New UES Restaurants: Tacos, 2 Italian Spots, Movie Theater Beer

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A new taco joint, a relocated Italian spot and a new Yorkville enterprise from an acclaimed Queens chef are among the next restaurants opening on the Upper East Side.

The restaurants were presented to a Community Board 8 committee on Wednesday as owners sought approval for beer, wine and liquor licenses.

Here's what we learned about each new restaurant:

Campagnola (1456 First Ave, between East 75th and 76th streets):

• Based for 42 years on the corner of East 74th Street, this vintage Italian restaurant will be moving two blocks north due to difficulties with its landlord, owner Curt Huegel told the board.
• "It’s been around this neighborhood for a long time, it’s seen lots of the Upper East Side," Huegel said of Campagnola, known for its lengthy menu and abundance of pasta dishes.
• The new location was formerly home to House of Jai, a yoga studio.

Caviar Kaspia at the Mark (25 East 77th St.):

• As Patch has previously reported, this ultra-upscale caviar restaurant is set to open this fall at the Mark Hotel, marking an expansion from Kaspia's original Paris restaurant that dates to 1927.
• Representative James Wanderstock described Kaspia as a "specialty, high-class restaurant" featuring caviar and other seafood.
• Anticipating common neighborhood concerns, Wanderstock said Kaspia will have no bicycle deliveries, and all-indoor seating — with about 60 seats in total.

Taco Zone (1748-1750 First Ave., between East 90th and 91st streets):

• This will be a second location for the Sunset Park-based Mexican restaurant of the same name. It describes its cuisine as "authentic Mexican," with menu items including empanadas, elote, nachos, and of course, tacos — plus an extensive vegan selection.
• Taco Zone will take over two storefronts at 1748 and 1750 First Ave., formerly home to Pinnocho Ristorante and the Thai restaurant Peppercorn, respectively.
• Rather than combining the two, Taco Zone will leave the separating wall in place and use the north storefront as a dine-in restaurant, while the south storefront will house a small bar and a kitchen, a representative said.
• It will be open daily from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m.

Roccos Partners, name TBD (1572 Second Ave., between East 81st and 82nd streets):

• This not-yet-named Italian restaurant is the brainchild of Rocco Sacramone, owner of the long-running Trattoria L'incontro in Astoria, Queens.
• Sacramone, described by his attorney as a "well-known chef in Astoria and beyond," will presumably be bringing more Italian cuisine to his new Yorkville restaurant, which will occupy the former Prime Butcher Baker storefront.
• Trattoria L'incontro has been known since its 1999 opening for its "strong community ties," and Sacramone said he will bring the same ethos to the Upper East Side.

AMC Orpheum 7 (1538 Third Ave., between East 86th and 87th streets):

• Tuesday's final applicant was not a restaurant but a movie theater — AMC Orpheum 7, which is now seeking a license to serve beer and wine thanks to a January vote by the State Liquor Authority.
• AMC's Upper East Side cineplex is one of more than two dozen theaters throughout the city where the company is hoping to start serving alcoholic drinks, a representative said.

Most of the upcoming restaurants did not specify when they planned to open.

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

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