By Scott Etkin
What makes a neighborhood special?
Along with distinctive architecture and shared public spaces, a necessary ingredient is longstanding retail establishments and restaurants. In a city like New York that’s constantly under construction, these are the storefronts that help give a neighborhood its unique character and a comforting sense of familiarity.
Upper West Siders seem to particularly appreciate the importance of longtime local businesses – hence the strong reactions when there’s word that a favorite like Absolute Bagels (established in 1990), Cafe Lalo (1988), or Han’s Fruit & Vegetable Market (1978) is gone for good. Seeing recent headlines about a possible eviction notice at Silver Moon Bakery (2000) or the change in ownership at Harry’s Shoes (1975) can bring about a recurring thought: “Not another one!”
More than just a vacant storefront, many UWSers feel these losses personally. Often, it’s because we knew the people who worked there. And they knew us, our parents, and our kids.
A closing can also be an unwelcome reminder that nothing lasts forever. Like a phone call in the middle of the night, the news of a closing can happen unexpectedly and seemingly without reason.
The love for a local business is something that can bring a neighborhood together. There’s an element of shared status in being able to say “we used to eat at Big Nick’s” or “get drinks at Bourbon Street Bar.”
Businesses that make it through recessions, the rise of e-commerce, and pandemics deserve to be celebrated. Fortunately, the Upper West Side still has its share of them. By our count, done with a lot of internet searching, more than two dozen shops and restaurants have been in operation in the neighborhood for more than 50 years.
Please find them listed below in chronological order of opening date. (Apologies to any businesses we might have missed – let us know any omissions in the comments.)
Barney Greengrass (1929 opened at present location; founded in 1908), 541 Amsterdam Avenue (between West 86th and 87th streets)
Dublin House (1933 opened officially as a pub after operating during the Prohibition era of the 1920s), 225 West 79th Street (between Broadway and Amsterdam)
Albee Baby (1933), 715 Amsterdam Avenue (between West 94th and 95th streets)
Zingone Brothers (1935), 471 Columbus Avenue (between West 82nd and 83rd streets)
Zabar’s (1934), 2245 Broadway (between West 80th and 81st streets)
Town Shop (1936 opened on Broadway on the UWS; founded in 1888), 2270 Broadway (between West 81st and 82nd streets)
Tom’s Restaurant (1940s – exact year not available), 2880 Broadway (between West 112th and 113th streets)
Mondel Chocolates (1943), 2913 Broadway (between West 113th and 114th streets)
Murray’s Sturgeon Shop (1946), 2429 Broadway (between West 89th and 90th streets)
Emerald Inn (1943 opened on Columbus Avenue and West 69th Street; moved to present location in 2013), 250 West 72nd Street (between West End and Broadway)
Old John’s Luncheonette (1951 opened at West 66th Street and Broadway; moved to present location in 1998), 148 West 67th Street (between Amsterdam and Broadway)
V&T Pizzeria & Restaurant (1951 opened at current location; founded in 1945), 1024 Amsterdam Avenue (between West 110th and 111th streets)
Sal and Carmine Pizza (1959), 2671 Broadway (between West 101st and 102nd streets)
Pioneer Supermarket (1959), 289 Columbus Avenue (between West 73rd and 74th streets)
The Hungarian Pastry Shop (1961), 1030 Amsterdam Avenue (between West 110th and 111th streets)
Tip Top Shoes (1964 opened in present location; founded in 1940), 155 West 72nd Street (between Amsterdam and Columbus)
Toga Bikes (1967), 110 West End Avenue (between West 64th and 65th streets)
Schweitzer Linen (1969), 457 Columbus Avenue (between West 81st and 82nd streets)
Symposium (1969), 544 West 113th Street (between Broadway and Amsterdam)
West Side Pharmacy (1971), 255 Columbus Avenue (between West 71st and 72nd streets)
Gray’s Papaya (1973), 2090 Broadway (between West 71st and 72nd streets)
Cafe Fiorello (1974), 1900 Broadway (between West 63rd and 64th streets)
Harry’s Shoes (1975 opened at present location; founded in 1931), 2299 Broadway (between West 82nd and 83rd streets)
