By Scott Etkin and Lisa Kava
Mughlai, an Indian restaurant, will be replacing Ashoka, another Indian restaurant, at 489 Columbus between 83rd and 84th Streets. Mughlai has four other locations in Manhattan (midtown, Upper East Side, Kips Bay, and downtown) and previously had one at 75th and Columbus, which closed in 2015. Ashoka closed suddenly last month, when the space was cleared out and the phone disconnected. (Thanks to Howard, Ian and Ed for the tips.)
ZiZi, a Mediterranean restaurant with a location in Chelsea, is opening at 2012 Broadway between 68th and 69th Streets. The restaurant will have six tables and a 25-seat food/bar counter. Sharon Hoota, the owner, also has three Hummus Kitchen restaurants in Manhattan, which have been open a combined 25 years. It replaces Nanoosh, the Mediterranean restaurant that closed in 2020.
Oakberry, a chain selling açaí bowls and smoothies, has opened at 166 West 72nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam. Founded in 2015, the company is based in Brazil and has more than 500 shops around the world, including a few already in NYC. The açaí berry is nutrient-dense and comes from the Euterpe palm, a native tree to the Amazon rainforest. “Açaí has become a very important source of income for rural communities of the region, where the berries are hand-picked by harvesters who climb trees up to 80 feet high,” according to the company’s website.
A new gluten-free, kosher restaurant from the owners of Thyme & Tonic and Modern Bread+Bagel (next door to one another on Columbus between 82nd and 83rd Streets) is opening at 2756 Broadway between 105th and 106th Street. “We’ll be the only upscale, special-occasion kind of restaurant in the city that is dedicated gluten-free,” said restaurateur Joshua Borenstein in an application to Community Board 7. “There are a lot of places that [are] fast casual restaurants, but nothing that’s a more upscale experience.” The restaurant, whose name was not announced, is currently being renovated and is expected to open in June. It replaces the restaurant Calle Ocho, which closed in January.
Ban Ban Shop, a new Southeast Asian restaurant, has opened at 2911 Broadway between 113th and 114th Streets. The multi-ethnic menu, created by Michelin star chef Nils Noren, includes: customizable Bahn Mi sandwiches, Bao buns, maki rolls, chicken noodle soup, and kimchee slaw. There are also vegan and gluten-free options. Noren previously worked as VP of Restaurant Operations for the Marcus Samuelsson Group and executive chef at Aquavit. Ban Ban replaces part of the space where restaurant Bernheim & Schwartz used to be. (Thanks to Noah for the tip.)