The 37-year-old Soho vegetarian-friendly restaurant Spring Street Natural will soon be joined by an outpost in the Upper West Side, says owner Rustam Schoenholt. The new restaurant is on track to open this fall at 474–476 Columbus Avenue, former home to area brunch spot Columbus Bakery; a full liquor license is pending. Opening consultant and manager Judah Zweiter tells us that when the build-out is complete, Spring Natural Kitchen will be about half the size of its downtown mothership, and to expect some new things, not a clone of the original.
Spring Natural Kitchen will offer the same mix of meat and meatless dishes, with a few differences. “We’ll be loosely connected to the original,” he says. “If a customer wants vegan food, we’ll have that, or if organic is their focus, we’ll have that. Some of the menu items will be exactly the same, but we want to do new things, too. We think it will be a very good fit for the neighborhood.” So, are we witnessing the first stages of an enormous Spring Street Natural expansion plan? “Yes, of course,” says Zweiter. “We like to open a new restaurant once every 37 years.”
