Beloved UWS Deli Shuttering After 42 Years As Lease Comes To An End

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — An institution of a deli on the Upper West Side that serves up coffees, sandwiches, and whatever other snack a local might want is closing Thursday after more than 40 years in the neighborhood.

Andy's Deli at 418 Columbus Ave. (West 80th Street), with its recognizable gray storefront across from the American Museum of Natural History, is closing because its 30-year lease came to an end, an employee told Patch.

"It sucks, people are kind of shocked," the person working the phone at Andy's Deli told Patch Thursday morning. "It's one of those situations where you sign a 30-year lease — you wait for the date — and we're here."

While the employee didn't talk about a hike in rent, Dmitry Pappas, the son of Nick Pappas who opened the deli in 1980, told ILoveTheUpperWestSide that the landlord was doubling the monthly rent from $18,000 to $36,000.

A price the family couldn't afford to pay.

For longtime supporters of Andy's Deli, the business has no plans to close its nearby location at 295 Amsterdam Ave. (West 74th Street).

While there was some speculation that the Columbus deli might stay open, the employee confirmed to Patch Thursday that it was the location's last day.