What’s Actually Opening at this Upper East Side Building?

Will anything ever open at 1022 Lexington Avenue? The retail space in the building, located on the southwest corner of East 73rd Street, has been vacant for several years, and East Side Feed has been closely monitoring the situation to see what, if anything, will happen.

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The space was previously home to an artists’ co-working space and gallery called ChaShaMa, which seems to have closed around 2020. The last restaurant to occupy the space was Casimir & Co, a French restaurant which closed around the end of 2017.

We reported on April 5, 2023 that Nick Pashalis and Nick Tsoulos, who own restaurants including Avra and Anassa Taverna, presented plans to open an Italian restaurant at the space during a Community Board 8 meeting.

Just over a week later, a scaffolding fire spread to the roof of the building, injuring at least one firefighter. It’s unclear whether that fire contributed to the Italian restaurant ultimately not opening.

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Things were quiet for about eight months, and then, at a January 2024 Community Board 8 meeting, Chef Adil Fawzi presented plans to open an outpost of American Bar, a popular West Village restaurant and club, on the ground floor of the building.

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But things changed again in October 2024, when Elena Ristrovski–owner of Cibo e Vino, Marlow Bistro and Fandi Mata–presented her plans to take over the space and open a new restaurant called Marlow East, which she described at the time as “an upscale, modern take on a classic American cuisine.” She clarified that the menu will not be identical to the one at Marlow Bistro on the Upper West Side.

A December 11 article published by the New York Post showcases the Upper East Side’s evolution from dull to dynamic, and the outlet attributed part of that shift to new restaurants, including American Bar, which it claims will be opening this year.

East Side Feed has reached out to Grand Tour Hospitality Group, which owns American Bar. We have not gotten a response.

We also reached out to Marlow Bistro, and a representative tells us the lease is signed, construction is taking place, and they hope to open sometime this spring on the ground and second floors of the building. The Marlow team is looking forward to joining the neighborhood and promised to keep us posted (and floated the idea of giving us a preview next month).

We’ll write a follow up once we know more!

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