By Scott Etkin and Lisa Kava
Shawarma Shabazi is opening on Amsterdam between 92nd and 93rd Streets under the same ownership as Talia’s Steakhouse, the longtime kosher restaurant, and is taking up part of the existing restaurant’s space. Shabazi was created due to a shift in dining habits stemming from the pandemic. “It has been very hard to generate income from deliveries and online ordering platforms. Customers are not interested in the delivery of expensive steak and chops which will arrive dry to their home,” wrote owner Effie Nagar in a message to West Side Rag. “Because of supply chain constraints, increased operating costs and many cancellations of parties due to Covid, Talia’s decided to ‘cut’ a portion of its restaurant space and build a new fast-food operation of inexpensive items such as falafel, shawarma and sandwiches.” Shabazi, named after a 17th-century poet, will officially open on August 17th and will only be for takeout and deliveries. (Thanks to Ian for the tip.)
Westville, a casual restaurant chain, is opening on Broadway between 82nd and 83rd Streets, as reported by Real Estate Weekly. Serving “eclectic and traditional American” fare, the menu is known for its market plate of locally-sourced vegetables. “Anything in the realm of veggies, Westville has down to a science,” wrote The Infatuation. Founded in 2003, Westville has several locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The space used to be Artie’s Deli, the Jewish Delicatessen that closed after nearly 20 years in 2017. The storefront has been vacant since then but it has been used as the film set for Stage Deli in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” (Thanks to Josh and Bethany for the tips.)
Zizi NYC, a Mediterranean restaurant with a location in Chelsea, has signage up at 2000 Broadway between 68th and 69th Streets for Zizi Wine Bar. Nanoosh, a hummus spot that closed in 2020, was formerly in the space. The manager from the Chelsea restaurant told us that they hope to open by the end of August with a “different concept” than the Chelsea restaurant. Sharon Hoota, the owner, also runs the Hummus Kitchen restaurants in Manhattan. (Thanks to Nancy for the tip.)
Pinkberry, the frozen yogurt chain, is “coming soon” to the west side of 2851 Broadway between 110th and 111th Streets. The space was formerly Kung Fu Tea. For years, Pinkberry had a shop nearby on Broadway between 112th and 113th Streets, which closed in 2021. (Thanks to Nancy for the tip.)
Bareburger has reopened at 2233 Broadway (between 79th and 80th Streets). The burger shop temporarily closed on May 11th after ConEd shut it down because of a gas-leak issue.
The future of the building is uncertain and many tenants have left recently, including FedEx, Verizon, and Canine Styles.
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Great news regarding Westville! It means I’ll no longer have to trek downtown to enjoy the best turkey burger in the City, delicious sweet potato fries, and real apple pie with crust that rivals my grandmother’s.
had lunch at the 9th Ave/53rd St location yesterday and can see why they are successful….killer gazpacho soup, excellent salads, and the plate of “Market Veggies” was exactly what my friend wanted, so go and support these guys in their new space. Good food, good service.
All we get are chains, chains, chains. When’s the last time an individual could open up a store around here?
WS will never get the kind of experimental, more daring or trendier small business, restaurant/food outpost/bakeries or cafes that dot the East Village, Williamsburg or Smith Street in Brooklyn.
It’s a NYC restaurant with 4-5 locations, not some nationwide abomination. A much-needed option for the UWS!
When they say chain, it’s a NYC chain. Just another location in the city. I’m fine with those “chains”.
None of the above places to eat are considered chains.? Unless you mean more than a few locations is a chain?
I probably would have never eaten at Talias but now I might.
Would you rather this great space stay vacant another six years?
Or maybe you’d rather it be another individually owned nail parlor?
The menu sounds diverse and interesting. I’m glad they’ve been sufficiently successful to be able to open several stores. It’s not McDonalds.
I’m willing to give them a chance and hope they will be an addition to the neighborhood.
Cato,
While I personally like the food at Westville, it seems to me that (pre-Covid and now) there is a glut of restaurants and food places.
