By Scott Etkin and Lisa Kava
Kossar’s, the bakery known for its bialys, has opened at 37 West End Avenue (between West 61st and 62nd streets). The Kossar’s brand dates back to 1936 on the Lower East Side, and it still uses the authentic ingredients passed down from recipes from 17th-century Eastern Europe, according to the company’s website. The menu includes hand-rolled bagels, bialys, pastries, breakfast wraps, omelets, challah French toast, breakfast catering platters, and more. This is the fifth Kossar’s location and second on the Upper West Side – a long-awaited shop opened on West 72nd Street last spring. The retail space was previously a Pick A Bagel. (Thanks to Ryan for the tip.)
Cibo e Vino, the Italian restaurant at 2418 Broadway (southeast corner of West 89th Street), has closed as of Sunday, March 30th. West Side Rag’s phone calls to the restaurant went unanswered. Earlier this month, a representative told the Rag that they had no plans to close. The restaurant opened in 2013 and expanded in 2017. A representative from Water & Wheat, another Italian restaurant at 1379 Third Avenue, confirmed to West Side Rag that they are planning to open a second location at the Broadway spot in July or August. We will update when we have more information. (Thanks to Dave for the tip).
Modern Wine, a wine shop, has opened at 161 Freedom Place (near 67th Street and Riverside Boulevard), replacing Renaissance Fine Wine & Spirits, the longtime wine shop at this location. Seema Gunda, Modern’s owner, took over Renaissance Fine Wine & Spirits last summer, and in the fall renovated and rebranded the shop. She has updated the inventory to feature smaller producers, started hosting wine-tasting events, and launched a wine club monthly subscription. The space now has seating, which makes it “more of a hub for the community to connect, rather than just in-and-out shopping,” Gunda said on a call with the Rag. Certified as a sommelier, Gunda left a career in strategy consulting to start Modern. “It’s really exciting to be building something,” said Gunda, who lives in the neighborhood. “I really like making wine simple and approachable, and the opportunity to be able to share that with friends, new and old, is honestly a dream come true.”
Tanya Luxury Fashion Boutique, the luxury consignment shop at 132 West 72nd Street (between Amsterdam and Columbus), closed its doors on April 1st. “Due to the volatility of our economy and the downturn in the retail sector, particularly in luxury fashion consumption, I am concluding my five-year tenure as a procurer of new and preloved luxury items,” owner Tanya Young Williams wrote to West Side Rag in an email. The shop opened in December 2023 as Consignment on 72nd, and rebranded last summer.
La Mode Cleaners, at 106 West 69th Street (between Columbus and Broadway), has closed and there is a “for rent” sign on the window. It has consolidated with the La Mode Cleaners at 106 West 71 Street, a representative from that location told West Side Rag. He said he did not know the reason for the closing. Film buffs might remember that the retail space at West 69th Street was formerly Maya Shaper’s Cheese and Antiques, which was featured as “The Shop Around the Corner” in the 1998 movie “You’ve Got Mail.” The cleaners opened at this location in 2012. (Thanks to Laura for the tip.)
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
Subscribe to West Side Rag’s FREE email newsletter here. And you can Support the Rag here.
Sorry to see cibo e vino go. Their menu was amazing when they first opened up. My husband and I would have brunch there every weekend. Once they took off the most delicious food off their menu, we stopped going.
Agree, it had gone down hill.
Agreed, when they first opened, their menu was great. But they kept changing, lunch, no lunch, next door space, no next door space. And their prices went way up and selection and quality went down. We stopped going after about a year of this nonsense, before the scaffolding so I don’t blame that.
Cibo e Vino had been under scaffolding for at least 4 years at this point. Can’t imagine that did them any favors. A shame.
Agreed, has to be a factor. Scaffolding NEVER helps a ground floor business.
The former space, now occupied by Kossers on W. 72nd Street, was not Pick A Bagel, but rather the beloved Pier 72 diner.
It was one of my favorite nabe places. No chi chi, no attitude, just great, simple diner food at great prices with great service. I miss it.
