Happy Monday, New York! It’s a brand new week in our favorite city, and as you probably guessed we’re back with yet another round of the best restaurants opening in your neighborhood. Today’s latest scoop is about a brand new Mediterranean restaurant from the Sushi Dojo team. It’s called Lashevet and it’s expected to arrive at 1663 First Avenue, between 87th and and 86th street in Yorkville.
Owned by Boris Lidukhover, Lashevet is styled as a Middle Eastern tapas restaurant, offering small plates from across the many coasts of the Mediterranean. Highlighting elements of Moroccan, Israeli, and Lebanese cuisine, Lashevet has also acquired a tavern license for selling liquor, wine, beer, and cider and is expected to offer drink specials inspired by the aforementioned regions.
Before Lashevet, Boris previously owned Sushi Dojo, which currently operates downtown at 110 First Avenue. Partnering with Chef David Bouhadana to open the restaurant in 2013, Boris and the chef parted ways in 2015 due to creative differences, and Boris has remained the sole owner ever since. Offering an exclusive omakase selection around a small 16-seat table, Sushi Dojo earned acclaim for both the quality of food it served as well as its welcoming atmosphere. Often playing mid-2000’s club hits from artists like Akon and Flo-Rida, Sushi Dojo cultivated a reputation as fun-loving and friendly alternative to the stuffier omakase restaurants in the neighborhood.
Featuring 640 square feet of space, Lashevet will remain an intimate and exclusive affair. Taking over the space at 1663 First Avenue, Lashevet will be replacing Mokja, a counter-serve Korean restaurant that offered noodles and bibimbap in a contemporary space. At the time of writing, this was the only Mokja in operation, and it remains unclear whether the owners plan on reopening in a new space. Boris, meanwhile, is excited to get his latest project underway and is hoping to have Lashevet operational by the first quarter of 2022.
