MANHATTAN – A beloved French bistro and bar has said goodbye, ending its chapter on the Upper East Side after seven years in the heart of Yorkville. After surviving two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, including closures and restrictions, The Little Frog held its final dinner service on Saturday— making way for the return of another UES favorite, Sandro’s.
“It has been an honor and a real pleasure to serve this precious neighborhood,” said François Latapie, owner of The Little Frog— located on East 86th Street between First and Second Avenues— in an Instagram post announcing the closure.
“Farewell to all my precious patrons and fans, I will miss you, as well as the great team that made Little Frog very unique,” the restauranteur added, noting that after pandemic struggles, he was left with little choice but to sell the Parisian bistro.
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The Little Frog is another tough loss for a neighborhood that’s seen a number of fixtures shuttered over the past two years, though the end of French restaurant‘s run on the Upper East Side will usher in the return of another neighborhood favorite that’s been gone for months.
Sandro’s, the popular Italian restaurant located on East 81st Street for sixteen years before closing in January, is set to reopen in the The Little Frog’s space on East 86th Street, brining back the same menu and hospitality that’s been lacking since the restaurant closed.
“We love the community. We think that the community is what kind of makes our restaurant who we are, so it only feels right to reopen that on the Upper East Side,” explained Sandro’s owner Sandro Fiorti to Community Board 8’s Street Life committee earlier this month.
“This concept is going to be the exact same restaurant is just moving locations,” added restaurant representative Riley Maud.
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That means favorites like Sandro’s signature Spaghettini Al Limone, featuring pasta smothered in a creamy lemon sauce, as well as Branzino filet, served three ways, will soon be available to hungry Upper East Siders once again.
It’s not yet clear when Sandro’s will be serving diners in its new East 86th Street space, but you can count on Upper East Site to keep you posted on the highly-anticipated reopening.
And while this weekend marked the end of the line for The Little Frog, owner François Latapie promises it’s not the end for him and his team.
“It is time to move on, pursue a new exciting path, create some new opportunities for myself and others somewhere else, somewhere new.”
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