Hospitality Veteran Jay Wainwright Created Wainwright’s Tavern with the Upper East Side in Mind

A Timeless Neighborhood Tavern Marrying Downtown Energy with Old-School "House Account" Hospitality.

Now Open as of April 10, 2026

New York sees restaurants open daily, but very rarely with such deep ancestral roots. This April, multi-generation New Yorker and hospitality veteran Jay Wainwright has opened Wainwright’s Tavern in his own backyard at 1278 Third Avenue at 73rd Street. Designed to be a "forever" restaurant, Wainwright's hopes to bring a buzzy downtown bistro vibe to the neighborhood.

Wainwright’s Tavern is envisioned as a grown up dinner party where guests feel like this is their spot. In an era of exclusive members-only clubs, the tavern offers a nod to old-school New York: locals are able to set up house accounts, allowing them to walk out with a wave instead of dealing with a check. A carefully curated playlist - hand-selected by Wainwright himself - invites guests to linger.

What is Wainwright’s Tavern?

Wainwright’s is a lively, cozy, and stylish tavern, similar to a Balthazar-style downtown bistro, but shaped by generations of life on the Upper East Side. Wainwright grew up just a few blocks away, and his family has called Manhattan home for centuries. The menu is accessible and familiar, with elevated favorites like a perfected cheeseburger, roasted half chicken, and a crisp martini. These modern classics sit alongside nods to old New York that take guests back in time, such as Oysters Rockefeller, Lobster Newberg, and a Waldorf Salad. The wines are mostly French and the cocktails pay homage to New York with the Stuyvesant Old Fashioned and the Pan Am Paper Plane.

A love letter to the neighborhood

“The Upper East Side has always been a place where families have lived, worked, and gone to school,” says Wainwright. “This is a restaurant built to last.” 

The service aims to evoke a bygone era of hospitality where regular guests are greeted by name. It was created with the neighborhood in mind: the locals stopping in for a chilled glass of Chablis and pan-seared salmon; the parents congregating for evening drinks; and the next generation sitting at the bar with spritzes and a dozen oysters.

The look

It was important to create a space that felt timeless. Red leather banquettes; antique mirrors diffuse the soft light from sconces and chandeliers; a mix of historic New York maps, vintage Peter Arno New Yorker cartoons, Irving Penn photographs cover the walls.

Best seat in the house?

For those seeking the ultimate neighborhood experience, the Brooklyn Bridge table - a round table for eight with a circular banquette - is available for a la carte dining or customizable dinner parties, making it the perfect extension of an Upper-East-Siders' own dining room.

About Jay Wainwright

Jay is a lifelong entrepreneur. After bringing Cosi to the US in 1996, Jay spent a decade at Le Pain Quotidien, where he helped orchestrate the brand's global expansion to 230 locations. After running Seamore's in this space - which shuttered in December - Jay chose this as the first time to attach his own name to a restaurant. (Wainwright’s Tavern is in no way affiliated with Seamore’s other than the fact that Jay Wainwright was part of both.) In his words, it seemed like a good time to return to his own neighborhood.

Wainwright’s Tavern is open as of April 10th for dinner. 

Wainwright’s Tavern

181 East 73rd Street

Now open Wednesday-Sunday for dinner