Everyone wants to open a food place – but not everything can or should be a food place.
There are many blocks in Manhattan with one cafe/restaurant/bar after another….
But retail which is an essential part of any community has been wrecked – high rents, ecommerce, shoplifting…
Regarding the space WESTVILLE has leased, the space was not previously vacant. In fact it was rented to Amazon Studio to film Marvelous Mrs. Maisel for the last 5 years.
Westville will be the new favorite of the UPWS for sure.
It was vacant — closed, dark, unused, empty — except for the one week or so it was used for filming every year or so (if that much).
The landlord may have been getting rent money for it, but the space was vacant as far as anyone walking on the sidewalk knew — or cared.
It’s just sophistry to say that the empty, dark, unused space was not vacant.
As a vegetarian, I’m excited about Westville. There’s one near my office and it’s always busy during the lunch rush.
I noticed there is a QQ Nails & Spa now open on Broadway between 97th and 98th, where Oasis Spa/Nails used to be.
I miss Artie’s for my Jewish soul food. Many a bad day was made a little better with something from Artie’s. Though I can only imagine what their prices would be now – they were quite high back then.
I will give Westville a try and I’m very happy the space is being filled. Not my top choice but it is fine.
Excited for Westville
When did Canine Styles move?
Could we please have an authentic Arab Shawarma establishment that caters to the distinct flavors preferred by Arabs? It doesn’t seem like an unreasonable request. It’s not about criticizing an Israeli palate, but rather desiring a true Syrian or Lebanese shawarma experience that resonates with Arab taste preferences.
It’s frustrating how many businesses in the upper west side market themselves as “Mediterranean” yet seem to tailor their offerings to an Israeli palate. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it would be more accurate to label such places as “Israeli Mediterranean” restaurants. It’s akin to claiming to be a Mediterranean restaurant while exclusively serving Italian or Greek cuisine. The diverse Middle Eastern/Mediterranean region encompasses more than just Italians, Greeks, and Israelis.
It’s disheartening that we often have to travel all the way to Brooklyn, Queens, or Paterson to find an authentic Arab Mediterranean culinary experience.
Samad’s Gourmet on 111th and Broadway is Druze. They have delicious Mediterranean platters. So, so good.
Naya Express is opening on the corner of Broadway where Victoria’s Secret used to be. I think they are Lebanese — not sure how authentically Lebanese, though.
The guy who runs Talias is Israeli. So he would have Israeli style falafel. And I bet if there were a market for Syrian schwarma, there would be the restaurants
Ghazala’s? It’s Druze food. 81st and Amsterdam
Have you tried Zurna or Zaad.
— “Could we please have an authentic Arab Shawarma establishment that caters to the distinct flavors preferred by Arabs? ”
Absolutely! Just open one. If the market is there, you’ll do well. Otherwise, maybe not so much.
Good luck!
Why don’t you suggest to some of those Brooklyn or Queens or Paterson places that they open a place on the Upper West Side? Find out who the owners or chefs are and strike up a conversation, and let them know what commercial locations are looking for tenants!
Hopefully these places will clean up their facades.
I’m so excited about the Shawarma place opening up!!!! Yay! Great idea from the minds of Talia’s 🙂 Also, super excited for Westville…their vegetarian dishes are incredible, so fresh and yummy and their mac and cheese is awesome
Prayer into the void to Shawarma Shabazi… please serve a mujadara pita sandwich, and you can have so much of my money! I know it is a Lebanese specialty, not strictly Israeli. I used to work near Kalustyan’s in the early 2000’s and it was my absolute favorite, unfortunately I believe the deli owner retired or passed away and the deli counter is gone–haven’t had anything like it anywhere else in NYC. Miriam’s here on the West Side does serve “mujadara rice” but it’s pretty disappointing (the food there otherwise is lovely!)
Oh boy, I can tell just from the comments here that my beloved Westville is going to be entirely too popular! I hope we won’t have to wait 45 min to get in like their other locations! Still very excited though.