Openings & Closings: TALEA Beer Co.; Velvet Cowboy; Kine Musubi; Topman Barbershop; Cafe des Artistes; 7th Street Burger

By Lisa Kava and Julia Ornedo

TALEA  Beer Co., a female-founded brewery, opened on September 25th at 441 Amsterdam Avenue (between West 81st and 82nd streets). TALEA was founded in 2019 by Tara Hankinson and LeAnn Darland with a mission to expand craft beer “beyond the beer bros,” Hankinson wrote to West Side Rag in an email. The duo sold beer door to door, eventually opening a location in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. They have since opened five other locations in NYC. TALEA brews a variety of beer styles including bestseller Al Dente, an Italian-style Pilsner, and specialty sour beers like Pina Colada Splash and Rainbow Cookie. The Upper West Side location features an all-day menu with “heartier dishes for evenings and weekends,” Hankinson wrote. “Our menu will include brunchy and lunch crowd favorites, entrees for evenings and kid friendly food.” Hankinson and Darland are both moms of young children and wanted to create a space that could work for a date night and for a Sunday morning with the kids, she said. St. James Gate, the Irish pub which closed in 2024, was the last tenant in the space. (Thanks to Ben for the tip.)

Velvet Cowboy, a Western bar, opened on September 29th at  509 Amsterdam Avenue (between West 84th and 85th streets). It is in the space previously occupied by Jacob’s Pickles, which moved in October 2025, and is under the same ownership. Velvet Cowboy features a $5 food menu which includes Texas chili, frito pie and a take on a McRib according to The Infatuation. Reservations for the cocktail lounge are available starting October 1st on Resy, which describes Velvet Cowboy as “inspired by the untamed spirit of the American Southwest.”

Kine Musubi, a Hawaiian musubi restaurant, had a soft opening at 128 West 72nd Street on September 24th.  Musubi is a popular snack food in Hawaii, similar to sushi. It is made with  rice topped with Spam or other savory ingredients and topped with seaweed. The restaurant’s co-founder Chi Ian Chan, grew up in Hawaii and moved to NYC in 2022. He previously had a pop up inside of the restaurant Sushi Nonaka which closed in April 2025. Kine Musubi does not yet have set hours, as the staff is still in training, a representative told West Side Rag via social media. A smoke shop was previously in the space. (Thanks to Myra for the tip.)

Topman Barbershop, a barbershop, opened at 2592 Broadway (between West 97th and 98th streets), on August 22nd. This is the third location for the barbershop and the second on the Upper West Side. Topman opened on West 79th Street (at Broadway), in 2024. Services include men’s haircuts, buzzcuts, shaves, and waxing. Mono Cleaners, a dry cleaner, was previously in the space. (Thanks to Elliot and Karen for the tip.)

ICYMI:

Café des Artistes, the iconic long- time Upper West Side restaurant, which closed in 2009, has announced it will reopen, “returning to its original glamour,” at 1 West 67th Street (between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue), in early 2027. In honor of the reopening, they are asking former diners, staff, and neighbors of Café des Artistes to send memories of the space to memories@cafedesartistesnyc.com. Read West Side Rag’s coverage of this news here.

7th Street Burger, a casual burger place, at 424 Amsterdam Avenue (between West 80th and 81st streets), is temporarily closed due to a gas issue. 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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