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The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

UWS Greek Restaurant Kefi Set to Reopen After 9-Month Closure

By Emily Frost | October 14, 2013 2:33pm
 A new Indian restaurant is coming to Columbus Ave this winter and Kefi will reopen in November. 
Kefi to Reopen
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UPPER WEST SIDE — Neighborhood favorite Greek restaurant Kefi is just three weeks from reopening with a new look and even more seating after being forced to shutter early this year, its owner said.

The restaurant originally hoped to reopen in October, but is now planning on an early November relaunch, chef/owner Michael Psilakis said.

Both Kefi and the adjacent Spanish tapas restaurant Casa Pomona were forced to close last winter when a pipe burst in the building, damaging both spaces. Casa Pomona reopened in August.

Kefi, which debuted on Columbus Avenue near West 84th Street in 2008, has undergone interior renovations that will improve its atmosphere, Psilakis explained.

"The downstairs area will be revamped with orange, yellow and brown hues, and a lot of mosaic tiles," Psilakis told DNAinfo New York.

More seats will be added to the formerly 200-person restaurant, including at the bar at a new 12-person communal table that's being added to the front of the restaurant, Psilakis said.

But for diners worried the changes will extend to the menu, "favorites and staples will remain the same as most customers already have their favorites," he noted.

"The most popular dish is the branzino with fingerling potatoes, roasted tomato, olives, lemon and olive oil," Psilakis said.

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Indian restaurant Swagat, which has been on Amsterdam Avenue at West 80th Street for the past 12 years, is opening a second eatery on Columbus Avenue between West 83rd and 84th streets. 

"It’s the same menu as Amsterdam Ave.,” owner Abi Sharma told Community Board 7 members at a recent meeting, where it received approval for its liquor license.

The menu includes traditional seafood, lamb and chicken curries, as well as vegetarian and tandoori-style dishes. 

Sharma said he hoped the new outpost, which has yet to be named, will open on Oct. 25.