A hotly anticipated upscale eatery opened its doors without fanfare at a new Surf Avenue complex near the Cyclone rollercoaster, staff confirmed on Wednesday.
Teraza Restaurant Lounge, located between W. Eighth and W. 10th streets, serves high-end American fare such as prime steak, seafood, and duck liver mousse. According to its general manager, the restaurant offers a culinary experience new to the People’s Playground.
“We’re going to be the first fine dining experience in the area,” said Imyas Abramov.
All of Teraza’s dishes are made in-house, including the bread, Abramov said. But the restaurant’s prices reflect its claims to quality, and entrees go from $22 to $48, according to the eatery’s online menu.
Teraza’s owners are still in the process of acquiring its liquor license, but Abramov hopes to be slinging booze within the next few months.
“We should get it within the next three months. Then, we’ll have a grand opening,” he noted.
Meanwhile, a new Starbucks neighboring Teraza remains closed because of an ongoing battle with the local community board, local mavens said.
Executives at the coffee shop — which would be the first sit-down Starbucks on the peninsula — want the café to operate a drive-thru, but community leaders worry that the line would cause traffic along Surf Avenue.
“In the summer, when the line backs up, where’s it going to back up to?” said Eddie Mark, the district manager of Community Board 13. “It’ll cause a fire and safety hazard.”
Mark added that Starbucks executives won’t open the shop until they get approval from the Department of Buildings and the Fire Department. Still, the coffee shop has appeared ready to open for months.
“It’s all ready to go,” Mark said. “We looked inside and all the tables and chairs are ready to go.”
