By Lisa Kava and Julia Ornedo
Joe Kidd Cantina, a Western themed bar and restaurant, opened at 250 West 72nd Street (between West End Avenue and Broadway), on November 6th. It serves Mexican food such as tacos, quesadillas, and birria short rib pie, owner Colum Flattery told West Side Rag on a phone call. Other menu items include; burgers, taco salad bowls, southwest salad, nachos, guacamole, and burritos. Drinks include frozen margaritas in mango, strawberry and passionfruit flavors. Flattery, an Upper West Sider, previously owned The Avenue, on Amsterdam Avenue, which closed in 2024. Flattery lived in California for five years and fell in love with Mexican food, he told the Rag.
Joe Kidd Cantina is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week from 11 a.m. until midnight. It will feature monthly music and Flattery is currently working on that schedule. The restaurant is named after the western film Joe Kidd starring Clint Eastwood, he said. Emerald Inn, the long time Irish pub was previously in the space before closing in December 2025.
Eataly Caffè, an Italian cafe owned by Eataly, the restaurant and marketplace brand, opened at 2252 Broadway (at West 81st Street), on November 6th. “The Upper West Side is a very special neighborhood and community, and we are excited to bring a taste of Italian coffee culture to our neighbors throughout the different moments of their day,” Craig Kennedy, president of Eataly North America, wrote West Side Rag in an email. “We’re grateful to have had an incredibly warm welcome from West Siders for our grand opening, so far.” The cafe will continue to offer special promotions through November 12th, including up to a 20% discount on any drink for customers who order in Italian, free drip coffee for veterans, service members, and military spouses, and free samples of new Eataly Refreshers. Starbucks was previously in the space before closing in 2025.
Studio Claydate, a pottery studio, is opening on December 1st at 210 West 82nd Street (between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue). Studio Coordinator Victoria Xu studied art education at Teachers College, and previously taught pottery to children of all ages and adults. “I wanted to continue bringing intentional programming, classes, and workshops that help address people’s needs into community art spaces,” she wrote to West Side Rag in an email. “I saw that clay served such different purposes for different people, such as bringing a real sense of connection to the world after a hard day’s work … or building strength or practicing fine motor skills.” Studio Claydate will offer two membership options: “Daybreak” and “Off Hours.” There will be two-hour beginner classes, guided workshops, and meditation through clay. Future plans include outdoor pottery, and an after-school program for kids. A weekly class schedule and membership signup will be released in late November. The hair salon TwoDo was previously in the space(Thanks to Jesse for the tip.)
Polestar, an electric car company, at 150 Amsterdam Avenue (at West 66th Street), has closed. The Commerce Department banned the Chinese-owned automotive manufacturer from selling cars in the U.S. in June, according to The Wall Street Journal. The move was part of a wider crackdown on Chinese electronic vehicles. “As part of Polestar’s broader withdrawal from the U.S. market, Polestar Manhattan has ended new vehicle sales operations at that location, with signage removed last week,” Michael Ofiara, Polestar’s communications director for the Americas, wrote to West Side Rag in an email. “Polestar will continue to provide service and maintenance for Polestar customers at Volvo Cars Manhattan.” Polestar opened its only New York City showroom on the Upper West Side in October 2021. The brand has 32 locations throughout the U.S. (Thanks to Leigh 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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Studio Claydate takes over the former TooDoo Salon space – who were tossed out by the building’s owner with the excuse he needed the space as an office and couldn’t possibly renew.
*Maury Povich Voice* “That was a lie!”
Aside from the prices being ridiculous, I believe Eataly chose the wrong neighborhood and the wrong corner. Time will tell.
It’s not *that* far from the American Museum of Natural History so I could see tourists seeking it out as part of their “must-see UWS touristy places” checklist.
What, in your view, would have been the right corner and right neighborhood for Eataly to choose?
Where do you think it would have been more successful? Just out of curiosity.
Why is that?
I live around the corner and probably won’t go. But hey, it beats the empty store fronts that everyone keeps complaining about!
I kind of agree. We’ll see.
Flattery lived in California for five years and fell in love with Mexican food, he told the Rag.
Auguri Eataly! Bienvenuto a la Upper West Side!
Sono d’accordo, Meg.
Is that Joe Kidd space where All State Cafe used to be? God, I miss that place.
All State was great and definitely missed. A dive vibe but family friendly and some of the best food on the UWS.
Yes, that’s the one. Great space with a large room in the back. I hope they succeed. The neighborhood really needs a good, moderately priced restaurant.
Good luck to Joe Kidd. I really liked The Avenue, especially the outdoor seating.
Eataly’s opening day was a bit of a mess. Insanely long line for the 3pm opening. They kindly brought out some pizza but distributed it from the end of the line first so my friend and I missed out as they ran out three times before reaching our spot in line. We were too far back to get one of the tote bags they were giving out (only to the first 100 in line) and the cashiers were not at ALL trained to check out customers. You’d think with over a 100 customers ahead of us they would have at least started to catch on. My order was wrong three times before I could pay. Food was delicious as per usual but in my opinion they weren’t ready for an opening day event. They should have started with a soft open instead. I love Eataly but my experience on opening day at the Caffe was a disappointment. I’m going to wait a bit before going back.
Good to know. I was so excited when I saw Eataly was opening here, as I loved the location in the Flatiron.
Nobody bought Polestars anyway. I saw a van from a dealer in exotic cars in front the other day, would be really cool to see some Ferraris, Lambos, and McClarens in the nabe. With all of our new neighbors in 200 Amsterdam, 50 West 66th Street, and 77 West 67th Street, plenty of customers!