New Upper East Side Restaurants: Chinese, Middle Eastern & More

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The Upper East Side's next restaurant openings will include a Chinese spot, a "Middle Eastern tapas" eatery and a second location for a longtime Italian market.

Most of the upcoming eateries were presented on Tuesday to Community Board 8's street life committee as their owners sought the board's approval to obtain alcohol licenses. They are among the dozens of new restaurants that Patch has covered in recent months as the city recovers from the depths of the pandemic.

Here's a rundown of the businesses we learned about this week:

Agata & Valentina (1513 First Ave., between East 79th and 80th streets):

• In business since 1993 on the northwest corner of First Avenue and East 79th Street, this Italian marketplace plans to open a second location across 79th Street on the northwest corner — an empty storefront that most recently housed a Vitamin Shoppe.
• Owner Joe Musco told the board that the new market will sell "similar products to what I have across the street," with the addition of wine and beer sold in-store and to-go. It will also have an increased focus on healthier, organic food, Musco said.
• The shop is slated to open near the third week of January.

Ashhill, Inc. (1471 First Ave., between East 76th and 77th streets):

• This not-yet-named bar was presented under its business name by owner Blake Dillon, who also owns Dylan Murphy's bar on Third Avenue.
• The new business plans to install a full kitchen in the restaurant space, which was most recently home to American Bar. Once open, the menu will be similar to the pub-style offerings at Dylan Murphy's.
• The new bar will include nine tables with 35 seats, plus a 15-seat bar and backyard seating. It will be open from 12 p.m.-4 a.m. Monday-Friday, and from 11 a.m.-4 a.m. Saturday-Sunday

Cinema 123 by Angelika (1001 Third Ave., between 59th and 60th seats):

• Though hardly new to the neighborhood, the Cinema 123 by Angelika movie theater appeared before the board because it plans to "expand our offerings to our guests" by selling alcohol, a representative said.
• Once approved, the theater plans to sell drinks at the concession stand for consumption in the auditoriums.

Home Kitchen (115 East 84th St., between Third and Lexington avenues):

• Though not featured in this week's board meeting, Home Kitchen opened up for business late last month following a drawn-out, two-year wait due to the pandemic and renovation work.
• Now, the comfort-food spot is open for business. We spoke to the owners this week — industry veteran Paul Modica and Peter Philis, heir to the beloved Lexington Candy Shop — about their new business and the reception it's gotten so far.

Lashevet (1663 First Ave., between East 86th and 87th streets):

• Lashevet will be a "Middle Eastern tapas"-style restaurant incorporating elements of Moroccan, Israeli and Lebanese cuisine, owner Boris Lidukhover said.
• Lidukhover is no stranger to the city's restaurant scene: he also owns Sushi Dojo, an acclaimed sushi restaurant on First Avenue in the East Village.
• It will fit into a small, 640-square-foot space that formerly housed Burger Bistro and the Korean restaurant Mokja. Serving breakfast and dinner, the restaurant will make use of its backyard space, but build a partition to separate itself from upstairs neighbors, Lidukhover said.

Taste of Shanghai (242 East 79th St., between Second and Third avenues):

• As the name suggests, Taste of Shanghai will be a Chinese restaurant — replacing another Chinese spot, Our Place China Chalet, in the storefront next door to Sojourn.
• Seating 72 people across 14 tables, the restaurant will be open from 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Friday, and 12 p.m.-10:30 p.m. on weekends.

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

More Upper East Side restaurant coverage:

• Italian Spot, Wollman Rink Among New Upper East Side Restaurants
• New Upper East Side Restaurants: Greek Spot, Seamore's Seafood
• New Pizzeria, Bakery, Health-Food Eatery Open On Upper East Side
• These New Restaurants Are Coming To The Upper East Side