New Harlem Restaurants: Vegan Spot, Caribbean Grill

HARLEM, NY — A vegan spot, a Caribbean grill and a second venture for the owner of a popular Indian eatery are among the newest restaurants set to open in Harlem.

Patch compiled this new restaurant roundup based on liquor-license applications submitted to Community Board 10, as well as social media posts from the upcoming businesses.

Here's an incomplete list of Harlem's upcoming openings:

Pastitalia, Inc. (264 Malcolm X Blvd., between West 123rd and 124th streets):

• This restaurant will open up in the Lenox Avenue brownstone formerly home to the bakery Tonnie's Minis.
• Its November application to Community Board 10 included few details about the establishment, though its name suggests Italian food may be on the menu.

Tropical Cove Bar & Grill (2280 Frederick Douglass Blvd., between West 122nd and 123rd streets):

• This Caribbean eatery is taking over the Frederick Douglass Boulevard storefront formerly home to Savann, a Mediterranean restaurant.
• A listing for the restaurant recently appeared on Google Maps, with menu items including pineapple bourbon salmon, a stewed jackfruit wrap, jerk chicken, curry chicken, ackee and saltfish, and chicken and waffles.
• Owners first submitted paperwork to the community board in October, and signage appeared over the storefront late last year, according to Harlem Bespoke. Besides indoor seating, Tropical Cove will also run an outdoor cafe via the Open Restaurants program, according to its application.

Vegan Hood (2100 Frederick Douglass Blvd., between West 113th and 114th streets):

• This vegan eatery replacing the old Harlem Food Bar on Frederick Douglass Boulevard will open this spring, according to social media posts.
• "Bridging the gap between veganism and the 'hood," the business was founded during the pandemic by owners Janine and Lanise, who founded it out of their office kitchen with the goal of serving healthy food in an urban setting, according to their website. The restaurant's opening comes after a weekslong fundraising campaign on social media.

Youz Harlem (231 Malcolm X Blvd., between West 121st and 122nd streets):

• The listed owner of this restaurant is Rajiv Arora, who also owns Indian Summer: an Indian restaurant a few doors north on the same block.
• This Lenox Avenue storefront was previously home to Chéri, a French bistro that closed in 2018.
• Other details about the restaurant are limited; its application to Community Board 10 says only that it will play background music, and occupy the ground floor and basement levels of its five-story brownstone.

None of the restaurants have announced a specific opening date.