Here Are 8 More Restaurants Coming To The Upper East Side

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A barbecue joint taking over for a bygone bar and a seafood restaurant replacing a beloved Turkish spot are among the eight new eateries coming to the Upper East Side in the coming months.

The new restaurants were presented Tuesday to Community Board 8's street life committee as their owners sought the board's approval to obtain alcohol licenses.

They come on top of another eight new restaurants and bars that Patch reported on last month — a sign, perhaps, of the industry's resurgence after a crippling pandemic year.

Here's a rundown of the new spots:

Barbecue restaurant (1702 Second Ave., near East 88th Street)

• This not-yet-named barbecue joint will move into the space vacated by Rathbone's, the beloved bar that closed in February after nearly 50 years on the Upper East Side. The new restaurant is owned by Anna Nazarova and Robert Meller, who are also behind Slide Bar-B-Q in Maspeth, Queens.
• The couple previously had a lease agreement to take over the space a few doors down once occupied by Genesis, an Irish pub, but the deal fell through, Meller told the board.
• Containing 17 tables and 13 bar seats, the restaurant will seat 113 people and will include outdoor seating.

Flex Mussels (1431 Third Ave., at East 81st Street)

• Open for years on East 82nd Street, this seafood mainstay plans to move a block south into a larger corner space that once housed Beyoglu, the beloved Turkish restaurant that closed early in the pandemic. Owner Alexandra Shapiro said she was "really excited" by the new space, which would include a "nice outdoor cafe."

Gastropub (1122 First Ave., between East 61st and 62nd streets)

• The name of this restaurant was likewise unclear, though it is registered as "CBH NYC." Described by owner Conner Henderson as a "modern American gastropub," it will move into the space most recently home to The Nuaa, a Thai restaurant — one door down from the former Dangerfield's comedy club.
• Serving "elevated bar food" including fusion burgers, healthy salads and other rotating entrées, the restaurant will likely open in mid-September — in time for the New York City Marathon, which brings significant foot traffic to First Avenue, Henderson said.

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Greek restaurant (1144 First Ave., at East 63rd Street)

• This unnamed Greek tavern has the same owner as the Ritz Diner, which sits directly across the street. Replacing the former Japanese restaurant Totoya, the new eatery will be more upscale than the Ritz, a representative said, and will specialize in seafood. It is not expected to open for another four to six months.

Not A Speakeasy (301 East 84th St., near Second Avenue)

• This bar's name is a tongue-in-cheek reference to owner Cortney Bond's other business: UES., the Second Avenue ice cream shop that also contains a hidden speakeasy bar.
• Not A Speakeasy will be a more mainstream establishment, Bond said, describing it as "a nice place to have a cocktail [and] have something to eat." Still, it will be somewhat hidden away: customers will enter the below-ground space through a side-street staircase next door to a deli on the corner.

OM (1531 York Ave., at East 81st Street)

• OM, an Indian restaurant, will move into the corner storefront that used to house Aki Sushi. It will replace OM's current home on Second Avenue near East 83rd Street, where the lease expired. The new space will seat about 40 people between 10 tables and five barstools.
• Owner Subash Chilka also runs Indian Table, an eatery in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn.

The Salt (1123 First Ave., between East 61st and 62nd streets)

• A Mediterranean restaurant, The Salt will occupy the former home of El Porrón, a Spanish eatery that closed permanently last May. Containing 21 tables, it will open in late July or August, a representative said.

Tuscan Provisions (20 East 69th St., near Madison Avenue)

• A small, daytime cafe with charcuterie and other "Italian bites," Tuscan Provisions will move into the storefront that was previously home to Alison Lou, a jeweler.

Related coverage: These New Restaurants Are Coming To The Upper East Side

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