The owner of Abaita is opening a new Mediterranean restaurant on the Upper East Side called Libbi

Abaita, arguably one of the best run kosher restaurants in New York, is taking over the Upper East Side of Manhattan—sort of.

Although full details are still scant, the owner and chef of the midtown Italian eatery, chef David Donagrandi, exclusively tells Pretty Kosher that he’s gearing up to launch Libbi, an elevated Mediterranean restaurant that seats about 50 diners at once, on 81st and Third Avenue some time after Passover.

“It’s the Omer right after Passover so we have to look at dates, but maybe we’ll be able to open by Lag Baomer,” he says to Pretty Kosher. This year, Lag Baomer will take place on Thursday, May 15, at sundown.

Although Abaita’s carefully prepared pizza, pasta and fish dishes have earned it top nods across local culinary circles, Donagrandi hopes to slightly move away from all that when it comes to his new project.

“We’re embracing all things Mediterranean but not Italian per se,” he says. Expect a kosher dairy menu featuring plenty of vegeterian dishes, “a good amount of fish” and limited pasta options. Pizza will also be on offer, but in a different form: three to four types of Roman-style “pinse” boasting light, airy crusts will be prepared daily.

Drinks-wise, the plan is to create a list of five or six curated cocktails, in addition to beer and wine options.

Dessert is sure to be worthy of attention as well: Donagrandi shares that he’s planning on making panettone, the Milanese sweet bread that’s traditionally sold during Christmas time, all year-round.

A very specific type of gelato will also pepper the menu.

“I want to serve three or four ‘coppe’ of gelato with homemade waffles and black cherries, like they do throughout Italian beach towns,” says the chef.

To be clear, though, Libbi will not be home to a gelateria (literally, a gelato shop): the Italian ice cream will be part and parcel of the upscale menu, and not something to be enjoyed separately—a decision that really speaks to the type of vibe that Donagrandi hopes to offer at his new restaurant.

“We’re going to be serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, but the breakfast itself will be upscale,” he notes. “I want to cater to the Upper East Side crowd and serve them breakfast as if they were in a grand cafe in Italy, with servers and all.”

“Abaita did a good job of pushing the craft of kosher cooking,” says the chef when musing on the restaurant he opened back in 2018. “But I think there’s still more room to elevate things with Libbi.”

Speaking of Abaita, Donagrandi also reveals that the eatery is in the midst of a growth spurt. In addition to bringing back outdoor seating, the owner hopes to be able to expand the number of seats available indoors.

With so much on the horizon, it’s clear that Donagrandi and his team are setting the stage for something truly special.