West Side Rag
  • TOP NEWS
  • OPEN/CLOSED
  • FOOD
  • SCHOOLS
  • OUTDOORS
  • REAL ESTATE
  • ART & CULTURE
  • POLITICS
  • COLUMNS
  • CRIME
  • HISTORY
  • ABSURDITY
  • ABOUT US
    • OUR STORY
    • CONTRIBUTORS
    • CONTACT
West Side Rag
No Result
View All Result
SUPPORT THE RAG

Search the site

No Result
View All Result
Get WSR FREE in your inbox
SUPPORT THE RAG

Openings and Closings: Haven; Fairway Market Cafe; The Wolfe; Agave; CCS Fabric Frame; First Republic Bank

September 13, 2023 | 2:13 PM - Updated on September 14, 2023 | 9:16 AM
in COLUMNS, FOOD, NEWS, OPEN/CLOSED
10
Photograph by Lisa Kava.

By Scott Etkin and Lisa Kava

Haven, an American bistro and bar, is planning to open this fall at 226 West 79th Street (between Broadway and Amsterdam). This is the first restaurant from Brian Staub, an Upper West Sider since 1995. Staub went to culinary school in 2018, after a career in finance, to follow his passion for food and hospitality. “When I started to conceive of this idea, I knew that it had to be [on the Upper West Side]. Our kids have grown up here, gone to school here,” Staub said on a call with WSR. He plans to serve “upscale comfort and familiar dishes with a little bit of an elevated preparation,” and to work in the front of the house as the general manager once the restaurant opens. The space used to be Burke & Wills, an Australian restaurant, which closed in 2020.

Photograph by Scott Etkin.

Fairway Market plans to reopen the longtime café on the second floor of its Broadway and 74th Street location on September 20th, though the date has been a moving target. The café has been closed for the past few years and the space has instead been used for storage or for specialty displays, such as kosher food for Passover. When it reopens, it will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Fun fact: in 2012 the café was used to film an episode of ‘Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee’ with Jerry Seinfeld and Alec Baldwin. (Thanks to Harry for the tip.)

Photograph by Lisa Kava.

The Wolfe bar and restaurant is planning to open this October at 425 Amsterdam (between 80th and 81st Street). Named after author Tom Wolfe (‘Bonfire of the Vanities’ and ‘The Right Stuff’), it will be “an elevated sports bar” with a full menu, including a bottomless brunch on Saturdays and Sundays, a representative told WSR. The Wolfe is part of the Stout Hospitality Group which operates 13 bars and restaurants in NYC, including Amity Hall Uptown at 982 Amsterdam Avenue. The space was previously Spaghetti Tavern, a Western-themed bar.

Photograph by Scott Etkin.

Agave, the Mexican restaurant and tequila bar on Columbus between 93rd and 94th Streets, has closed. The large indoor/outdoor space, which had seats for more than 200 people, opened in July 2022. Previously, the UWS space was the longtime Mexican restaurant Gabriela’s. Agave’s location in the West Village is still open. (Thanks to John Ratcliffe-Lee for the tip.) 

Photograph by Scott Etkin.

A showroom for CCS Fabric Frame, which offers an advanced technology for printing large-format, custom displays, often for commercial spaces, is opening at 293 Amsterdam between 73rd and 74th Streets (replacing a dry cleaner). The opening is backed by Pro Image Photo, the printing shop next door that was founded by Manny Parks in 1996. On a call with WSR, Parks explained that there are just a few companies in North America that offer this type of printing technology, which is faster, cheaper and more sustainable (because the frame can be reused) than traditional printing methods. The actual printing will be done at a large facility in Germany that’s so big “you could play a baseball game [there],” he said. He expects the space to open by the end of next month. 

Photograph by Scott Etkin.

The First Republic Bank on Broadway and 76th Street will close on September 19th. A sign in the window directs customers to the branch at 10 Columbus Circle. Earlier this year, regulators seized control of First Republic Bank and sold all of its deposits and most of its assets to JPMorgan Chase. (Thanks to Berkley for the tip.)

Subscribe to WSR’s free email newsletter here.

Share this article:
SUPPORT THE RAG
guest

guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

10 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Josh P.
Josh P.
1 year ago

Excited for Haven but that store front still looks like it needs a lot of work!

2
Reply
Sky
Sky
1 year ago

The Fairway Market cafe is coming back? The UWS is definitely on its way to recovery. Now, bring the Westside Market back to where it belongs – the now shuttered space where Harmon was at the Belleclaire hotel.

11
Reply
Ikemp
Ikemp
1 year ago

I hope the beautiful bar above haven will reopen. Formally known as the polo lounge?

2
Reply
Rob
Rob
1 year ago
Reply to  Ikemp

Manhattan Cricket Club, one of my favs

6
Reply
SAM
SAM
1 year ago

The restaurant spaces on Columbus between 93rd and 94th have a lot of outdoor sidewalk space which seems ideal – puzzled why the various restaurants there seem to struggle.

2
Reply
Gotham
Gotham
1 year ago
Reply to  SAM

The outdoor seating at Agave has been under scaffolding for at least a year, and it never looked very inviting!

1
Reply
Mark Moore
Mark Moore
1 year ago
Reply to  SAM

Gabriela’s did well there for a long time until the pandemic. Agave just wasn’t a good restaurant and there’s now a lot more competition for Mexican food nearby.

4
Reply
Bob
Bob
1 year ago
Reply to  SAM

They’ve had some dense scaffolding there since Agave opened, which really made the outdoor space quite dingy during its yearlong tenure. Gabriela’s was there for 27 years though!

0
Reply
RAL
RAL
1 year ago
Reply to  Bob

No Under the Stairs was there for several of those 27. Was there for years before Gabriela

1
Reply
Darwin
Darwin
1 year ago

Agave was simply awful. Their nachos were terrible. Their guac tasteless. Margaritas just passable. And it was EXPENSIVE. No wonder it shut very quickly.

8
Reply

YOU MIGHT LIKE...

UPDATE: Injured Deer Spotted Walking Around Upper West Side
NEWS

UPDATE: Injured Deer Spotted Walking Around Upper West Side

May 20, 2025 | 3:03 PM
Upper West Side Teen Has Been Missing for Weeks: Police
NEWS

Upper West Side Teen Has Been Missing for Weeks: Police

May 20, 2025 | 3:01 PM
Previous Post

370 Pieces Of Graffiti Found On UWS: Pol Calls For Help Amid ‘Growing Problem’

Next Post

UWS Grandma Scammed Out of $9.5K by Grandson Impersonator: NYPD

this week's events image
Next Post
An NYPD police vehicle.

UWS Grandma Scammed Out of $9.5K by Grandson Impersonator: NYPD

Small Business Focus: Upper West Skates

Small Business Focus: Upper West Skates

Home Safety for People with Hearing Loss

Access to New York City Culture

  • ABOUT US
  • CONTACT US
  • NEWSLETTER
  • WSR MERCH!
  • ADVERTISE
  • EVENTS
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • TERMS OF USE
  • SITE MAP
Site design by RLDGROUP

© 2025 West Side Rag | All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • TOP NEWS
  • THIS WEEK’S EVENTS
  • OPEN/CLOSED
  • FOOD
  • SCHOOLS
  • OUTDOORS
  • REAL ESTATE
  • ART & CULTURE
  • POLITICS
  • COLUMNS
  • CRIME
  • HISTORY
  • ABSURDITY
  • ABOUT
    • OUR STORY
    • CONTRIBUTORS
    • CONTACT US
  • WSR SHOP

© 2025 West Side Rag | All rights reserved.