By Scott Etkin and Lisa Kava

Moshe’s Falafel, a kosher falafel shop, is planning to open at 142 West 83rd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam avenues after Memorial Day weekend. Moshe’s Falafel was established in 1981 and is known for its food trucks in Midtown. “We have a lot of customers [on the Upper West Side] and they’ve asked us many times over if we’d open on the Upper West, so that’s how it’s worked out,” said David, a manager, on a call with the Rag. The menu has vegan and vegetarian options, including falafel, salad platters, hummus platters, and soup. This location will have “maybe a couple of other items that we didn’t have before. It’s going to be good to visit when we open,” said David. The restaurant will be closed on Saturdays. The space used to be Scoozi Events, a catering company. (Thanks to Howard for the tip.)  

Alexis Bittar, a jewelry and accessories store, has closed its store at 209 Columbus Avenue (at West 69th Street). A sign is posted on the door directing customers to its Upper East Side, Greenwich Village, and SoHo locations. “It was a corporate decision to close the Upper West Side store and focus on the other Manhattan stores,” the regional manager told West Side Rag in a phone call, saying there were no issues with the lease and that the Upper East Side store was “in close proximity.” She did not give any further information. The Columbus Avenue  location opened in 2021. (Thanks to Kara for the tip.)

Sushi Masu opened this past weekend at 286 Columbus between West 73rd and 74th streets and is still in its “soft opening” phase. The omakase restaurant gets its fish (except for salmon) air-freighted from Japan, Lin, a manager, told WSR. Sushi Masu also has a restaurant in Greenwich, Connecticut. “We’re new to the neighborhood, so we’re still learning,” said Lin. It is replacing Kissaki, another omakase sushi restaurant, that also has a location in the Bowery. “In NYC we thought it best to have just one location,” a company representative wrote to WSR, adding that they’re available for to-go on the Upper West Side. Sushi Masu recently removed the sidewalk and roadside dining sheds that used to be outside the restaurant for the past few years. Its website is still in the works. 

Central Liquors, the wine and spirits shop at 227 Columbus (between West 70th and 71st streets), is temporarily closed for renovation. A worker told West Side Rag that they plan to re-open in two or three weeks. (Thanks to Kara for the tip.) 

New-York Historical Society (170 Central Park West) is hosting jazz performances with specialty cocktails at 5:30 p.m. on Fridays through June, The New York Times reported. The series – called “New-York Historical Summer!” – riffs on the Society’s ongoing exhibit, “Lost New York,” by featuring “lost” music, played by Michael Hashim’s trio, and serving “lost” cocktails with historically-sourced recipes. The performances take place in the ground floor Smith Gallery and the cocktails are served in the museum’s restaurant, Clara, which opened last fall. The series is free with pay-as-you-wish admission.

ICYMI: Jacob’s Pickles, the comfort food restaurant and bar, is moving ten blocks north to 680-688 Columbus Avenue (between West 93rd and 94th streets). “Hours, operation, and concept are all saying the same,” said owner Jacob Hadjigeorgis, speaking at a recent Community Board 7 meeting. “We’ve come to the point where we need a little bit more space and we’re going to lose a lot of space on the patio in due time, so we thought it was the right time to make a move.” The new location – which used to be New Amsterdam Burger Bar and Agave, a Mexican restaurant that closed in fall 2023 – has a large covered, outdoor dining area. It is about double the size of the restaurant’s current location, Hadjigeorgis said. The move is expected to be completed around September and the current location remains open in the meantime.

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