By Lisa Kava and Natalie Demaree
The Milling Room, the longtime restaurant at 446 Columbus Avenue (between West 81st and West 82nd Street), closed in December. A temporary pop-up called Comete NYC opened in the space on December 23rd, and serves dinner Tuesdays through Saturdays from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The bar opens at 4:30 p.m. Comete NYC will remain in the space until approximately the end of February, a manager told West Side Rag on a visit to the restaurant. Eater reported that a new restaurant called Ashi, led by chef Jesus Duron, from Mexico City, will be the next restaurant in the space. We will update when we have more information and details.
Industrious, a co-working and flexible workspace, is opening a location on the Upper West Side at 1900 Broadway (at West 64th Street), on February 9th. The space, which will feature 48 private offices and three open workspace lounges, is on the seventh floor. Industrious Upper West Side will offer both membership and on-demand options which include: co-working day passes, co-working common spaces, private offices, and access to meeting rooms equipped with amenities and professional A/V equipment, a representative told West Side Rag. Industrious currently has over 150 locations throughout the world in 10 countries. There are over 30 locations in NYC.
“Every detail within the workspace is designed to balance energy and focus,” the representative wrote. ”Flexible coworking lounges give freelancers and solo entrepreneurs a polished, inspiring base, while private offices provide small teams a professional home that’s move-in ready and amenity rich.” Daily breakfast, elevated snacks and unlimited coffee are all included in the membership. Official hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, but members will be granted 24-hour, seven-day-a-week access. ASCAP, the performing artists organization, was the last tenant in the space. The seventh floor has been empty since 2018.
Lift NYC, an Upper West Side fitness company offering personal training, group strength training and Pilates, is opening its third location on February 7th at 2091 Broadway (at West 72nd Street), on the second floor. Lift’s two existing studios are at 2212 Broadway (at West 79th Street), and at 171 West 80th Street (at Amsterdam Avenue).
The newest location will offer both small group Pilates classes (limited to five people), and strength training classes beginning in March. “We want people to feel strong in their bodies. We want to merge strength training and Pilates,” founder Ashely Culver told West Side Rag on a phone call. “We want to help people move better and feel better in their everyday life.” Culver, a personal trainer and Upper West Side resident, founded Lift NYC in 2023. Lift NYC offers class packages, memberships, and drop in options, “Our studios are designed to to feel welcoming and calm so that people immediately feel comfortable,” Culver said. The space was previously a contractor’s office.
SoBol, an acai bowl and smoothie shop opened on January 21st at 550 Columbus Avenue (between West 86th and West 87th streets). SoBol also serves waffles, egg bites and other snacks. The company was founded in 2013 and has over 100 locations nationwide. This is the second franchise for owner Alex Kostas, who has been with SoBol for nine years (his other cafe is in Forest Hills. Customers can order in advance via a SoBol app or order at the cafe. The space was previously a smoke shop.
NYC Wash N’ Fold, a laundry service, opened on December 21st at 971 Columbus Avenue (between West 107th and West 108th streets), owner Shamel Lazarus, a New York City native and former Division I football player, told the Rag on a phone call. This is the first location for the business which offers wash-and-fold, and pickup and delivery services along with monthly subscription plans for customers on the Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. “NYC Wash N’ Fold was built with a modern, disciplined approach, combining new equipment, thoughtful design, and streamlined operations inspired by both athletic and business fundamentals. Our goal is to become a trusted neighborhood staple,” Lazarus said. The laundry service is open from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, and from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday, according to their website. The space was previously owned by Green Clean Laundromat.
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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The fruit/veg stand at 86th & Broadway by subway is no longer there. Always busy at all hours. It will be greatly missed if it does not return.
I assume it is due to the snow
i noticed that, and assumed it was perhaps due to the recent snow and that it would return. (though it had not moved in prior storms). sad to see it go. it seemed like a fixture.
I used to shop there quite often, on the way to Key Food (their prices were much better, so I would check the stand first). It was one of my main sources of produce.
The produce at Key Food is pretty awful.
That fruit stand is/was one of the best in the city. I never bought anything there that was past its better days.
Thanks for mentioning – I have frequented that stand for years and I am sorry it is gone. Can WSR or someone else let us know if this is temporary or permanent? Their prices were great and if it meant slightly higher prices in order for them to still be there, I would have been happy to pay.
Not that they actively competed too much, but interesting this happened right when Broadway Farm seems to be going away.
If true, a real loss for the neighborhood.
Leopard at Des Artistes on 67th St is closing mid-February.
I’m happy for their new businesses, but Sobol and Wash N’ Fold should get new logo designers.
