A new upscale restaurant is headed for the Upper East Side, according to a liquor license application filed with Manhattan Community Board 8.
The new concept, which appears on the application as UES Tavern, will be a full-service restaurant serving a “sophisticated menu,” a representative of the restaurant’s owner, Jay Wainwright, said in the community board meeting. “You can get everything from burgers to lobster thermidor at this restaurant.”
The upcoming concept will replace Seamore’s on 181 E 73rd St., a relatively large space able to seat 137 people. Wainwright, the owner of the upcoming UES Tavern, was also one of the co-founders of Seamore’s, alongside Michael Chernow. The sustainability-focused seafood restaurant announced they were closing all their locations at the end of 2025 after operating for a decade.
Wainwright has an extensive resume, bringing the first Così from Paris to New York in 1996 alongside his brother, Shep. Waingwright also worked as the chief development officer at Le Pain Quotidien, expanding the chain to the giant it is today. With the experience he comes with, it seems like Wainwright knows how to run a restaurant. We look forward to those burgers and lobster thermidors.
UES Tavern has not announced an opening date as of yet.
