By Lisa Kava and Natalie Demaree
Orwashers, the popular artisan bakery, opened an outpost at 66 West 84th Street (between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West), on April 27th. The outpost sells coffee, pastries, cookies, and loaves and is for takeout only. It sells bagel sandwiches, but does not offer lunch sandwiches or eggs, the manager told West Side Rag. All coffee is from Jack’s Coffee, with which Orwashers has a partnership. Current hours are daily from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. Orwashers opened at 440 Amsterdam Avenue in 2016. The bakery also has locations on the Upper East Side, Long Island, and at various farmers markets. The space was previously used for storage by neighboring wine bar, Vin Sur Vingt.
Blank Street Coffee opened at 418 Columbus Avenue (at West 80th Street), on April 20th. This is the fourth Upper West Side location for the coffee chain; others are on Broadway at West 86th Street, Broadway at West 91st Street, and Columbus Avenue and West 69th Street. However this location differs from the other UWS coffee shops in that it is a “3.0 store” a representative told West Side Rag. “That means a more elevated experience for our customers who will get to see latte art (hearts and swans), and watch the baristas create and pour drinks,” the representative said. Blank Street Coffee was founded in Brooklyn in 2020, and has multiple locations in NYC, Boston, Washington D.C., England, and Scotland. Andy’s Deli, which closed in 2022, was previously in the space.
Fillup Coffee, at 2486 Broadway (between West 92nd and West 93rd streets), closed on April 25th. Signage in the window says, “It is with a heavy heart that this will be our last week in business. We are incredibly grateful for the support, conversations, and memories you’ve given us over the last five years.” A store clerk told West Side Rag that the closure was because of “too much competition.” Fillup Coffee, which opened in 2021, had mostly positive Yelp reviews with customers praising its coffee and friendly staff, while noting the small size of the shop. (Thanks to Marsha for the tip.)
The Cutting Edge Barber Shop, opened at 580 Amsterdam Avenue ( between West 88th and West 89th streets), on April 20th. The owner, Danny, is known as “Danny Barber” and previously worked at The Cutting District Barber Shop at 265 Columbus Avenue (at West 72nd Street). The Cutting Edge Barber Shop is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays, and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Gerard Anthony Salon, which closed in May 2025 (the owners now operate out of Salli B Salon), was previously in the space. (Thanks to Julie for the tip.)
111 Hair Studio, a hair salon, opened at 111 West 86th Street on April 24th. Owner Mirjeta Beha, known as Kiki to her clients, spent 15 years as a stylist at Kolor Bar at 2490 Broadway before opening her own salon. 111 Hair Studio is a full-service salon offering haircuts, styling, color, keratin and other treatments, Beha told West Side Rag. It is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 7p.m., Saturdays 9 a.m to 5 p.m., and on Sundays from 9 a.m to 4 p.m. There will be an opening party on Sunday, May 3rd, from 5 to 9 p.m. with cocktails. “After years of serving clients and building lasting relationships, this new space reflects a continued commitment to excellence, personalized care, and attention to detail,” Beha told the Rag. “ We look forward to welcoming both new and existing clients to our new space.” The space was previously a dry cleaner.
Auntie Anne’s, the pretzel company, and Carvel, the ice cream company, opened on April 26th at 2818 Broadway (at West 109th Street), an employee told West Side Rag. This is the second Upper West Side location for the Auntie Anne’s/Carvel combo. The first location opened in 2024 at 2588 Broadway (between West 96th and West 97th streets).
Taco Bell, the fast food chain, appears to be opening a location at 2818 Broadway (at West 109th Street), right next to, and sharing a building with the new Auntie Anne’s/Carvel. Taco Bell has not responded to West Side Rag’s outreach, but tipster Jill sent us a photo of the Taco Bell logo on a drink machine inside the space. The logo has also been noticed by other residents along with a Taco Bell work permit posted on the door, according to this Reddit thread. The space was previously offices for Claremont Hall, a condominium located in Morningside Heights. We will update when we have more information and an expected opening date. (Thanks to Jill and Michelle for the tip.)
ICYMI:
Smorgasburg, the Brooklyn based food market, is coming to Columbus Circle on May 14th. Read West Side Rag’s coverage of this news here.
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 am so excited about having Taco Bell followed by a Carvel flying saucer. Sorry if this offends all the UWS food snobs. Sometimes you just have one of those days. Or have a kid who wants simple fast food – this is not how I feed my children on a daily basis, but it is OK to indulge once in a while.
And for those who hate chains, Carvel was a small local business for many years (those of us of a certain age remember the commercials with the founder, Tom Carvel) until the original owner cashed out late in life – great American success story.
So don’t be a Cookie Puss.
A Taco Bell? Dear Lord please forgive us for our sins, and let this be a short term blight upon us.
Ugh, two new fast food places at 109th and Broadway. Sigh.
We’ll miss you dearly, Fillup. They opened up right in the middle of the pandemic and became such a great little spot. The coffees were always on point. Sigh.