Sacre Bull! Celebrity Chef Brings Beloved Cafe Back to the Upper East Side

Upper East Side food lovers are thrilled that Daniel Boulud has just signed a lease to open a new restaurant at 100 E. 63rd St. The chef told Realty Check that this is a revival of the much-loved Boulud Cafe.

Boulud-owned Dinex Group and an unnamed French partner have signed an agreement to buy about 5,000 square feet at the corner of East 63rd Street and Park Avenue, home to many outstanding restaurants in the past century. Most recently it was the Vaucluse of the Altamarea Group, which closed after the start of the pandemic.

“It’s very exciting for me,” said Bulud, who has wanted to revive Cafe Boulud since the former closed. “It will remain a destination for locals, foodies and our loyal customers,” he said. The restaurant will open this fall.

Cafe Boulud was formerly located at the Surrey Hotel on East 76th Street. It was forced to close permanently in May 2021 when the hotel went bankrupt and was taken over by the British Reuben Brothers, who plan to reopen it under the flag of Corinthia Hotel. The Reubens set up a private club called Casa Tua instead of a restaurant.

The a la carte menu at Cafe Boulud was cheaper than Daniel’s flagship restaurant on East 65th Street offered by Boulud at a fixed price, but it was much more than a “cafe”. The succession of excellent chefs he chose to run the kitchen has made it a popular destination for connoisseurs of modern French and international cuisine, as well as city dwellers.