Article is referring to the 61st and West End Kossers which was pick a bagel. A damn good one too!
Picked A Bagel was so freaking good.
The NEW location, at 37 West End Avenue, was a Pick A Bagel.
They were referring to the new Kossars on West End and 61st.
The article was referring to the new Kosars, on 11th/West End Ave.
Water & Wheat is a wonderful restaurant, very glad they are coming to the West Side.
Not sure what happened to Cibo e vino but once I stopped seeing the owners there on a regular basis, it really suffered.
Are the closings in the upper 60s and lower 70s due to ABC pulling out of the neighborhood?
Kossar’s is a little salty for me, but if you want an actual bialy there aren’t a ton of other options.
I miss that little cheese shop on 69th!!
Man, I was on 89th and Broadway yesterday, and thought they had closed. These women told me they had closed a few days previously. I never saw a sign, nothing. It was always so packed. And I really, really loved that cafe they had opened too.
As for the Cleaners. I was JUST saying , after I was sad about a great restaurant closing, how the one good development since the end of the pandemic has been that all the dry cleaners have stopped closing left and right. But alas.
Also. Btw. The Edible. Arrangements on 90th and Broadway still has signage up but I haven’t seen it open in months.
Times were bad for dry cleaners and laundries before pandemic, ever since that event more misery has piled on.
Simply put demand for dry cleaning services has been declining for years due to several factors ranging from “casual Friday’s” to overall shifts in people’s habits.
For a few years now the new “Midtown Uniform” for men has been a fleece vest (preferably Patagonia), button down shirt and pair of slacks (or jeans). That’s a far cry from suit and tie of historical norm.
WFH is killing what little business many dry cleaners and laundries had. Men not going into office five days per week don’t need five or whatever shirts laundered each week. Meanwhile costs for laundries and dry cleaners have increased over years but they are limited as to how high can raise prices.
https://archive.ph/rgSNm
I’m a woman and I like dressing up. I’d love to frequent the dry cleaners more but the prices have just gotten out of control. Now I just hand wash most things at home and wear the things I can’t as long as possible so I only need to take 1-2 trips a year. I also just avoid anything that requires dry cleaning…not because I don’t want to wear nicer things, but because the maintenance cost is just too high.
Made in New York Pizza opened on Friday in the old Krispy Cream spot on 96th & Broadway
Can’t say I’ll mourn Cibo e Vino. Although a cute place, the food went from average to bad to worse over the years. Hope the next one is better.
Ugh. Mostly all closures.
I remember discovering Cheese and Antiques when I first moved from Queens to the UWS in 1972. I initially thought it was a pretty weird concept but soon found myself in the store on many weekends while strolling around the neighborhood. Unique stores like Maya’s made my new home so special. I’m still here and, though many of these specialty stores are long gone, my love of the UWS hasn’t changed.
Loved Cibo e Vino. I went 3 times in their last two weeks and the food wa as wonderful as ever. They are moving to the East Side, somewhere in the 70s. I believe a rent increase was the motivator, as is the case too often on the UWS,
They are moving to space on 74 th and Lex. . They told me it would be called Marlow East I believe. I always enjoy Cibo and will miss it.
Ditto. I’ve been a steady customer since they first opened and dined there on their last day. Of course, they occasionally change their menu—what good restaurant doesn’t periodically introduce new menu items? I will certainly miss their Bolognese, the best I’ve had in the city, aside from my own version…
Tell Kossars we have a perfect spot for them to serve those of us above 72 St. —-the empty former Absolute Bagels shop. Long lines await them should they decide to move on up!
wine and espresso bar is opening in the old Duke’s Deli at W 98th and Amsterdam
A new place opened up next to Cibi e Vino. It is called 89th street Mart. I can’t tell if it is a marijuana place or if they just sell snacks and soda. Just opened today, as it wasn’t there yesteraay
Scaffolding once again killed businesses.
Any news on the Wegman’s on 64th and Broadway?
Mokja, the Korean place in the 90s on Amsterdam, appears to have closed.