UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Shoo Shoo Nolita, a lively downtown restaurant featuring shareable Mediterranean cuisine, is moving on up to the Upper East Side next month, Albert Bitton, the CEO of the buzzy establishment, told Patch.
Shoo Shoo East is getting ready to open on the corner of East 77th Street and Second Avenue, Bitton told Patch. The restaurant will take over the location briefly occupied by Avenue Bakery, which opened in 2024 to fanfare but then closed later that year.
Shoo Shoo’s all-day menu and atmosphere are inspired by Bitton’s Moroccan and Israeli upbringing, he said, with bright flavors, good mezze, and a laid-back Tel Aviv cafe vibe.
Brunch offerings at Shoo Shoo. (c3creative.nyc)
“I love creating spaces where you can have good experiences, to have joy and people you love,” Bitton told Patch, adding that he is opening the restaurant with his friend and business partner, Rob Ozer, who first suggested the Upper East Side location.
“It’s like a Mediterranean bistro, with some influence from Tel Aviv, that’s for sure, and Morocco, definitely, because I grew up with my mother in the kitchen.”
The uptown menu will feature the same dishes as the downtown location, with a focus on Mediterranean and Middle Eastern salads, dips, kebabs, teas, and pastries, with several plant-based options, all meant for sharing.
“We are copy-pasting what works for us,” Bitton said.
Rob Ozer, left, and Albert Bitton, right. (c3creative.nyc)
The name itself is a fusion of Bitton’s worlds. In French, chou chou is a term of endearment, and in Hebrew, the phrase is slang for something to be kept secret, like a speakeasy or a good surfing spot.
Bitton, who got his start in the industry in SoHo in 1987 with a cafe, said the Upper East Side is starting to feel like the new SoHo.
Though the Upper East Side has always been aspirational, he’s right that the neighborhood is having a bit of a revival, with scene-y downtown restaurants like the American Bar and Cafe Commerce opening in the neighborhood, as well as fashion houses that cater to a younger downtown audience, like Toteme, Khaite, Staud, and so on.
“This has become like Soho, everybody’s opening,” Bitton said. “I was working in SoHo in the 80s when big brands started to come in. I feel the same way here. It’s like it’s happening. Everybody wants to capture this. I guess the streets here are much busier than downtown during the day, and I think there is a buzz now.”
The new restaurant is expected to open in mid-to-late September, Bitton said.
“We’re excited to be a part of the buzz.”
Shoo Shoo East will be located at 1477 Second Ave., New York, NY 10075.
Dining and Cooking