By Lisa Kava and Natalie Demaree
Pastrami Queen, a kosher deli, has temporarily closed its location at 138 West 72nd Street (between Amsterdam and Columbus avenues), for emergency repairs, according to signage on the door and an Instagram post. The deli has two other locations in Manhattan; one on the Upper East Side at 1125 Lexington Avenue, and one in the Moynihan Train Food Hall at 421 Eighth Avenue. The Upper East Side location will continue to deliver to the Upper West Side. There is no set reopening date yet for the West 72nd Street location, but a representative told West Side Rag “we will reopen as soon as the repairs are complete.” Pastrami Queen opened the West 72nd Street location in October 2020.
Aves, a Thai and Asian fusion restaurant at 102 West 86th Street (between Columbus and Amsterdam avenues), has been rebranded with a new menu and a new name but remains under the same ownership. As of March 18th, the restaurant is called Dong Lai Pavilion and is serving Northern Chinese food, a representative told West Side Rag on a phone call. Menu items include dim sum, Peking duck, fried rice, General Tso’s chicken, sesame chicken, chinese broccoli, and wok fried beef among others. A new website is in the works. Dong Lai Pavilion is open seven days a week from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Its predecessor, Aves, opened in January 2025. (Thanks to Alan for the tip.)
Effy’s Cafe, which offers kosher Mediterranean fare, is expected to open on March 25th at 552 Columbus Avenue (between West 86th and West 87th streets). The cafe will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., a restaurant employee told West Side Rag on a phone call. Menu items include omelettes, wraps, various shawarma dishes, sandwiches, salads, and falafel dishes. This will be the second Upper West Side location for Effy’s; there is an existing cafe at 104 West 96th Street (between Columbus and Amsterdam avenues). There is also a location on the Upper East Side at 1688 York Avenue. Manhattan Puppies & Kittens, a pet store which was forced to close in December 2024 because of the Puppy MIll Pipeline law, was previously in the space. (Thanks to Annie for the tip.)
M.M. LaFleur, a women’s clothing store at 182A Columbus Avenue (at West 69th Street), is closing on March 29th. A store clerk told West Side Rag that the company decided not to renew the lease, which ends at the end of the month. “It’s a bittersweet goodbye as we’ve truly enjoyed welcoming you into our space and are so grateful for your support,” the store manager wrote in an email to customers. The store is offering an additional 25% off sale products until closing. M.M. LaFleur’s Bryant Park location will remain open. The Upper West Side location opened in March 2023. (Thanks to Janice for the tip.)
The UPS store at 119 West 72 Street (between Amsterdam and Columbus avenues), is closing on April 6th after more than 30 years of operation in the space. The closure is due to the rising cost of rent, a lengthy letter to customers explains. The letter, which provides more details about the landlord and attempted negotiations, is dated March 16th and can be found taped to the window of the store. “With sheer sadness, I regret to inform you that I have to close the store, which has been in operation at this location since the 1990’s,” the manager wrote in the letter. All packages and mail will be forwarded to the UPS store at 2218 Broadway (on the corner of West 79th Street). (Thanks to Margaret for the tip.)
Pho Broadway, a Vietnamese restaurant, opened on March 17th at 2058 Broadway (between West 70th and 71st streets.) It is open seven days a week from 11:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. Pho Broadway serves pho noodle dishes and soup, spring rolls, dumplings, vermicelli noodle dishes, rice dishes and banh mi (Vietnamese specialty sandwiches). This is the eleventh location in NYC for Pho. Others are in Times Square, Koreatown, Midtown, Chelsea, Greenwich Village, and in Morningside Heights. (Thanks to Erin for the tip.)
Texas Rotisserie & Grill, a barbecue restaurant at 2581 Broadway (between West 97th and 98th streets), closed on March 21st. The restaurant, which has been open for more than 30 years, closed because of financial pressures, including an increase in rent, according to signage on the door which reads “From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. Your support, smiles and conversations have been the highlight of our work.” (Thanks to Ivan for the tip.)
School of Math, a math learning center for students from 2nd through 12th grade, opened on March 23rd at 226 West 79th Street (between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue). The center is located on the second floor. It was founded by husband and wife Marcelo Ramos and Vivianne Wright, who also own MBA House, a GMAT prep course and tutoring center. School of Math offers classes for students to supplement their existing school math programs, and to help prepare for tests such as New York State Regents and AP exams. “The U.S. curriculum tries to cover everything and ends up mastering nothing,” Rios wrote to West Side Rag. “We built SOMATH to do the opposite, go deep, build real understanding and give every student a foundation that lasts.” Rios was previously a statistics professor at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. Wright received her masters degree in educational management at Harvard. “Our five month programs put students up to one and a half years ahead in math,” Rios wrote. ” The space was previously Elie Tanous hair salon, which still maintains a presence in Hackensack, N.J. (Thanks to Scott 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.
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I remember when that Chinese place use to be a diner back in the day
Three Guys? Triboro? Three Stars was across the street on the northwest corner.
I remember that decades ago there were a number of the Texas BBQ restaurants. Inexpensive, decent.
