Openings & Closings: Punch Force Fitness; Chaotic Good Cafe, Green Lane Coffee; Amsterdam’s Finest & Freshest Deli; Russian School of Math; Beer Run

By Scott Etkin and Lisa Kava

Punch Force Fitness, a boxing and kickboxing studio offering group classes and private lessons, opened on May 6 at 105 West 72nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam avenues in the basement. “Our sessions consist of a non-stop workout using calisthenics, weights, cardio equipment, and pad work,” a representative wrote to West Side Rag. Punch Force also has a location on the Upper East Side. A complimentary first class is available to people who are new to the gym. 

Chaotic Good Cafe, a board-game coffee shop, is planning to open in mid-July at 200 West 84th Street (off Amsterdam Avenue). Owner and longtime Upper West Sider Andrew Panos loves to play board games and wants to create a community spot where locals can mingle while playing (customers pay $10 for unlimited play), and enjoying coffee and light food, he told the Rag. Approximately 400 board games will be available, including popular ones like Monopoly, Mah-jong, Settlers of Catan, Wingspan, and Cards Against Humanity, as well as hard-to-find games such as Crokinole and Klask. They will serve coffee, pastries, stroopwafels, and countertop snacks. Panos plans to hold specialty nights such as Mahjong Mondays, Senior Singles, Family Nights, and more. Chaotic Good Cafe was originally slated to open in March 2024, but Department of Buildings and landmarks permits took longer than anticipated, Panos said.

Green Lane Coffee at 204 West 96th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam avenues had its soft opening this past weekend. The small coffee shop is located right next to the eastbound M96 bus stop and replaces Gertude, another coffee shop that closed last month. Green Lane also has a location on the Upper East Side and was originally based in Brooklyn. Hours are listed as 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.

Amsterdam’s Finest & Freshest Deli at 706 Amsterdam between West 94th and 95th streets, has a “closed” sign on the door. The deli opened last year and was previously home to the Indian restaurant Ayurveda Cafe, which had a 25-year run in the space. 

Russian School of Math, a tutoring service, has expanded into the ground-level storefront underneath its existing location at 237 West 72nd Street. RSM has dozens of locations in the US, including a few in New York. Its 72nd Street branch has operated there since 2018. The program offers a continuous curriculum from kindergarten to 12th grade and is currently enrolling for summer classes, which begin in late June. The space used to be a Jenny Craig, which closed last year.

Beer Run, a bar and bottle shop, opened on Sunday, May 26th, at 547 Columbus Avenue (between West 86th and 87th streets). Beer Run serves a variety of cans and bottles of beer to stay or to go. There is a seated bar area indoors and outdoor tables. They also serve bar snacks and pretzels. This will be the third location in Manhattan for Beer Run: existing locations are on West 19th Street and at 3604 Broadway (between West 148th and 149th streets). The bar’s co-owners are John Hyun, a former commercial beer brewer, and Larry Good, a restauranter who runs Toast 125 and The Heights. 

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