New Harlem Restaurants: Sushi, Caribbean, The Porch Returns

HARLEM, NY — A sushi spot, a reborn music venue and a restaurant-bar near Strivers' Row are among Harlem's next restaurant openings.

Most of the newly opened and soon-to-arrive businesses were presented to Community Board 10 last week as their owners sought the board's approval to obtain liquor licenses.

Here's what we know about each one:

Bubblin Pot Restaurant, Bar & Lounge (2308 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd., between West 135th and 136th streets):

• No representatives from this new eatery blocks from Strivers' Row showed up to last week's board meeting, leaving some details unclear. But an online menu for Bubblin Pot appears to focus on Caribbean dishes like braised oxtail, jerk chicken and curried goat, plus a section of "Jamaican beverages" like "Pineapple tropical rhythm."
• Signage for Bubblin Pot first appeared last year in a storefront formerly home to Tuscan Kitchen, as Harlem Bespoke reported at the time.

Konnichiwa Sushi Corp. (2150 Fifth Ave., between West 131st and 132nd streets):

• Having already obtained a regular liquor license, owners of this new sushi spot are now seeking a temporary license to help the business open more quickly, an attorney for the restaurant told CB10.
• Few other details were provided for the restaurant, whose listed owner is Darnell Charles.
• Its planned Fifth Avenue storefront was formerly home to Stingray's restaurant.

The Porch (750A St. Nicholas Ave., between West 147th and 148th streets):

• Rather than a brand-new restaurant, this is more of a rebirth. The Porch reopened this week after spending months renovating its Sugar Hill space and retooling its concept following an initial, roughly month-long run at the start of this year.
• Its owners, married musicians Beth Kaufman and Mark Miller, told Patch last winter that they conceived of The Porch as a neighborhood gathering spot, cafe and music venue that could help restore the neighborhood's former status as a jazz destination.
• The Porch closed in February, as owners made "some necessary adjustments to our venue." Now, it's back open daily from 11:30 a.m. to midnight, according to an Instagram post.

AMC Magic Johnson Harlem 9 (2309 Frederick Douglass Blvd., on West 124th Street):

• Harlem's longtime movie theater complex appeared before the board thanks to a new state policy allowing cinemas to serve beer and wine, following a January vote by the State Liquor Authority.
• AMC Magic Johnson is among roughly six theaters in New York City where the company is hoping to start selling alcohol to guests — which AMC hopes will help "recoup some of the massive losses that we’ve had, like many businesses, during COVID," a representative said.

Have a Harlem news tip? Contact reporter Nick Garber at [email protected].

Related coverage: New Harlem Cafe, Music Venue Aims To Restore Sugar Hill's Spirit