Are any left?
You may be thinking of Dallas BBQ. There was a huge one on 72nd Street near the Dakota. It was great, as you say. The only ones left in Manhattan that I know of are in Chelsea and Upper East Side.
I believe that the Texas store that just closed was independent of the Dallas chain.
And Dallas BBQ soaked the 73rd street sidewalk with animal fat. It was so bad that the sidewalk had to be replaced.
Lazy and arrogant, not a good neighbor.
Loved the Dallas BBQ in the day it was great. Their was a section you wentbdown a few steps you could have drinks. Usually after work id pick up my dinner.
Another Dallas BBQ branch exists at the north end of the former Audubon Ballroom, or what remains of it, at Broadway & 166th Street. And there are others (https://www.dallasbbq.com/reservations), sadly no longer including the Village branch at 21 West 8th Street.
The branch at 27 West 72nd Street, in the barrel-vaulted former dining room of the Olcott Hotel (1930), was the chain’s flagship location, there from 1978 through 2014, though originally named the Swiss Chalet and still called that in 1983.
Also worth remembering is Smokey’s Real Pit Bar-B-Que at 685 Amsterdam Avenue, which opened April 1982 and closed at some point I haven’t yet pinpointed. Their icebox cake was dreamy.
I remember that place. It was good but mostly empty especially for lunch.
I use the UPS store on Amsterdam in the West 60s. I hope that stays as it’s important to have that service nearby, Cannot wait for Pastrami Queen to return. Expensive yes. Delicious YES!
They just recently moved 2 blocks so it looks like they would be there for a while. I used to live in the 80s and the UPS on 86 was great as they remained in service, even during covid. Rising rent will forever be the enemy of businesses in NY.
Bring back Fine & Schapiro!
Yes! Loved their sandwichs & chicken soup.
Really stinks about the UPS Store. Definitely the nicest people working there compared to the FedEx store on 72nd.
I was really upset to learn the news. I spoke to the employees, they’re all getting laid off – not even relocated. I ended up writing UPS Corporate and I wrote the landlord as well. The employees were the best in the neighborhood and the convenience of this location was perfect for UWSiders living below 79th x Bway which is where the next closest store is (to me).
Chris, the store manager, is superb. Can do three things at one time and is beloved by his employees. Worked his way up.
Agree. And sharp contrast with service/attitude at UPS store on Amsterdam and 69th. I guess I will get more steps in using the 79th St location (same ownership as 72nd).
DongLai Pavilion has a website
https://www.donglaipavilion.com/
Good luck to them I with them the best, but Chinese food around the UWS has traditionally been less expensive food. $28 chicken and garlic sauce is not typical except for a few rare places.
Texas was the best. Goodbye cranberry creation and that great BBQ. You will be missed.
Really upset.Loved their chicken. Ordered a couple of times a month for years. It’s getting like a food desert. A block away bway farm gone. Ollies was once good but last two years got some awful cooking. No good places left nearby. Such a sad, stores broken down& closed nearby, place looks so shabby. What a change.Even got really ugly looking turkey from the diner. No places to order from anymore.
It was a Nedick’s when I was growing up.
That baked salmon with olive tapenade was one of my favorites. Gonna have to try to recreate it at home now.
My kids LOVED the chicken finger burrito… and if you chose the lunch special, it came with pink lemonade or non(overly)sweetened iced tea. Sad to have to break the news to them.
For me it was their onion rings.
I’ll miss their corn bread (really corn muffins).
A very sad loss for the neighborhood!
Effy’s is awesome. Food is very good and reasonably priced.
I’m so glad another location is opening.
Let’s hope Effy’s gets on board the “pancake moment” that’s happening in the city and does its own version of an Israeli pancake – lots of tasty ways to go with that!
I’m grateful for the continued presence of the UPS store at 105 West 86th Street, just off Columbus Avenue.
That UPS is a tiny shop with terrific service. I hope they have a good, long lease because several other shops in the same row (same landlord?) have recently gone away — the Chinese laundry, the frame shop, the rug place.
The staff there is pretty reliably great!
Sad to see Texas Rotisserie close! One of two staples in the upper 90s on Broadway that I loved. Lenny’s Bagels being the other and now BOTH are gone!
Sickening news about UPS. Their staff is so wonderful — patient, friendly, helpful. I hope they can easily transition to another location. These barbaric NYC rent increases — commercial and residential — feel unsurmountable.
Part of the problem seems to be that UPS wants all retail locations to have a large enough footprint to support printing and copying (the better to compete with FedEx). The 72nd St space is too small for that but was grandfathered in until this lease renewal. Similar size and affordable space is findable, but UPS HQ won’t approve the franchise renewal at that size. They don’t realize that the staff quality is how they are already winning vis-a-vis FedEx, at least here on the UWS.
It’s a huge loss for the neighborhood.
Hi; just to confirm that FED EX store is beyond rude. We won’t go in there anymore. Don’t need to put up with that!
wish landlord would let go of his greed and let us keep UPS.
The UPS store has been in business 30 years. That’s a nice run for any business.