What news on Broadway Farm?
It is sad – I went in and the shelves were basically empty. Not sure why they are even bothering at this point.
Feb 1 was to be last day, but they “are still negotiating” the manager said.
Grape Collective is my favorite wine shop in Bloomingdale. This past weekend, the stock was significantly depleted. Storm related shipping issues or are they selling down their inventory in preparation for closing?
In case this hasn’t been reported, the Capital One at 72nd & Amsterdam/Broadway is closing. I’m a customer and got a letter saying that April 22 will be the final day it’s open.
I can confirm. Walker Malloy will be marketing the space.
Relive at 92nd & Columbus just closed
Aunt Jenny’s opening on Broadway and 108th. Chinese comfort food and teas.
They absolutely ruined the facade of that building. It’s a travesty – the hot pot restaurant kept it after Canon’s closed. Someone should be publicly flogged for the redesign
The closings are ramping up again.
All over the city. The prices went up, the portions went down, the quality shakily hovered in the middle, and the service took a nosedive. Some greats remain, but overall, it’s just not worth it to eat out as frequently.
I recall when the Milling Room space used to be a place called Corvo Bianco with chef Elizabeth Falkner. She actually put the pizza that won her the Neapolitan contest in Italy on the menu. But the neighborhood wasn’t ready for her enlightened take on Italian. I’m hoping something as good as Corvo Bianco with a truly talented chef comes back to the space. Anybody here remember Corvo?
I remember when that space first opened- was it called Dino delaurento food show? I worked there one summer in the 80s. Sprawling gourmet food shop w/huge sky light in the middle of the space…
I was just talking with a friend about that Dino deLaurentis place! After having not thought about it in… 40 years?. So funny to see it come up again 2 days later.
And I remember when the space was a two-storied bookstore!
That original Endicott Books space is now occupied by Strand. Different space, same building.
The Strand is sui generis, but I remember Endicott Books with great affection. The owner, Encarnita Quinlan, gave it such warmth and personality. But, like other independent bookstores in the neighborhood, it couldn’t withstand the opening of Barnes & Noble on Broadway.
Good memory! Conceived by Dino DiLaurentiis, the Italian filmmaker. The building it was in, the Endicott, had just been renovated from a decrepit SRO, and the Food Show was the first occupant of that dramatic space. Wasn’t there a flaming open rotisserie in the rear? All very cinematic, but the prepared takeout food never quite lived up to the venue.
It was, however, one of the early signs of the neighborhood’s revival after a low period.
Hi. Do you recall what year they opened Corvo Bianco?
Thanks.
2013. It lasted about a year.
I think Scott Bryan was the opening chef at Milling Room. Sadly, it was nothing like his cuisine at Veritas.
Ain’t that the truth. Veritas was magic with a wine list second only to Cru at the time.
I feel like every new laundry business now is a wash and fold. Begging someone to open a self serve laundromat between 86 – 103rd to take some pressure off the only two that we currently have there.
I love the Milling Room space. It’s probably one of the most beautiful spaces for a restaurant in the city. I’ve been going to that place since the summer of 1999 when I discovered Called Ocho. I hope whatever comes next can thrive there.
Great space, totally unused and a below-subpar business
Yes a beautiful space, popular for wedding parties/engagements, but will be nice to have a new restaurant as Millings food was somewhat mediocre.
JL, me too! And I totally agree, it’s one of the most stunning spaces in the city, it’s had the wow factor in all of it’s incarnations
I am incredibly sad to hear about The Milling Room, dinner was too pricy and uneven for me, but the happy hour was one of the best in the neighborhood!
What replaces the Starbucks spaces?
And is the Scaletta space still vacant?
Years after the landlord would not renew Scaletta’s lease because Scaletta was not a “cool” place.
Loved their happy hour, but had the worst experience at Milling Room for Thanksgiving. $14 for a 1/4 cup of cranberry sauce and other very basic sides. Wild. Looks like they were getting every last penny out that they could.
Sad to see Milling room close. i used ot go there 2-4 times a year.
it did decline some in recent years, not necessarily the quality but the selection was cut back dramatically and the entrees, while still excellent, were not as adventurous as they used to be. One of my faves was the squid ink pasta with shrimp which was amazing.
The new weed store has an awning on Amsterdam and 95th. And there’s now a Halal Guys truck at that location almost every day. They left the Shah’s Halal spot and now they’re back with a truck.
Sometime between Dino De Laurentiis and Milling Room there was also Calle Ocho (before it moved to 81st St & then uptown) and Main Street (their meat loaf was fantastic). I loved the super large lazy Susan that was in a semi-private room off the main room.