15 Year-Old Nolita Spot Cafe Colonial Will Close Today

Bowery Boggie reports that Cafe Colonial, the 15 year-old cafe and bistro on Elizabeth and Houston will close today as planned. The restaurant was forced to shutter due to a massive rent hike from the owner Luciane Gilan's landlord, a move that she blames on Keith McNally. She told Grub Street back in March, "I think that he is genuinely a good restaurateur and he does good — the problem is that the landlords think, Oh, because he’s a good guy he’s going to bring a lot of customers around. So people get greedy and make rents go up." Let's also not forget that the Whole Foods and the luxury condos just a block away could have something to do with that rent hike.
· Cafe Colonial is Closing Today [BB]