By Scott Etkin and Lisa Kava
Salt & Straw, the small-batch ice cream chain, is opening at 360 Amsterdam Avenue (West 77th Street) this summer. “Quite a while ago, we had an investment from [restaurateur] Danny Meyer and his team and […] over the years we’ve always been flirting with the idea of opening in New York City, but just really haven’t been able to come up with the right plan,” said founder Kim Malek on a call with West Side Rag. “The minute we found this corner location, we were like, this is it.” Salt & Straw uses local ingredients, so the NYC shop will have different flavors than Salt & Straw’s existing stores in other parts of the country (Salt & Straw is also opening a second NYC location in the West Village). “My cousin Tyler [Malek] has been working on a whole plethora of collaborations with local bakeries and chefs,” she said. “We don’t have things finalized yet, but they’re really exciting.” The menu also changes on a monthly basis.
Malek started Salt & Straw in 2011 as a small ice cream cart in Portland, Oregon. Following a career at Starbucks, she set out to create a brand that brought people together. “I thought ice cream could be a great way to reflect the local community.” The Cottage, a Chinese restaurant, used to be in this location. (Thanks to Sumeet, Jaya, Laura, and Andrea for the tips.)
MalaTown, a Chinese restaurant, has signage up at 929 Amsterdam Avenue (between West 105th and 106th streets). Grain House, another Chinese restaurant, was previously in the space and has been closed since March. MalaTown has posted on Instagram that its New York City location is “coming soon,” but no exact date is available. The restaurant’s name refers to “Malatang” a type of street food originating in Sichuan, China, that literally translates to “numb spicy hot.” MalaTown also has locations in Union City, NJ, California, and Las Vegas. (Thanks to Yvonne for the tip.)
YSJ Nail & Spa opened on West 79th Street between Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway on Saturday, April 20. The salon offers manicures, pedicures, waxing, facials, and massage. There is a 20%-off sale on all services for one month. The storefront has been vacant for the past few years, but it used to house a Goodwill thrift store.
The Migrant Kitchen has reopened its seasonal food and drink stand in Central Park, located just north of the Heckscher Ballfields (near West 65th Street). Migrant Kitchen also has locations on the Upper West Side (West 67th Street and Columbus Avenue) and the Upper East Side. Its Central Park outpost operates out of the historic Ballfields Café building. For this season, Migrant Kitchen updated its menu, including frozen cocktails, wine, and beer. In April, the outpost is open Friday to Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Beginning the week of May 6, it will expand its schedule to Wednesday to Sunday. Throughout the summer, it will also feature programming, including live music, trivia nights, and yoga. This location will remain open through the fall; the exact closing date isn’t set yet and is weather-dependent.
Shakespeare & Co., the bookstore, opened in mid-March at 2736 Broadway (at West 105th Street). The bookstore was founded in 1983. This will be the second Upper West Side location for Shakespeare & Co., which also has a store at West 70th Street and Broadway. The space was formerly Steps New York, a discount women’s clothing store that closed last year. (Thanks to Maggie for the tip).
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Great to hear of these businesses opening.
New bookstore, hurray!
Any update on the Mermaid Inn on Columbus?
I live steps from the under-construction Mermaid Inn, and interior work is proceeding apace. When workers walk in or out I get a peek inside, and standing metal frames are defining the spaces. Also, a couple of months ago big piles of sheetrock AND red bricks were delivered and sat on the sidewalk until they were taken inside. (The bricks made we wonder if a red-brick wall will be installed.) My guess for how long it’ll before a grand opening? August or September… but what the heck do I know??
Or Pig and Khao or H Mart?
Shakespeare & Co: the THIRD if you count the one that was run out of business when B&N opened one block away from it in the 90s! B&N tried to do the same thing to the one in the Village, opening one block away, but I think that one outlasted it, though it’s closed since.
Visited the Shakespeare & Co. on 105th. Awesome place, great staff, nice selection of books! Welcome to the neighborhood! Now if only Plowshares coffee would expand (kinda small now), it would be a book-lover’s haven.
It would be nice if the Ball Park Cafe (Migrant Kitchen) menu had prices.
If they don’t tell you how much, it’s too much.
Migrant Kitchen? In 2024 NYC? Gotta wonder if they focus-grouped that name.
They’ve been around since before COVID. Actually met the owner during COVID when they were handing out thousands of free meals to people in need…..
Maybe “Newcomer Kitchen”?
Their story and mission are actually really cool, and yes their name well predates the current usage of “migrant” as a xenophobic political buzzword
We had one in Philadelphia for a couple of years. It was basically a joke. A very minimal selection of books, with an okay cafe in front full of sit-all-dayers, and a book-print machine. Closed. Said they’d open in another location and never did. Now all we have is one Barnes & Noble downtown.
So now there are nail salons at 217, 221, and 223 W. 79th St. — In close proximity on one side of one block! Better than vape shops, I guess….
Anyone know what’s going on with the stretch of Broadway form 92-93 that had Village Pizza, a new coffee shop coming in, and Taiim? How long does it take a building to fix their gas line??
Now the CVS is gone so there are no businesses in current operation on that block.