Reader Additions:
Acker Wines (1904 began operating on the UWS; current location since 1987; founded in 1820) 160 West 72nd (between Amsterdam and Columbus)
Apthorp Pharmacy (1910; previously located at the corner of West 78th Street and Broadway) 2191 Broadway (between West 77th and 78th streets)
Citarella (1912 founded in Upper Manhattan; opened in current location a few years later), 2135 Broadway (between West 74th and 75th streets)
Crown Machine Services (1965), 2792 Broadway (between West 107th and 108th streets)
Fairway Market (1933 founded as a fruit and vegetable stand on the UWS), 2131 Broadway (between West 74th and 75th streets)
Fischer Bros. & Leslie (1949) 230 West 72nd Street (between West End and Broadway)
Mama’s Pizza (1959), 941 Amsterdam (between West 106th and 107th streets)
McDonald’s (1972), 2549 Broadway (between West 95th and 96th streets)
Samad’s Gourmet (1971), 2867 Broadway (between West 111th and 112th streets)
Thomas Drugs (1904), 171 Columbus (between West 67th and 68th streets)
67 Wine (1941), 179 Columbus (between West 67th and 68th streets)
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Great list, thank you! And we especially loved the part about how they knew our parents and (now) our kids…the very definition of a neighborhood place.
I’m now a senior citizen, but when I was 10 my mother always took me to Harry’s to get shoes. And we always got fruits & vegetables from Zingone’s.
Unbelievably valuable research. Thank you!
Thank you for this list! Many of my favorites are on here.
Fun. But either a date is wrong or the order needs to changed here;
Albee Baby (1933), 715 Amsterdam Avenue (between West 94th and 95th streets)
Zingone Brothers (1935), 471 Columbus Avenue (between West 82nd and 83rd streets)
Zabar’s (1934), 2245 Broadway (between West 80th and 81st streets)
Off the top of my head 67 Liquors and Thomas Drugs would be on the list
Thank you!
It’s not the “Upper” West Side, but if you are venturing down Columbus til it becomes 9th, and have business in Hell’s Kitchen, say near the Film Center, do visit Poseidon Bakery – the wonderful Greek bakery and cafe that has been there (in one location or another) since I think the 1950s. I’ve only been visiting since the 1990s, but their Spanikopita (spinach feta onion turnovers) and other savories are always delicious and nourishing, their backlava, kourambiedes (almond cookies) and other sweets and cookies are just as good, and they serve coffee, fruit strudels, quantities to eat in or take home. You don’t have to go to Astoria to get real Greek treats! Poseidon Greek Bakery, 629 Ninth Ave, between 44th and 45th.
I LOVE them!! They make such great stuff.
Albee’s used to be at 685 Amsterdam but moved to 711 around 1980?
An excellent article! Thank you, Scott Etkin.
I’d like to nominate for inclusion Westsider Books, 2246 Broadway. Although it has been at that location “only” since 1984, before that it was known as Gryphon Books (216 West 89th Street) and began in 1970 as Barqu at 69 W. 71st Street.
And if our mandate is broadened to cover theaters, I have a new #2 entry for the list: the (Leonard Nimoy) Thalia Theater (1931).
Has the Fairway Market been around since 1933? What about the West End Superette?
Thank you!
You’re welcome!
So, how about Westsider Books? Too many moves since 1970? It would be great to have at least one UWS bookstore on the list.
The Beacon Theatre – 1929
In case you seem to remember that Grays Papaya was there before 1973, there was a very similar hot dog and tropical fruit drink place at that location when I started working at a restaurant called Éclair in 1967. Eclair was on 72nd between Amsterdam and Columbus.
This is so fun! I love that there are still so many places that have been part of the fabric of the neighborhood for so long.
I was born in 1955 and frequented many of these stores.
This is what sets the Rag apart from others. Classy, useful in-house content and not just a bunch of lazy rewrites of other people’s articles.
Acker Merrill wines, I remember them on 86th and Broadway in the mid 1970s, now they are on West 72nd
Try the 1870s. They were founded in 1820.
