New Upper East Side Restaurants: Vanessa's Dumplings, Shawarma

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A new outpost of a popular dumpling restaurant and an Israeli shawarma spot are among the Upper East Side's upcoming restaurant openings.

Most of the eateries were presented on Tuesday to a Community Board 8 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.

A couple have already opened, while others have yet to arrive. Here's a rundown of the openings we learned about this week:

Bodhi Vegan (1569 Second Ave., between East 81st and 82nd streets):

• Representatives for this restaurant did not make it to Tuesday's meeting, so details about this opening are still scarce.
• But the name suggests it will be an outpost of one of the three existing vegan Chinese restaurants operating under the "Bodhi" name in Chinatown and Flushing, Queens. The Second Avenue storefront previously housed a 16 Handles frozen yogurt shop.

Grill Point (1215 Lexington Ave., between East 82nd and 83rd streets):

• This Israeli shawarma spot with locations in Queens and Brooklyn plans to open within a week or two at the Lexington Avenue storefront that previously housed Pastrami & Grill, according to the publication Great Kosher Restaurants. The news was first reported by Eastsidefeed.
• It will be counter-service only, with no dine-in tables, according to Elan Kornblum of Great Kosher Restaurants.

Madame Bonté Café (318 East 84th St, between First and Second avenues; and 1834 Second Ave., near East 95th Street):

• Not exactly new, Madame Bonté opened both locations about a year ago. One occupies the East 84th Street storefront previously home to Café Jax, which closed last June during the pandemic, while the other took over the former Five Luck Chinese restaurant space.
• This week's presentation came as owner Deniz Karafazli sought approval to serve wine and beer, in addition to the French cafe's core menu of sandwiches, pastries— and, of course, coffee.
• Currently open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., owners later plan to extend both locations' hours to 10 or 11 p.m., Karafazli said.
• Kahvehane LLC (1834 Second Ave., between East 94th and 95th streets):

Vanessa's Dumpling House (1623 Second Ave., between East 84th and 85th streets):

• Sure to inspire much excitement on the Upper East Side, this popular dumpling restaurant that originated in Chinatown is now planning to open its sixth location in Yorkville, owners told the board this week.
• The restaurant will move into the Second Avenue storefront previously home to Park East Kosher. It will be open daily from noon to 10 p.m., serving draft and bottled beer in addition to its usual menu of Chinese dishes.
• First opened in 1999 on Eldridge Street, Vanessa's has since expanded its mini-empire to Williamsburg, the Financial District, Long Island City and the Upper West Side, where it opened up in February. The popular eatery "specializes in Chinese snacks such as hand-made dumplings, buns, sesame pancakes, and noodles," according to its website

It was not clear when Vanessa's or Bodhi planned to open.

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

More Upper East Side restaurant coverage:

• New Upper East Side Restaurants: Chinese, Middle Eastern & More
• Italian Spot, Wollman Rink Among New Upper East Side Restaurants
• New Upper East Side Restaurants: Greek Spot, Seamore's Seafood
• These New Restaurants Are Coming To The Upper East Side