New UES Restaurant: Snackable Dishes With An 'Avant-Garde' Name

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — As Jacques Ouari spent the pandemic manning his Upper East Side bistro and preparing to open a new restaurant, his 18-year-old son scootered around the city, making food deliveries for his father.

"After work, when he’s done with deliveries, by midnight he says, 'Dad, I’m hungry, I need some munchies,'" Ouari said of his son, Noah. Then, as the duo considered names for Ouari's new business, inspiration struck.

"He says, 'Dad, why don't you call it Munchies Korner?'" Ouari recalled. "I said, why not, it's different."

Last month, Munchies Korner officially opened on Third Avenue and East 85th Street — right next door to Jacques Brasserie, Ouari's French eatery that has operated on the block since 1995. Munchies's corner storefront was previously the longtime home of Highlands Cafe, a diner that was gutted by fire in 2018 and sat vacant and boarded-up until Ouari moved in.

As the name suggests, Munchies Korner focuses on small bites like chicken wings, crostini, ceviche, cod croquettes and arancini — along with heartier dishes like veal chops, chicken parmesan, burgers and spaghetti. Its Italian menu was designed to complement the French fare at Jacques Brasserie.

While Ouari conceded that its "avant-garde" name might perplex some older customers, "the younger people find that it's fun," he said. (While "munchies" is often used to describe marijuana-induced cravings, that connotation does not apply here, Ouari emphasized.)

Indeed, much of Munchies Korner is designed with young people and families in mind, from its "vibrant" bar to its kid-friendly menu full of pasta and other affordable items.

Ouari began renovating the space in March 2020, but the impact of COVID-19 on the city's construction industry caused the work to drag on until July 2021. Then, with the interior ready, it took another six months for gas to be hooked up inside the restaurant. (Ouari attempted a limited opening in November, cooking dishes on camping stoves.)

Pandemic-related headaches are still affecting the restaurant's operations. While Munchies Korner is now open for dinner and brunch, plans to expand to lunch service have been hampered by the nationwide worker shortage, Ouari said.

Now that Munchies Korner is finally open, Ouari says he is receiving compliments from passersby for revitalizing a corner that had been blighted for years after the fire at Highlands. Though its menu is different, Ouari hopes that Munchies Korner will serve as a gathering place, much like the diner that preceded it in the storefront.

"It’s still a diner, it’s still a corner," he said.

Munchies Korner is open daily at 1505 Third Ave. Dinner hours run from 4-11 p.m. (until 12 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays), and brunch is Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Have an Upper East Side news tip? Email reporter Nick Garber at nick.garber@patch.com.