Between early August and September 12, four sit-down restaurants on Second Avenue between East 81st and 89th Streets served their last meals. Operators have now signed on or announced for three of those addresses, plus two other storefronts on the same stretch. Of the five incoming concepts, one is a full-service Italian dining room. The others are an Australian-style café, a Greek frozen yogurt shop, a slice-and-soft-serve pizzeria and a sports bar and grill. Meanwhile, the season's new restaurants with servers, wine lists and dinner reservations have opened a block or two away, on Third Avenue, First Avenue and the side streets.
The four rooms that closed
The closings had different causes. Owners gave their reasons publicly, and none of them pointed to the same thing.
Sushi Ren at 1584 Second Avenue, at East 82nd Street, closed in early August after losing its lease. It had been a neighborhood standby for about ten years, known for lunch specials, happy hour and rolls on demand. Eater reported that it was looking to reopen a few blocks away. No new address has been confirmed.
San Matteo Pizza & Espresso Bar closed its shop at 1716 Second Avenue, at East 89th Street, after more than a decade. Its pizzeria and cucina about eight blocks south on the same avenue are still open.
Osteria Nando, the six-year-old Mediterranean bistro at 1589 Second Avenue near East 83rd Street, closed in late August. Upper East Site reported that its owner planned to turn the space into something new.
Adria, the coastal Italian restaurant at 1556 Second Avenue near East 81st Street, served its last customers on September 12, after two years. Owner Endri Qalliu told Patch that business had been weaker than expected, especially in the slower season:
"I guess we didn't meet what we expected to meet in terms of the amount of business. But we're looking to relocate, which probably makes more sense for us in terms of the space."
Qalliu and his partners, Larry and Maria Hass, hope to stay on the Upper East Side. As of mid-September they had not secured a new space or set a timeline.
No reporting so far ties the four closings to a single rent increase or building sale. One lease ended, two owners stepped back from a location, and one restaurant fell short of the business it needed.
What's coming to the same stretch, block by block
Walking north from the high 70s, here is what's signed or announced for Second Avenue as of October 1, 2026:
- 1501 Second Avenue: Upside Pizza. This is the fast-growing slice shop's first Upper East Side location, with soft-serve on the menu. In June, founder Noam Grossman told Patch he expected to open "sometime between September and October," depending on construction.
- 1547 Second Avenue: Myka. Signage for the Greek frozen yogurt brand went up in September in a storefront that most recently held Ania Rybka Salon. No opening date has been announced.
- 1556 Second Avenue: Bluestone Lane. The Australian-inspired coffee chain is taking over Adria's former space, according to Qalliu. As of October 1, the company's own page for the location still said "coming soon."
- 1584 Second Avenue: former Sushi Ren. No new tenant has been reported.
- 1589 Second Avenue: Caffe Buon Gusto Sports Bar & Grill. Nando Ghorchian, who owned Osteria Nando, is turning the space into a second Caffe Buon Gusto. The original on 77th Street and the Brooklyn location are staying open.
- 1716 Second Avenue: Doria. A Northern Italian restaurant is replacing San Matteo. It is still under heavy renovation.
The 1556 address has turned over before. Adria opened there in 2024, taking over from Gray Hawk Grill. Bluestone Lane will be the third concept in the space in roughly two years. The chain already has a café on the Upper East Side, at 1085 Fifth Avenue between 89th and 90th Streets, at the Church of the Heavenly Rest. That café serves an all-day "brekkie" menu with Avocado Smash, Vegemite toast and the flat white. East Side Feed reported that it's not yet known whether the Second Avenue menu will match.
The bar decided what 1589 became
Osteria Nando's former space has a much bigger bar than Caffe Buon Gusto's 77th Street original, so the owners are building the new location around it. They describe it as a "Bar & Grill/Sports Bar experience," with cocktails and games on alongside the menu items regulars already know. Ghorchian says he has been in the business for 38 years. He describes the plan as more relaxed than the neighborhood's existing sports bars. The kitchen will keep homemade pasta with truffle sauce and add a grill program of steaks, burgers, short rib, sea bass and salmon, plus vegetarian and vegan dishes.
