Tuesday, February 21st, 2012

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 bar that is part of the same ownership group as Serafina.

It now appears as though the wait for both is over — Serafina Upper West and Geisha Table will be opening for business tomorrow, Wednesday 2/22.

Many thanks to MUW reader (and UWS business-owner) Dani Zoldan for the photo above.

In case you can’t read the sign, Serafina and Geisha will only be open for dinner during their first week of operation (starting at 6:00 pm).

I’m still not 100% sure how the Serafina/Geisha components will mesh in the 5,000 square-foot space, but a recent blurb in NYT’s Diner’s Journal seems to indicate the latter will be just a small part of the overall restaurant:

Geisha Table, a little spinoff of Geisha, Serafina Restaurant Group’s Japanese place on the Upper East Side, is set to open on Wednesday on the Upper West Side. (The original Geisha is closed, and moving to sleek new digs next door to its current location on East 61st Street.)

Though the West Side branch will be primarily Japanese, other Asian cuisines will be in the mix, covering all the bases, with sushi, sashimi, yakitori, dumplings, ceviches and tempura. There are 23 seats and a communal table, but no reservations.

I’ve eaten at some of Serafina’s other NYC locations and I expect this place to be an immediate hit with the neighborhood. Zagat writes of the mini-chain: “These ‘casual Italians’ are ‘crowd-pleasers’ – hence ‘there’s always a crowd’.”

I think that’s pretty accurate — these guys have really perfected their formula.

Elsewhere in the neighborhood… if you missed the news this afternoon, Lululemon is slated to open their second UWS location at Broadway & 75th later this year. This space was previously home to a Chase branch.

Filed under: Food & Drink, Going Out, Manhattan, New York City, News, NYC, Openings/Closings, Restaurants, Running, Shopping, Upper West Side, Upper West Side Blog, UWS, Yoga 2 Comments »
Tags: 2178 Broadway, Geisha, Geisha Table, Lululemon, Lululemon Athletica, New York City, NYC, restaurant opening, Serafina, Serafina Upper West, Upper West Side, UWS