Pizzeria, French Bistro Among New Upper East Side Restaurants

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A Mexican eatery, a pizza shop and an upscale French brasserie are among the latest restaurants coming to the Upper East Side.

The upcoming 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.

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

Chez Fifi (140 East 74th St., between Lexington and Park avenues):

• This upscale restaurant was one of two new businesses presented this week by owner Josh Foulquier, who operates the acclaimed Sushi Noz on Second Avenue.
• Chez Fifi will be a French brasserie intended as a tribute to Foulquier's mother, who died during the early days of the pandemic. "Her name was Fifi; this restaurant is sort of an homage to her," he told the board.
• Foulquier said the restaurant is just a few blocks from where he grew up. It will occupy the townhouse spot formerly home to Vivolo, the popular Italian restaurant that closed in 2018 after 41 years.
• Chez Fifi will include a 30-seat dining room on the townhouse's ground floor, plus a private dining room upstairs. It will be open Monday-Sunday, 12 p.m.-2 a.m.

Coffee shop (1413 Second Ave., between East 73rd and 74th streets):

• This not-yet-named coffee shop was the brainchild of the owners of Up Thai, a Thai eatery that occupies the storefront two doors down.
• It will apparently move into the space formerly home to Muscle Maker Grill. A representative said the shop will have a focus on coffee products but also serve some food.

Mexican restaurant (1712 Second Ave., between East 88th and 89th streets):

• It doesn't yet have a name, but this restaurant by owner Victor Medina will serve Mexican cuisine out of the storefront that was most recently home to Selena Rosa, a fellow Mexican spot.
• The restaurant will seat 46 people at 19 tables, plus outdoor dining through the city's Open Restaurants program. Besides background music, it will feature a "three-piece jazz trio that will walk around the restaurant" between 5-8 p.m., a representative said.
• Its hours will be Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-1 a.m.; Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-2 a.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m.-midnight.

Mission Ceviche (1398 Second Ave., between East 72nd and 73rd streets):

• This existing, popular Peruvian restaurant at 1400 Second Ave. plans to expand to the next-door space that formerly housed a hair salon, as owners aim to add more tables to "help their growing business," representative Phil Dorn said.
• This item was the only controversial one in this week's meeting, as a couple who lives in the apartment directly above Mission Ceviche chimed in to complain about the restaurant's noise levels, which they said included loud music that routinely persists until 3 or 4 a.m.
• In response, owners said they had been unaware of the noise levels, apologized, and vowed to make changes.

Noz Market (1374 Third Ave., between East 78th and 79th streets):

• Foulquier's other new business, Noz Market, is an offshoot of his existing Sushi Noz one door down.
• Foulquier initially opened Noz Market during the pandemic as a pop-up in an effort to save his restaurant, selling raw fish, sushi and other Japanese products in an effort to raise money and avoid laying off staff.
• Since then, the market has closed down, but will soon reopen with a similar menu. Besides the marketplace, it will also serve as a traditional restaurant, offering more capacity than 8-seat Sushi Noz, with cheaper prices as well.
• The market will be open daily from 12 p.m. to 11 p.m., Foulquier said.

Parma Nuova (1404 Third Ave., between East 79th and 80th streets):

• Rather than an opening, this application only signals an ownership change at the existing Italian restaurant, Parma, on Third Avenue.
• The restaurant's new name, Parma Nuova, will coincide with its new owner: Giorgio Manzio, who is listed as general manager of the Midtown Italian restaurant La Masseria.

York Ave. Pizza (436 East 72nd St., between First and York avenues):

• Vassilios Katos, a first-time restaurateur, presented his new pizzeria that will open up in the 72nd Street space that once housed La Crosta: a fellow pizza purveyor that has since closed.
• The shop will be open daily from around 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., seating about 16 people, Katos said.
• Its LLC name is "Pappoudes Paved The Way," using the Greek word for grandparents, referencing Katos's grandfathers who made the restaurant possible, he said.

None of the restaurants specified when they would 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: Vanessa's Dumplings, Shawarma
• New Upper East Side Restaurants: Chinese, Middle Eastern & More
• Italian Spot, Wollman Rink Among New Upper East Side Restaurants
• These New Restaurants Are Coming To The Upper East Side