By Scott Etkin and Lisa Kava
Naya, the fast-casual Middle Eastern restaurant on West 85th Street and Broadway, opened on February 9. Naya has many locations in Manhattan — mostly in Midtown — and in the Northeast. This one is the first on the Upper West Side. Naya offers “build your own bowls” and wraps, with other traditional Middle Eastern dishes such as shawarma, falafel, grains, hummus, tabouleh, and baba ganoush. Naya can also be ordered online.
Brown Harris Stevens, the real estate company, closed its large office at 408 Columbus on the corner of West 79th Street. It is consolidating into the existing office that BHS opened on the corner of 65th and Broadway last March. The 79th Street space is nearly 14,000 square feet. It became a BHS office after the company merged with another residential property manager, Halstead, in 2020. Prior to that it was a Halstead office since at least 2009 (as far back as Google Maps goes). (Thanks to Billy for the tip.)
The Bank of America branch at 808 Columbus Avenue on the corner of West 100th Street is closing on March 26th. This branch, one of 55 Bank of America locations set to close this year, has been there for over a decade, since the building was constructed. The nearest existing Bank of America branch is at West 97th Street and Broadway. The bank also has an ATM at 102nd and Broadway. (Thanks to Mark for the tip.)
Uptown Dermatology is opening at 981 Amsterdam Avenue (corner of West 108th Street), on February 29. This office is part of the Infinity Dermatology network, which has nearly two dozen locations across New York City. The owner of this practice, Dr. Jeffrey Weinberg, is a Columbia graduate who used to work at the old St. Luke’s-Roosevelt hospital on West 114th and Amsterdam Avenue, according to his son, Ethan Weinberg, who serves in an administrative role for the practice part-time while he’s in school. Services provided at the office include general medical dermatology, skin checks, and some cosmetic/laser procedures. The space has been vacant for several years, and was last a martial arts studio.
Upper West Spa, the dermatology and skin care clinic, is moving to a new space two doors down on Amsterdam Avenue between West 68th and 69th streets. Construction started in January on the new location, which used to be a German Kitchen Center, a home interior design store. It is twice as big as the existing location, which remains open in the meantime. Upper West Spa was founded in 2018. Its services include facials, massages, hair removal, and manicures/pedicures. It also sells products from Advanced Skin Clinic and SkinCeuticals. The new space is expected to be ready in the spring, a staff member told WSR.
Street Taco, at 2672 Broadway (West 102nd Street), closed on Sunday, February 11. This Street Taco location opened in November 2021 and served Mexican street food, tacos, and margaritas as well as nachos and salads. Street Taco has a location on 3rd Avenue and East 26th Street. West Side Rag spoke to a staff member there who did not know the reason for the closure, but says the East Side location will remain open. Signage is up on the storefront for a restaurant called Abigail’s. We’ll provide an update when more information is available. (Thanks to Ben and Kate for the tips.)
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The Street Taco space is big and cursed. All best wishes to Abigail’s but I have no idea what could survive there.
I miss Mama Mexico. What a great place. I’m not sure why they messed with success.
I miss Mama Mexico every single day but i read that they didn’t pay taxes or their employees. https://ny.eater.com/2009/12/21/6749593/shuttered-by-tax-man-uws-mama-mexico-will-reopen-today
Yes, it probably needs to be split in two for reasonable rent…
Street Taco didn’t have the best margaritas…if you’re going to be a popular Mexican restaurant you gotta have those margaritas on point. The tacos were really good but the menu was very limited . I do hope the new restaurant will be successful.
Finding a new tenant for the big BHS space at 79th & Columbus is going to be interesting. I was saddened when Laura Ashley closed its store in that location and always wondered why a real estate office needed so much space. Meanwhile, the yawning space (plus basement) of the former Chase bank near Columbus and 86th remains empty. IIRC, Chase has now had branches on three corners of that intersection.
Ohhh the Laura Ashley store. I haven’t thought of it in so long but I was sad when it closed too. I remember getting a dress that I found on its mezzanine level. Thanks for mentioning it!
We can go further back when it was Gleason’s Public House, the greatest hamburgers in the world! I can even go back one more step when it was a “morgue” owned by Riverside.
The new tenants will be a NYU clinic, so I am told from the buildings management team . They will be moving in the next few weeks takin up the complete space of the real estate company occupied.
Moving 3x in same intersection does not show great planning.
If not for 0 interst overnight loans from the taxpayer banks like chase would be bankrupt. These are public utilities and should be treated that way.
Not really. Chase was originally in the current Starbucks location on the northwest corner, and the now vacant space by the northeast corner was a Chemical Bank. When those two banks merged, they didn’t need both, so moved into one. The move to the current Chase space on the Southeast corner is almost certainly just a product of their former lease ending and getting a better deal across the street. No clue what you mean by comparing the bank to a “public utility”, but no, not even close.
I was worried for a second that Upper West Spa was closing. I love that little place. The owner is incredibly nice, as is the entire staff, they provide such a great array of services. Glad to hear they’re expanding into a larger space.
Restaurants on that Street Taco corner never succeed. It almost a curse. Hope someone figures it out.
I have a good feeling about this one.
Back when Street Taco was Mama Mexico, the place was always busy and doing well. Then, someone had an idea to extend out its footprint and convert sidewalk space into indoor space. Once that happened, the rent cost soared and I honestly don’t think any restaurant will be successful. It is just too large a space. They either need to divide it into two restaurants and reconfigure the kitchen, or bite the bullet and reduce its footprint back to what it was. Doubtful that will happen, but I just can’t see anyone thriving in it the size it is now.
They needed the extra space because it was too tight in there. I thought with the expanded space they would still have done well. Didn’t know this. Thanks.
I think the sidewalk expansion happened years and years before they closed. I doubt it meaningfully changes the rent.
I do wish that corner was no longer cursed. Mama Mexico did well for like 15 years and then it has just been rotating through other places since.
They were there for years, did the expansion and within two years disappeared. Another, forgettable Mexican restaurant moved in and also folded. The space is just too big.
In the late 80’s/early 90’s, the corner store was a branded “Hallmark” card store selling everything you’d see in a stationery store. Then Mama Mexico did so well right next door that they took over the Hallmark corner store and yes, that large a space needs a winning combination. Mama Mexico had that for years with the mariachi players, the delicious food, and strong margaritas,..but I seem to recall they had issues with the state on unpaid taxes, sloppy bookkeeping, etc and they went out quickly after that…
MARINE LAYER just moved into the neighborhood on Columbus Avenue right next-door to Patagonia and Warby Parker at West 80th Street.
Miss Mama Mexico so much. Those other restaurants never lived up to the original. I remember the long line down the block to get a table. The food back then was good and also the drinks. Loved the loud music as well.
Such a shame about Street Taco. I’m a fairly regular patron and it was always busy when I went.
The street taco location has been a losing bet for many a tenant, and one big reason might be its deeply tinted windows which aren’t the most inviting look for customers.
There might just be enough taco places.
We need more restaurants, grocery stores, pharmacies.
+ fishmongers, beekeeping equipment wholesalers, botox clinics, viennoiseries
+ skate shops, apothecaries, carnicerias
+ bookstores, coffee shops, art galleries.