Mel’s Burger Bar, a go-to restaurant for Columbia students on Broadway between 110th and 111th Streets, has closed. “Thanks to all our customers and loyal employees over the past 13-plus years. It’s been a hell of a ride,” the company posted on Instagram. The popular craft beer and burger joint “has been falsely rumored to be closing numerous times,” the Columbia Spectator reported. (Mel’s declined to give a reason for the actual closing.) Owner Steven Kay, who has worked in hospitality for three decades, told West Side Rag earlier this year that the only way to survive in the restaurant industry is to “love what you do, and love having people over and making them happy.” Mel’s, which is named after the grandfather of a chef at the restaurant, has another location on the Upper East Side that remains open.
The Granola Bar, a restaurant and grab-and-go destination, is opening in January at 551 Amsterdam Avenue (at 87th Street). It replaces Kirsh Bakery and Kitchen, which closed in August 2022. The Granola Bar was founded by Julie Mountain and Dana Noorily (@thegranolygirls) in Westport, Connecticut, in 2013, and now has six locations in Connecticut and Westchester. The UWS spot will be the first New York City location. The Granola Bar will serve “elevated comfort food and drink” and was “started with the goal of bringing the foods we love to our surrounding families and friends,” said Mountain in a press release. Mountain and Noorily had both lived on the Upper West Side before relocating to Westport. “We are thrilled to bring The Granola Bar to New York City,” Noorily said. “There’s so much excitement surrounding what’s to come for The Granola Bar in the Big Apple, but there is also a comforting sense of familiarity with the people and place we love so much.”
The Granola Bar will have a breakfast menu available until 4 p.m., in addition to a lunch and dinner menu. New specialty items will be introduced in the UWS location, such as tiramisu pancakes and tuna tartar mini tacos. Granola flavors available to purchase at the cafe include: Cinnamon Honey, Dark Chocolate Lemon Biscotti, Maple Bacon, Toasted Coconut, Vanilla Almond, and Black Sesame.
Haven, an American-style bistro and bar, opened on December 15th at 226 West 79th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam. The restaurant is the first venture by Brian Staub, a longtime Upper West Sider who lives in the neighborhood with his family. “Opening weekend exceeded our expectations in terms of turnout,” said Staub on a call with WSR. “People seem to love the food. The place looks great. We’re just working on perfecting our service.” The menu includes daily specials as well as several culturally-resonant dishes, such as seared tuna with everything bagel seasoning and miso soup served with matzo balls. “What I wanted to do is make something that’s accessible and familiar, yet a little bit inventive, but not too serious or fine dining,” he said. “We want to give people something they have never had before, but from reading the menu they can tell what it’s going to be.” Reservations are available on Resy.
Abes, a high-end Chinese restaurant, is planning to open at 102 West 86th Street, just west of Columbus Avenue, in the spring of 2024. It will fill the vacancy left by La Mirabelle, the French restaurant that closed in 2021 after nearly four decades. Some Rag readers might remember that a different group planned to open a restaurant in the space, but it never came to fruition. Abes will have approximately 52 seats and serve Szechuan cuisine. The name refers to “a classification of birds, so we’re going to have some really elegant interior design. Very modern,” said Leon Liu, the owner, on a recent Community Board 7 call. Liu has 10 years experience in the restaurant industry – primarily as a front of house general manager – and is behind a few other Chinese restaurant concepts in the city, including Tangy Noodle in Chelsea.
% Arabica, a specialty coffee chain, is opening at 418 Columbus Avenue between 80th and 81st Streets). % Arabica originally opened in Kyoto, Japan, in 2014, and is now based in Hong Kong. The chain has more than 150 locations around the world – its two NYC roasteries are in Nolita and Dumbo. It is replacing Andy’s Deli, which closed in October 2022. (Thanks to Billy for the tip.)
Chaotic Good Cafe, a board-game coffee shop for people of all ages, is planning to open in March 2024 at 200 West 84th Street (off Amsterdam Avenue). Owner Andrew Panos is a longtime Upper West Sider who has spent the past 16 years in social media analytics and marketing. He loves to play board games and he loves “people having a good time,” he told West Side Rag. Customers pay $10 for unlimited play. About 400 board games will be available, including, nostalgic games such as Monopoly and Mah-jong, strategy games like Settlers of Catan and Wingspan, party games like Cards Against Humanity, and some hard-to-find games you can’t play anywhere else like Crokinole and Klask. Panos said the name Chaotic Good comes from “character alignments” in role-playing games that have a “good heart and a free spirit.”
