New 'Restaurant Row' in the Offing Along 12th Avenue

The arrival of three new restaurants has some locals questioning why a stretch of 12th Avenue between 131st and 135th Streets is becoming home to a “restaurant row.”

The three restaurants, which are expected to open by late 2007, hope to join the Hudson River Café and Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in drawing a more upscale crowd to the area. The new building will feature the Body Bar & Grill, Alma Thai Latin Cuisine, and a brick oven pizza eatery that co-owner Tony Lobruto hasn’t named yet. Lobruto, who also operates the Max SoHa café at 1274 Amsterdam Ave. said “they will be a nice addition to Fairway and the Hudson River Café.”

Although some speculate that Columbia University’s projected expansion caused a sudden burst of life in the area, Lobruto said, “I wanted to do this [open up a restaurant there] 20 years ago.” Peter Skyllas agreed. “[Columbia’s expansion] was no incentive at all,” although such construction, he believes, “is only going to help.”

Local shop manager Arthur Suza disagreed. “It [the expansion] might have something to do with it,” he said, also noting that Columbia was “kicking us [his business] out... But what’s attracting a lot of people is the Fairway. There’s an increased traffic flow since Fairway came out,” he said. Fairway Market at 132nd St. opened in 1994 but, according to employee Shayna Lee, has seen a vast increase in business over the past two years.

Suza also cited the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, which opened in late 2004, as a source of business interest in the area. It’s the first location to feature $20 to $30 entrées in the area. “Maybe we’d go there once in a while, if we had an extra dollar to spend,” said Suza, adding that he and his workers “eat well.”

Jorge Negron, a curbside car detailer who operates on 12th Ave. and 135th St., was optimistic about the future restaurants’ impact on the neighborhood. “It’s [the area] improving... I think because of Columbia’s expansion.”

The restaurants along 12th Ave. have already made a noticeable difference in the appearance of the neighborhood. The manicured exteriors of the Hudson River Café and the new building contrast the starker facades of the warehouses less than a block away. As Lobruto watched construction continue inside his shop, he commented, “If you saw the building two years ago, you would have said, ‘No way.’”

Simone Foxman can be reached at news@columbiaspectator.com