How about Fischer Bros. & Leslie @ 230 @ 72nd since 1949? Very old school butcher/deli.
I’m surprised Mama’s pizza wasn’t on this list. I remember them back in the 70’s
And Carmines! Broadway & 91st. Street. Opened on 8/14/1990
It hasn’t been 50 years since 1990 lol
Stationary and Toy World, 125 West 72nd Street, has been there since I was a child, and looks more or less like it did back in the 70s, which is comforting.
If you’re looking at lost businesses, it might be worth remembering that once upon a time we had a Horn & Hardart automat at 170 West 72nd Street (1931 – 1967). The old art deco architectural details now enclose a Citibank.
There also was a Horn & Hardart Automat at 2710 Broadway & 104th (1930-1954). You can still see the beautiful old details of the 2nd floor facade, atop what’s now a City MD.
I, too, had considered mentioning Stationery and Toy World, but on checking my sources could find claimed opening years of only 1985, 1986, & 1988; and for what it’s worth, my 1980–81 White Pages doesn’t list it. Perhaps it had a different name or management back in the ’70s?
Ah-HA — the McDonald’s at 2549 Broadway (1972), according to various sources Manhattan’s oldest.
I remember when they opened and also believe it was the first in Manhattan.
Loew’s 83rd Street Movie Theatre opened in 1921. It became a triple screen, then a quad screen theater in the 70’s. In 1984 a new Loew’s 84th (now AMC 84th) opened a block away and the old Loew’s was demolished.
How well and how sadly I recall its demolition!
Sal and Carmines used to be at 94th and Broadway, next to Symphony before they moved to 102nd.
ThecDivine Cheesecake: Remembering Miss Grimble’s Bakery….
I miss Miss Grimble’s “The Queen of the Cheesecakes”
Her first tiny shop was located at 165 Columbus Avenue, between 67th and 68th Streets.
Miss Grimble, then moved to a larger space at 305 Columbus Avenue, between 74th and 75th Streets.
Ok fellow Upper West siders…
Question time?
Who remembers her and what was your favorite cheesecake by “Miss Grimble” “The Queen of the Cheesecakes”….
The raspberry swirl cheesecake was a work of art!
How about Citarella 1912 and Fischer bros. & Leslie 1949?
A fun read!
How about Samad Deli on 111 and Broadway?
Great article, thanks! Does anyone remember a Hungarian place called Rendezvous on the UWS? I think it was on Bway, 80s. Childhood memories of Wiener schnitzel, knudel, and Rigo Jancsi, Shirley Temples maybe? And the walk home up Broadway in the evenings… Live long and prosper, UWS and WSR!
Apthorp Pharmacy’s website says it’s been around for over a century: https://apthorprx.com/about/
Via the Wayback Machine’s April 2018 snapshot of that page, one sees “since 1910”; that would mean it began only about two years after The Apthorp’s completion. Curiously, however, one also finds there the statement, “Today, the apthorp Pharmacy is a local landmark, part of the historical apthorp Mansion, built in 1901”, which makes no sense. So although it’s probably a safe bet they’ve been around over 50 years, beyond that I dunno.
Sal & carmine’s was originally next door to symphony space (or one store front over) & was called Sal’s.
Has anyone actually ever been to Symposium? It’s there physically, but it is also not there in a more general sense (as in humans being there)
I had a best friend in college who lived across the street from Symposium in the early ’70s, and we ate there often. The restaurant, still fairly new, was always packed and lively.
The last time I stopped in — maybe ten years ago? — there couldn’t have been more than a dozen diners in the whole place. Worse still, I was sixty-something instead of twenty. Wha’ happened?
I’ve been a few times and loved the reminder. The food and sangria were good! This was in the early 2000’s. Think it is time for another visit.
Raises hand; that was back c. 1980, mind you.
Been to Symposium many times. It hasn’t been full a lot in recent years when we’ve gone, but on a Friday night this past December when we went it was quite busy. Ebbs and flows with the seasonal Columbia campus population, for sure. Definitely not as busy consistently as it was when we went in the ’90s, though.