Chaotic Good Cafe will serve breakfast pastries in the morning and countertop snacks and food throughout the day. There will be a heavy focus on coffee beans and roasters. Panos plans to rotate various beans that will also be for sale. International coffees will be on the menu, including Greek frappes, Vietnamese coffee, and cafe botz (also known as mud coffee) from Israel.
Bourke Street Bakery is closing its location at 313 Amsterdam between West 74th and 75th streets on December 24th. The small cafe is part of a chain that was founded in Australia. “It has been an absolute pleasure serving each and every one of you here on the Upper West Side, and we sincerely hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you at one of our other city locations,” reads a sign posted inside the store. Bourke Street’s other bakeries are in Chelsea, NoMad, and General Central Terminal. The UWS store opened in 2021. (Thanks to Katelyn for the tip.)
Just Salad at 2056 Broadway (between 70th and 71st Streets) has signage up that they are closed for renovations but will be back soon. The sign features a QR code to get salads delivered. We will update when we have more information.
Kossar’s Watch Update: This week WSR received further confirmation that Kossar’s, the bagel and bialy shop on the southeast corner of West 72nd Street and West End Avenue, is making progress toward opening. “We have all approvals from the city and are working to get this place up and baking,” a representative from Kossar’s wrote in an email to WSR. “We are looking to open early spring.” There has been talk about Kossar’s coming to the Upper West Side since 2015 and it appears 2024 is going to be the year.
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Whatever is going in at 84th and Columbus will be opened and fully operational before WSR even confirms what is going on. Do you ever wander along Columbus above 80th, or is Broadway and Amsterdam your only purview?
There are signs on windows that say “eats on Columbus” or something like that. It must be a deli.
I think they often rely on tips, so you could certainly do some investigating and let them know what you find.
Good to hear about Kossar’s and looking forward to the opening,
any update on Mermaid Inn’s new opening on West 76th St?
Can’t the UWS attract any other businesses other than restaurants and cafes ?
There are no other businesses.
Most retail businesses can’t compete with online shopping options or prices these days, especially in high-rent cities like NYC. Restaurants and cafes are some of the few businesses that don’t need to. You can’t sip a coffee or chat over a Leo omelette on Amazon. Plus they’re social spaces that add life to our streets. Win win.
Come above 96th st. All we are getting are weed shops and rapid delivery services. I would be thrilled for a new restaurant.
And everyone of those weed shops are illegal. Way to go NYC. Laws are for suckers these days.
Those are arguably the best (in addition to bookstores and art galleries). What would you rather have, more banks and manicurists?
I’d rather have shops where you could buy things and not have to order online and have them delivered.
Well money talks. If enough people feel this way, these types of retail locations will open on the UWS. If, however, more residents value restaurants and bars, those are the businesses that will open and stay open. I’m definitely in the latter camp!
If there was demand and profitability, they’d be here. Unfortunately rents are too high for anything truly fun and creative.
I never understood the “rents are too high” argument. What commercial property owner would price rents so high that they couldn’t find a tenant and made no money? Doesn’t sound like something a “greedy” commercial landlord would do in their own self interest.
Commercial property(which includes multi-family rental housing by the way) pays highest share of taxes in NYC. Off the bad that tells you rents are going to be high.
Landlords prefer long term commercial leases. Meanwhile about 50% of all new businesses fail within first few years. That number has remained remarkably consistent for decades.
As anyone who has done or looked at business plans can attest largest costs for any venture are rents, labor, and taxes.
In a perfect world demand for a whatever goods or services a business provides will generate healthy revenue. That does not always happen and when it doesn’t sooner or later a venture will close.
Certain businesses would need rents at 50% or more discount from market rate, and even then may not survive.
Yes, online is one issue, but other is demand for various goods or services from a physical location simply as decreased or ceased for businesses of all sorts.
That’s true, but most commercial landlords have 10 year leases, and they don’t want to take a chance on a business that might go out of business and not be able to pay monthly rent. Purely economics.
Surely rents are just as high in Soho, which just saw the opening of Bibliotheque this week- a book store/wine and coffee bar combo.
How about in Midtown which recently saw the opening of McNally Jackson Books flagship store.
More desireable, in my humble opinion, than hordes of weed shops, phone stores and waxing emporia.
Unfortunately, Mr. Staub of Haven, despite living in the neighborhood, is not being responsive or courteous to his neighbors. The new kitchen exhaust system sounds like a jet engine and is disrupting the quality of life of residents in the neighboring buildings throughout the day and evening. Mr. Staub has shrugged off the concerns of neighboring 230 West 79th Street.
