Most of the Upper East Side's new restaurants and bakeries from August through early October 2026 opened east of Second Avenue. Seven of the ten places below sit on First Avenue, on York, or on a side street between them. Only two opened toward Third, and one more has picked a Second Avenue address. The district's biggest civic project, the rebuilt East River Esplanade beside Hospital for Special Surgery, sits at the end of those same blocks. It was promised back in stages by October and is still listed as an active work site.
So this fall's new places to eat are concentrated near the river, and the riverfront is still under construction.
The addresses, in one place
| Place | Address | Status | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bon Ga | 408 East 64th Street | Open, in the former Bayon | Korean comfort food |
| Ship of Fools | First Avenue at East 63rd Street | Targeting January 2027 | Sports bar, returning |
| Zaxbys | 1267 First Avenue, East 68th–69th | Opened Sept. 30 | First Manhattan location |
| La Collina | 1431 First Avenue | Opened Aug. 18 | Italian, pizza |
| Dan Bakery | 1431 York Avenue | Opened in August | Second storefront |
| Ob Uan | 1479 First Avenue near East 77th | Opened in September | Regional Thai |
| Kuriya | 219 East 85th Street | Opened Sept. 6 | Soba |
| La Sardine | 1614 Third Avenue near East 91st | Opened Sept. 9 | Seafood-focused wine bar |
| Goop Kitchen | 346 East 92nd Street at First | Opened Aug. 3 | First NYC walk-in shop |
| Tatte Bakery & Café | 1597 Second Avenue | Listed as "Opening 2026" | Bakery and café |
Opening dates come from Eater New York's monthly roundups for August, September and October, plus Patch and Tatte's own site.
The table runs south to north, and the order matters. If you walk up First Avenue from the low 60s to East 92nd Street, you pass most of this fall's new spots without changing streets.
First Avenue, from 63rd to 92nd
Start at the south end with a place that hasn't opened yet. Ship of Fools ran at Second Avenue and East 82nd Street from 1996 to 2012. Owner Glenn Treacher told Patch on Oct. 7 that he and his wife, Owen, are reopening it on First Avenue at East 63rd Street, with a January 2027 target. It was never meant to be a sports bar. The original opened while the Yankees were in the 1996 playoffs, and the crowds made the decision for the owners.
"The place was absolutely slammed. You couldn't move. At that point, me and my wife looked at each other and just decided we were going to be a sports bar." Glenn Treacher, to Patch
A few blocks north, Zaxbys opened its first Manhattan location on Sept. 30 at 1267 First Avenue, between East 68th and 69th Streets. At 1431 First Avenue, La Collina opened Aug. 18 with Italian food and pizza, and it serves a two-course weekday lunch for $34. Farther up at 1479 First Avenue, near East 77th Street, Ob Uan moved into the former Spice space in September with Thai dishes from several regions.
Goop Kitchen anchors the north end. Its first walk-in storefront in New York City opened Aug. 3 at 346 East 92nd Street, at the corner of First Avenue. That's three firsts on one avenue in one season: a first Manhattan location, a first NYC walk-in shop, and a bar reopening a decade after it closed.
York and the side streets carry it east
The pattern doesn't end at First Avenue. Dan Bakery opened its second storefront in August at 1431 York Avenue, selling honey cakes and coffee drinks that include a strawberry matcha. Down in the 60s, Bon Ga took over 408 East 64th Street, the address that housed Bayon for years, and serves Korean comfort food like bulgogi and seafood pancakes. Both addresses sit east of First, between the avenue and the river.
The rest of the openings are farther west. Kuriya debuted Sept. 6 at 219 East 85th Street, and Eater describes soba served on tatami mats, either for dipping or with toppings. La Sardine, a wine bar focused on seafood, opened Sept. 9 at 1614 Third Avenue near East 91st Street. On Second Avenue, Tatte's upcoming-locations page lists 1597 Second Avenue as "Opening 2026" but gives no date.
Not every change was an opening. In early October the Upper East Site reported that Chip City had permanently closed its Upper East Side shops as part of a company-wide shutdown. On Oct. 2, Eater reported that Golden Age Hospitality had taken over the recently closed Donohue's Steakhouse, and the item gave no reopening date.
Where the avenues run out
Walk east on any street in the low 70s and you hit the stretch of the East River Esplanade that HSS, NYC Parks and the city have been rebuilding all year. Here's the timeline in order:
- June 2026. HSS says a new permanent pedestrian ramp at East 71st Street opened that month, along with permanent pavers and landscaping between East 70th and 71st Streets.
- July 8. A City Council announcement said the 70th–78th Street stretch would come back in stages through October, and that "the 78th Street pedestrian bridge will be closed starting this month."
- July 16. Our Town reported you could walk north to about East 73rd Street, with the last five blocks expected back in the fall.
- Late July. Assemblymember Rebecca Seawright's newsletter put completion of the remaining phases at the end of October 2026.
As of today, HSS's project page still says the East 72nd–78th section "remains closed during active construction" and gives "full completion anticipated by October 2026." The planned work includes sinkhole repair near the base of the East 78th Street ramp, seawall improvements, new pavers, landscaping and outdoor fitness equipment. We couldn't find any public notice confirming that those blocks or the 78th Street footbridge have reopened. October is still a target. Jennifer Ratner, chair of Friends of the East River Esplanade, told Our Town in June, "Even in the last steps, there have been delays."
The waterfront farther north is in a similar state. In April, a sinkhole closed through traffic between East 89th and 96th Streets, though the East 90th Street ferry entrance stayed open. Seawright's July newsletter said repairs on the 93rd–96th section were "nearly complete," and we haven't seen a later reopening notice. That's the same end of the neighborhood where Goop Kitchen and La Sardine just opened.
Sunday, Oct. 18 at Carl Schurz Park
Carl Schurz Park holds two events on the same afternoon, Sunday, Oct. 18, from 1 to 3 p.m. The Harvest Festival lists a pumpkin patch, crafts, a spooky trail and a children's concert. The Halloween Howl & Healthy Hound Fair puts on a dog-costume parade and a fair. Details are on the Carl Schurz Park events page.
Construction will be part of the scenery. NYC Parks lists a pathway reconstruction at Carl Schurz Park, rebuilding its bluestone paths. Work started in July 2026 and is projected to finish in January 2027. The project page doesn't say which paths will be closed or when. Dan Bakery on York and Kuriya on East 85th are both a short walk from the park gates for anyone grabbing something before or after.
On rainy weekends, the exhibitions are inside on Fifth Avenue. Taryn Simon's Father Country I Do Love You fills the Guggenheim rotunda through March 14, 2027. The Jewish Museum's Fragments of Memory, which looks at Jewish and Christian objects and traditions from medieval and early modern Central Europe, runs through Feb. 7, 2027.
What still has a date attached
A few items on this list only have target dates so far:
- The East 72nd–78th Esplanade and the 78th Street footbridge. The target is October 2026, with no confirmed reopening yet.
- Carl Schurz Park's paths. Projected to be finished in January 2027.
- Ship of Fools on First Avenue at East 63rd. Aiming for January 2027.
- Tatte at 1597 Second Avenue. Listed as "Opening 2026" with no date.
- The former Donohue's. Taken over by Golden Age Hospitality, with no reopening date in Eater's report.
If both January targets hold, Ship of Fools at East 63rd and the rebuilt Carl Schurz Park paths will open the same month.
When a cluster of openings changes the walk between your building and the river, it can affect how buyers see a block. Michael Molina follows those block-level changes on the Upper East Side and across our neighborhoods. If you're curious what your apartment would be worth now that First Avenue looks different, request a free home valuation.