And the space belongs to the landlord. The landlord is not running a philanthropy. They have the right to charge whatever they want for rent to maximize their profits.
This is not being “barbaric”.
Poor, poor landlords. It’s luck they have you to defend them as they spiral rents to the sky and bump out all the tenants.
Found the landlord. Profits over everything else is why this country is so messed up right now.
I’m surprised the landlord of the building allowed Effy’s, a similar business to Columbus Cafe open at this property. Columbus Cafe has been at their location for as long as I can remember. I watched their kids growing up and then working in the shop. I hope they’re not affected.
Effy’s is kosher, so many of their customers would not eat at Columbus Cafe.
Effy’s is more of a sit-down restaurant… I don’t think it will feel that similar to Columbus Cafe, based on the way they run the 96th st one.
So many closings. Landlords, please make rents affordable.
A Texas employee confirmed that the rent increased from $18k to $25k monthly. Smart move, given all of the other empty stores in this area.
Lots of landlords have too much debt on their buildings, so they are always pleading that they can’t lower rents. Sometimes the mortgage holding institution stipulates a certain level for commercial rent.
Please make taxes lower.
Please outlaw gross speculation.
The rent is too d*mn high!
I still can’t believe the cor of 93rd and B’dway (used to be Starbucks) is still vacant, it’s been since before the pandemic.
The CVS across the street has also been empty for a long time, though not as long as the Starbucks.
I have little love for The UPS Store in general, since they made me fight – hard – for over four months to get them to pay the insurance on a stereo that was shipped to me in perfect condition, but arrived broken and unrepairable. I had bought insurance on it, but they made me spend MONTHS trying to get them to honor that insurance, even after I provided reams of documents, photos, etc.
Nope, no love for the UPS store.
“insurance on a stereo”?? Is this a Seinfeld episode from the 90s?
Things just don’t seem to go your way.
Good move for Aves. I never understood that name, which was styled A-ves on the sign to make it even more confusing.
I heard that the name had something to do with birds, as in rara avis. I never understood the dark, funereal interior, which I found utterly uninviting. I sorely miss the days when that space was Mirabelle.
Would seem like the Amsterdam and 68th UPS Store is closer
It looks as though the deli on the SE corner of 94th and Broadway is closing. Does anyone know anything?
I noticed that too – but I don’t have any more info than you do.
A major factor in the Rising Rents for Stores is caused by New York raising the Real Estate taxes 8% every year even when there is no inflation along with rising insurance and other expenses. Most of the leases for stores, the ground floor tenant is paying often 50% of the tax increase. Commercial Real Estate taxes are causing unsustainable cost increases for restaurants and small landlords.
Check when the last real estate tax increase occured. B was mayor.
Bloomberg was the last Mayor to raise the assessed rate but every year the Real Estate taxes for most small buildings are going up 8 percent + I should know as my taxes for a small building with a restaurant and 4 apartments is over 140k.
Assessments have been increased above inflation and thus total tax collected has increased by over 100% since the financial crisis. The compound annual growth rate of real estate taxes collected in NY has exceeded inflation by 200-400% annually since 2010.
Sadly we lose so many needed and valuable stores because of landlord greed. This is why the UWS is so inconvenient and we are constantly crossing town. UPS was important to us as are all fashion forward clothing stores that have closed. Btw, the food in W. 72nd Pastrami Queen was SO BAD we returned chicken soup twice . NEVER AGAIN. Just too bad we can’t attract better stores on this side of town. Will vacant stores ever get rented? Former Gracious Home and Lowe’s remain empty for years. Can someone explain landlord incentive to do this. THANK YOU.
So right. Williams Chickens gone and there was a good Cantonese place on bway & around 83rd. Got a disgusting pastrami sandwich once from Pastrami Queen- really all fat- never again. Miss Leighton’s,good pizza,a damn bakery. On 86th&WEA-Bway-supermarket has been closed for many years. Gap is gone& mom and pop stores= discovered Freidman’s yesterday and wonderful pastrami so there’s a little hope.
Do you really think landlords made you dislike the soup at Pastrami Queen?
The UWS and it’s charm has severely dissipated and it’s sad to see… 🙁 Thank you greedy landlords
OK, but as someone who has worked on the UWS for a mere 10 years–it still has charm to burn!
And yet….rents keep going up up up. It makes no rational sense.
You freaked me out seeing effys in the headline! Glad they’re OPENing another location!
So many closures due to rent increases and failed rent negotiations. Broadway is beginning to look like a ghost boulevard. Can’t help wondering what the endgame will look like.
I miss the old Fine & Schapiro Delicatessen. Replaced by Pastrami Queen is just not the same.
Fine & Schapiro had a wait staff with personality, including the fantastic Irish lady who always brought you a meal with a smile.
No such warmth today.
And Pastrami Queen doesn’t even give you cole slaw with your expensive sandwich. Just a measly pickle.
Fine & Schapiro gave you a large bucket of pickles and delicious creamy cole slaw with your order.
Bring back that authentic New York Jewish Deli…with generous portions and a warm, appreciative staff!