Beloved French Bistro Jean Claude Returning To Upper East Side

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A longtime French bistro is returning to the Upper East Side, two years after losing its former neighborhood home to redevelopment.

Jean Claude is expected to open within the next two weeks on York Avenue, between East 78th and 79th streets, owner Kamel Moumeni told Patch.

The restaurant will take over the former Yefsi Estiatorio space, which Moumeni and his wife have completely redesigned.

“Everything is brand new,” Moumeni said. “The whole thing, everything came down, and I changed everything.”

Moumeni originally hoped to open by Sept. 9, but said delayed chair deliveries could push the debut later in the month.

The new outpost will serve the same menu of French classics as Jean Claude’s location at First Avenue and East 59th Street.

On the menu, diners can expect escargot, foie gras, mussels, steak frites, steak au poivre, beef bourguignon and coq au vin, alongside an assortment of rotating specials, Moumeni told Patch.

Moumeni’s history with Jean Claude stretches back about 35 years, he told Patch. After moving to New York from Algeria, he began working at the original Jean Claude, which opened in Soho in 1991.

He worked his way through the restaurant industry, starting as a dishwasher and busboy before becoming a waiter, he said.

Moumeni took over Jean Claude in 1995 and later opened an Upper East Side location near Second Avenue and East 71st Street.

However, that restaurant closed after a developer purchased the building and made plans to demolish it, Moumeni said.

Moumeni subsequently opened the East 59th Street location but said former customers repeatedly asked him to return farther uptown.

“Everyone was telling me, ‘We love you, but we cannot walk all the way here all the time,’” Moumeni said. “So I said, ‘You know what? Let me go back there.’”

The York Avenue opening will also bring Moumeni closer to home. He lives three blocks from the new restaurant, and his two children attend school in the neighborhood.

"I am very happy to come back to this neighborhood," Moumeni said.

Jean Claude will be located at 1481 York Ave.

Know of a business opening or closing on the Upper East Side? Email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.