By Lisa Kava and Natalie Demaree
Lady M, a bakery and cake shop, celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony on June 23rd at 1 West 60th Street (at Columbus Circle), a representative told West Side Rag. “Lady M is a NYC luxury confections brand, with boutique locations worldwide,” the representative wrote to West Side Rag in an email. Founded in 2001, Lady M is most famous for the creation of Signature Mille Crepes (a cake made of 20 paper thin handmade crepes separated by pastry cream and topped with a caramelized crust), which the food website The Infatuation described as “the real draw.” The bakery also sells bonbons, crepe biscuits, and specialty cakes (birthday, wedding, graduation). All cakes are handmade fresh without additives or preservatives. “Lady M marries French pastry techniques with Japanese sensibilities, resulting in delicate cakes that are a touch sweet and perfect for every occasion,” the representative wrote.
“Opening this boutique at Columbus Circle during our 25th anniversary year is a moment we’ve looked forward to for some time,” Ken Romaniszyn, founder and CEO wrote in a press release. The new Upper West Side boutique will unveil Lady M’s newest surprise cake flavor, which will be available exclusively at that location before it launches nationwide next month. Lady M has multiple boutiques in the United States and abroad. Other NYC locations are on the Upper East Side, Bryant Park, Rockefeller Center, and on Liberty Street. Hours for the Upper West Side boutique are Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. To celebrate its grand opening, Lady M is offering a special gift with purchase on Saturday June 27th.
Carrot, a fast, casual restaurant serving healthy meals, is opening on June 30th at 2169 Broadway (between West 76th and West 77th streets). The company, which was founded as Carrot Express inside of a gas station in Miami Beach in 1993, recently rebranded as Carrot. “Alongside its rebrand surrounding a more natural approach to health, the brand is continuing its NYC expansion with a new Upper West Side location by the end of the month,” a representative wrote to West Side Rag in an email.
“Today’s wellness culture can often feel overly curated and artificial,” founder Mario Laufer wrote in a press release. “Carrot is choosing a different path that celebrates real people, real ingredients, and the imperfect joy of eating well.” The company has over 30 locations in South Florida and New York. This will be the sixth location in NYC. Others are in Flatiron, Bryant Park, Midtown, Brookfield Place, and Nolita. Menu items include smoothies, hearty soups, veggie burgers, made to order wraps, cold pressed juices, baked goods and some all day breakfast items. On opening day, the first 100 customers will receive a complimentary branded tote bag with a $50 gift card, organic carrot seeds, homemade carrot cake, coffee, and homemade granola. Dntl bar which closed in 2023 was previously in the space.
Picky Barista, a family owned coffee shop, opened its fifth location at 1241 Amsterdam Avenue (at West 121st Street), on June 10th, a barista told West Side Rag on a visit. There are three other locations on the Upper West Side and one location on the Upper East Side. The newest location is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends. Along with specialty coffee drinks, the coffee shop serves breakfast dishes including sandwiches, croissants and avocado toast, until 4 p.m. It also serves Balkan-influenced homemade pastries such as burek (and baklava made “on premises,” according to the company’s website. Flat Top, a bistro, cafe and wine bar, was previously in the space and closed in 2020. (Thanks to Mickey for the tip.)
Casa Louie Waterline, an Italian restaurant, opened on May 20th in the Waterline Square apartment building at 645 West 59th Street (the entrance is on 60th Street and Freedom Place South), according to an Instagram post. The restaurant is open daily for dinner, from 4 p.m.- 11 p.m. and serves small bites, salads, pasta, Sicilian square pizza pies, and other Italian fare. This is Casa Louie’s second location; the original location is in Hudson Yards. The space was previously Empellon Taqueria.
Pilates Addiction, a Pilates studio, opened on June 8th at 117 West 72nd Street (between Columbus and Amsterdam avenues), an employee told West Side Rag on a visit to the studio. The Pilates chain was founded in Los Angeles in 2022 as a franchise opportunity and opened its first studio there in May 2025. The company now has numerous franchises in multiple states. The UWS studio is the first in New York. Pilates Addiction uses an apparatus called the “WundaFormer” which, according to the website, “combines the reformer, wunda chair, ballet bar and jump board into one patented machine.” Classes can be booked through the studio’s website.
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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Part of the appeal of Casa Louie is that it’s from the Friedman’s team, so most of the menu can be made gluten-free and Celiac-safe.
“the imperfect joy of eating well.” How poetic.
In ten years Picky Barista will rival Starbucks worldwide!
Živeli lol
” … founded as Carrot Express inside of a gas station in Miami Beach in 1993″ …. I suggest the next press release leave out the part about the gas station. Skip right to Miami Beach.
Nah that’s fun, I love it
Sad that Stupac’s Empellon couldn’t make it. Remember when that was supposed to open in the old Dallas BBQ space on 72nd? He’s a talented chef. Hope to see him resurface somewhere in the area.
Picky Barista’s new location (or, more specifically, the adjoining second half of the store not on the corner) is the historical location of what is considered the first Vietnamese restaurant in the United States, from 1961.
Right across from Teacher’s College.
The Vietnamese know good coffee!
Very excited about CARROT! There’s not too much casual/affordable food right around there, and healthy is good!!! I walked past it last night, and I’m guessing maybe there is a soft opening? Because people were in there and they looked like patrons, not staff. I think I will walk past there again on my way home and get food there instead of waiting for ZABARs sandwiches to go on sale, no longer the bargain they once were…
Carrot looks delicious but not cheap, not at all 🙁
They were open today – and handing out smoothie samples. The guy told me the “grand opening” is the 30th – but they are definitely open
I don’t understand why people like Picky Barista:
1. Their sign is so ugly and low budget
2. Inside is filled with 5000K LED bulbs that make the whole place look like a hospital surgery room
3. Their design internally is cluttered and a mess
4. They may have the worst name for a business ever
Didn’t Picky Barista used to be Peaky Barista? And then all of a sudden they all changed their names?
Or am I totally nuts that I thought they used to be Peaky Barista?
I’m not sure of the Reddit story. I recall when they first opened the location across from Trader Joe’s on Columbus and 93rd Street, the sign said “Peaky Barista” which I always figured is how you would say “Picky” with a heavy Eastern European accent. A couple of years ago, perhaps after becoming aware of the mistake, they changed it. I still like to think of it as “Peeky” with that accent.
According to someone on Reddit, they received a cease and desist letter from the Peaky Blinders show
Yes! The show Peaky Blinders apparently had an issue with the name. I thought I was losing my mind!
Im waiting for the review of Poética Coffee Shop.