Openings & Closings: Pastrami Queen; Aves/DongLai Pavillion; Effy’s Cafe; M.M. LaFleur; The UPS Store; Pho Broadway; Texas Rotisserie & Grill; School of Math

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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