When I started as an undergraduate at Columbia in 1962, what is now the Hungarian Pastry Shop was certainly in operation. However, it was a Hungarian restaurant not focused exclusively on pastries. Palacsinta (Hungarian crepes) were a featured dessert but goulash was also prominent on the menu. I believe they switched over to the current format some time in the 1970s.
Agree with Ron — it was the Green Tree, not the Hungarian Pastry Shop, and I went there often in the late ’70s to have their cold cherry soup. They served very affordable, filling food, perfect for a student budget. One of the additional attractions was that if you were a Columbia student you could get a free beer with dinner. If memory serves me correctly they served Schmidts beer.
Just a correction: The Hungarian restaurant you’re thinking of was The Green Tree, which was next door to The Hungarian Pastry Shop. Tartina is there now, preceded by Columbia Cottage. I always assumed it was in some way connected to the Pastry Shop though don’t know that for sure. They made a memorable cherry soup.
If memory serves, the Hungarian pastry Shop was alive and well in the 50s…..
It just moved, but La Caridad has been on the UWS since 1968. Also, if we’re doing chains and such, the McDonald’s on 96th and Broadway and the Mobil station around the corner have also survived 50 years.
I think you must include Crown Machine Services at 2792 Broadway, 108th Street. They’ve been selling and fixing vacuum cleaners and sewing machines for years. There are almost no stores left like this one, filled with all sorts of machines in various states of repair. May it never close.
Oh, yes. Great store, if quirky. There’s no sewing machine or vac they can’t fix, and they do electronics, too. Mark, the owner, is one of a kind. Just don’t trip over the piles of stuff on the single narrow aisle. And don’t lose your claim ticket.
Does anyone know how long Mitchells Wine and Liquor store has been around? I’ve been going there for over 25 years . . love to neon sign too.
Thanks for the encouraging list, Scott. See, good things DO last on the UWS. I was shocked, though, to see that Fiorello has been there that long. I remember clearly when it opened. Must be getting old.
I still count on Zingone’s for good groceries, good service and good people.
Just great! I truly enjoy patronizing these spots in the 2020s!
Schatzie Butcher
There was a bakery on the southwest corner of Amsterdam and 86th Street.
Louis Lichtman’s, of delicious memory. Oh, the strudels.
https://www.nytimes.com/1987/07/01/nyregion/a-da-vinci-of-dough-closes-bakery-on-the-west-side.html
Acker Merrill is the oldest, continuous wine shop in America. They were founded in the 19th century. They were in lower Manhattan, but have been on the upper west side a very long time. They still have a bill of lading for an expected shipment of champagne that was crossing the Atlantic on the Titanic. (True story!)
Zingone Bro’s grocer! (Ps. Rip to the dad. Sad.)
How about Acker, Merrall and Condit now on West 72nd Street, formerly on Broadway between 86th and 87th? There since the 60s at least. Been at my address on West End Avenue since 1960. Grew up in the building. My mom took me to Harry’s too. And Zabar’s for chicken consommé whenever under the weather. “Jewish Penicillin.”
Hartley Chemists a pharmacy since 1946 at 120th and Amsterdam Avenue.
Quality Florist, now called “Q”, started more than 50 years ago selling flowers by the newsstand and subway exit at the northwest corner of 81st Street and Central Park West. They eventually opened a store at 81st Street and Columbus Avenue. It is still family owned and run with beautiful flowers and friendly service. I believe the little boy accompanying his father by the newsstand is now running the store.
CAFE LUXEMBOURG1
Neet Cleaners 87th
Park West Pharmacy, Zingone’s, Q Florists
Dive bar on Bway from the 60s I believe
Love your introduction and your list! As noted, it’s so valuable! And I will frequent those businesses more becauseI want them to stay open.
Shifting the timeline, I wonder if you could do another list with businesses since, say, 1990? At this point, with all the turnover, they’re getting old, too.
How I miss: Columbia Bagels, The Marlin, La Rosita, The Abbey Pub, Liberty House, The Terrace, Picnic (more recent) to name a few…
What about Janoff Stationary on Bway btwn 112 & 111St?
Correction: Mama’s Pizza has not been at it’s current location since 1959. There was a bar/restaurant in that space in the 1990’s.