Olde City Cheesesteaks and Brew has opened in the space that formerly housed Didi Dumpling. Photo by Sara Lewin Lebwohl.

By Lisa Kava and Sara Lewin Lebwohl

Olde City Cheesesteaks & Brew opened a “take-out and delivery outpost” at 201 Amsterdam Avenue (between West 69th and West 70th streets), on October 30th. Olde City specializes in Philadelphia-style cheesesteaks, wings, chicken tenders, and french fries. There are four other locations in Manhattan, which are all sports bars, owner Evan Stein told West Side Rag on a phone call. The UWS spot has a slimmed down menu focusing on the “Philly classics” which include cheesesteaks, wings, and fries. There are wood counters to accommodate customers who would like to stand and eat there. Stein was born in Manhattan, grew up outside Philadelphia, and has lived in NYC since 1993.  He opened Shorty’s in 2006, and left that restaurant in 2019. He founded Olde CIty in 2022 on the Upper East Side. “We have gotten a lot of requests for an Upper West Side location on Instagram, and the timing and space was finally right,” Stein said. “The response from the neighborhood has been fantastic so far, and we’re thrilled to be a part of the Upper West Side.”  Current hours (subject to change) are 3 p.m. until midnight Monday to Thursday, and 11 a.m. until midnight Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The space used to be Didi Dumpling which closed in April 2023.

A third Nuts Factory location has opened on the UWS, in a Broadway storefront that location was occupied by a Vitamin Shoppe until 2021.  Photo by Lisa Kava.

Nuts Factory, a candy and snack shop, opened on November 1st on the southeast corner of Broadway at West 92nd Street. It sells a wide variety of nuts, chocolate, dried fruit, granola and trail mix. Nuts Factory is a family-owned business with 11 stores in New York City (other locations are in New Jersey and Massachusetts). This is the third Upper West Side location for the snack shop: There is one at 2240 Broadway (at West 80th Street), and one at 284 Columbus Avenue (between West 73rd and West 74th streets). The newest location  was most recently a Vitamin Shoppe which closed in 2021 and has been vacant since.

Northwell Go Health Urgent Care has closed its location on Amsterdam Avenue at West 69th Street. Photo by Sara Lewin Lebwohl.

Northwell Go Health Urgent Care, the walk-in medical clinic at 199 Amsterdam Avenue (at West 69th Street), closed on November 1st. This follows the closing of two other Upper West Side Northwell Go Health Urgent Care locations; one at 2628 Broadway (at West 100th Street), and one at 2689 Broadway (at West 103rd Street). There are two remaining Northwell Go Health Urgent Care clinics in Manhattan: one on the Upper East Side and one in Greenwich Village.  “At this time, we do not have any specific information regarding the reason for the closure of this center,” a representative wrote to West Side Rag in an email.

A market selling locally-made products is opening inside Purple Waves, the wine bar and cafe on West 110th Street. Photo by Nitzan Keynan.

Purple Waves, a wine bar and cafe at 285 West 110th Street (at Central Park West), is opening a market inside the cafe on November 15th. There will be a celebration on that date from 1 until 4 p.m., with complimentary food and drinks. The market will sell “a curated collection of low-waste, locally made products from small farms and independent producers,” a representative wrote to West Side Rag in an email. Examples include milk in returnable glass bottles, yogurts in glass jars, vegan cheeses, and organic pasture-raised eggs. The shop will also carry small-batch pantry staples such as jams, nut butters, grains, flours, and beans, and will feature a “grab and go“ section as well. Purple Wave’s cafe menu includes breakfast bowls, housemade salads and bakery items. Purple Waves was founded in January 2024 by Upper West Sider Sharon Avnon Reuveni.

NaiSnow, a Chinese bakery and tea shop with two locations in Queens, has signage up on Amsterdam Avenue between 107th and 108th streets.  Photo by Sara Lewin Lebwohl.

NaiSnow, a Chinese bakery and tea shop, has signage up on 971 Amsterdam Avenue (between West 107th and West 108th streets). The shop has a Flushing, Queens, location and a Long Island City location. It serves tea, fruit tea, tea with milk, green juices, and fresh baked goods.  We will update when we have more information and an expected opening date. (Thanks to Nancy for the tip.)

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