By Scott Etkin and Lisa Kava

Pig and Khao, a Southeast Asian restaurant, is opening on Wednesday, December 4th at 433 Amsterdam Avenue (between West 80th and 81st streets). Pig & Khao’s first location was opened on the Lower East Side in 2012 by Chef Leah Cohen, who appeared on the TV Show “Top Chef.” The Upper West Side location’s menu will include some favorites from the restaurant downtown (such as the Papaya Salad, Khao Soi, Chili Pan Mee, Haninese Duck, and Sizzling Sisig), as well as new dishes “drawing inspiration from Leah’s training and travels throughout Thailand and Vietnam, while also delving deeper into her Filipino heritage,” a representative wrote in a message to the Rag. The space used to be RA Sushi, which relocated to Times Square in 2020. 

Eshel, a Persian/Mediterranean Glatt kosher restaurant is planning to open on Thursday, December 5th at 507 Columbus Avenue (between West 84th and 85th streets). Eshel is a Hebrew word in the Old Testament that has been interpreted to relate to hospitality. Eshel will be open for lunch six days a week (closed on Saturdays until 2 p.m.) and dinner seven days a week. The restaurant will be open for breakfast on Sundays and will close by 2 p.m. on Fridays for Shabbat. The menu will include traditional Mediterranean dishes such as kebabs, hummus, eggplant, tabbouleh, chicken shawarma, and a crispy rice dish called tahdig, one of the owners, Rafael Yaghoubian, told West Side Rag on a phone call. The chef is from Blossom, a longtime vegan restaurant that closed in August, which was previously in the space. “My wife and daughters are excellent cooks and have delicious recipes,” Yaghoubian said. They will be sharing these recipes with the chef and will oversee him. Mordechai Haimzadegan, one of Yaghoubian’s partners in Eshel, also owns Shiraz, another Persian/Mediterranean restaurant in Great Neck, Long Island.

Boka, a Korean restaurant, re-opened for in-person dining at 410 Amsterdam Avenue (between West 79th and 80th streets) two weeks ago. West Side Rag reported about the restaurant’s plans to open at this location in 2016, but the restaurant was delayed in opening until 2020. Also in 2020, Sushi Nonaka opened in the garden space below Boka (the owners of the two businesses are married, The Infatuation wrote in a review) and it remains open for lunch and dinner. Boka specializes in Korean fried chicken and flavored soju, an alcoholic beverage traditionally made from rice. It has another restaurant in the East Village.

The annual Columbus Circle Holiday Market at West 59th Street is running from December 3rd to December 31st. There are more than 100 booths with artisans and designers selling crafts including handmade jewelry, art, home goods, and more. There are also food stands including bureks, tacos, doughnuts, and bratwurst. Hours are Monday to Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The Market will close at 4:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve and be closed on Christmas Day. 

Niko Coffee + More and Strokos, a gourmet deli and marketplace, which share a building at 1090 Amsterdam Avenue and West 113th Street appear to be temporarily closed. Both are popular with the Columbia University community. Strokos serves pizza, sandwiches, soups, and salads. Niko Coffee serves coffee, tea, espresso, croissants, pastries, and sandwiches. A sign on the window at Niko’s reads “Renovations going on will be back in a couple of months, we hope to see you then.” A sign on the door at Strokos thanks customers for the wonderful support through the years and says “We hope to see you again in the near future.” Neither establishment has yet responded to West Side Rag’s outreach. We will update when we have more information. (Thanks to Ben for the tip).

Nirvanna Designs, a pop-up shop with handmade accessories for winter made with 100% sheep’s wool, has opened at 1875 Broadway (between West 61st and 62nd streets) and is planning to run through at least January 15th. Its collection includes hats, gloves, slippers, scarves, earmuffs, hand warmers, and more. The business, founded in 1996, helps to support craftswomen in Nepal by allowing them to work out of their homes, a representative told WSR over the phone. The name “Nirvanna” is a combination of the founders’ two names, Nir and Anna. Nirvanna has had booths at NYC’s holiday markets for the past 20 years, and this year it’s participating at several, including the ones at Columbus Circle, Bryant Park, Union Square, and Herald Square. The space used to be Melissa’s Gourmet Deli, which closed in 2022.  

Joe Coffee at 2058 Broadway between West 70th and 71st streets closed on December 1st. This branch of the café chain opened last year. “While our time in this space was brief, it’s been a privilege to be part of this vibrant corner of the neighborhood,” reads a sign posted on the storefront. Joe Coffee, founded in 2003, has a few other cafés that will remain nearby on the UWS, including at West 68th Street and Columbus and at West 85th Street and Columbus. The space used to be Blue Marble Ice Cream, which has transitioned to being a wholesale-only business. (Thanks to Marcus for the tip.) 

The Migrant Kitchen, a quick-service restaurant, has installed three heated cabins outside its existing seasonal outpost in Central Park, located just north of the Heckscher Ballfields (near West 65th Street). The cabins are available by reservation and open Saturdays and Sundays through December 31st. Migrant Kitchen’s holiday-themed menu for the Central Park location includes hot cocoa, warm and festive cocktails, like Buttered Rum and Eggnog, sweets, sandwiches, and more. Pricing is $15 per party from 9:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. and $25 per party after 5 p.m., with a one drink minimum per person (alcoholic or non alcoholic). 

The Openings & Closings column wouldn’t be possible without our many tipsters: thank you! Anyone can send tips about openings and closings in the neighborhood to info@westsiderag.com.

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