We have a fairly vocal block association on West 79th Street. I’m sure Mr. Staub will comply and be a good neighbor. If for no other reason, it will behoove him do so.
Actually, that location has been an eyesore on the block for a few years. Whoever the building owner is should have been ashamed. It was in such a state I was convinced it would be condemned.
Hi Michael – When Mr. Staub has a moment, I’m confident he will respond if there’s something he can do about it. He is one of the most courteous and approachable people I know.
I wish we had more restaurants on Broadway above 96th. I feel like we live in a restaurant desert!! Love the new-ish Plum Blossom, but that isn’t enough. Oh, yes, we have a new Chipotle but that’s fast food.
Try the Grand Feast Amsterdam at 102. Fantastic food – go support them.
If you like Indian food, I highly recommend Manhattan Valley Cuisine of India on the corner of Broadway and 100th. Lovely Sunday afternoon buffet and terrific cocktails.
Commercial dead zone. Maybe it would be different if Gale Brewer stopped opening homeless shelters all over the W90s. The NYCHA building on Amsterdam doesn’t help either. It’s a relatively low-income area and crime around here is a big issue.
Is it Gale above 96th St? I thought it was Shaun Abreau?
I’m curious if and when the Morton Williams on 68th St. is ever going to open.
I overheard the manager on Tuesday saying it was about two weeks from opening
Some of the appear is off the windows and many aisles are stocked but not the cold cases. So it seems not today, but soon?
I saw a rumor it opens this Friday…
They should have hired the crew that blazed through the 89th Street Key Food renovation in record time.
So sad to hear about Mel’s. we need more restaurants north of 96, even north of 110.
The storefront where Mel’s is at never stays empty for long. Another restaurant will come along there soon enough.
Doing a mental inventory of the empty storefronts along Broadway between 106 and 114, the only empty storefronts I can think of are the two places at 109 where Claremont Hall and the Rockwell had their leasing offices, the spot at 111 that Shaking Crab recently vacated, and the two storefronts in the adjacent building with Warby Parker. Oh, and the ATM space at 114th St. which maybe you could slip a small juice bar into.
Further south, it would be nice to see something take the space where Broadway Rstrt was at 101st St. And I’m keeping a close eye on the ground floor at the Rockwell.
And hoping for something to replace the sad dark SW corner of 104 & Broadway which has stood empty for a while now —- for the first time in 50+ years!
No closing has made me sadder than Bourke. My mouth waters at the thought of their sour dough breads. What happened ??? Why are they leaving the UWS???
Agree!! Such good breads and pastries
Kossar’s is what will get me smiling and out and about!
Mel’s burgers was on a downward spiral for ages, food was bland and tasteless, here’s hoping that something decent moves in.
Any updates on when Naya (at 84th? and Broadway, next to Panera) will open? Every time I check their website it just says “opening soon.” I love their falafel and can’t wait for them to open; it seems like it’s been forever since it was announced.
There is a new fast food place going in at 998 Amsterdam, in a short stretch where several storefronts were gutted and renovated. The were hanging signage there for “EAT’ME N GO” when I walked by 20 minutes ago. I initially mis-read the sign and thought it said something about mangos, but no.
For all that people complain about all the weed shops and nail salons going in the area, I’ve been pleasantly surprised how many new businesses have opened between 100th and 114 on either Broadway and Amsterdam this year. Maybe they’re not what some people want, but they make the neighborhood look alive. I was down in the lower 80s doing some Xmas shopping yesterday, and whoa, that was a lot of empty storefronts along Broadway.
Ha ha Kossars next …Spring?! Another whole equinox to wait, even after the permits? Are they hibernating?
A construction project taking months is really not unheard of. From walking by it looks like they are gutting the entire place (which they have to, considering that Pier 72 was sort of falling apart).
I agree – I live in the building next door and it does appear that they gutted the entire space. Plus, they are expanding into the store next to it and have gutted that space as well. I know someone who lives in that building and he mentioned that more work needed to be done than anyone anticipated. I suspect they open in late spring/early summer.
The closing Andy’s Deli hurts. It was one of the last vestiges of an old school deli. It was a great neighborhood place. The last thing we need is another coffee shop
Best of luck to all the new restaurants! It’s a risky venture and I applaud anyone who invests the time and energy it takes to make a go of it in the Big Apple!