Dear Margo, a new Eastern Mediterranean restaurant from restaurateur Dean Pashalis, is set to open Wednesday, March 25, 2026, on the Upper East Side, bringing laffa- and mezze-heavy dining to the corner of Lexington Avenue and East 70th Street. The spot will focus on shareable small plates, skewers and pita sandwiches in an intimate dining room, starting with evening service before expanding to lunch and weekend brunch in the weeks after opening.
Opening details and hours
According to What Now, Dear Margo will open at 961 Lexington Avenue on March 25 and will operate seven days a week from 4 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. The roughly 1,800-square-foot dining room will seat about 65 guests, with accordion glass doors that open to outdoor seating and boost capacity to around 100. The outlet notes that lunch and brunch service will follow shortly after the initial launch.
Who’s behind Dear Margo
Pashalis, whose family is behind several Mediterranean restaurants including Anassa Taverna, is steering the project, naming the restaurant in honor of his grandmother. Eater NY previously reported that the corner space had been eyed for an autumn 2025 debut, framing Dear Margo as part of a broader wave of Greek and Eastern Mediterranean openings across the city.
Menu and kitchen
Executive chef Efraim “Efi” Naon will run the kitchen, where freshly baked laffa will be a centerpiece, served with spreads like baba ghanoush and hummus alongside shareable plates, skewers, salads, bowls and pita sandwiches, according to What Now. The beverage program is described as approachable, with wines, sangrias and spritz-style cocktails sharing space with mocktails. The restaurant’s website is still under construction; Dear Margo's site currently displays a “coming soon” page.
The space, the block and what came before
The corner at 961 Lexington Avenue was long home to Neil’s Coffee Shop, a classic Upper East Side diner that closed amid legal and financial troubles in 2023, according to Patch. A March job posting seeking hosts indicates Dear Margo has been staffing up ahead of opening; Craigslist shows an ad listing the Lexington Avenue address and inviting applicants to meet managers during weekday hours.
Dear Margo arrives as the Upper East Side continues to broaden its dining lineup with more Mediterranean and Greek-focused options. With a cozy dining room, open-air seating and a menu built around shared plates, the newcomer looks poised to become a neighborhood go-to once doors open later this week.
