Kung Fu Tea Opens on 5th Ave

Kung Fu Tea [8625 5th Ave] soft opened earlier (12/19), right before Christmas  (they're between 86th and 87th St), next to Blimpie's.  They took us by surprise by opening in record fashion, after having mentioned it less than two weeks earlier.

Planet Wings on 5th Ave Shutters

Planet Wings [8612 5th Ave] next to Pizza Wagon closed a little over a year in business. It didn't seem like long ago that we first broke the news of their opening back in August (last year). Although we'd like to think that fried chicken resonates well with just about anyone, they likely didn't get a chance to hit their mark.

Kung Fu Tea is Coming to 5th Ave

Kung Fu Tea Storefront (on Ave U., courtesy of Sheepshead Bites)

Kung-Fu Tea [8625 5th Ave] is headed to the 87th St. block of the 86th St corridor, right next to Blimpie.  Although a tenant for this space had been expected for some time, it was only a matter of time a chain-based bubble tea shop opened somewhere along this stretch.

5th Ave Hair Studio Celebration of Fashion and Beauty

5th Ave Hair Studio [9013 5th Ave] and Oribe Hair Care (Facebook) are throwing a soirée tomorrow, and you're invited.  It's an event to earmark their one year anniversary on 5th Ave & 90th St that we wrote about and it's sure to be something you won't want to miss.  Please call ahead or email to RSVP. 718-439-4909 or 5thavehairstudio@gmail.com - Press release as follows...

General Vape Opens on 5th Ave

General Vape [8314 5th Ave], an electronic cigarette or e-cig shop opened their doors nearly a week earlier along 5th Ave. (the original date was set for August 1st)

Bullshots, Olla Wine Bar goes dark, along with others

Bullshots [8121 5th Ave] may have poured its last shot. Beleaguered bar/pub of the better part of the last decade went dark last week. The casual watering hole that featured $3-4 pints & mixed drinks along with karaoke is no more.

Caffe Bene Opens on 5th Ave

Happy Monday! Caffé Bene [8614 5th Ave] opened over the weekend to the delight of 86th St shoppers. As was reported by us on their progress, and our first detailed article, the renovations took no more than a couple month. True to their design language, they've adopted the look and feel of the other locations within the rapidly expanding chain. Coffee just became that much more accessible, but with a calmer environment. It calls to attention the fact that there are no less than 3 coffee options at every single 86th St BID intersection, presently.

FedEx Office Coming to 86th St

FexEx Office [526 86th St, Corner of Gelston] will be slated to open Q3 in the storefront once occupied by chain retailer Motherhood Maternity (shuttered in late 2013). FedEx Office, once known as Kinko's is a chain of stores that operates in the printshop/full-service copying services market.

Caffé Bene Progress

Work continues on Caffe Bene's new Bay Ridge outpost [8614 5th Ave] as reported last week. Plywood has been taken down to expose floor to ceiling glass windows/doors and wood, consistent with their overarching theme. A sharp contrast to the coca-cola red from Entertainment Exchange but a welcome one. What isn't clear yet is when they plan on installing their new awning and/or wood themed signage.

Caffé Bene Coming to 5th Ave (off 86th)

 (Pictured: Caffé Bene cafe/bakery in Ditmars-Astoria)

This vacant storefront [8614 5th Ave] didn't sit long on the market before being snatched.

CeX 8614 5th Ave

With the shuttering of CeX (electronics retail chain) this past winter, we know now that slated for opening 2H'15 in its place will be the rapidly expanding franchise upstart, Caffé Bene. No timeline has been specified but we expect this may take a few months since the former store was an electronics retailer, and Caffé Bene is a cafe/bakery.

Decora Pizza Coming to 5th Ave

Decora Pizza remains under wraps during renovation

Decora Pizza [8125 5th Ave] looks to be situated on the NE corner of 5th Ave and 82nd St, diagonally across from TD Bank. With a pristine all-glass facade, this looks to be one to watch this Spring/Summer when they finally open. You can't ever have enough pizza, after all.

Here's a fun fact: By the numbers, there's roughly 16 pizzerias per mi² in Manhattan. In Bay Ridge, the quote was not much more- roughly 18/mi² (standalone,  not counting restaurants).

Mancini's Pizza Out Benevento Osteria In

Mancini's Pizza [8504 5th Ave] has changed hands, making way for pizzeria, Benevento Osteria.

Mancini's had a good five year run serving up pizza from their brick oven along heavily trafficked 5th Ave.  Benevento's phone number is largely unchanged, making this transition one of the quietest we've seen yet... aside from the awning and signage.

Fattoush on 5th Ave Shutters

It's lights out for Fattoush [509 85th St], the casual/take-out Lebanese eatery.  Emphatically named after the Lebanese salad, this shawarma, falafel & juice bar served its last dish after a 1½ year run, with a sign affixed to the door saying the business is closed.  Some may point to their distance away off 5th Ave playing a key factor.

Adana Mayla Turkish Restaurant Opens on 5th Ave

 

Adana Mayla [7701 5th Ave] opened earlier in March offering Turkish cuisine to all.  Although the menu speaks to the burgeoning Middle-Eastern population along the span of 5th Ave, there's something for everyone. The menu covers the whole spectrum of Turkish as you can imagine, including salads, mixed grill, shawarmas, and kebabs. They are on Facebook, Yelp, and have a website.

Awesome Ramen Comes to Bay Ridge

Over the weekend of Oct 25-26th, Awesome Ramen opened it's doors to the customers of 86th St B.i.D.  As you may already know, we covered Mori Sushi's abrupt closure merely weeks earlier.  It does look promising as Bay Ridge is lacking ramen.  We wish this new ramen house well!

Killarney Pub To Close

(Source: Brooklyn Paper)

Killarney Pub [6911 5th Ave], Say it ain't so! It's been a great run but as Brooklyn Paper first reported, this Bay Ridge institution of 90 years is closing according to owner, Paddy Finn. We wish him well on his future endeavors.

Mori Sushi is No More

Mori Sushi [8619 5th Ave] was found to be closed earlier last week and continues to be this week. We believe it didn't help to advertise 50% off sushi from the start, or offer up All-You-Can-Eat sushi when it opened last year, when the previous beleaguered occupants were also Asian buffet-style concept restaurants: Wild Ginger and Century before that. Just saying.

5th Ave Hair Studio Opens On 5th Ave

Source: Alex Kroke Photography

5th Ave Hair Studio [9013 5th Ave] opened earlier this week on 9/30 (Tues), two doors away from neighborhood favorite, Robicelli's.  They certainly bring something different, and by that we mean something uniquely cool.

Fall is coming, 3rd Ave Festival, Gentile Office Opens

Halloween is coming!

Halloween is almost here!  [442 86th St.] How do we know?  Check out the store that's readying for the special holiday... They're setting up and hiring at the moment but we'll bring you more when they're set to open.

Why does it look familiar? It's the former GNC (relocated to 432 86th St. a few doors over]

3rd Ave Festival Nears

The Merchants of Third Ave would like you to drop in Sept 28 (Sun) 12-6pm for the 41st Annual 3rd Ave Festival. We'll keep you appraised about how it'll affect you but one thing's for sure, it'll be difficult to drive around.  For more on this, check out their page on [Facebook]

Vincent J. Gentile's Office Grand Opening

The Councilman's office [8018 5th Ave] officially opened Sept 20 (Sat). Tons of supporters and local residents streamed in to say Hi.

Planet Wings Swoops Into 5th Ave

Planet Wings [8612 5th Ave.], the Hudson Valley based wings franchise, surprised us by opening their doors on Sat, Aug 30th next to Pizza Wagon.