A Brooklyn sandwich shop that started as a pandemic pop-up and once drew lines around the block is heading to the Upper West Side, taking over the space left behind by a longtime neighborhood pizzeria.
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Edith’s Sandwich Counter has leased the 2,400-square-foot former Francesco’s Pizzeria space at 186 Columbus Avenue, between West 68th and 69th streets, according to CBRE’s third-quarter Manhattan retail report. The report didn’t include a timeline for the opening.Francesco’s had served the neighborhood since 1999. In July, workers at the space told ILTUWS that the pizzeria had closed, though they said they didn’t know what was coming next.
The Edith’s deal was one of 11 retail leases signed on the Upper West Side last quarter, according to the CBRE report, which ranked the neighborhood second in Manhattan for leasing volume with more than 50,000 square feet leased. The report noted that much of that activity was concentrated along Broadway and Columbus Avenue.
Edith’s began as a pop-up at Paulie Gee’s Pizzeria in Greenpoint in the spring of 2020, according to the company’s website, which says the pop-up sold out daily and drew lines around the block. It’s named for founder Elyssa’s great-aunt, who ran a Brooklyn deli in the 1950s, and Elyssa drew on those old family recipes along with centuries of global Jewish cuisine to build the menu. The first standalone Edith’s Sandwich Counter opened in Williamsburg in the spring of 2021, and the business expanded into Manhattan in December 2024 with a shop at 64 Charles Street in the West Village. It also lists a Tribeca location at 135 West Broadway.
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At its existing shops, Edith’s serves scratch-made, grilled-to-order breakfast and lunch, with bagel sandwiches, hot breakfast sandwiches, lunch sandwiches, sides and slushies. Its best-known item is the BEC&L, a bacon, egg, latke and cheese sandwich that The New York Times named one of “57 Sandwiches That Defines New York City.” The shop also touts its Iced Cafe Slushie, which it notes drew praise from Food & Wine, and its Sephardi Breakfast Wrap, which The Infatuation ranked among the best breakfast sandwiches in NYC.Have a news tip? Send it to us here!
