Community Board 8 held its Street Life Committee meeting on Tuesday evening. Restaurant owners and their reps attended via Zoom in order to further their liquor license applications, and we learned about several new spots opening on the Upper East Side.
For updates on these three restaurants and more on the way, be sure to sign up for our email newsletter.
Advertisement
The owners of L’Osteria (at 1219 Lexington Avenue) have leased the space which was occupied by Gray Hawk Grill until it closed at the end of February. Located at 1556 Second Avenue (between 80th and 81st streets), partner Larry Hass says it’s “going to be an Italian restaurant with a little more of a Mediterranean flair to it.” They’re aiming to open the new spot in late June or early July and while they may utilize some sidewalk space for an outdoor dining area, they will be removing the current outdoor structure that Gray Hawk Grill had set up.
A new sushi restaurant will be opening at 800 Lexington Avenue (between 61st and 62nd streets). Not much information was shared, but the space was previously home to a Japanese restaurant called Ginza. The legal name of the new business is Mikado 800 Inc., and a restaurant representative tells CB8 that hours will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekends. There will be background music and there won’t be any outside seating.
Tom Martignetti is planning to open a small, upscale pub at 145 East 61st Street (between Third and Lexington avenues), a space previously occupied by Mexican restaurant Gina Mexicana. Martignetti and his brother Anthony (via Broome Street Hospitality) opened Melody’s Piano Bar at 1020 Lexington Ave (between 72nd and 73rd Streets) back in 2022, replacing Lexington Bar and Books. They also own The East Pole and previously ran a number of UES establishments, including Brinkley’s Station at 153 East 60th Street, right by this soon-to-open, currently unnamed bar. Expected hours are 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. on weekdays and noon to 2 a.m. on weekends. The space comes with a back garden Martignetti plans to utilize, though there was some confusion as to how late they’ll be allowed to keep it open, and whether or not he’ll be required to obtain a separate certificate of occupancy for it. Regarding food, he mentioned items like burgers and fish & chips.