On September 13, the restaurant said it would open "very soon." As of October 1, no report has confirmed that the dining room is open, and the online ordering page for the Second Avenue location says it "isn't accepting online orders right now."
East 81st Street is turning into a dessert block
Myka's arrival shows the trend most clearly. The brand started as a single shop in Madrid in 2023. According to the company, it now has 51 locations in more than 27 cities. Its base is Greek yogurt and goat's milk kefir, made in an on-site workshop, with two new seasonal flavors each month. Toppings include baklava, pistachio sauce, honey, olive oil and fig and orange compotes.
Myka's storefront is less than a block from Pinkberry, 16 Handles and Anita Gelato, all three on Second Avenue between 81st and 82nd Streets. That puts four frozen-dessert shops within about a block of one another. Bluestone Lane is going in next door at 1556.
The frozen yogurt wave reaches beyond Second Avenue too. Mythos, a Greek-inspired shop, opened its first U.S. store at 1269 First Avenue between 68th and 69th Streets in June. Mimi's, the Australian froyo brand known for its lines in SoHo and Greenwich Village, scheduled its Lexington Avenue opening for September 10. Its store at 997 Lexington Avenue is now listed as open daily from 11 to 10. Heytea opened its first U.S. teabar at 126 East 86th Street in June, with fruit teas and tea ice cream.
Doria is the slow, sit-down exception
The one full-service restaurant headed for this stretch is also the furthest from opening. Doria UES LLC brought its liquor license application to Community Board 8's Street Life Committee on July 7. Partner Greg Giannone told Patch that the team's experience includes work at Sant Ambroeus and Felice. Patch later clarified that neither hospitality group runs Doria.
By mid-September, Upper East Site reported that Doria would not open "any time soon," with a major renovation of the former San Matteo space just getting started. The Yorkville Ledger has stopped tracking it on its coming-soon list until a date exists.
Where the new dinner rooms opened instead
Several new full-service restaurants have opened on the Upper East Side since mid-August. All of them are off Second Avenue.
- La Sardine, 1614 Third Avenue at East 91st Street: a seafood-focused wine bar from the team behind Bar Vivant and Alison. Opened September 9.
- Kuriya, 219 East 85th Street between Second and Third Avenues: a soba house from the team behind Suki Desu. Opened September 6.
- La Collina, 1431 First Avenue at East 74th Street: an Italian restaurant and pizzeria with a bar. Opened August 18.
- Ob Uan, 1479 First Avenue at East 77th Street: a Thai menu focused on regional dishes, in the former Spice space.
Kuriya is the closest of these to Second Avenue, just off it on a side street. Two more dinner restaurants have been announced nearby. KALÓ, a Greek live-fire restaurant from owner Vasiliki Lampropoulou and executive chef and co-owner Konstantinos Moschos, is planned for 1007 Lexington Avenue and is expected "this fall." Jean Claude, Kamel Moumeni's French bistro, is going into 1481 York Avenue between 78th and 79th Streets. Patch reported in September that delayed chair deliveries could push back its opening.
Status on Second Avenue as of October 1, 2026
| Address | Previous tenant | Incoming | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1501 Second Ave | Not reported | Upside Pizza | Not confirmed open; September–October window |
| 1547 Second Ave | Ania Rybka Salon | Myka | Signage up; no date |
| 1556 Second Ave | Adria, closed Sept. 12 | Bluestone Lane | "Coming soon" on company page |
| 1584 Second Ave | Sushi Ren, closed early Aug. | None reported | Vacant |
| 1589 Second Ave | Osteria Nando, closed late Aug. | Caffe Buon Gusto Sports Bar & Grill | "Very soon"; not confirmed open |
| 1716 Second Ave | San Matteo | Doria | Under renovation; no date |
Of the six addresses, none has a confirmed opening as of today. The closest to a firm date is Upside Pizza, whose founder's September-to-October window ends this month.
Storefront turnover like this shapes a block long before it shows up in any market report, and The Masters Division follows it address by address across Manhattan. If you're weighing what a changing street means for a home you own nearby, The Masters Division is glad to walk through it with you. Request a private consultation.
