Posted last Thursday about the fire that broke out in Ollie’s Noodle Shop on Broadway and blanketed a huge chunk of the West 60s in smoke. At the time, it was reported that Ollie’s (1991 Broadway, between 67th & 68th) would be closed “indefinitely.” Well, “indefinitely” has been changed to “permanently.”

UPDATE 1/8/13: Looks like this is indeed related to Ollie’s Noodle Shop. The ONS at 1991 Broadway recently closed due to fire and a sign in the window is directing customers to Hiro Sushi @ Ollie’s. Posted last month that a place called Hiro Sushi At Ollie’s was slated to move into the old Backyard [...]

Posted back in July that Backyard @ 160 had closed (160 Freedom Place). The closing was notable because Backyard was one of the few restaurants in the immediate area of all the Riverside Boulevard/Freedom Place buildings. After several months, it looks like a new restaurant is finally getting ready to take its place.

UPDATE 1/23/13: The Smith now serves breakfast Monday to Friday, from 7:30 – 11:30 am. There’s also free Wi-Fi. Rumors that popular restaurant The Smith was planning an UWS location started swirling back in August 2011. The rumor was confirmed last December, but it’s been pretty much a waiting game ever since. Well, the wait [...]

UPDATE 12/3: A rep from RedFarm told me they expect to open “sometime in early 2013.” Rumors have been swirling for months that RedFarm, the incredibly popular West Village Chinese/dim sum restaurant, was looking to expand to the Upper West Side. Esteemed restaurant critic (and Upper West Sider) Gael Greene first mentioned the possibility back [...]

Posted back in April that a Paper Source is opening in the former Thérapie space at 309 Columbus (between 74th & 75th). Looks like tomorrow is opening day.

UPDATE 6/28: Menu for A.G. Kitchen Mentioned last week (here & here) that Columbus Tavern (269 Columbus, between 72nd & 73rd) had closed rather suddenly and was rumored to be transforming into a Cuban restaurant. Turns out that was kinda right. It’s reopening tomorrow as A.G. Kitchen — an American restaurant with a Latin spin. [...]

UPDATE 6/21: Pet Central is officially open Frequent tipster Jim sent in the photo above, showing a new Pet Central store is moving into the space at 2643 Broadway (between 100th & 101st).

Signs indicating that popular Italian eatery Serafina was planning an Upper West Side branch first popped up over the summer. More signage in October made is clear that in addition to Serafina, the former West Branch space at 2178 Broadway (corner of 77th) would also house an outpost of Geisha, a Japanese restaurant and sushi [...]

UPDATE 11/12/12: The Smith Lincoln Center is opening on Tuesday, 11/13/12 Posted back in August there was a rumor that The Smith might be opening in the former Josephina space at 1900 Broadway (at 63rd). Thanks to a tip from a reader, that rumor got a little stronger in October. It appears to be a [...]

Mentioned last month that Serafina was planning to move into the long-vacant former West Branch space at 2178 Broadway (corner of 77th). It now looks like they won’t be alone. Geisha, a Japanese restaurant and sushi bar that is part of the same ownership group as Serafina, appears to be slated as a co-tenant.

Grub Street must have had their spies on the Upper West Side working overtime this past weekend, because they had a trifecta of tips yesterday regarding neighborhood openings: Spring Street Natural, the “37-year-old Soho vegetarian-friendly restaurant,” is scheduled to open an Upper West Side outpost this fall at 474-476 Columbus (former Columbus Bakery spot) called [...]