Thank you for reading (and your comment back). In my estimation, Andy’s wasn’t just another ‘closing’ amongst so many others. After 32 years (and perhaps just for us loyalists), it was part of the fabric of our community (at least within a four / six block radius of the store). Very sad.
Time marches on… moving forward. 👍
Who raised the rents on Andy’s so they had to leave? Love to know who did this to our neighborhood.